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AMTRAK AND FIRST CLASS MOTORCYCLE TOURS TEAM UP FOR TWO AUTO TRAIN VACATION PACKAGES
WASHINGTON – Amtrak and First Class Motorcycle Tours have teamed up to offer two new vacation packages which include first-class accommodations on Amtrak’s Auto Train that allows motorcycle riders to travel with their bikes on board the train between Lorton, Va., south of Washington, DC and Sanford, Fla., just outside of Orlando. The motorcycles are secured in specially-designed carriers and travel in the train’s auto carriers while tour participants travel on the train in private roomette sleeping accommodations. All meals on board the train are included in the price of the tour.
Both the north- and southbound Auto Trains depart at 4:00 p.m. each afternoon and arrive at 9:30 a.m. the next morning. After a complimentary dinner, tour participants may watch a movie or relax in the Lounge Car and then retire for the night. The next morning they will awaken in Virginia or Florida refreshed and ready for the motorcycle ride of a lifetime. The “Trains, Planes, Limousines and Motorcycle Tour” is a seven-day motorcycle tour that begins in Florida where participants board the northbound Auto Train. Upon arrival in Virginia, participants tour Washington, DC by limousine before beginning a scenic motorcycle tour of the back roads of Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. The tour ends just outside of Chattanooga, Tenn. where participants may choose to ride their bikes home or fly home and have their motorcycles shipped. The tour includes all lodging, breakfasts and dinners, first-class, one-way travel on the Auto Train as well as a DVD of the trip, parking fees and any entrance fees to national parks. This tour is available May through October.
The seven-day “Arctic Escape to the Sunshine State Tour” offers participants the opportunity to travel down to Florida with their motorcycles via Amtrak’s Auto Train. For those already in Florida, the tour begins at the Sanford Auto Train station. From there, the tour heads to the Keys in the Gulf of Mexico and then on to Key West, Fla. with a trip across the famous Alligator Alley and a ride on an air boat. After a day relaxing in Key West, the tour travels north with a stop in Cocoa Beach. This vacation package includes lodging, a DVD of the trip, parking fees, air boat ride in the Florida Everglades, and entrance to the Kennedy Space Center. While travel on the Auto Train is not required to participate in this tour, special pricing is available for those who choose to travel by rail. Tour prices do not include travel on the Auto Train. This tour is available November through January.
Log onto www.firstclassmotorcycletours.com for more information and tour prices. To reserve a space, call 877-83-TOURS (877-838-6877). Group discounts are available.
About the Auto Train Amtrak’s Auto Train is the only train service in the U.S. that allows passengers to travel with their vehicles—including cars, vans, SUVs, motorcycles, and boats—and eliminates nearly 900 miles of driving for travelers between Florida and the Northeast. As the longest passenger train in the world, the Auto Train travels with two locomotives and 40-plus passenger rail cars and vehicle carriers and up to 600 passengers and a crew of 31. More than 234,000 passengers traveled on the Auto Train last year, including more than 2,000 motorcycles. The popularity of the Auto Train has grown in recent years with a steady increase in ridership.
Year Total Auto Train Ridership Growth FY08 234,839 7.8% FY07 217,822 5.0% FY06 207,544 1.4% FY05 204,698 3.7% FY04 197,483 ---
About First Class Motorcycle Tours An upscale motorcycle touring company that allows clients to experience the best of each area while enjoying the freedom of a motorcycle. Packages are all-inclusive with history of each area and mostly back scenic roads. Explore, relax, reflect and build memories of a lifetime. See more at www.firstclassmotorcycletours.com.
About Amtrak Amtrak has posted six consecutive years of growth in ridership and revenue, carrying more than 28.7 million passengers in the last fiscal year. Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail service to more than 500 destinations in 46 states on a 21,000-mile route system. For schedules, fares and information, passengers may call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com. # # #
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Grief; I've been on one motorcycle in this life (a client) and that was quite enough, thank you.
I've had occasion to "drive down" during March. There is some kind of rally down there at that time. I-75 quite simply was "infested'.
How, Mr. Kisor, did you know of my disdain for those motor vehicles?
Posts: 9979 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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I share GBN's "disdain" (too soft a word, I'm afraid) for two-wheelers. I hate to generalize, but I seem to always wind up in traffic in and around the few "rotten apples that give other bikers a bad name" down here. They weave in and out of traffic, make their own lanes, or else decide to form a "convoy" and block traffic behind them. They are a big problem in the Sunshine State where, naturally because of the climate, they are abundant. Still don't understand why kiddie seats and seat belts are mandatory, while helmets are not.
By the way, Henry, is there any truth to the rumor that the Hell's Angels are in charge of "security" on those tours? Remember Altamont?
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Helmets are not required in Illinois as well. The cyclists have successfully held in the judicial system that the helmet is clothing and any such laws is telling someone what to wear - hence a voilation of First Amendment "Rights".
Posts: 9979 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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I have a valid motorcycle license, but I no longer ride. I found that if I drove defensively and obeyed all the road laws and manners, no accidents occurred and nobody flipped me the bird. I used to love riding at night on deserted roads. I stopped riding after I had lower back surgery.
My younger brother lives in FL. He drives a $20K Harley. One day some woman cut him off. He got injured. An attorney got him a settlement of $100K.
Didn't the Auto Train once go to the midwest too?
-------------------- Everybody has to believe in something. I believe I'll take the train! Posts: 230 | From: Ithaca, New York | Registered: May 2009
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Why these people, such as Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, who have had so much to live for and attained levels of success, want to take so much risk?
How can anyone with half a brain want to get on one of these racing bikes and do "you don't want to know what" on congested expressways?
I could go on.......
However, Mr. Sommer wants to get us back to the rails. The private sector Auto Train did operate a Louisville Sanford Auto Train first as its own train then as cars handled on the Amtrak Floridian. Suffice to say, it flopped.
No wonder I have consistently held that there is insufficient market for a viable Midwest-Florida AT.
Amtrak was also going to operate an Indianapolis Florida AutoTrak. This was simply an auto carrier attached to the Floridian Indy-Poinciana. They even had the station and ramps built at the latter. During later 1972, they rounded up some employees to be guinea pigs 'wanna a week's vacation for free in Florida? step right up". Only problem is that more employee autos than not ended up damaged; the operation was thence declared "stillborn".
Posts: 9979 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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If there could ever be a 2nd Auto Train, I would propose a mid-west to southwest route. In my youth I would take vacations in what they called "driveaway cars", where companies would connect people who wanted their car driven somewhere with drivers who wanted to drive there. There were so many to chose from going to Arizona and SoCal and back that I could pretty much pick the car I wanted. And judging from the digs where I picked up and dropped these cars, these people had money.
There are many Minnesota high schools who also have reunions (for boomers) in Arizona because so many have moved or visit there. (That group includes my wife and her classmate Jesse Ventura.) When I visited Phoenix in the winter, more people were from MN,WI,OH and Michigan then were from AZ, most of them wintering.
Something like Galesburg to ABQ/Flagstaff/LA area would do. And another long fast train on the transcon shouldn't be much bother to BNSF. We could call it the Snowbird Express. In AZ the stereotypical snowbird was the big GM sedan with the 2 old guys in polyester in the front and the 2 blue haired ladies in the back, driving 12 mph looking at palm trees. Surely even Amtrak can top 12 mph.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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Mr. Twin Star, believe it or not, you and I are on the same page. While I hold that there would be resistance on the part of the Class I industry to additional LD routes and frequencies (lest we forget we will not be in recession forever; my personal barometer - the S&P - has been doing quite well of late, thank you), if Amtrak were to consider additional Auto Train services, Galesburg-La Junta should be first for consideration. Such would an Auto carrier or two handled on the rear of the Chief with passengers accommodated in existing line space. There would simply be no point in lugging the lead sleds over Raton to serve your Albuquerque market, and La Junta serves as a gateway to Colorado. Galesburg-Irondale (Denver) is another route I would have in mind.
Again any of these extended Auto Train routes that periodically get proposed at the Forums I visit, such as Chicago-Sanford, or Chicago-LA would be sure losers. I've "been there done that' on enough occasions to know that "arewethereyetitis" becomes quite endemic if Auto Train is not at destination by Noon. Auto Train passengers are hardly of same demographic as are other Amtrak LD passengers - Amtrak has much market research establishing that - and I guarantee you they are not of the same demographic as are participants at this forum (myself included) who enjoy a train ride for the train ride's sake.
Posts: 9979 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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I guess the "lead sleds" over Raton would be a problem. But, as a veteran of many winter trips across the Great Plains, one of those big snowstorms can mean (oops!) you spend a few unplanned days in Topeka. I had in mind a separate train from the Chief that might follow the transcon through Amarillo around La Junta. Belen might make an excellent destination with the I25 to I10 escape from those nasty plains blizzards. Those blizzards can be a no-go for us old folks.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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I've been around the darn things for 40 years, and a few still reside in my garage. Italian, American and Japanese makers all represented...I don't ride as much as I used to; the metal rods and pins in my legs act as little 'reminders' (received from two old road crashes.) When will it be time to hang up the keys for good, and relax in the leather ensconced luxury of a new Beemer automobile with nav system, et. al? Probably sooner than later-- bike guys here will know about these things-- no one needs a "brand new, blood red Ducati 916 Campione Del Mundo Desmodue Supersport double-barrelled magnum Cafe Racer"* in their garage, but such a thing does look good sitting there! No one needs a machine that will do 80 in 1st gear, such as the Suzuki Hayabusa will...but such an ability will pique the interest and passion of some of us...
Maybe I can put it on the new Auto Train route we are discussing here, if it ever gets going... I've heard lots of good things about the Florida-Virginia AT operation run by Amtrak; a true RR success story, eh?
* Quote by Hunter S. ThompsonPosts: 588 | From: East San Diego County, CA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Iowa was simply inundated with "rolling Thunder" this past weekend. It seems as there is some kind of "mecca" for Hogs at Sturgis SD and it seems that via Iowa seems to be their route there.
Now regarding the Iowa Interstate. I was amazed at is apparent "health". Gone seem to be the days of "one a day' with five hand me down GP-40's - four of 'em dead and one lame!
Motive power today is GE C-44's. On Sunday morning 330A or so, I heard a WB;. 7AM Sun saw an EB three C-44's quite a number of tankers ADMX hoppers and Double Stacks. When we were out train chasing after Bkfst, we were driving along US6 East of Marengo and here comes an EB leaving MILW trackage at Yocum and heading E on the RI?
That of course was chasing made easy and we ended up watching it pass at the first grade X-ing E of US 6 in Homestead. At least a 50 car consist of Tankers, Hoppers, and a few Box.
I learned that Archer Daniels is giving them line hauls from their Cedar Rapids facility to a BNSF interchange at Davenport. Bet the UP loves that! But Crandic, now operated by IAIS serves those food processing industries in CR - and they get a line haul out of everything there - no switching.
This morning I was in my "room with a view" reading the paper and here comes an EB with three C-44's on the head of the healthy consist AND a C-44 PUSHER. I quickly called my friends in Amana to let them know to which I got "that's quite common; surprised we didn't see such yesterday"
I saw new welded rail going down on the MILW near Walford. On my MILW, all you could see were the weeds.
Yes, the road is dark, save a home signal here and there such as at Yocum. However, they have dragging equipment/ hotbox detector at Homestead. Authorized speed is 45.
All told, I was astounded to the extent "The Rock" has resurrected itself - and it may just have an Amtrak passenger train to boot.
Posts: 9979 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Mr. Norman, you did some train chasing? Sounds like fun; wish I could have accompanied you. Part of the fun of Midwest trainspotting is the ease of following the ROWs...for those so interested.
I am 'way overdue for a trip to Galesburg; hoping for a trip to the "clubhouse" we have there in late August; perhaps you can spin out for a visit from Clarendon...
As to the Sturgis Rally-- the "Black Hills Classic" it's also called-- not my cup of tea. After you finish your drink at the Bucket of Blood or the Broken Spoke, you can do a lurid burnout, as you maneuver your Hog over to the 24 hour ladies' mud wrestling pit. Pretty popular though-- there's even a Webcam at Sturgis, where those too timid to actually visit can enjoy all the fun vicariously! Posts: 588 | From: East San Diego County, CA | Registered: Oct 2004
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We drove out to the Dakotas after taking the CZ to Denver and renting car there. We ended up in Sturgis for lunch. The bikers were just beginning to come in and it was alredy a zoo. So after a quick pizza a the Golden "Something or Other" we left,much to my pleasure. It is not on my enjoyment list.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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I've heard lots of good things about the Florida-Virginia AT operation run by Amtrak; a true RR success story, eh? ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
Sounds like fun; wish I could have accompanied you. 
