I attended a conference in San Diego this week. Rode the San Joaquin from Modesto to Bakersfield, bus to LAUP station, then Surfliners to SD on Sunday, 10/19. Pretty uneventful, all trains were on time (within a few minutes of posted times), good views of the central valley and the ocean. The San Joaquin train was about half full; the Surfliner seemed a bit more crowded. This was my first time in Business class, and I liked the extra legroom, drink/snack amenities, and reclining seats. I think I could easily travel 1st class all the time if $ permitted . I don't know if all the surfliner cars have reclining seats, but the San Joaquins did not. Spent two days in San Diego (Graystones was overpriced), then reversed the itenerary on Wednesday, 10/22. The trains were again on time, and great weather so great views. The trains were again about half full or less, so I'm now wondering if the recent gains in ridership are holding? All this is my anecdotal feelings, and the trains had five cars now. Did they used to run four? This time the bus ride was a tad more interesting (and both buses were 100% filled). I sat next to a younger man who initiated a very interesting conversation - he is "almost" graduated from his chemical dependency stint; he likes to go on a trip every year or he gets jittery, but his last trip to New Orleans wasn't so memorable because he blacked out aftere a few hours there from over-indulging; he's discovered the trains are a much better way to travel than buses; that the government is building huge cities underground; that the US took the AIDS virus and others from captured Nazis and created the epidemic; and these same Nazis had some ET information that our government has kept secret for the past 60+ years. At Bakersfield, he apologized for rambling on and on, because he still had a lot of "stuff" in his system. I told him it was the most intersting bus ride I'd had in a long time. To be honest, he was not in apparent distress, unkempt nor threatening, and I did enjoy talking to him, but still, I initially thought about the guy who stabbed his seatmate on the CS a little while ago. I did watch his hands for a while before relaxing.
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
Have ridden the San Joaquin trains a few times Emeryville to Fresno, and once at least they announced before arriving Stockton that all seats were sold, so no taking two. It was if not 100% close to full between Stockton and Fresno. It appears from my trips that south of Fresno the load is somewhat lighter than it is north of Fresno on these trains.
Have also heard the undergriound cities (with associated underground railroad lines) hallucination before. Once got pointed to a web site that purported to show cars built to haul prisoners to concentration camps "complete with shakles" Looked a whole lot more like the inside of an enclosed autorack car, complete with tie down chains.
Posted by amtraxmaniac (Member # 2251) on :
The seats in other cars on the surfliner are much like the seats on the San joaquin-they do not recline and many are exactly the same-or similar apholstery (pardon the shakey spelling).
I concur with Mr. Harris-the loads tend to lighten south of Fresno. But then again, it depends on the day and time. YOu can bet on a trainload still into Bakersfield on a Friday and Sunday. I base this on sold out bus portions south of Bakersfield typically on these days. The same goes for the reverse. Good luck getting a last minute reservation on a Sunday going northbound from Southern California. A lot of the time it will show availability on the train out of Bakersfield-but the busses from LA are SOLD OUT. Evidently bustitution is not that big of a discouragement to folks.
I only once had a talkative seat mate, but this was the distance of LA all the way to New Orleans...just another advantage of traveling coach long distance (tinge of sarcasm). I was quite entertained. Luckily he did SLEEP. But by about San Antonio, I was the one who wished I was loaded. I think I spend most of my time after San Antonio in the Sightseer Lounge. This fellow decided by day two he wanted to talk politics, religion, and government conspiracy. That's when I found out for myself, that they DO sell liquor on the train.
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
When you see that the route carries 6 reasonably well used trains in each direction and that it requires buses on each end to go SF to LA, think about what the potential ridership would be for faster through trains.
Seeing the numbers of people on and off at most stops says passenger train usage is alive and well in California.
Posted by amtraxmaniac (Member # 2251) on :
...and that is why I would hope that my fellow Californians pass Proposition 1a.
Posted by RR4me (Member # 6052) on :
Well, just 8 days to see.
Posted by chrisg (Member # 2488) on :
The Surfliner seats all recline but the California Cars do not.
chris
Posted by amtraxmaniac (Member # 2251) on :
Chris, the Coach seats on the surfliner equipment to my recollection are the same as the California Cars-they DO NOT RECLINE. Now the business class seats do, but not regular coach-unless that has changed in the last 4 months. I believe the only difference in the equipment has to do with the doors and restrooms. Surfliner Cars have upstairs restrooms while California Cars do not.
Posted by chrisg (Member # 2488) on :
Patrick,
I ride the Surfliners all the time and all the seats do recline because they are the same seats as on the Acela Express. The Surfliner seats have always reclined from Day One they have been in service.
Chris
Posted by RR4me (Member # 6052) on :
Well, nornally I'd see for myself by riding from LA to SLO on a good weekend. But work and an upcoming home wedding for my daughter (there's no landscping in yet) preclude that kind of time away. I am looking forward to a more relaxing summer in 2009, and maybe finally I'll make a train meetup group mtg as well.
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
Chris is right. What the seats DON'T do is swivel but they could. As it is now half of each car is facing backwards. I think it's a labor (or lack of labor) issue that prevents them from being changed at the end of each run. Look under the seats (in Business Class, too) and you'll see a pedal that activates the swivel. It's "locked" with a cable that looks sort of like a bike lock.
Frank in sunny SBA
Posted by amtraxmaniac (Member # 2251) on :
Reclining an inch and a half or two is barely reclining. When I think reclining, I think like Superliner Coach-reclining...legrest and all.
Posted by amtraxmaniac (Member # 2251) on :
...which is ironic, because Surfliner passengers only average a couple hours of travel time, while SAn Joaquin passengers (CAlifornia Cars) might average 4 to 6 hours of travel time-yet those seats don't recline.
Posted by chrisg (Member # 2488) on :
Patrick,
The Seats recline a good six inches on the Surfliners as I did today on my trip verses zero on the California Cars. Like I said same seats as on the Acela Express.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
. I don't know if all the surfliner cars have reclining seats, but the San Joaquins did not. Spent two days in San Diego (Graystones was overpriced), then reversed the itenerary on Wednesday, 10/22. The trains were again on time, and great weather so great views. The trains were again about half full or less, so I'm now wondering if the recent gains in ridership are holding? All this is my anecdotal feelings, and the trains had five cars now. Did they used to run four? This time the bus ride was a tad more interesting (and both buses were 100% filled). I sat next to a younger man who initiated a very interesting conversation - he is "almost" graduated from his chemical dependency stint; he likes to go on a trip every year or he gets jittery, but his last trip to New Orleans wasn't so memorable because he blacked out aftere a few hours there from over-indulging; he's discovered the trains are a much better way to travel than buses; that the government is building huge cities underground; that the US took the AIDS virus and others from captured Nazis and created the epidemic; and these same Nazis had some ET information that our government has kept secret for the past 60+ years. At Bakersfield, he apologized for rambling on and on, because he still had a lot of "stuff" in his system. I told him it was the most intersting bus ride I'd had in a long time. To be honest, he was not in apparent distress, unkempt nor threatening, and I did enjoy talking to him, but still, I initially thought about the guy who stabbed his seatmate on the CS a little while ago. I did watch his hands for a while before relaxing.