Rail Tales: an Amtrak Adventure

by John Willoughby




This is the story of a bucket-list trip to see America by train. This adventure covered 2 weeks, 6 trains, and 8,140 miles. It's part guide-book, part diary, and part interview with some of the people I met and the stories they told.

Join me on this journey from Boston to Chicago to Seattle to Los Angeles to New Orleans to New York and back to Boston.





Now available for
Kindle
and in
Paperback


2 Weeks in 3 Minutes

Video highlights from the trip





Play the companion web-game

Rail Yard Run


Help Hobo Harry get across the rail yard without getting run over by all those trains. Rail Yard Run is a simple web-based game (nothing to download) that's fun on a desktop PC, tablet, or phone. A great way to pass the time whether you are on a train or not!

Check out Rail Yard Run at https://railyardrun.com



Color Photos from the Book

Click on an image to see full size photo



South Station, Boston MA

The Metropolitan Lounge at South Station

Viewliner room


Viewliner Bathroom/Shower

Viewliner Coach Class

Viewliner Business Class


Viewliner Snackbar

Viewliner Dinning Car

Chicken Alfredo


The couch became a bed

The Art Institute of Chicago

American Gothic (and me)


Union Station, Chicago IL

Union Station main hall

Superliner bedroom


Superliner Observation Lounge

Superliner Snack Bar

Superliner Dinning Car


Steak, Crab Cakes, Beans, Mashed Potatoes

Omelet, Grits, Sausage, Croissant

North Dakota


The Seattle Space Needle

King St. Station, Seattle WA

King St. Station, Seattle WA


A travelling companion!

Didiron Station, San Jose CA

The Iron Road Pioneers


California coast

A selfie!

Union Station, Los Angeles CA


Union Station, Los Angeles CA

Couch and guest chair

Tucson Station old train control


Texas

Ready for dinner!

Jackson Sq. in New Orleans LA


At the WWII Museum

Station in New Orleans LA

The Crescent


A house on stilts

Shrimp and Andouille

Acela


New York City

Boston (again)

The Trains I Took

Click on a route map to go to that train's page on Amtrak.com



Lake Shore Limited
2 days, 1 night

Empire Builder
3 days, 2 nights

Coast Starlight
2 days, 1 night


Sunset Limited
3 days, 2 nights

Crescent
2 days, 1 night

Acela
3 hours


The Music I Listened To


Here is my train music playlist on Spotify

And here are the songs:

5:15 – The Who
America – Simon and Garfunkel
Appalachian Spring – Aaron Copeland
Back on the Train – Phish
Blue Train – John Coltrane
The Blue Train – Linda Ronstadt
Casey Jones – Johnny Cash
Casey Jones – Grateful Dead
Catch Your Train – Scorpions
The City of New Orleans – Arlo Guthrie
Crazy Train – Ozzy Osbourne
Devil’s Train – Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Devil Train – The Stray Cats
Downtown Train – Bruce Springsteen
Driver 8 – REM
End of the Line – The Travelling Wilburys
Freak Train – Kurt Vile
Freight Train – Aaron Watson
Ghost Train – North Country Gentlemen
Ghost Train – Counting Crows
Ghost Train – Marc Cohen
Ghost Train – Gorillaz
Ghost Train – The Stranglers
Ghost Train – Ricki Lee Jones
Ghost Trains – Hank Snow
Girl on a Train – Skizzy Mars
Hard Travelling – Woody Guthrie
Hear My Train a Comin’ – Jimi Hendrix
Hellbound Train – Savoy Brown
Hobo’s Lullaby – Woody Guthrie
If Love was a Train – Amy LaVere
If Love was Like a Train – JD Meyers
I Know You Rider – Grateful Dead
I Like Trains – LilDeuceDeuce
I’ve Been Working on the Railroad – Johnny Cash
Last Train – Dawn Golden
Last Train Home – Pat Metheny Group
Last Train to Clarksville – The Monkees
Last Train to London - ELO
The Locomotion – Little Eva
Locomotive Breath – Jethro Tull
Long Black Train – Josh Turner
Long Train Running – Doobie Brothers
Love’s Train – Dru Hill
Love Train – The O’Jays
Love Train – Wolfmother
Midnight Special – Credence Clearwater Revival
Midnight Train to Georgia – Gladys Knight & the Pips
Monkey and the Engineer – Grateful Dead
Morning Train (9 to 5) – Sheena Easton
Mystery Train – Elvis Presley
Next Train Home – Lady Sol
Night Train – Oscar Peterson Trio
Night Train – Jason Aldean
Night Train – James Brown
Night Train to Memphis – Charley Crockett
Nine Hundred Miles – Woody Guthrie
Nonstop to Nowhere – Faster Pussycat
Peace Train – Cat Stevens
Railroad Blues – Woody Guthrie
Ramblin’ Reckless Hobo – Joel Rafael
Rock ‘n’ Roll Train – AC/DC
Route 66 – Chuck Berry
Route 66 – Depeche Mode
Runaway Train – Steve Morse Band
Runaway Train – Rosanne Cash
Runaway Train – Bob Seger
A Runaway Train – Alice Cooper
Runaway Train – Soul Asylum
Runaway Train – Boy George
Runaway Trains – Tom Petty
Silver Train – The Rolling Stones
Slow Train – Bob Dylan
South Train to Bergen – Gwen Tual
Stop That Train – Tex Keith
Stop That Train – John Mayer
Take the A-train – Duke Ellington
This Land is Your Land – Woody Guthrie
This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore – Elton John
This Train is Bound for Glory – Old Crow Medicine Show
Tokyo Midnight Train – The Midnight
Train – 3 Doors Down
Train Breakdown – Woody Guthrie
Train Kept a Rollin’ – Aerosmith
Train Leaves Here This Morning – The Eagles
A Train of Angels – Joe Satriani
Train of Consequences – Megadeath
Train Round the Bend – The Velvet Underground
The Trains are Gone – Colter Wall
Train Song – Watchhouse
Train to Birmingham – John Hiatt
Train to Pluton – M83
Train Train – Lynda Carter
Trainwreck – Banks
Travelin’ Man – Bob Seger
Travelin’ Man – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Travelin’ Man – Ricky Nelson
Tucson Train – Bruce Springsteen
Two Trains – Lowell George
Two Trains – little Feat
Vampire Train – Tarzan The Day
Wabash Cannonball – Johnny Cash
Waiting for a Train – Johnny Cash
Walking in Memphis – Marc Cohn
When My Train Pulls In – Gary Clark Jr.
Zion Train – Bob Marley & The Wailers