When the Chicago to St. Louis railroad was being torn up and replaced to accommodate high-speed rail, Amtrak dropped ticket prices to next to nothing and put you on a bus from either Bloomington or Springfield on down. The bus was faster than the train was, the only downside was I didn't have an outlet to plug in my laptop and watch Simpsons DVDs.

Amtrak is a mess, but I can't condemn the entirety of rail travel because I'm an autistic freak and I am required by international law to be obsessed with trains. I'm not too bullish on intercity rail, which sounds like a nightmare, but they should concentrate on making travel in the Northeast Corridor and routes to major cities around Chicago pleasant, convenient, and affordable. I mean, flying to St. Louis, that's just silly.

When the Chicago to St. Louis railroad was being torn up and replaced to accommodate high-speed rail, Amtrak dropped ticket prices to next to nothing and put you on a bus from either Bloomington or Springfield on down. The bus was faster than the train was, the only downside was I didn't have an outlet to plug in my laptop and watch Simpsons DVDs.

Amtrak is a mess, but I can't condemn the entirety of rail travel because I'm an autistic freak and I am required by international law to be obsessed with trains. I'm not too bullish on intercity rail, which sounds like a nightmare, but they should concentrate on making travel in the Northeast Corridor and routes to major cities around Chicago pleasant, convenient, and affordable. I mean, flying to St. Louis, that's just silly.

Do you have a Lionel set, too? The one I got as a kid still works--it is around my Christmas tree right now. Best gift ever.

The victims are the American People and the Republic itself.

Let's never loss sight of this. Contempt for Trump does not equate to a like of Hillary. They both should spend quality time in North Korea with Dear Leader.

Do you have a Lionel set, too? The one I got as a kid still works--it is around my Christmas tree right now. Best gift ever.

The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.

Yeah, I don't hate flying like a '90s stand-up comic, but I deal with it. I would not want to fly to, say, Detroit. That's a lot of hurry-up-and-wait and getting my balls felt up just to fly 45 minutes. However, I would fly to Los Angeles 100 times out of 100 rather than take a train. What would compel someone to do a thing like that?

The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.

I mean, I guess there's "seeing America," but most of America isn't really worth seeing. It's mostly soybeans and billboards that still say Obama is a gay Muslim who loves abortions. I've seen Florida by interstate and I never want to again.

The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.

Oh, 50 miles east of Denver? I see you've been to their airport too.

One regret is that I never took my sons on a train to Seattle or San Francisco to actually see the country. But yeah, outside of the northeast, say the New South cities/Florida and the cities of Texas, it seems more like a nostalgic yearning rather than sensible economic investment.

I’ve driven a lot of this country’s highways between the Mississippi and the Rocky’s and there are things to see if that is what you want to see but sometimes you have to look for things with an open mind. I’m a fool for scenic stuff though and when you catch good light even western Kansas and it’s sand hills has something to offer. If the fng wind doesn’t blow you to Nebraska.

Western Iowa and parts of Nebraska surprised me, but gems like the Badlands were hands down awesome

agree with everything here. anywhere outside of chicago and its suburbs is pretty interesting to me. i get as much out of driving around illinois than i do driving anywhere else.

Rail companies had a huge issue with faulty concrete ties a few years ago. They come from 3rd party vendors. That vendor got tossed but the damage was done.

I loved trains as well when I was a kid, but there simply is no place for an intercity train anywhere outside of the NE, where the proximity of cities makes it effective. Heck, that NE corridor is one of the few lines Amtrak operates at a profit. Long distance trains like the Empire Builder, Autotrain, etc. need to be put out to pasture. Amtrak should instead keep a few highly traveled corridors

not sure your going to need 20 NTSB investigators for this one, curve in track posted at 30 mph... train was traveling 81 MPH before curve...

If I heard it right I thought the track was upgraded and rated for 79mph. I am not sure why there would still be a 35mph sign.