Beautiful vistas may be seen at various spots throughout the route. "Climbing out of Denver, you can look down from the train and be above the Mile High City as you first make your way through a whole series of tunnels that bring up to place called Fraser and Winter Park," Magliari added. The train maintains its curvy course through the hills. It's nighttime as you drive through Salt Lake City, but you emerge in time to make it to Reno from the Sierras.
To him, the most endearing aspect of this journey is taking the train from Reno to Sacramento, which he describes as "part of the original transcontinental railway route built during the Civil War to unite the country." That's not all the route's history, however; the California Zephyr's moniker comes from the train that operated along it from 1949 until 1970, long before Amtrak existed.
Train 5, which travels from Chicago's Union Station daily at 2 p.m. and arrives in Emeryville at 4:10 p.m. two days later, is an Amtrak service; train 6, which leaves Emeryville daily at 9:10 a.m. and arrives in Chicago at 2:50 p.m. On day one, they provide lunch and supper, on day two, all three meals, and on day three, breakfast and lunch.
Coach seats and sleeping suites are only two of the options available to passengers. The smallest of the five possible room types on the Superliner is the Roomette, which is between 6 and 6 feet in length and 3 and 3 feet broad. There are two daytime chairs that convert into a double bed at night, as well as a common bathroom and shower.
The Bedroom is the most spacious option, measuring between 7 feet 1 inch and 7 feet 6 inch in length and 6 feet 6 inch to 6 feet 8 inch in width, and includes a private toilet. This room contains a couch and a separate chair that convert into an drift hunters upper and lower bed at night, as well as a sink, a toilet, and a shower for your convenience, and can easily accommodate two persons.
The Bedroom Suite can accommodate up to four individuals, making it ideal for families. There are two bedrooms here, each with two of the usual amenities. There is also a Family Room that can accommodate four people (two adults and two children) with a sofa bed during the day and two bunk beds (one higher and one lower) and an en suite bathroom and shower at night. The Accessible Bedroom has a lower bed and an upper bed, so it can accommodate two persons. These rooms are larger, measuring up to nine feet in length and six feet and nine inches in width, and contain an accessible private bathroom.
All of the beds in the Superliner cabins have been outfitted with brand-new sheets, pillows, towels, and linens, and passengers in these cabins also have access to a personal first-class attendant, a lounge, and early boarding.
Coach class on Amtrak has more conventional seating, with reclining seats, tray tables, reading lamps, and power outlets; seats are arranged in twos, so there are no middle rows.
Meals are served in the dining room and are complimentary for those staying in private rooms. The menu changes with the seasons and includes items like omelettes and quesadillas for breakfast and burgers and salads for lunch. The caprese skewers and coconut shrimp appetisers, the flat-iron steak and Atlantic salmon entrees, and the chocolate toffee mousse and lemon cake desserts are all part of the three-course meals that come with wine. Coach passengers may, for an additional fee, get access to the dining car. Guests also have the option of ordering meals to be delivered to their rooms.
Breakfast foods, burgers, tamales, and hot dogs, among other products, are available a la carte at the café, which is open to all travellers. Small cats and dogs are welcome on the California Zephyr (restrictions apply; see website for details), and the train provides a checked luggage service and trainside checked bicycles.
The beauty of the American countryside is on full display throughout the whole path of the California Zephyr, but notably across the country's most impressive mountain ranges. As Magliari put it, "the difference between the California Zephyr and some of the other Western routes is simply more miles in the mountains."
