Totally Trains

Trip Itinerary

Day 1: Depart Chicago

Totally Trains tour members will meet the Tour Director in the Metropolitan Lounge of Chicago’s Union Station. At 2:15 we’ll prepare to board the famous Southwest Chief. Departure is at 3:00. The Southwest Chief features the double-decker Superliner equipment. Relax in your comfortable, private Roomette (included). Bedrooms are available at an additional cost. After settling in, you may want to go to the glass-walled Sightseer Lounge car. All meals on the trains are included. Coffee and water are available in your sleeping car. Enjoy a full-course dinner in the diner tonight.

Meal(s):  D

Day 2: En Route

Last night we traveled across the state of Kansas. We will be near the Colorado border when you awaken. Today you will experience the excitement of the Santa Fe Trail as we cross New Mexico and Arizona. You will have time for a trainside walk when we arrive in Albuquerque at mid afternoon.

Meal(s):  B, L & D

Day 3: En Route / Los Angeles

Our arrival into Los Angeles’ beautiful Union Station is at 8:30 this morning. At 10:20 a.m., we’ll board the Coast Starlight, Amtrak’s premier train for two days of great scenery, great food, and great fun. We’ll travel 1190 miles from Los Angeles to Portland while enjoying all the amenities that are unique to this great train!

The heart of the Coast Starlight is the Pacific Parlour Car. Available only to sleeping car passengers, this double-decker “living room on rails” features three types of luxurious seating, a full bar, food serving area and a movie theater. These unique cars harken back to a bygone era and are among Amtrak’s most prized assets.

World class scenery abounds as we skirt along 150 miles of California’s awe-inspiring Pacific Coastline and traverse several mountain ranges as we roll north.

Meal(s):  B, L & D

Day 4: Coast Starlight / Portland

Set your own leisurely schedule today as you continue to enjoy all of the activities aboard this train. You can choose a full breakfast in the dining car or a Continental breakfast in the Pacific Parlour car.
You won’t want to miss the spectacular scenery of the towering, snow-covered Cascade Mountains (with 22 tunnels and innumerable hairpin turns) that is just outside your wide train window this morning.

Our arrival into Portland is scheduled for 3:40 p.m. At 4:45 p.m., we’ll board the Amtrak’s Empire Builder. After settling in, you may want to go to the glass-walled Sightseer Lounge. We’ll cross the Willamette River and soon be viewing the Columbia River Gorge and more of the spectacular Cascade Mountains, including Mt. Hood, the highest mountain in Oregon. A boxed dinner will be served tonight as this train will not have a dining car until we reach Spokane, where our train will join the train from Seattle.

Meal(s):  B, L & D

Day 5: En Route

Enjoy a delicious dining car breakfast and then head for the Sightseer Lounge car. About 8:00 a.m., a dramatic panorama of snow-covered Rocky Mountain peaks will begin to rise above the horizon, becoming increasingly dynamic as we approach Glacier National Park. The scenery is striking as we wind past waterfalls, river gorges, and other sights. The rest of the day we’ll cross the remote flatlands of eastern Montana and western North Dakota.

Meal(s):   B, L & D

Day 6: En Route to Chicago

Breakfast and lunch on the train are included. We depart from Minneapolis - St. Paul at 7:50 a.m. and head south along the west bank of the Mississippi River. The train winds between the river bank and high bluffs. Later in the morning, we pass through the picturesque Dells Country of Wisconsin. The Empire Builder is scheduled to arrive in Chicago’s Union Station later this afternoon.
Many of our tour members will conclude their fabulous America by Rail vacation by transferring to other Amtrak trains bound for home cities. Some will spend the night in Chicago and continue home by air tomorrow.

Meal(s):  B & L