Sherry here and spring has sprung!
My husband and I spent some time in Florida this winter. I dreaded the long ride back and especially driving 95 — so much traffic, so many idiot drivers. I knew someone who’d used the auto train that goes from Lorton, Virginia to Sanford, Florida (just north of Orlando). So I explored that option. The first time I looked my husband said it cost to much. The next time I looked the price had dropped $500.00. I looked again and there was a sale which dropped the price another $300.00. So we booked a room!
You have to arrive at the station no later than 3:00 pm so they can load your car for a 5:00 departure.
One thing I found out too late was as soon as you arrive to the station you have to get a physical ticket. The QR code they provide doesn’t do anything. At the time you get your ticket you also book your dinner time–five, seven, or nine if you eat in the dining room or 5:30, 7:30, or 8:30 if you eat in your room. Eight-thirty was the only time left so we ate fashionably late and yes, I thought of you, Barb!
We boarded promptly — here are a few photos of the room. The shower/toilet was tiny! There is a chair on the left by the window.
Watching out the train window was fascinating! We went by an outdoor venue strung with beautiful lights and I saw a bride and groom having their first dance.
Our dinner was good and then the attendant came and pulled out the beds. My husband heroically took the top bunk. The biggest downside of the journey is you don’t get a good night’s sleep. The mattresses are thin and hard and there is a lot of swaying. But I enjoyed watching out the window when I was awake and took catnaps. The woman in the room next to us told me she didn’t sleep at all. Ah, and the walls are thin! If you take the auto train, I’d recommend only planning a short drive the day you reach your destination.
In the morning we woke to fog and rain which made us even happier that we weren’t driving.
The train goes right through the middle of the historic town of Ashland, VA.
We arrived in Lorton an hour early. Then the wait for your car begins. They have slots (that you pay extra for) so that your car comes out early. Those were already filled by the time we booked. It can take up to two hours to get your car. Ours took an hour but we figured it was better than driving!
Here are some facts about the auto train:
There were 280 cars on the train we took. Would we do it again, even with the lack of sleep? Yes!
Readers: Do you like train travel? Have you slept on a train?
The Wickeds 
Thanks for sharing your adventure on the auto train. If it is a short train ride, I don’t mind, but a long one would be too much and don’t think I would sleep.
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I hear you!
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I don’t think I could handle the thin mattresses, so It would have to be a day away for me. But I have plenty of air miles and I don’t drive and I like the non-stop flights from Ft Myers to Boston to visit family.
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Non-stop flights are the best!
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I think it sounds like a fun travel adventure, so I’d definitely give it a try. Once. We’d have to see after that.
I’ve never traveled any distance by train. I live 20 minutes from the airport. It’s 45-60 minutes to the train station through Pittsburgh traffic, so I either fly or drive.
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I would skip the train then too!
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I love taking the AutoTrain and being lulled to sleep by the rocking. If the walls are too thin, take earplugs. There are pages dedicated to the ride with tips and suggestions for making this an enjoyable and successful trip. Yes, saving 900 miles of driving is wonderful, too,
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It is!
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Amtrak service here in Indianapolis is virtually non-existent, which is a shame. My wife and I have taken two long distance trips, though. The first was in 1996. The second in 2013. The first trip was miserable and constantly late. The second, which included a night in a sleeping cabin, was a lot of fun. I would love to have a reliable commuter line between Indy and Chicago.
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I agree! I wish there were more routes! It’s a wonderful way to travel!
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Glad you enjoyed the scenery and not driving! Too bad about the uncomfortable beds, though.
I love taking the train, and will again be doing the Acela from Boston to DC for Malice Domestic. The only overnight I took was from northern Greece to Austria many years ago. I was in a compartment with people I didn’t know, guards got on at the border with Yugoslavia, and my Greek friend had delivered dire warning about hanging onto my belongings, so I slept on top of my passport. But I was young and I made it!
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I LOVE train travel and regularly take the train from my home in PA to Boston, New York, and Chicago. I have traveled by train as far west as Provo, Utah. I love the movement and sound of the train and have no trouble sleeping, either in a roomette bed or a coach seat. I have met some amazing people on my train rides. Mostly, I relax. A long train ride is my happy place, my time and place to truly relax
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I hope to do more train travel!
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Traveling from east coast to west coast and back on a train was a long time dream of mine. Inspired by a children’s rhyme: “We’re going on a trip, a very long trip. We’re going by train over night.” By the second night, the rhythm of the train and the mechanical noises of each stop were comforting repetitions. Not that I slept well or soundly, there was too much interesting watch out the window….sky full of stars. Loved eating in the dining car (I believe these are no longer on the train.) And there was no noise through the walls. Dream fulfilled…and 20 years older, probably not again. But definitely worth it.
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I would love to do the section through the Rockies. I’ve always heard it’s beautiful.
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The only train I’ve been on to travel is the one in Branson that serves a brunch while you travel down a ways, stop and then travel backwards to the place we started out at. Since your seating facing each other, it gives each of you a different view. The meal was ok and the sights good, but not something I’d do again. We did it that one time with a group that we belonged to as one of the events. Doing it with the group was more fun than than the ride.
I do think a long train ride would be cool. We have friends that traveled by train to come see us several states away. They enjoyed it and like you were glad they didn’t have to drive. Of course they had no car when they arrived, but they didn’t need one.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
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I always think those short trip trains sound like fun. I’ll have to give it a try sometime.
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Having once lived in S FL for over twenty years, we had several seasonal friends who swore by (or at, from time to time) the AT. They should dress it up like the Orient Express and make a real experience of it, but then I guess they’d charge $3k a ticket and it might lose it’s convenience charm….
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Laughing! So true!
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Looks like a great adventure! I love train travel. I live just east of Chicago and have traveled East to Washington DC, Boston; West to San Francisco, Southwest to Albuquerque, North to Detroit. NeXT adventures needs to be Southern states and Northern to Seattle. Have traveled alone, met lots of interesting folks and shared delicious meals. No, I don’t get much sleep but love watching the little towns go by my window and seeing the sky full of bright stars.
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Exactly! That sounds like so much fun!
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OMG–you have opened my eyes! Thank you so much. I’m going to look into this!
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It’s quite the experience!
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Took the auto train home to Florida in 1989 to try to beat Hurricane Hugo. Since we were a last minute booking, we weren’t able to get a sleeper, but that was fine. We had a great engineer – he pointed out interesting sights and historical tidbits through the daylight hours of the trip. The food was fabulous – in those days there were no fixed seating times – the bar car had pub grub and finger foods. We ended up spending most of our time in the observation car watching the scenery. We hit winds and driving rain at Jacksonville and the cars were rocking. By the time we arrived in Sanford, the worst of the weather had passed and we had a pleasant drive back to Miami. Would I do it again? Absolutely. I discovered I enjoy train travel.
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That sounds like a real adventure. I’ve read that if you don’t have a room you can’t use the dining car anymore.
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Probably true. I saw an article about the Autotrain recently and it seemed a lot had changed.
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Fascinating, Sherry. I’ve never done a train trip. I’d like to at least once.
The Boy took the train from DC to Pittsburgh after he biked the GAP trail. As a teenage boy he was stereotypically uninspired, but The Hubby thought it was fun.
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I’ve taken the train from DC to Connecticut and from DC to Philly and really enjoyed it! On one of my trips to Connecticut, I had page proofs with me and got so much work done!
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WOW! Thank you so miuch for your travelogue, dear Sherry! Living in the West coast, I was unaware of the Autotrain until now. Thanks for te education. I am a travel agent, but only sell international travel, but this might prove useful…I always try to be prepared as much as i can. I love train travel, and have slept on trains that were somewhat better than what you describe, and on some that were about as uncomfortable. There are so many luxury train experiences throughout the world, and the best are the Belmond trains that operate the famous Venice-Simplon Orient Express (murder comes to mind…), and the Andean Explorer in Peru., and the Eastern and Oriental Express in Southeast Asia I highly recommend both…than there is the Maharaja Express in India, plus so many others…all wonderful to experience. Thank you for your most insightful blog!!! Luis at ole dot travel
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I’m glad you enjoyed it! Those trains sound fabulous!
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Was it a roomette or an actual Amtrak bedroom? Cause those roomettes are a little claustrophobic. I took the Lakeshore Limited from ny to chicago a few years ago. It was great but I didn’t get much sleep either. In fact, I dozed off as we were pulling into Union Station and the train staff forgot about me. Had to walk a mile back to Union.
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Oh my gosh, Fred! That is something. It was a bedroom. I think the roomettes share a bathroom.
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Yes my husband and I have taken the Paris to London train and really enjoyed the trip.
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We’ve done that too! It’s so much fun!
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What a fascinating peek into the auto train! I have always wondered about taking it! I love train travel! There is so much to see and I find it a meditative sort of journey. Generally when I travel to NYC I take the train and always enjoy it immensely!
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This sounds like so much fun, Sherry! I love traveling by train, even with the hiccups along the way.
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I agree — the hiccups aren’t bad!
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What is so cool (though I have never taken the Auto Train) was that my neighbor used to be a hostess/attendant on the Auto Train when it first opened from, I think, D.C. to Florida. When I was a child in the 1950s, we often took the train from south Texas to San Antonio. It was over a 5-hour drive back then, so better to take the train and cheaper than flying and way better than taking the milk run bus that took forever. My husband and I have done the train in Colorado between Durango and Ouray, the train in Blue Ridge, Georgia that goes to Tennessee and back and the Train in Skagway. My sister, niece and I have done the London to Paris train which was very cool. I used to visit a friend in Morristown, NJ and we would take the train and the Path into New York City several times. I even took a train in Peru to Machu Pichu. I love train travel and have always had a dream of taking it across the US to various places. At one time, I had friends along many of the cities that it went to, and I was planning to stay and see them and then continue on. Alas, it never happened and now they have all moved. I always wanted to ride on the City of New Orleans from NOLA to Chicago. I have several friends and relatives that have done the train trip to the Denali NP in Alaska and the Lake Banff one in Canada. Also want to do the California Zephyr but probably won’t ever get to do it. I loved the “Thin Man” movies with Myrna Loy and William Powell and several in the series showed them on trains with Asta and how it changed from allowing dogs in the staterooms to only in the baggage car. A romantic way to travel in the old days it seemed.
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I have a friend who used to take this exact auto train when she headed to FL then back again after snowbird season. She loved it. I haven’t been on a train but think it would be an adventure. aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com
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It is amazing!
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I wrote this long story of all of my train travels since the 1950s and it disappeared. I will try again later just in case it reappears. My neighbor was a hostess/attendant on the Auto Train from the first day it opened. I think it went from Washington, D.C. to Florida. I had never heard of the Auto Train until she told me and showed me the newspaper article with her photo in it.
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That is so interesting that your friend was an attendant! And yes, it goes from just south of Washington DC to just north of Orlando.
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Ah, I did not hit the email button, so all that I wrote disappeared. We used to take the train from Harlingen, Texas to San Antonio to visit relatives. It was over a 5-hour drive then with not too good of roads. It was way cheaper than flying and we only had TTA then and way better than taking the milk run bus. My husband and I rode the Durango to Ouray train in the 1977, the Blue Ridge Georgia train to Tennessee and back, the Skagway White Pass and Yukon RR in Alaska, and we want to do the Great Smoky Mountain train sometime. I also have taken the train from London to Paris and back with my sister and niece and it was delayed for an hour because of immigrants on the train track at Calais. When I visited my friend in Morristown, New Jersey, we would regularly take the train and the Path into New York City. I even road the train in Peru to Machu Pichu. That was cool! Train travel used to be so romantic. I always wanted to ride the City of New Orleans from NOLA to Chicago and go on the California Zephyr. I probably never will. Once I thought of traveling by train to visit relatives and friends all along the route, but I did not want to do it alone and now they have all moved. Some friends we met in Alaska had taken the big train ride through the Denali NP and said it was great as my uncle also said about the Banff Lake train in Canada. In the movie series “The Thin Man,” several of them have scenes of the train between California and New York with Asta. It was neat to see that at first, the dog could ride in the stateroom but later only in the Baggage car. The world goes at too fast a pace any more it seems, and all travel is not fun anymore. But the views….
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That is a lot of wonderful adventures! I hope to do more trips on the train!
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What a fabulous adventure! I’ve taken the train to DC and NYC and love it. Too many crazy drivers on the roads. And I actually get writing done on the train – that never seems to work in a car.
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I’ve taken the train from DC to Connecticut and Philly. I absolutely loved it!
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I’ve never been on a train overnight. I assumed that the rocking motion would help me sleep, but I guess not.
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I thought the same thing! I thought it would be like when you’re on a cruise and the movement of the ship is soothing. But this was more hitting bumps and slowing and speeding up.
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The only overnight train ride I experienced was the night train from Madrid to Lisbon and it was fantastic! Upon boarding & checking out our tiny rooms, the group headed to the lounge car for after dinner drinks. After one drink I was heading to my room despite calls to “have another!” I was SO EXCITED to get in my jammies with my book in my lower bunk (very comfortable) with the little reading light shining. I don’t think I read much as the rocking of the train soon lulled me to sleep; I vaguely recall my roommate entering & climbing into her bunk. Overall it was a fantastic experience. Sadly, I don’t think US rail travel even comes close to this level of comfort & convenience.
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That sounds amazing!
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My dad worked for a railroad company for many years. One of the perks was free cross country rides once a year for the family on the ‘sleeper cars.’ If the rooms were already booked, we slept in a car that was basically a dorm room. The beds were stacked like bunk beds, with only a curtain separating us from the aisle. If memory serves, there were a dozen beds per car. Mom took the lower bunk, with me on the top for ‘safety.’ I never slept because of people walking past almost all night, but the gentle rocking was quite relaxing. Managing the rooms was hilarious, with everyone making sure bathroom needs were taken care of before lights out. Otherwise, the bathroom door banged into the lower bunk and/or blocked getting out of the bunk.
International travel on trains is a wonderful experience. The British trains run on time, without fail. Portugal? Depends on the route, but the scenery is lovely anyway. I prefer taking trains to taking buses. One advantage is access to food on the ride. If you book ahead in Portugal, you can order a meal to be served at your seat. I prefer commuting by train as well.
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That sounds fascinating!
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I’ve ridden on many trains including sleeping cars. I love them all. I found the beds to be very comfortable and the rocking did lull me to sleep. I’ve ridden in the fanciest first class to the indigenous people only third class and they were all wonderful experiences. Now, I’m ready to go again!
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I’m ready to go again, too!
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