All Aboard! Revised 2nd Edition: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Jim Loomis (Author)

Book Description

Series: All Aboard | Publication Date: March 4, 1998

The Only Comprehensive Guide to Riding the Rails Throughout North America Just Got Better!
There's nothing quite like the thrill of a train trip, traveling in comfort as you pass towns and meadows, venture through canyons, and cross over mountains. But in a territory as vast as North America, many of the best routes are easily overlooked — even by the most avid train travelers. Whether you're traveling from Los Mochis to Chihuahua, from Los Angeles to New York City, or from Vancouver to Halifax, this indispensable guide will teach you new ways to make your train experience even more enjoyable.
Everything you've ever wanted to know about trains and rail travel is here — from history to logistics. Longtime rail enthusiast Jim Loomis will help you plan a unique, memorable train excursion. Inside you'll find detailed and useful information such as:
·Booking procedures
·Schedules
·Onboard etiquette
·Rail Itineraries
·Descriptions of scenic rail excursions
·Route maps for passenger trains in the United States, Canada, and Mexico
·Floor plans for typical coach and sleeping cars
·And much more!
Along the way, you'll learn the fascinating folklore and history of railroading in North America; fundamentals of railroading operations, safety, and equipment; and professional railroading terms as explained in a full glossary.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Having traveled almost every North American rail route at least once, Jim Loomis has the track record to write this information-packed guide to rail travel. This book "is written for the person who is naturally inquisitive, who notices and finds delight in little things, who knows that those who hurry miss a lot." After helping you decide whether train travel is right for you (and why car and plane travel might not be), Loomis gets into the finer points of traveling by train. His detailed research reveals how to plan your trip; packing suggestions; booking procedures; schedules; onboard etiquette; good places to stay for overnight stopovers; descriptions of scenic rail excursions; route maps of passenger trains in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; floor plans for typical coach and sleeping cars; folklore and history of railroading; safety information; and a professional railroading glossary. His creative, tried-and-true itineraries include fall-color routes, big city tours, grand and semi-grand tours, the Santa Fe trail, and "southern comfort." Loomis even explains how many modern phrases have their roots in train travel. He'll help you get "over the hump," while avoiding "hell on wheels," know when you're on a "doubleheader," and see the "light at the end of the tunnel." --Kathryn True

From Library Journal

Anyone contemplating a train trip would be wise to read this guide by Loomis, the travel writer for the Honolulu Advertiser. After outlining the history of the railway system in the United States and Canada, Loomis describes in detail train equipment, jobs, routes, and schedules. A veteran train aficionado who has logged 60,000 miles by rail over the past ten years, Loomis portrays life on board a train, offering advice on dining protocol, sleeping arrangements, and tipping, as well as hints on "passing the time" (computing the train's speed, listening in on "train talk," and diverting the children). This comprehensive guide will assist the traveler in planning an excursion and executing it with minimum effort and maximum pleasure. Recommended for public libraries and large transportation collections.
Pamela Bellows, Northwestern Connecticut Community Technical Coll. Lib., Winsted, Ct.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Prima Lifestyles; 2 edition (March 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761510877
• ISBN-13: 978-0761510871
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,376,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book on North America Train Travel, November 13, 2000

By 

Thomas Lee (Sac) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All Aboard! Revised 2nd Edition: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide (Paperback)

I've taken a few U.S. East Coast train trips, some overnights with sleeping accomidations, and I thought I knew the system pretty well. I learned so much more after reading this book and I wish I had read it before my first train trip. There are so many little tips that can make your travel better. From the book I learned a lot about the operations behind the scenes and this is helpful information for an overall enjoyable train experience. It's a great book. I have not come across any other book like it. Thinking about a train trip? Get the book and hit the rails. Already have a trip planned? Get the book and enjoy your trip even more.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful book!, December 7, 1999

By 

Jan Maciejewski (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All Aboard! Revised 2nd Edition: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide (Paperback)

My friend and I are planning a trip to the USA in 2000 and not being too confident about driving on the "wrong" side of the road, had vaguely thought about doing a train trip, but the one travel agent we consulted was a bit vague about the subject and gave us an Amtrak brochure and sent us on our way. As we aren't yet up to booking (just after Christmas, we'll do that) we were a bit lost. Imagine our delight to come across 'All aboard!' in our local library. I have devoured it from cover to cover and have ordered my own copy to take with us. Being Aussies, a lot of the local customs are foreign to us. It is wonderful to have the on board etiquette spelled out, eg. tipping isn't common in Australia, and I would hate to slip up by not tipping appropriately etc. We are planning our holiday using 'All aboard'as our bible. I give it 5 stars.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent train travel guide for North America!, June 29, 2000

By 

Ales Kavsek (Ljubljana, Slovenia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: All Aboard! Revised 2nd Edition: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide (Paperback)

This book will take you behind the scene of railroading in North America with emphasize on amtrak in USA. Thanks to Jim Loomis enthusiastic writing style I learned a lot about trains, on-board personnel, operations, logistics, history and rail terms in general. If you are rail freshman like me than you'll appreciate this book just for that alone. Recently I took a trip from Halifax to Vancouver with VIA and now I'm looking forward to take similar route (coast to coast) with Amtrak. The only thing that you'll not find in this book is comprehensive list of places to stay and see that are typical for classic travel guides like the Lonely Planet series. (If you're planing the rail trip in Canada then don't miss the excellent travel guide "Trans-Canada Rail Guide".) Overall this book deserve five stars. Recommended!