Lonestar Trip Reports: Chicago to Portland by Train (46 Hours)

Just watched this engaging new trip report from Lonestar Trip Reports: “Chicago to Portland by Train: 46 HOURS on Amtrak’s Empire Builder!” A full 2,257-mile journey across eight states in about 46 hours. Great watch if you’re into rail adventures and seeing America the scenic way.

Watch the full report here: [VIDEO]

Another vacation idea in New Mexico

 

[VIDEO] The last time I took the train out west I found that Albuquerque has a commuter rail service. YouTuber Russel Sharp is on a train waiting for the RailRunner to pass the Southwest Chief on its way to the state capital of New Mexico in Santa Fe. Well if I wanted to visit the state capitol now I know I can get off in Albuqurque and take the railrunner that way.

Another thing to share on YouTube when I'm able to do so! 

New cam at Flagstaff, Arizona

 When did Virtual Railfans installed a new camera at Flagstaff? They used to have only a static webcam pointed eastbound now they have a Point Tilt Zoom cam for the east. When you see a train arrive well, now you can see it arrive and you no longer have to wait until the train is in view of camera. Check it out below!

[VIDEO] I'll miss the static east cam, however, this is a bit of an upgrade I'm liking the new perspectives. Of course there is still a static west cam so that way you can still see trains arrive at the Flagstaff stop. However, the train when it departs will slowly but surely roll out of full view.

Flagstaff, Arizona was where me and my party departed from Arizona after a day at the Grand Canyon. It's a nice town and it was interesting to set foot there. I'm going all the way back to July 2016 of course! Hmmm I shot some video of that day! [VIDEO]

And I've updated the railcam page.

Simply Railway: Sunset Limited from New Orleans to Los Angeles

 

[VIDEO] Simply Railway takes the 46 hour journey which used to go from as far east as Orlando, Florida all the way to Los Angeles. On this day he starts in New Orleans Union Station which was refurbished after hurricane Katrina in 2005. See the longer portion of the Sunset Limited was cut to originating in New Orleans due to Katrina in 2005.

So anyway he starts off in coach class then upgrades to sleeper when he gets to Houston, TX which is a major stop along the way. He did it this way because he found it was cheaper when he was booking his tickets. Since this is more than an overnight trip it's better to do ride in a sleeper than in a coach seat.

He makes another stop in San Antonio, Texas where the train connects with a section of the Texas Eagle. That train terminates in San Antonio however if you're originating from Chicago that is yet another connection to Los Angeles by train as opposed to taking the Southwest Chief.

I didn't know about the Prada Marfa installation in Texas. And then we see the action near the U.S./Mexico border as the train stops in El Paso, Texas. They we see some good shots of southern New Mexico and Arizona. Then arriving in L.A. in the wee hours of the morning.

The Sunset Limited was created by the Southern Pacific Railway in 1894 and inherited by Amtrak in 1971. The train only runs three days a week leaving New Orleans on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday while leaving Los Angeles on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The Texas Eagle departs from Chicago on a daily basis to San Antonio, however, a section of that train which are numbered 421 to L.A. and 422 to Chicago are attached to the Sunset Limited in San Antonio and heads towards L.A. Of course that section doesn't operate daily so if you plan to make that trip you might want to be sure about scheduling. Perhaps you might want to spend a day in San Antonio before heading towards Los Angeles.

BTW, the total duration from Chicago to L.A. on the Texas Eagle via the Sunset Limited trains 1 westbound to L.A. and 2 eastbound to Chicago is over 65 hours. A long journey indeed....oh and yet another thought noted in the above video delays are an issue on Sunset Limited, Union Pacific owns the trains and their trains get priority so that means Amtrak has delays. It's one of the worst as far as on-time performance...

Here are some related links

• YouTuuba took this train from Chicago to Los Angeles
• And you can catch the live arrivals and departure of this train in Tucson, Arizona via Virtual Railfan. Tucson is yet another major stop for the Sunset Limited.

Grand Canyon 2016

 

[VIDEO] As we go through the cold and snowy winter in Chicago which we seem to be experiencing a thaw, let's take a look back to a summer time visit to the Grand Canyon, Arizona back in July 2016. 

We took a one-way trip to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas via a company Grand Canyon Tours who allowed us a one-way trip there My party left from the Grand Canyon to Flagstaff, Arizona via a shuttle to wait for the Southwest Chief back to Chicago.

Feel free to subscribe to lbj79us or to Levois J - which is at 67 subscribers. I should add YouTube buttons for both of those channels in the future. Need a real plan though one for vacations the other for something else.

July 2016: Hollywood/Beverly Hills Tour

 

[VIDEO] This is the video I promised last nite. This is a reworked and edit video of that time I went on that Hollywood/Beverly Hills Tour in July 2016. I changed the music and added some photos of that tour and it was very fun & entertaining day to see the sites I rarely see. Perhaps see the homes of famous performers and even at one point our driver stopped to speak to a paparazzi. 

As it is winter right now in Chicago, heavy snow fell and it's very cold out it's great look back when the weather was much nicer and warmer. Yes for this video we are talking about California, however, here in Chicago the sun and warm weather will be back before we know it.

Enjoy.

Did you know "Shawshank Redemption" was filmed in Ohio

One of my favorite YouTuber's is known as YouTuuba who goes to Mansfield, Ohio to not only visit the Ohio State Reformatory he also drives along The Shawshank Redemption trail. The trail shows sites where the movie was filmed which includes the Ohio State Reformatory.

Actually I always thought the movie was filmed in Maine which is where Shawshank was filmed. I never before knew that the film was mostly produced in Ohio in or around the Mansfield area.

The one thing I do like about YouTube - yeah being a bit childish here - is that it takes you places you never knew existed. It takes you places you're not likely to visit although now that you see it, you might want to visit these places.

A walk through the Ohio State Reformatory: Shawshank prison about an 1 hr 25 mins [VIDEO]

A drive along the Shawshank trail: In and near Mansfield, Ohio about a 20 mins [VIDEO]

Amongst other things that give me an escape, it's movies like Shawshank. I never saw it in it's initial theatrical run over 25 years ago, however, seen it on TV enough times to enjoy the movie. It's one of those films I should've had in my VHS or DVD collection. Perhaps at some point in the future I should just download it through iTunes. 

From Chicago to California #olloclip

[VIDEO] If you've enjoyed 10 hours of ambient sound from an Amtrak train perhaps you'll enjoy the beginning of my trip from Chicago to LA in 2016. Perhaps you'll watch with the Amtrak sound in the background and mute the video with music by Lakey Inspired.

Well if I wanted a few more photos or videos for this video, it would've been a lot longer. This video still clocks in under 15 minutes of footage leaving Chicago photos along the way until we arrive in Los Angeles. And driving long the Pacific Coast after a quick stop in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. I still fantasize about this vacation to this day, and I like trains.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel lbj79us.

Vacation footage: Leaving Flagstaff, Arizona #olloclip

[VIDEO] I know I've done this at the original blog, however, is this something worth doing here. My own personal videoblogs here in addition to any other content.

On this occasion I'm sharing this video shot over four years ago. I'm leaving Flagstaff, Arizona in the wee hours of the morning beginning the end of my west coast jaunt. The main reason I was in Flagstaff was because my party wanted to visit the Grand Canyon. I would like to share footage from that as well.

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50 subscribers

[VIDEO] There is some real stuff going on in the world and at least we're no longer talking about the coronavirus. I just wanted to celebrate finally making 50 subs on my original YouTube channel which has been around since roughly the first year of YouTube.

In this case it's a train video (of course!) and it shows my arrival in California in July 2016. It hits me that using my cell phone as the primary record with a video and still camera is quite a creative boon. I can do video and a slide show utilizing iMovie and they have a trick where you can use a Ken Burns crops.

With a Ken Burns crop you can basically focus on one area of the picture and as the movie plays the camera can either zoom in or zoom out to reveal the rest of the scene. Or you see the rest of the scene and you'll zoom in on what you want the crop to focus on. It's really cool especially if you got some good background music.

In which case unless you're voice over intensive or plan to do a lot of talking find yourself some public domain music. That should save you from anyone attacking you over any copyrights.

I hope you enjoy the video. If you like what you see give me a subscribe. Perhaps one day this blogger can do more with his YouTube channels. I do have three one I announced here lbj79us and one called The Sixth Ward.

BTW, no more than I anticipated doing a 50 subscriber video I never anticipated doing a 50 subscriber post. It wasn't that long ago that I realized that my channel was one away from 50 and even then halfway towards the next goal of 100 subscribers.

I got 49 subscribers....

[VIDEO] Well sometimes things happen in spurts, but at times I share small accomplishments. It's been seen at there that you get more attention upon posting 100 videos on YouTube. Well on my new channel that milestone hasn't been reached yet though on the channel I've had since roughly the beginning there are literally 100 videos and more including the above one.

So basically it's me on the train to Memphis, Tennessee leaving Chicago back in December 2014. This was the trip I wrote about at that time my first real trip out of town in a few years. A lot of the recent old videos I had posted to my other channel so far were recording years ago on a MiniDV camcorder. This time around I used the then new iPhone 6 at the time.

Anyway if you enjoy this video feel free to help me get to 100 subs and hit that subscribe button. 

On the train between New Mexico and Arizona

[VIDEO] Shot this video in July 2005 on my way to Los Angeles, California and had to have shot this somewhere between Albuquerque, New Mexico and Flagstaff, Arizona. As a matter of fact way before the footage of that lightning strike that occurred not long after sunset and at that point the Southwest Chief was closer to Flagstaff.

I suppose it' very fascinating to look at the geography of the American southwest. The buttes, plateaus, hills, mountains, even the dry river beds. I can tell where at one point water flowed when it rains. It seems like a hot desolation region yet, full of life which the desert adapted plants and of course human civilization within the desert.

I look forward to the day I can ride through again, but one day I need to spend some time in this desert area.

Southwest geography

[VIDEO] Still uploading video from many years ago taking the Southwest Chief. Today I just want to show this video of my train in 2005 going through the desert between Colorado and New Mexico (or it could be New Mexico) I just don't remember.

This video which I uploaded by lbj79us on YouTube probably had an echo from many years ago as part of this long ago footage was used on my first YouTube video. It was an attempt at a "Lumiere" style vid which seemed popular amongst videobloggers during the mid-2000. And certainly around the time when YouTube was becoming established. Here it is below. [VIDEO]

I hope you'll consider subscribing and watching. Constructive feedback is needed. I'm only getting started and as in all things in life the best thing to do is to just get started. That's what I'm attempting to do with this new journey. Just get started and hopefully the progression leads to something gaining traction.

Desert lightning...

[VIDEO] I want to take my mind off of this pandemic. The posting as of late on this blog almost always involved any news on the pandemic. Indeed anything that lets me know that we're closer to the down curve with regards to coronavirus infections.

I started yet another YouTube channel which I've branded to my old Yahoo! GeoCities username which was lbj79us. Right now I plan to post old video shot by myself over the years that has never before uploaded. My original YouTube channel that I have shared with you in the past, I don't have much plans for it beyond posting more current videos.

What develops beyond that who knows, however, as I've often said the point is to just get started if one wants to gain traction especially with YouTube. Feel free to subscribe and even have a box for that purpose in the sidebar.

This could be one of those "My Mind's Eye" episodes that I had been talking about doing lately. My videography wasn't very good in July 2005 when I shot this video on board Amtrak's Southwest Chief. I was sitting in the observation lounge going through the Arizona desert - probably on the way to Flagstaff, Arizona. I knew to keep any eye on the sky because there were lightning strikes, and made sure to record a few near the end of this almost ten minute video, if you want fast forward to about 8:30 in this video.

Jacksonville, Florida Greyhound bus ticket counter #olloclip

Jacksonville, FL Greyhound bus ticket counter

Greyhound travel has changed from back in the day back when I was taking the bus to Atlanta, Georgia for school. It was likely easier to just take a ticket and use it to board a bus anytime as long as I got a ticket, especially if it was good for a whole year. Just last month on the way to Jacksonville, Florida I ran into a snag.

Well in the ensuing decade since I graduated, Greyhound had evolved to utilizing e-tickets. Last month I had bought tickets for my mother and I from Jacksonville to Atlanta while on the train on the way down to Jacksonville. They would be e-tickets, however, I made one error I had bought tickets for the wrong day which wasn't the day we'd arrive in Jacksonville. By the time we would arrive in Jacksonville our tickets would already have expired...

I needed to change the date we were leaving by bus from Jacksonville. The ticket agent at first said because our ticket had expired there wasn't much she could do unless she talked to a manager. Thankfully the manager gave her the go ahead to change our tickets. My tickets would have to be re-printed with our new departure date and thus we could leave on a bus later that afternoon.

What this means is that once we arrived in Jacksonville, FL in the morning around 9 AM from the Amtrak Station we'd have a long layover before our bus would depart by 4 PM. I walked around the area near the Greyhound terminal and got some footage in the general area. Some of which I have since posted to YouTube.

We boarded our bus after 4 PM and then were on our way to our next destination to change buses in Savannah, Georgia and finally to our final destination and the end of our traveling in Atlanta, Georgia.

Passing through Ashland, Virginia #olloclip

[VIDEO] On July 17, 2019 I rode Amtrak's Silver Star through Ashland, Virginia which surprisingly is one of the sites of many Virtual Railfan webcams around the country. I expect this won't be the last time this happens. It was cook to see some of the landmarks especially the storefronts that I've only seen only if I tune into one of these cams.

I tried to see if I can find my train on the site, but I had failed to find the time frame where the train passed through. Bummer, but as I stated this probably won't be the last time. Who knows I might be going to the west coast again in the future. You can check out the three cams that I do show on this blog of three stops on the way...

Here's the live webcam from Ashland, VA. On VR's YouTube channel they do show some interesting things such as bears or even cars running onto the tracks for example. Of course you will see special trains or what not also.

Ashland, VA Virtual Railfan cam [VIDEO]

Hustle & bustle at DC's Union Station #olloclip

[VIDEO] I've been trying to just post videos to my YouTube channel more lately. When I do post it's often video shot from my iPhone.

So far I've been posting video from my latest vacation. So I took a train to DC changed trains there to take a train to Jacksonville, Florida (there is a pro-wrestling reference here as the owners of the upstart company All Elite Wrestling are based in Jacksonville as they own the local NFL club there). Then took a bus from Jacksonville, FL to Savannah, Georgia to take another bus to Atlanta, Georgia where my family had a family reunion.

Then we left Atlanta by train from a picnic to return to DC so that we can take the Amtrak Train back to Chicago. So basically the trains we took to get to and from Chicago to our various points we started out trip on the Capitol Limited and then transferred to the Silver Star we took Greyhound to our next destination and then later took the Crescent back to DC and finished our riding with a ride on the Capitol Limited back to Chicago. Whew!

So anway, I wanted to share this vid of my day at DC's Union Station where I saw the hustle and bustle during the week. It's super raw footage and this I didn't edit much, but it's an excuse to utilize my YouTube channel. It's time to come up with a real plan.

I probably should've started this process earlier, but after getting some notice with blogging this is probably the next step beyond that. As I said come up with a real plan to utilize YouTube and create some content people could enjoy.

Three years ago this month I visited the Grand Canyon #olloclip

[VIDEO] In 2016 I went on my west coast jaunt. The purpose was actually a family reunion however we wanted to make stops not only in Las Vegas, Nevada, but also the Grand Canyon. I haven't visited either location since my first visits as a child. And conversely I was too young to gamble and yet have very little interest to put my money on the line in such a fashion.

Either way, I've decided to start using my YouTube channel more and this video of my trip the Grand Canyon is one documented video of my visit. Not the best cut I have, but it's certainly raw and shows the magnitude of this massive geological formation. I'm glad I was able to capture it in pictures and on video.

In commemoration of my trip to the west coast I posted webcam feeds on this blog under "Railcam" that shows the three stops along the way on Amtrak's Southwest Chief. The Chief was how I got back and forth between Los Angeles, California and Chicago (in the case of my visit to the Grand Canyon my folks got on the train in Flagstaff, AZ which is one of the webcam feeds you see). It was an amazing trip that I hope to find another excuse to make in the future. Perhaps even during a future "polar vortex" episode in the winter time!

BTW, time to experiment with photoshop and create something of a YouTube brand image to advertise my channel.

Also here is one photo I shot of the Grand Canyon using an olloclip fisheye lens

2006: Two state capitols!!! revisited

I'm just going to share the link to this 12 year old post here. Took an Amtrak train from Dallas, Texas during roughly this time back then and went through two state capital cities Little Rock, Arkansas & of course Springfield, Illinois.

Despite having an interest I've never actually been there. It's time to put some plans into motion as far as that. This is what I saw about that back then:

BTW, I would like to do a special field trip to Springfield, Illinois at some point. I don't know when but I would like to do something when I do for this blog. Hopefully do a little bit more than my vacation last summer in Washington, DC. It'll be fun and I'll be sure to work on it.

Make it happen Levois!

2006 - Springfield, Illinois

Remember that YouTuber on the Southwest Chief

[VIDEO] I posted earlier this month as he records his vacation in May to Los Angeles. Now he has a part two were he travels along the Pacific Ocean coast to go up through the Pacific Northwest via Amtrak's Coast Starlight. Then in another video to be posted at a later time he leaves the Pacific Northwest I think he says from Portland, Oregon via Amtrak's Empire Builder.

You might have seen this trip to Chicago on another video I showed on this blog from another YouTuber.

I look forward to a future trip to the Pacific Northwest on the Empire Builder and perhaps at another time a future trip along California Pacific Coast on Amtrak. Perhaps I should accept donations for that to record that for your benefit. :P