Description

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It’s about the journey, not the destination.
 
All Aboard—first published in 1995, and here revised and updated—is much more than a mile-by-mile scenery guide for train travelers. Written for both veteran train travelers and those considering their first rail journey, it will keep any trip on track with its insightful travel trips and information about how North American railroads operate.
 
All Aboard presents how and why the first railroads came about, describes the building of America’s transcontinental railroad, and explains how individual trains are operated. Railway expert Jim Loomis also offers advice that can only come from a veteran traveler on essential topics such as booking trips, finding the lowest fares, avoiding pitfalls, packing for an overnight trip, what to do on board, and whom to tip and how much.
 
This latest, fifth edition includes up-to-date information on modern high-speed rail projects in California, Texas, and Florida, new trains on the Copper Canyon route in Mexico, current reports on the legal disputes between freight railroads and Amtrak, and much, much more.
 
All Aboard is the ultimate guide to American train travel and its unique history and culture.

About the Author

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Jim Loomis has written frequent columns about train travel for Sunday newspaper travel sections and has served as a member of the board of directors of the Rail Passengers Association. He has ridden every one of Amtrak’s routes and taken all their long-distance trains multiple times, logging more than 200,000 miles on trains in the United States alone. He has also traveled across Canada on VIA Rail a dozen times. He lives on Maui in Hawaii.

Praise For…

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Praise for Previous Editions

“All Aboard is a comprehensive guide, of particular usefulness to generations that have grown up without train travel being a routine part of their lives.” —Pacific Northwest Rail News
 

“Even for those with a working knowledge of train travel, this book is helpful. Highly recommended.” —Railroad History

 

“This guide covers everything from booking a [train] trip to the various routes available to on-board etiquette.” —Boston Sunday Globe

 

“With all my rail experience, I still found things in Loomis’ book that I didn’t know about train life.” —Hawaii Sun Press

 

“This comprehensive guide will assist the traveler in planning an excursion and executing it with minimum effort and maximum pleasure.” —Library Journal

 

“Loomis wants to overcome any trepidation you may have by explaining every part of the train and the trip in detail, and succeeds admirably; his recommendations are so enthusiastic and infectious you will soon find yourself looking for your nearest station! This is the essential reference for those who want to experience the magic of trains for themselves.” —San Diego Book Review

 

“A down-to-tacks how-to book that describes in detail just about everything you need to know to take a train trip in the United States and Canada.” —Honolulu Advertiser

 

“I would unequivocally recommend this for anyone who has ever expressed an inkling of desire for a train adventure." —Amateur Traveler

 

“Crammed with excellent ideas for booking, preparing for and enjoying your next rail journey.” —Railfan & Railroad

 

“Quite a few guidebooks to train travel in the Americas jostle for the reader’s attention, but these days the freshest, most comprehensive, and, frankly, the best is the brand-new third edition of Jim Loomis’s All Aboard. That’s because Loomis has won a reputation for being uncommonly honest and upfront about the annoyances and pitfalls of this old—some would say antiquated—mode of travel. Yet he is also generous and encouraging about its considerable joys. In clear and lively prose he takes in hand his readers—especially those who may be unfamiliar with Amtrak but are sick of air travel—through the practical ins and outs of booking a trip on the national railroad.” —trainweb.org