All Aboard: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide

by Jim Loomis

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.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Transport, Reference, Trains

384 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 1995

Reviews

[Miss✧Pickypants ᓚᘏᗢ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must for anyone interested in traveling by train in North America. As someone who has taken many train trips throughout the US I can attest that what the author has provided is an accurate and helpful description of riding the rails.

I wish I knew about this book when I was getting ready for my first cross-country train ride to help prepare me for what to expect. Luckily you future train travelers now know about this excellent resource so you can be well prepared. In addition to providing tips on everything you need to know regarding North American train travel it also does a wonderful job of explaining the history of trains in the US, Canada and Mexico.

[Wayne Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally enjoyed this book. Up to date information which makes train travel appealing. I think I would like to take a train trip around the US. Also got helpful information about train travel in Mexico, Copper Canyon is quite interesting but would need more study before traveling there. A very good source written in easy to read style.

[Laura Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

This guide has a little something for everyone. I bought it for the travel tips (which look like they will be very helpful), but there are also sections on things like the history of train travel and the mechanics of how a train works for those so inclined.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm planning a BIG us rail holiday next year and this book was recommended in one of the online forums. All the information in this book is available online somewhere (and I'd done a lot of googling before I bought it, so I have come across most of it), but it's all in one place and it's worth the purchase price.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of the train travel experience, including nuts and bolts of how trains work.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything you need to know about traveling Amtrak. Very good but repetitive in places.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're gonna take a long Amtrak trip, this is a must read. Full of helpful hints and context. The Kindle version is a bargain.

[Dave Grotewohl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything the average person needs to know about train travel

Made me want to take a train trip. I chose to overlook the nasty political bias. A worthwhile, enjoyable read.

[Nadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me as essential for planning a USA rail trip. I read it cover to cover and found interesting, helpful and inspiring. It goes through a lot of the history of Amtrak and train travel in the US. There's fantastic travel tips, on what to take on board, packing etc. Also great reviews of the different journey routes with detailed info on things like which side of the train to sit on to get the most out of certain views. And even some basic train and engine details, which were also helpful. A great read for anyone planning a Amtrak rail trip. It has certainly helped me to make a few decisions about my trip.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew little to nothing about trains, except that my friend Thomas was a tank engine. I am fully convinced that the way to see the country is through the clean, washed daily, Amtrak windows. I was never a big advocate for train travel before, but now that I’ve read this book I have a deeper appreciation for this form of travel.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a great time reading this book. Given to me by a friend before a long train trip I found the book interesting and comprehensive. It is full of does and don'ts with a section on terms used on the rails. I am already planning my next train adventure.

[Kim Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only flipped through the book. Wanted to save the title so I could revisit it later. I like the idea of traveling cross country by train. However it seems tricky for a first timer. This book breaks it down and gives good advice.

[Ed Hoeppner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and useful

Great book to prepare you for a train trip. A couple of items are just a touch out of date, but did not affect the trip.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of useful information for those of us who love to travel by train!

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book, but it's quite out of date. I'd heartily recommend it if another edition came out, because it gives a good account of the past, present, and future of rail travel, as well as some great tips and ideas of what to expect. If you're interested in the tips and can pick it up cheap, go for it, but expect that you'll have to ignore the route information, aside from broad strokes on routes that still exist, and research things yourself.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of this book is railroad history and rider guides, aka what I already know. However, chapter 13 - Taking the Train in Canada - is useful for my planning purposes and Appendix A, where train routes are discussed in detail, is really interesting. I would love to browse the 4th edition if it's published!

[Marie Schuh · Rating 3 out of 5]

While helpful, I wouldn't buy this book. Too much of the info you can find online, as well as more specific tips. It goes into a lot of the history and logistics of train travel in NA if that's your thing. Good thing that I just read it for free on my Nook in B&N.

[Tish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reference book. Used it when touring the states on Amtrak. Helpful.

[Scott Baumgartner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good train information and Amtrak advocacy

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

We've taken trains in Europe for short 1-6 hour trips, but we'll soon be traveling cross country for the first time in the U.S. from LA to Houston for two nights in a sleeper bedroom. I had a long list of questions that this book answered, plus it gave me a plethora of interesting train travel facts and history. VERY helpful book!

[Sherry]

We are taking a long train trip in 2018 so I wanted to read about train travel. Clearly Mr. Loomis is a FOAMER...someone who foams at the mouth when thinking/talking about train travel (he describes this term in the book so don't blame me)! The book runs the gamete of information about train travel from the history and mechanics of railroads to the best trips for scenery and the future of train travel. He covers Canada, Mexico, Japan and European train travel. If you are just wanting to know the best tips for traveling by train, this book might not be your best bet. There were not as many tips about the best way to travel by train as there was about how much to tip while you are on the train and why. Still, I learned a great deal about trains and picked up some useful information.