All Aboard: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide Paperback – February 1, 2011

This is an interesting book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I am contemplating my first domestic train ride since I went to boot camp on the train in 1965, so I wanted some hints on traveling by Amtrak. The book has a lot of information and hints about Amtrak travel, but also has some chapters devoted to railroad history and also some information about rail travel in Canada and Mexico as well as some speculation about the future of railroading. I'll have to admit that I did skip through most of those last few chapters due to lack of interest on my part. All in all, I found the book to be interesting and informative. I highly recommend it for anyone, who like myself, is thinking of taking a first ride on Amtrak. (I did notice when I ordered the book from Amazon that a newly revised version is in the making, but wasn't available at the time I ordered.)

We have been on 2 Amtrak trips in the last 4 years. We are planning our next one in March. We decided for the fun of it to order this book in prep for our trip and were happy to see the newest edition was just printed this year.If you are traveling on Amtrak for the 1st time or are a more seasoned Amtrak traveler, this book is a great resource. There is so much information in this book in regards to their trains, the tracks, the roles of all the various members of the Amtrak team. There is also a lot of helpful tips, train etiquette, and other great useful information to make your trip as painfree and fun as possible.I would highly recommend this book. Even after already taking 2 trips, this book gave us so much information that we are looking forward to our trip next month even more.

I was quite pleased with this book! I highly recommend this to anyone dreaming of an Amtrak trip across the country. We are planning a 46 hour long Amtrak trip with 2 small kids. This book explained the differences between all of the sleeping car rooms. It made recommendations for people traveling alone, as a pair or as a family. The author even suggested some vacation iteneraries.The book also explained what to expect during your trip. How do you book tickets (other than online)? When/where do you eat? How do you convert your sofa to a berth? Will there be stops for smokers? Who should you tip/how much? What duties does an attendant perform? This book had more answers than the Amtrak site & 4 hours of Google searching combined!

An easy, informative read about the ins and outs of train travel in North America.This book is the perfect companion for anyone thinking of taking their first American, Canadian or Mexican intercity or long distance train journey.The Author follows a logical sequence of general information about train travel, planning your journey, bookings, what to expect when you arrive at the station and once you have boarded your train, even going to the extent of giving a very useful explanation of the duties and responsibilities of the various train staff that you may come into contact with during your journey.There is even a section detailing points of interest and and other helpful information about each of the major train routes in America, Canada and Mexico which prospective travelers will find invaluable when planning their train journey.Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended

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!

All Aboard met my need for a book to understand today's Amtrak system. I found it easy to read, but the author did not talk down to his audience. The general explanation of a ride on an Amtrak train followed with nice details about the equipment and people that make up an Amtrak train was just what the doctor ordered for me. Additionally, the details of what all the signs along the track mean, the reasons for the various speeds and delays that might be used during a trip made even driving along near a set of tracks more interesting. I have long distance trips with my father then my wife booked in the up coming months. This book will make those trips more interesting.

I traveled by train in Germany, but have done very little in the USA. Now that I am retired I would like to by a pass and try it out. I hate flying, so this seems like a great way to travel and see parts of the country. I talked to a man while in New Orleans and he gets a month long pass each year and travels around the country visiting friends and places of interest.

From the moment I started reading this book, the writer caught my attention. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. Book was also an easy read, plus he included pictures that helped with his explanations of train parts, routes, timetables, etc. He is very interesting and writes very well, telling me things I never knew about trains before, plus everything you need to know about traveling by train. My husband and I are planning a cross country train trip, in the very near future, and this book helped us alot, to know all the ins/outs of both Amtrak and VIA Canada Rail, too. THANKS for writing this great book!

Almost compulsory reading if you are contemplating your first trip on Amtrak; details such as car layouts on different types of trains, how to book, what to pack, what to do on the train, the roles of the various Amtrak staff, and so on help to make the slightly scary idea of getting on a train for the first time much less daunting. On top there is some interesting background on the history of the railroads, how they are run, what all the trackside signs mean, and lots and lots of other 'railfan' (American for trainspotter or anorak) stuff which quite frankly I really enjoyed.

Initially printed in 1995 and currently on its third reprint - 2011 - so some of the data might be out of date. But the core of the book still provides excellent information and advice.

Brilliant! Anyone planning a journey by trail in North America will find something of value here whether travelling independently or as part of an organised tour. I can't think of anything it misses.

This is a totally different book from any I have seen for sale in the shops. It is packed with all sorts of good useful information on travelling on the actual trains and what to pack and not to pack. I love it!

We bought this book because this summer because we're crossing the States by train. Very pleasantly surprised. A very engaging travelling companion.