[stevenwei]

I had a bunch of Amtrak points sitting around that I recently redeemed for a bedroom sleeper trip between Seattle and Chicago.

It was an interesting experience but not one that I would repeat. It is by no means a smooth ride, and even with the bedroom I found it quite difficult to get any sleep. Between the horn constantly going off, the bumpiness of the tracks, and the hourly stops/starts, I basically ended up staying awake for 2 days straight.

While I was initially able to get some work done during the trip, after the first night I was way too sleep deprived to be able to continue programming.

But then again, I am a light sleeper, and I have trouble falling asleep on planes too.

[marquis]

I can sleep on a park bench that is on a non-stop roller-coaster (planes are a breeze) so for me sleeper trains are a delight, but I haven't take one in over 10 years since European flights got cheaper that trains. I do miss those long train rides across Europe, where you would meet people easily in the restaurant car. Amtrak I've never tried as I've never had the time nor inclination for train travel when in the U.S.

[bane]

Trains in Europe are a pleasure compared to most of the U.S. system. I'm not sure if it's because Amtrak shares track with cargo trains or what, but the ride is pretty bumpy, noisy and much beyond a few hours not worth it with nothing to do and noway to sleep. I've done 20+ hour trips twice on Amtrak and I'll never do it again. I can see doing maybe a D.C. to NYC trip, but the economics of such a trip don't really work out for me over a plane even if door to door the train is only slightly slower (in fact I actually like the drive better).

[fulafel]

Hopefully trains will again become competitive as politicians get around to pricing the considerable environmental externalities of air travel.

Edit: looks like this is coming along, http://theenergycollective.com/parthvaishnav/287406/icao-dea...

[waterlesscloud]

I travel on Amtrak when it makes any sort of sense to do so (which isn't often). I just like trains.

Sleeping in a bedroom has never been a problem for me on a train. The swaying sort of lulls me.

Sleeping in a chair in coach is very difficult for me, though I eventually catch naps that way.

[davidw]

I'm a light sleeper, but sleep pretty well on trains, all things considered. Planes are another matter, as it takes an iron grip on the armrests to keep the things in the air!

I wrote a lot of the early bits of Hecl ( www.hecl.org ) on trains between Padova and Rome.