“Long-distance trains in the United States have never been just about getting from point A to point B. The classic routes that still exist today are like moving archives, preserving iconic engineering, regional character, and the passage of landscape that highways and airports wipe away.”
What makes these lines so appealing, however, is more than nostalgia. Some of the most legendary routes still run through regions where the beat of the rails once dictated the pace of the nation itself: river crossings, rebuilt and rebuilt again; mountain tunnels dug out through the Continental Divide; and coastal stretches where the view is the point.
1. California Zephyr
The California Zephyr, begun in 1949, is still in operation today as a cross-country show of American geography, traveling from Chicago to Emeryville, just outside of San Francisco. Even to this day, the smooth ride is still centered on the large changes of the West: from plains to peaks to desert rims to the Sierra. Perhaps one of the most iconic parts of the route is the Moffat Tunnel, cutting through 6.21 miles of the Continental Divide at 9,239 feet, a brief seated ride that emphasizes just how much engineering went into making the mountains accessible. Further along, the train’s broad views of canyon country and mountain passes again emphasize the idea that train travel was meant to be enjoyed, not endured.
2. Coast Starlight
The Coast Starlight route, which connects Seattle and Los Angeles, has its roots in the development of the railroad system in the early 20th century. The attractiveness of the route is based on the speed of change of the landscape, from the salt air and shoreline to the wooded areas and broad valleys that were once home to the ports and railroad towns. The route’s presence also reflects a cultural continuum a public balcony along the coast, where the landscape is a companion rather than a backdrop.
3. Empire Builder
First operating in 1929 and now operated by Amtrak, the Empire Builder trains carry passengers from Chicago to the Pacific Northwest, with some trains splitting off to Seattle and Portland. The most iconic aspects of the trip begin as the water and mountains begin to appear in the horizon: the views of the Mississippi River to the east, and then the approach to the Rockies and the Pacific Northwest’s darker greens. A highlight stop is Glacier National Park, which has three Amtrak stations, a nod to the importance of railroads not only in the development of commerce but also in the early architecture of tourism in America.
4. Southwest Chief
The Southwest Chief follows the Santa Fe route from Chicago to Los Angeles, celebrating the era when the train carried movie stars and politicians in a kind of legendary luxury. The vintage glamour of the train is also associated with the Super Chief, which is popularly known as “The Train of the Stars.” The most apt quote about the Super Chief comes from MGM’s The Hucksters: “Only talent agents and kept women ride the Chief. But the Super Chief is an exclusive club for New York – Hollywood commuters.” The new route retains the same breathtaking views: desert light, red rock, and small towns that seem to be still looking at the train.
5. Crescent
The Crescent spans New York City and New Orleans, continuing in the tradition that defined the route between the Northeast and the Deep South. Besides the larger cities, it passes through smaller towns that give the experience its reality, where the stations are still points of interest in the towns. One of the points of interest is near New Orleans, where the route passes over the longest continuous rail bridge in the United States over Lake Pontchartrain.
6. Lake Shore Limited
Dating back to 1902, the Lake Shore Limited has continued to be a route that connects Chicago to New York and Boston, retaining a historic East Coast-Midwest route. Sections of the route follow the shores of Lake Erie and the Hudson River Valley, which was once a marker of speed and class in American railroads. Although the current travel experience is more functional than luxurious, the route retains the geography of a former national tempo cities, river towns, and the long routes that once connected them.
7. Cardinal
The Cardinal runs between New York and Chicago and is famous for its Appalachian route and, in particular, its route through the New River Gorge in West Virginia. The route is both naturally and mechanically attractive, with bends, bridges, and river meanders that have the appearance of having been carved by hand. It is also unique in that it has a very low rate of operation, being one of only two long-distance routes operated by Amtrak, running thrice a week.
8. Sunset Limited
The Sunset Limited is the oldest continuously operating named train in the country, having been put into service in 1894 and running from New Orleans to Los Angeles. Its identity is one with the idea of a southern portal to the West deserts, bayous, and vast expanses that unroll at a human pace. The modern route spans 1,995 miles and with it the idea of endurance travel not a journey between two points, but a crossing where each stop suggests a different regional accent.
9. Texas Eagle
The Texas Eagle, which dates back to 1948, runs from Chicago to San Antonio, with some trains going further west in conjunction with the Sunset Limited. It is a bridge route that spans different areas, such as Midwestern cities, the plains, and Texas, which evolved alongside the railroad. This route is like a cross-section of America, where the land is not as dramatic as the Southwest but is instead replete with the patterns of settlement and downtowns that revolve around the railroad.
10. Adirondack
The Adirondack route goes from New York City to Montreal on routes with a deep history in the 19th century and is most reminiscent of the seasons as it passes through the Hudson Valley and along the shores of Lake Champlain. Although it is perhaps most well-known for its fall foliage, the true importance of this route is its place in the history of the Northeast.
11. Vermonter
Linking Washington, D.C. to St. Albans, the Vermonter follows the routes of the older rail lines of New England. The route takes the train through mill towns, hills, and smaller towns where the train stations are more like front doors to a region. The less dramatic landscape offers a different kind of heritage experience, one that is not about drama but about continuity rails that continue to be a measured route through the changing seasons of the Northeast.
Together, these routes show how the heritage of railroads is best preserved when it is still useful. Each of these routes preserves something different: engineering ambition, regional culture, or simply the experience of watching the country roll by without rushing past it. For the traveler who values the process of travel as part of health, these trains offer a unique public sphere in which time expands, the view is shared, and the story of travel across America is readable from the window.
