(3 of 3)
The stacked cars do not run in the East, where low bridges and tunnels would slice them in half, but they are well suited to the teetering pass through the Sierra Nevadas and the run through the ruddy shadow of the Rockies. The California Zephyr route takes passengers past places they would normally miss -- like Thompson, Utah, where the presence of the train doubles the size of the town. And the Ruby Canyon, the throat-tightening Donner Pass. For additional company, there are bald eagles, elk, prairie dogs, deer springing up alongside the tracks at twilight as the car slides past, cameras flashing from the windows. Even a bored 15-year-old cannot maintain her sangfroid in the face of such a host, and wrenches the camera from her father's hands.
For those who recall the white-linen days of yore, the dining car is a disappointment. The tables are covered with blue plastic, the meals served on beige plastic dishes. But the food is hearty, and some standards survive, like the thick French toast and trout served in the mountains. Anyone who suffered the vending-machine fare of the 1970s appreciates the fact that the food is prepared -- or at least thawed -- on board, with good sirloin steaks grilled to order in the evenings.
Meals are included in the cost of a sleeper, which on overnight runs provides some privacy and chance of rest, though at a price. For a passenger traveling round trip between Chicago and San Francisco, a deluxe bedroom quintuples the fare, to $1,050. The compartment does have a toilet and shower; actually, the toilet is in the shower stall, but on a two-day trip, it still seems a glorious luxury, those 30-second dousings of 100 degrees F water. Most trains have family bedrooms that can sleep two adults and two children, if they are all fairly limber, as well as handicap-access sleepers and bathrooms on the lower level of the cars.
Though more people are asking for sleeping quarters than ever before, Amtrak simply does not have the equipment to accommodate them and Washington does not appear ready to provide any additional ones. "It takes political support, public support to maintain a viable rail system," says Michael Barosso, a Sacramento farmer and frequent rider. Since it came under the leadership of W. Graham Claytor Jr. in 1982, Amtrak has reduced its subsidy and improved its service to the point that the system is operating at just about capacity. But without new equipment and restoration of the tracks, Amtrak will not be able to keep up with the explosive demand. For all those who have yet to discover the romance, that would be a very sad loss.