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ALL ABOARD!

Riding the Rails to a Great Vacation

Amtrak's motto is "There's Something About a Train That's Magic. It's easy to see why so many people are drawn to this magical form of travel, much like a magic carpet ride on rails. Train travelers can't wait to see the magic that awaits them around the next bend in the track.

Listen for that low, melancholy train whistle and you'll know you're on your way to a new adventure. While Amtrak has the bulk of possibilities for train travel in North America, there are many other possibilities for special trips.

No matter what kind of holiday appeals to you, you can find it on Amtrak. Cool mountain hideaways, hot sunny beaches, cozy rural retreats, and big city excitement are all on Amtrak's routes. From the beauty of the Grand Canyon to Walt Disney World Resort, Amtrak carries thousands of passengers to their destination of choice.

Amtrak's "Great American Vacations" make planning an entire getaway easy, with train tickets, accommodations, sightseeing and much more arranged with one phone call. You can select a city you've always wanted to visit, an area like California's Nap Valley, or one of America's many spectacular National Parks.

Of course, Amtrak also offers many other vacation packages, like Rail/Sail, Ski Amtrak, and City Escapades. The annual "Travel Planner" provides all of the options, including a surprising array of packages that might also include airfare, car rental, and special escorted tours (like "Focus on California").

California coast residents have some of the best Amtrak options in the nation. The Desert Wind heads out of Los Angeles, stopping in Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Denver, and Lincoln, while the Southwest Chief heads out of Los Angeles to Albuquerque, Kansas City, and Chicago. The California Zephyr runs all the way from San Francisco to Chicago, with stops including Sacramento, Salt Lake City, and Denver. The Sunset Limited runs all the way for L.A. to Miami, with America's only cross-country train service. If you want to stay on the left coast, the Coast Starlight runs from Los Angeles to Seattle.

Further afield, the northwest is alluring to train travelers, with Seattle serving as a base for the Empire Builder and the Pioneer. To the east, trains like the City of New Orleans, the Texas Eagle, the Crescent, the Gulf Breeze, the Cardinal, the Capitol Limited, the Broadway Limited, the Lake Shore Limited, Empire Service trains, and the Auto Train offer a wide range of possibilities.

Of course, feeder train and bus service is available throughout southern California. Stretching from San Diego all the way up to Brookings, California Corridor service offers some of the most train travel flexibility in the U.S.

Amtrak's Single-Level Fleet operates primarily in the east features traditional trains with modern comfort and convenience. Most offer First Class cabins, dining cars and lounges, while some feature dome cars for viewing and reserved overnight accommodations in bedrooms, roomettes, or slumbercoaches. The Superliner Fleet trains are as big as the western routes they usually cover, with upper level viewing for sweeping views and sightseer and see-level lounges on most trains.

You can book your Amtrak train vacation through a travel agent or with an Amtrak Reservation Sales Agent (800/USA RAIL). Amtrak offers senior citizens age 62 and over a 15% discount on most one-way, round-trip, and All Aboard America rail fares.

Of course, other types of train trips have become very popular in the U.S. One Walnut Creek, California-based company can be a valuable resource for a wide variety of special train journeys. Train Holidays (800/543-2846) offers special trips on special trains, like their Bridges of Madison County package, a Panama Canal QE2 or Nieuw Amsterdam cruise/train trip package, and many other special trips aboard their three private luxury rail carriers, the Houston, the Los Angeles, and the City of Angels. Their parent company, Uncommon Journeys is well-known for the innovative trips, dining, and service, including affiliations with Abercrombie & Kent, the Venice Simplon-Orient Express, and Southern Pacific Railroad.

Up in Napa Valley, the popular Wine Train (800/427-4142) offers a wonderful way to see and reach the beautiful wine country. Their brunch, lunch, and dinner trips, as well as a deli or wine-tasting car, have become tasty Napa Valley traditions.

Even further north, Vancouver-based Rocky Mountaineer Railtours (800/665-7245) offers a wide range of train tours in Western Canada and the Canadian Rockies. They feature sixteen different itineraries on two-day all daylight railtours, with guests enjoying a unique vantage point to view the majestic mountains, rivers, and plains that often can be accessed in no other way.

For Grand Canyon-bound train travelers, the Grand Canyon Railway (800/THE TRAIN) offers a unusual way to make the final leg. Running from spring to fall, this unique antique steam engine makes a daily 3 1/2-hour trip between the historic Williams Depot and the Grand Canyon. Along with scenery and a sense of history, it's a great way to avoid sometimes heavy Grand Canyon traffic. One-way and overnights are also available.

From the heights of the Rockies to the depths of the Grand Canyon, a train can get you there. It's certainly a magical way to travel.