I had never travelled by train, yet always wanted to. So, when Amtrak had a sale on the Auto train last year about this time, I decided to give it a try. The Auto Train is a unique non stop route as it only operates between Sanford, Florida and Lorton, Virginia and it allows you to take your car along for the train ride. I decided to drive from home in Berryville, Virginia to my family's place in Oviedo, Florida, and just take the Auto Train for the return trip. The drive down was fourteen hours, including two stops for fuel, food and bathroom breaks. For the return trip, check in (including car) is 12:30-3PM. Boarding starts at 3:30. Once vehicles are loaded, the auto loader rail cars are then attached to the passenger cars, making the Auto Train the longest passenger train in the country. The train left on time (I think 5PM). Available accommodations include "coach" which is pretty equivalent to an airplane seat, a "roomette" which is a private compartment for up to two people and sleeping berths, or a "room" which can accommodate up to four people and has sleeping berths and a private bathroom. I went with the "roomette" which was actually rather comfortable for just myself. For those with rooms or roomettes, dinner and breakfast was included and served in the dining car. I had the flat iron steak (cooked to order) with baked potato and chocolate moose for desert, but the salmon and the grilled chicken breast dinners looked good too (as did the cheesecake and other desert choices), The only hot item available for the continental breakfast was a sausage egg and cheese biscuit, but there was also fruit, coffee cake, cereals and other cold options there on the table for the taking. Despite having a bed, I could not sleep on the train any more than I have ever been able to sleep on a plane. Part of that might have been that the tracks between Florida and Virginia are not very smooth. So, I was rather tired when the train arrived in Lorton about an hour late at 10:48 the next morning. Little did I know that the experience was far from over. No sooner had we entered the terminal then they announced the locomotive moving the auto loaders to the ramps for unloading, had broken down. They said broken down, but my guess is that it derailed at a turnout. They had to call in a big crane to remove the locomotive from the tracks to get it out of the way. The crane arrived in pieces on four trucks and had to be assembled. Once the locomotive was out of the way, it appeared that they had to repair damage to the track. The end result was that I didn't get my car till after 6PM (28 hours after arriving at the Sanford station and more than 7 hours after arriving in Lorton). For me, travel time by car from Oviedo to Sandford was 30 minutes. Travel time from the Lorton station to my home in Berryville was about an hour and a half with traffic. The 14 hour drive by car didn't seem so bad after the 30 hour journey using the Auto Train. I certainly met some nice people on the train and in the Lorton terminal as we all waited. The Lorton terminal was crowded with passengers waiting for their cars to be unloaded. All the people filling the terminal were from the train I was on. That day's southbound train had been cancelled when they figured out they wouldn't be able to load the autos. I did end up with Covid from the experience (only time I've had it so far). Guessing it was from sitting in the crowded terminal for more than seven hours since the only time I was near others on the train was the time spent in the dining car (not crowded but shared table with others). I will say the crew members I met were friendly and very helpful. The conductor for my train car made a point of knowing every passenger by name. I know that my experience with the breakdown is not the norm, though I know delays are not uncommon. But, in my case, since sleeping wasn't going to work for me, I won't be doing the Auto train again in the future.
The terminal and loading cars in Sanford, Florida.
Roomette was two seats facing each other with a fold out table in between. The seats and table fold out into a bed and a second berth is stowed above and folds down. I knew I might not sleep well, so I had the conductor make up the upper berth. That way, I could climb down and sit at the table if I couldn't sleep.
