Nobody understands the magic of Amtrak’s California Zephyr train quite like Brad Swartzwelter, better known to passengers as Conductor Brad.
During Swartzwelter’s 30-year career as a conductor, he estimates he’s completed more than 90 trips annually, logging about 500 miles on each trip—in total, he has traveled 1.4 million miles on America’s rails.
But he came to love the train far before he started working for Amtrak, while growing up in Boulder, Colorado. “My father would go fishing along the Colorado River, and the California Zephyr would go by every day,” he says. “It seemed like the most magical thing in the world to see this massive, beautiful, gleaming steel string of train cars glide through the Rockies, right next to the gleaming water of the Colorado.”
Running between Chicago and Emeryville, California, the Zephyr is the longest continuous train ride in the United States, in operation since 1949. The route covers just over 2,400 miles in about 52 hours, traversing the American West through the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevadas.
Swartzwelter plans to retire in October, but the train will continue on, ushering in the next generation of travelers to rediscover the joys of rail transport, just as I did last summer. It was my journey west of Chicago, and I was quickly reminded of the country’s sheer vastness, a perspective often lost when flying overhead. From the train window, enchanting views of fields, rivers, gorges, mountains, and tunnels unfolded before me.
There were unexpected views too, like the occasional mooning from a passerby, but my most unforgettable encounters were the people on the train itself. Despite traveling solo, I never really felt alone. I befriended fellow travelers, like a 20-something man with his guitar in tow moving from small-town Illinois to California to become a teacher. I chatted with artists seeking inspiration from the surrounding landscapes, and met Amish families vacationing with their children.
While long-haul train travel in the US is scenic, it’s not always the most comfortable (though I did sleep surprisingly well in coach), or efficient, of journeys: I watched nesting passengers build elaborate coffee setups with electric kettles and stuff air mattresses into their seats. But, despite its shortcomings, hundreds of thousands of riders have found themselves drawn to the Zephyr for the slow, meandering journey that is crossing America by train.
There are a few ways to tackle the train’s lengthy route. You can ride all 52 hours in one fell swoop and spend two nights on board (in either a sleeping car or a regular coach seat). Or you can break up the journey, as I did, and stop in different cities along the route. This means you will have to purchase a ticket for each segment of your journey.
Here’s how I planned an 11-day trip aboard the California Zephyr with pit stops in Omaha, Denver, and Reno, and all the people I met along the way.
The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge stretches between Nebraska and Iowa
John Coletti/Getty
Coneflower Creamery, a local ice cream store in Omaha, serves up unique homemade flavors
Josh Foo/Coneflower CreameryDay 1: Chicago to Omaha
The journey from Chicago to Omaha is what I consider the warm-up hours. You’re still getting to know your seatmate, you’ve made a trip or two to the café car, and so far it’s mostly been fields and flatlands as far as the eye can see.
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Publish date : 2024-09-23 22:30:00
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