Rating: 
Summary: just what I needed
Review: If you are interested in North American train travel (even if you aren't going anytime soon), this book is definitely for you. I've extensively read the first edition, and the second one is great for bringing us up to date on what's new (and an account of a gorgeous ride in Mexico!). Since I'm planning on taking a trip soon, it was nice to know who to tip and when, what side of the train to sit on for spectacular views, the terminology used aboard, and so forth. I certainly reccommend this book for *anyone* who's thinking about train travel!
Rating:
Summary: Made it around america by amtrak in the summer of 2000
Review: Made my first and maybe my only trip around the United States by train this summer and this was one outstanding text to get me started...recommended for anyone thinking about an overnight trip on amtrak! I loved my trip but why do it again, try someting new...if you are thinking about travel coast to coast book early and try to get an "explore america fare" saves you A Lot. enjoy
Rating:
Summary: What a wonderful book!
Review: My friend and I are planning a trip to the USA in 2000 and not being too confident about driving on the "wrong" side of the road, had vaguely thought about doing a train trip, but the one travel agent we consulted was a bit vague about the subject and gave us an Amtrak brochure and sent us on our way. As we aren't yet up to booking (just after Christmas, we'll do that) we were a bit lost. Imagine our delight to come across 'All aboard!' in our local library. I have devoured it from cover to cover and have ordered my own copy to take with us. Being Aussies, a lot of the local customs are foreign to us. It is wonderful to have the on board etiquette spelled out, eg. tipping isn't common in Australia, and I would hate to slip up by not tipping appropriately etc. We are planning our holiday using 'All aboard'as our bible. I give it 5 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: cross-country train travel
Review: My wife and I have enjoyed a few overnight (Lake Shore Limited) train trips and, based on this experience, fantazied about a cross-country trip. When it came time to forfill this particular fantasy (now with our son), we found this to be the best source of pratical, how-to, what-side-ot-the-train-to-sit-on advice. the author clearly loves train travel and has a first-hand knowledge of his subject. My 4-star rating is based more on the lack of artistic style than content. In you're planning a trip, this is an eminently useful book.
Rating: 
Summary: informative but not as useful as it could be
Review: The information is good -- plenty of background material on North American trains, etc. I'd recommend reading it if you're planning a vacation and are interested going by rail (or could be talked into it).But having read it, I can't help feeling that it would be more useful if it were organized and presented differently. Rather than a thick paperback with about 10 typically-sized chapters, maybe it would be more useful if the chapters were broken down into smaller, better delineated sections, with stronger cross-indexing. Maybe spiral bound. More maps? If you're planning a vacation in North America, it would be good to get this book and read it during the planning stage. But it wouldn't be very useful to throw into your backpack and take it with you, which is too bad because with a different organization I think it could be.
Rating:
Summary: informative but not as useful as it could be
Review: The information is good -- plenty of background material on North American trains, etc. I'd recommend reading it if you're planning a vacation and are interested going by rail (or could be talked into it). But having read it, I can't help feeling that it would be more useful if it were organized and presented differently. Rather than a thick paperback with about 10 typically-sized chapters, maybe it would be more useful if the chapters were broken down into smaller, better delineated sections, with stronger cross-indexing. Maybe spiral bound. More maps? If you're planning a vacation in North America, it would be good to get this book and read it during the planning stage. But it wouldn't be very useful to throw into your backpack and take it with you, which is too bad because with a different organization I think it could be.
Rating: 
Summary: New edition out soon
Review: The new up-dated edition of my book should be in all major bookstores toward the end of March. All informtion contained in the first edition has been up-dated, plus I've added a chapter on train travel in Mexico, focusing on the fabulous Copper Canyon route.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent train travel guide for North America!
Review: This book will take you behind the scene of railroading in North America with emphasize on amtrak in USA. Thanks to Jim Loomis enthusiastic writing style I learned a lot about trains, on-board personnel, operations, logistics, history and rail terms in general. If you are rail freshman like me than you'll appreciate this book just for that alone. Recently I took a trip from Halifax to Vancouver with VIA and now I'm looking forward to take similar route (coast to coast) with Amtrak. The only thing that you'll not find in this book is comprehensive list of places to stay and see that are typical for classic travel guides like the Lonely Planet series. (If you're planing the rail trip in Canada then don't miss the excellent travel guide "Trans-Canada Rail Guide".) Overall this book deserve five stars. Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent train travel guide for North America!
Review: This book will take you behind the scene of railroading in North America with emphasize on amtrak in USA. Thanks to Jim Loomis enthusiastic writing style I learned a lot about trains, on-board personnel, operations, logistics, history and rail terms in general. If you are rail freshman like me than you'll appreciate this book just for that alone. Recently I took a trip from Halifax to Vancouver with VIA and now I'm looking forward to take similar route (coast to coast) with Amtrak. The only thing that you'll not find in this book is comprehensive list of places to stay and see that are typical for classic travel guides like the Lonely Planet series. (If you're planing the rail trip in Canada then don't miss the excellent travel guide "Trans-Canada Rail Guide".) Overall this book deserve five stars. Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent -- will get you yearning for train travel!
Review: This is a wonderful book that captures the romance of train travel! It's both practical and inspiring -- a rare blend. And it's fun to read! If you've ever thought about a long-distance train ride, I highly recommend this book.
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