Riding Auto Train to Florida

Concluding my Railfan vacation to Virginia, my friend, dad, and I took Amtrak Auto Train from Lorton back to Sanford Florida. This video includes some highlights of what we saw on the trip back. Our train had 42 cars total. Footage was recorded by Jared Davis in the Summer of 2009.

Highlights:
00:38 Quantico Virginia
02:27 Doswell Virginia (Old RF&P station)
02:55 Ashland Virginia
04:32 Petersburg Virginia: Collier Yard
04:42 Rocky Mount North Carolina
05:47 Wilson North Carolina
06:10 Jacksonville Florida
06:58 Sanford Florida
07:18 Lake Monroe
08:04 Rand Yard
08:40 Sanford Auto Train Facility.
09:28 Amtrak P32-8WH number 506

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Amtrak
• Auto
• Train
• Lorton
• Virginia
• Sanford
• Florida
• P42DC
• 130
• K5LA
• Superliner
• Longest
• Passenger
• World
• Quantico
• Doswell
• Ashland
• Wilson
• Jacksonville
• Petersburg
• Rocky
• Mount
• North
• Carolina
• Lake
• Monroe
• Collier
• Rand
• Yard

[lespaulguy32]

Nice!!!!!!! Do you recommend riding this train because I'm riding it on Saturday. BTW I remember seeing a KCS at that spot at 2:27. Is that rare a all?

[WhistlepostWP]

@lespaulguy32 riding Auto-Train was a great trip. I found the staff to be more friendly on Auto Train than those on the conventional Amtrak's. Another great thing is that your food is included in your ticket price even if you are a coach passenger.

[cflRailfan]

I am thinking about traveling on the auto train. How long did it take to get your vehicle once you reached your destination?

[WhistlepostWP]

@cflRailfan Once we reached our destination it took about 30min-1hr to unload our vehicle. Its really hard to estimate though. It depends on when you drop off your vehicle and what type of vehicle. When I went we used my dad's van. It was really difficult to track which auto carrier they put our vehicle in. I highly recommend the ride though. Its way better than the Silver Service trains

[michigandon]

Thanks for the upload! I've been wanting to ride the Auto Train ever since the Garfield days.

[CSX453]

Nice Vid at that first crossing in the vid I saw a Coal train there.

[Jsouthwell2006]

@WhistlepostWP i wanna take an amtrak from vancouver canada to seattle washington and if your coach you have to pay extra for food, but i guess it isnt a big deal cus it is only 4 hours. i think i can go that long without food lol

[AmtrakFlorida]

@lespaulguy32 Yes absolutely, it is such a fast, luxurious, and convenient train. You save so much money on gas and lodging, and the food is good too!

[AmtrakFlorida]

@cflRailfan Take my advice, the Auto Train is a great trip. It's fast, convenient, and we got our car within 25 minutes, it doesn't really matter which carrier it's in. Also, the Silver Service trains are MUCH better than before, I just took one.

[train52000]

I tell ya, the funnest part about riding the amtrack. Is when another locomotive passes you, going in the opposite direction on another train track that's paralell with your track. Its even funner when your looking out the window and all of a sudden, it flys by you really fast, like, because you never when its comming. Woosh. And sometimes, if you get lucky and there are two passenger trains going in the same direction at or about the same speed.