Riding the Amtrak Train

Thursday morning, bright and early, I arrived at the Amtrak station in San Marcos, Texas, to catch the train and ride all the way to Fort Worth, Texas. It was my first time to ever ride a train. I was a little apprehensive.

The Texas Eagle #21 departs from San Antonio, every day, and arrives in San Marcos at 8:32 a.m. to pick up passengers. San Marcos does not have an actual station with attendants. It is basically just two benches sitting right next to the track. 

 As you can see from this picture, you can drive right up to the bench. You don't even have to walk more than a few steps.

This is Anthony. He was a talkative young man who is a seasoned Amtrak traveller, so I asked him to tell me all about train travel. He filled me in a little as we waited for the train. He was going all the way to Saint Louis, Missouri to see his children.

 When we heard the train whistle, folks got ready to board.

 "ALL ABOOOOOOARD!"

The entire trip took just over five hours, which is about the same amount of time it takes to drive from my home in Seguin to Fort Worth. The ticket was only $30 one way, so for one person to travel back and forth, it is much cheaper to ride the train than to drive a pick up truck which only gets 17 miles per gallon.

We stopped in Austin, Taylor, Temple, MacGreggor, Cleburne and Fort Worth. As we neared the final stop, I asked the passengers if I could take a picture of the interior of the train so I could show my three year old grandson. One passenger suggested everyone wave, so they did.

It was a very interesting trip. Tomorrow, I will share some pictures I took of the sights and scenery I saw as I looked out the train window.