Rail riders in Northwest enjoy smooth, fast trips

Sunday, July 18, 1999 | 9:43 a.m.

ABOARD THE AMTRAK CASCADE -- "Look at that!" exclaimed Clement Heilen, a passenger taking the Talgo train from Seattle to Vancouver, British Columbia.

"Now that's something you'd never see at 30,000 feet."

It's no surprise that Heilen prefers riding the rails to skipping over clouds in a jet traveling at 600 mph. The Holiday, Fla., man is the regional vice president of the Sunshine Region of the National Railway Historical Society.

He and another Holiday resident, Dennis Zemla, were taking the Talgo to Vancouver to do a little train riding in Canada.

And while they expected to get their fill of extraordinary scenery in the Canadian Rockies, the Seattle-to-Vancouver run along northwest Washington's rocky seashore yielded some unexpected surprises.

One was outside of Mount Vernon, Wash., where the track glides along the Puget Sound and bald eagles fish for breakfast at the time when the train rolls through.

Dozens of eagles dive-bombed along the coast, oblivious to the copper and green metallic snake twisting along the coastline at 80 mph.

Egrets and herons glanced as the Talgo went by. Beachcombers offered a hearty wave as the engine blew its horn. And then there was that one kid mooning the train. Yes, you see just about anything when you ride the rails.

"This is one of the nicest trains I've ever ridden," said Zemla, who has traveled the countryside on trains with Heilen.

He admired the smooth ride and the comfortable appointments aboard the train. He barely gave the television monitor a glance, even through all the action sequences of "Armageddon," the featured film on that day's trip. He didn't even pick up any of the handful of magazines and newspapers on board for passengers.

Zemla was content to watch through the panoramic windows what was going on outside under the Pacific Northwest's threatening skies. He and Heilen shared a laugh when they saw plane fuselages on flat cars that were part of a freight train headed for one of Boeing's two Seattle-area plants.

"Even they have to use the trains to get to the factories," Heilen said.

What did the two travelers like most about the Talgo?

"It's a much smoother ride," Zemla said. "You know, we're riding lower to the ground, so there's less sway. And I noticed they're using welded rails on this track, that makes it a lot smoother and quiet. You don't get that clickety-clack sound."

Then, there are the meal cars. The dining car offers a variety of entrees for under $10. The crew takes reservations as the train gets under way, then calls names over the intercom, just as they would at a restaurant. The same panoramic windows are in that car so diners can watch the scenery as they eat.

The bistro car is set up like a bar. There are snacks and continental breakfast items for sale in the morning, beverages in the afternoon and evening. The car has a few seats, so there's an opportunity to socialize as the scenery goes by.

Is this the future of ground transportation between Los Angeles and Las Vegas?

"I think it could be a success," offered Zemla. "It's a short enough run that they wouldn't need to put a sleeper car on it."

Amtrak officials estimate the run would take about five hours, which is just long enough for a good nap in anticipation of a Las Vegas trip or for recovery on the return journey.

The panoramic windows would be good for seeing, well, desert instead of bald eagles. But think of the advantages of the onboard video system. Instead of watching "Armageddon," riders could get a preview of what Las Vegas has to offer. Entertainment and shopping ads, gaming instruction, resort previews -- all could be shown to a captive audience.

Gil Mallery, president of Amtrak West, which is developing the route, said on the Las Vegas train, the video systems can operate independently. That way, some passengers could watch a movie while others can get information on the city and its resorts.

Instead of sweating through Interstate 15 traffic, visitors to the city could be aboard a rolling party. That, at least, is the scenario Amtrak hopes to paint when it takes delivery of its Las Vegas Talgo train. Mallery noted that riders wouldn't be able to gamble on the train -- even after it crosses into Nevada -- because of federal transportation regulations.

Will Southern Californians abandon their cars to take the train to Las Vegas? Train boosters say they already do when they take planes to the city. In Washington, Amtrak's biggest competitors are cars.

Will they take a train instead of a plane? Amtrak touts the convenience of train travel and notes the track runs into the heart of Los Angeles. The short stops the Amtrak Cascades takes in places like Everett and Bellingham last only a couple of minutes.

The longest stop lasted five minutes when a disabled rider needed to use a lift to get her wheelchair onboard. And, on the return trip from Vancouver, U.S. Customs officials came aboard and made a sweep through the train to check documents as the Talgo rolls between the border and its first stop in Washington.

The popularity of the Las Vegas trip may rest on price point.

Right now Amtrak is looking at tickets between Los Angeles and Las Vegas costing $120 to $180 round trip.

That's more than the current cost of airfare, which ranges from about $78 to $172 round trip.