What did you do TO your Gladiator today? [ADMIN WARNING: NO POLITICS, NO GUN TALK]

[Hootbro]

Took my Gladiator for a TRAIN RIDE.

The Amtrak Auto Train from Sanford, Fl (w of Orlando) to Lorton, Va ( s of D.C.), arriving at 9:00 AM tomorrow. Non-stop overnight and then off to central Virginia for the week.

Did Auto Train back in 2017 both ways. Not a fan of it and felt it was a wash financially vs. driving.

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[imallcrawl]

Do they work with the factory liners?

Unfortunately no. The factory liners attach to the OEM fenders with those plastic rivets, these fenders have no area to re-attach it. I had to get after market liners, I went with the aluminum Wolfstorm brand.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Did Auto Train back in 2017 both ways. Not a fan of it and felt it was a wash financially vs. driving.

Why didn’t you like it? I don’t know that I’d do it for cost effectiveness, but would for fun.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Unfortunately no. The factory liners attach to the OEM fenders with those plastic rivets, these fenders have no area to re-attach it. I had to get after market liners, I went with the aluminum Wolfstorm brand.

I’m sure it looks fantastic.

 

[Y-Guy]

I swear this is some strange phenomena that happens to us Jeep owners, I too experience the same thing all the dang time, add the rain cover and it stops raining! But on the other spectrum, immediately after I wash the Jeep it will start to rain

Truth!!!!

I detailed my Gladiator and wife's Wrangler a couple Sunday's ago, went to work through a construction zone and sure enough that was the day they decided to cut the asphault and wetting it down with a freaking fire hose!

 

[imallcrawl]

Truth!!!!

I detailed my Gladiator and wife's Wrangler a couple Sunday's ago, went to work through a construction zone and sure enough that was the day they decided to cut the asphault and wetting it down with a freaking fire hose!

That's freakin horrible

 

[Hootbro]

Why didn’t you like it? I don’t know that I’d do it for cost effectiveness, but would for fun.

By car, it is about a 12 hour drive between the two points. Train is scheduled to depart at 4pm and arrive in FL at 9am. When fully booked, they have to load about 340 vehicles and if you do not get in line by 12pm, you are sitting in a queue for hours waiting before you get up to the point at the train station before they take control of your vehicle. You are sitting for another couple or more hours in a terminal with everybody else waiting.

Last I remember, pricing was based on three accommodations. They had a open seating area you could recline and hopefully sleep in and there was two other private accommodations like a glorified closet that had two sleeper chairs that folded out. The first two used a communal bathroom. The last accommodation is a private sleep room with bath/shower and two fold down bunk bed. On the way down, me and the wife used the glorified closet sleep and on the way back, the private sleep room.

The whole selling point of the experience is to take away the hassle of driving but when you factor in the time waiting and queuing up both ways and also the overnight train ride is really not that comfortable with the constant bouncing and clickety-clack, the charm wears thin and you really do not arrive fresh IMHO. The food is glorified reheat tin pack food and you are given a time slot to attend. If you have a later time slot, food is about gone or good selections are no longer available. The porters and room attendants for what little they do, are expecting a healthy gratuity. They are busy but personal attention for each passenger is minimal.

Lastly, the train hardly keeps to schedule. It leaves late and arrives late. The ride is not a constant in motion and is a speed up and slow down the whole way. Freight traffic on the rail lines has priority so there is spots in the middle of no where it will stop waiting on other freight traffic to cross. Just as you are waiting for hours to get the vehicle loaded, you are waiting for hours to get unload in addition to having arrived late. Amtrak is a unionized operation and no matter how simple the task that needs to be done at the rail yard, you are going to wait for that only one Amtrak employee that can flip what switch or lever that needs flipping.

I get some people think it is the cats meow and I do not begrudge them for thinking that, just for me it was not. The hurry up and wait was lost on me as I would rather have been staying in motion driving the way down and even if I stayed over night part way in a hotel, I felt I would have arrived more refreshed as I would have had more control of my accommodations and eating options.

It was just me and my wife but I could not imagine families with small children and trying to keep them entertained and wrangled doing this trip.

 

[JCappy]

Just to clarify, thats not my thread, I just followed that thread for my own build. My Taco build can be found here, if interested. I'll admit it was a good looking truck, just bad performance.

I had a white 3rd gen myself with a lot of black accents. Looked good IMO and agree about the performance. Wanted something different so here I am. Very happy with my choice and have never looked back.

 

[JCappy]

Took my Gladiator for a TRAIN RIDE.

The Amtrak Auto Train from Sanford, Fl (w of Orlando) to Lorton, Va ( s of D.C.), arriving at 9:00 AM tomorrow. Non-stop overnight and then off to central Virginia for the week.

That's pretty cool. Never thought of doing that. Was just down in your area a few weeks ago for a weeks vacation with the family.

 

[JCappy]

Re-installed the RC WF1 high-line fenders on Friday:

A comparison with the OEM fenders (bottom photo):

When you get a chance could you post a closer pic of the front and rear wheel well with those liners? TIA

 

[imallcrawl]

When you get a chance could you post a closer pic of the front and rear wheel well with those liners? TIA

Here you go...

 

[WILDHOBO]

By car, it is about a 12 hour drive between the two points. Train is scheduled to depart at 4pm and arrive in FL at 9am. When fully booked, they have to load about 340 vehicles and if you do not get in line by 12pm, you are sitting in a queue for hours waiting before you get up to the point at the train station before they take control of your vehicle. You are sitting for another couple or more hours in a terminal with everybody else waiting.

Last I remember, pricing was based on three accommodations. They had a open seating area you could recline and hopefully sleep in and there was two other private accommodations like a glorified closet that had two sleeper chairs that folded out. The first two used a communal bathroom. The last accommodation is a private sleep room with bath/shower and two fold down bunk bed. On the way down, me and the wife used the glorified closet sleep and on the way back, the private sleep room.

The whole selling point of the experience is to take away the hassle of driving but when you factor in the time waiting and queuing up both ways and also the overnight train ride is really not that comfortable with the constant bouncing and clickety-clack, the charm wears thin and you really do not arrive fresh IMHO. The food is glorified reheat tin pack food and you are given a time slot to attend. If you have a later time slot, food is about gone or good selections are no longer available. The porters and room attendants for what little they do, are expecting a health gratuity. They are busy but personal attention for each passenger is minimal.

Lastly, the train hardly keeps to schedule. It leaves late and arrives late. The ride is not a constant in motion and is a speed up and slow down the whole way. Freight traffic on the rail lines has priority so there is spots in the middle of no where it will stop waiting on other freight traffic to cross. Just as you are waiting for hours to get the vehicle loaded, you are waiting for hours to get unload in addition to having arrived late. Amtrak is a unionized operation and no matter how simple the task that needs to be done at the rail yard, you are going to wait for that only one Amtrak employee that can flip what switch or lever that needs flipping.

I get some people think it is the cats meow and I do not begrudge them for thinking that, just for me it was not. The hurry up and wait was lost on me as I would rather have been staying in motion driving the way down and even if I stayed over night part way in a hotel, I felt I would have arrived more refreshed as I would have had more control of my accommodations and eating options.

It was just me and my wife but I could not imagine families with small children and trying to keep them entertained and wrangled doing this trip.

Thanks very much. I really appreciate the detail. That seems like taking a flight to a city 3 hours away by car. You’d spend more time in both airports and on the cramped plane then you would driving. I wouldn’t hate that experience. Thanks for saving me money someday.

 

[JCappy]

Here you go...

Awesome. Thanks Bud

 

[imallcrawl]

Awesome. Thanks Bud

You're welcome

 

[VladtheGlad]

Did Auto Train back in 2017 both ways. Not a fan of it and felt it was a wash financially vs. driving.

Good for you. Money, huh?

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