Railroad to Two Ocean's Excursion

[wardwhitty]

We have a carnival Journey cruise booked for March of 2025.  Since they do not go through (or part way through) the canal anymore we thought this might be an interesting way to see the locks and the Canal.  Has anyone done this or have any opinions?

[BillB48]

You will actually see very little of the original locks and even less of the new locks.  While the RR runs on the edge of Gatun Lake for a good portion of the transcontinental trip, glimpses of the Canal are at a considerable distance.  There is about a 5 mile stretch near the town of Gamboa where the RR runs along side the main Canal channel and then crosses the Chagres River which is the primary water source for the Canal.  Views of the original locks are brief and are on the Pacific side where you will get a quick look of Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks.

 

The train trip is pleasant as much of the trip is over fairly remote areas, however I think the main attraction here is the historical significance of traveling on the first and quickest transcontinental railroad.

 

Often times this tour is one way by train and the other way by bus.  How it operates depends on the number of people on the excursion and where they need their equipment after the excursion.  There are times when the excursion is operated as a round trip via rail.  However if you are on the train/bus version you will want to pick the "correct" side in order to maximize your views of the Canal.  The "incorrect" is not what you would call a wasteland, but you won't have a good view of what you came to see.

[wardwhitty]

2 hours ago, BillB48 said:

You will actually see very little of the original locks and even less of the new locks.  While the RR runs on the edge of Gatun Lake for a good portion of the transcontinental trip, glimpses of the Canal are at a considerable distance.  There is about a 5 mile stretch near the town of Gamboa where the RR runs along side the main Canal channel and then crosses the Chagres River which is the primary water source for the Canal.  Views of the original locks are brief and are on the Pacific side where you will get a quick look of Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks.

 

The train trip is pleasant as much of the trip is over fairly remote areas, however I think the main attraction here is the historical significance of traveling on the first and quickest transcontinental railroad.

 

Often times this tour is one way by train and the other way by bus.  How it operates depends on the number of people on the excursion and where they need their equipment after the excursion.  There are times when the excursion is operated as a round trip via rail.  However if you are on the train/bus version you will want to pick the "correct" side in order to maximize your views of the Canal.  The "incorrect" is not what you would call a wasteland, but you won't have a good view of what you came to see.

Thank you so much for this.  We have never been and thought this might be a great way to see the Canal. I am not sure of a bus ride though so I may need to check in to this further.  Thanks again !