I rode my first Train today at age 43

Your behind the times man. Ive been riding trains since I was 4 (I'm 20 now)

me and my girlfriend are taking the train to Chicago this thanksgiving this year, it will be her first train ride.

What did you think of your trip. I assume it was late, that is almost always the case. even so, I believe its a better mode of travel


My favorite case, in the Denver Blizzard two years ago, Roads were closed, buses did not run, the airport was shut down. The only way in and out of Denver was Amtrak. It was late, but with 4 feet of snow over night, I cant blame them for that. Of course, I cannot blame them for being late using rails they do not own

Ive also had the chance to ride in the cab. I got a cab ride onboard a Chicago Metra train, we had the F-40 on the way out, and I got a ride in the cabcar on the way back, was a wonderful expierence
 
trw1089 said:
Congrats Frank

There is nothing like riding a long distance train. I've had the opportunity both out here in Oz and overseas.

I rode Amtrak when I visited your beautiful country back in '93. Went from Oakland CA to Sacramento CA on one of the Coast line commuters, behind what was then a brand new B40-8. After spending a few days in Sacramento, it was then onto the Coast Starlight to Seattle. I had a USA railpass which gave me the ability to travel coach class (sitting). While waiting for the Starlight at the station, I thought I would ask the agent whether they had any sleepers available (the train was due in at midnight and I didn't really want to sit up all the way). Well, luckily for me they did, plus I arranged for sleepers for as many of the trains I was to travel on, and I ended up travelling by sleeper all the way across the rest of the country.

There was nothing in the world better than waking up and looking out my window to see a snow covered Mt Shasta in the background.

There were so many memories from my trip in 93, but seeing Mt Shasta, and riding over Sherman Hill on the now deceased Amtrak train the Pioneer was the closest I'll ever get to heaven!

Cheers
Tony
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Tony,

I just went onto your website, and I was looking at your photos, and it turns out you were on the same Valley Rattler out of Gympie I was, the very same day. Wednesday January 2nd, 2008.

I thought that was kinda funny....
________
How to roll a joint
 
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...I got lucky...!

:cool: I road the dinner train at the Southern Appalachian Railway Museum at Oak Ridge, Tennessee with First Baptist Church of Cookeville, Tennesse with the Happy Travelers group last month...and got a tee shirt!

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I always feel kind of sorry for you guys on the other side of the big pond. It`s sad that normal passenger trainservice is so rare in the America`s. My first trainride was when I was maybe a few days old. I was 7 when I had my first cabride in a NS 1200 class (my favourite and maybe interresting for you all, it`s a Baldwin/Westinghouse design and a couple are still in active duty after 57 years.) and 9 when I drove my first locomotive, a NS 1600 class. I`ve been on the footplate/cab of several steamengines and other Loco`s. I`ve traveled to many places in Europe and all over my native country, The Netherlands. I even took the train from Atlanta,GA to Birmingham,AL in 2001 and was surprised to find such a small station in such a big city (Atlanta). Even the cabbie didn`t know where the Amtrakstation was, when a was picked up at my hotel. It`s so different in the US, mostly seniors go on a train and the connections/passengerlines are rare and far between. I always wondered why there is such a big difference between us in Europe en you guys in the states.


http://profile.imageshack.us/user/Popeye25
NS 1217 in it`s glory days.

Greetz Ron
 
Hi Overdijk,

I too miss the trains I grew up with, the Daylight, Lark, Overland, City of San Francisco, California Zephyr. But the things that doomed intercity passenger trains in the US are the realities of long distances, topography, history, paved highways, and efficient air service. The story is too long to put into a post, but it's out there on the Internet.

It's a heck of a shame, but the reality of spending almost four days to go from, say, Salinas, CA, to New York, NY, as opposed to spending half of a day on a bus and a jet, and for less money, even though Amtrak is heavily subsidized, is undeniable.

It's easy to be nostalgic, but remember that when our passenger trains flourished the average person simply could not afford to travel except in the event of a funeral or wedding or other life changing event. Now travel is cheap and available to all. We can argue whether the trade-off was worth it. We can't deny that the people voted for it with their own choices.

Bernie
 
Wow...I thought for sure you would have ridden one before...looks like I lost a little money there... :hehe:

I've been riding trains, myself, since I was about two, drove my first from one end of the yard to the other and back when I was 13 (haven't been back behind the throttle but for 2 other times, and on similar jaunts)...and those long-distance trains are wonderful...I had the time of my life when my family went from Chicago to Whitefish and back...:D

Glad to know you enjoyed it! :wave:
 
WHAT.
Backyard. I offically hate you.
JUST KIDDING!:cool:
You got to ride behind a Ex LV C420.
I know its numberboard says 2064, thats because it did some time with the Adirondack Scenic.
I think its.. LV #408
Yeah.
Lucky.
Sean
 
I've been on trains in Britain a couple of times, and several times in Germany. Here in the states I've only ridden a few tourist lines, never Amtrak. Of course, I'll be spending much of next year in the D.C. area, and maybe that will change.
 
My 1st train ride was from Cincinnati, Ohio (My hometown) to Washington DC back in April 01. It was one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had. We went through the New River Gorge, which was awesome. We met a couple fron Australia, nicest people you'd ever want to know! :) I remember eating Lay's potato chips in the lounge/observation car like crazy... :p And I remember the bathrooms.... Oh boy....:eek: Cramped as heck and loud enough to blow your eardrums into next week... :p And of course, being Amtrak, there was a delay for a few hours, a broken signal I think. Other than that, best train ride ever! :D
 
Here in florida, we've been rallying around to get a new commuter rail system. Since we're sick of roads, we've decided to tell CSX enough of the risky liability plans, etc and let us have commuter rail service. Anyways, rail travel in the US is coming back. Funny thing is, in the early 1900s, rail travel was the best way to go. History repeats itself... I've just seen it like that. Anyways, man never really learns, but at age 43, your never too old to do it again!

Isaac G...

GO TAMPA BAY RAYS!!!
 
Oh the stories I could tell about riding the train or doing things to trains.
The best one is when I was 11or 12 years old,my brother and a friend and myself would go to the train station in the town where we lived and on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The passenger train came in pulled by I believe a Hudson which is what CP Rail was using at the time. We would climb aboard and go for the ride for about 1/2 mile to the roundhouse, get off and then climb aboard the F7 and ride back to the station.This was when they were slowly switching to diesel power. We did this for the entire summer. I can still remember quite vividly those rides.
 
The stories my son will be able to tell at 20

Took my son to work last month for this first cab ride @ 3 yrs old, and he's avid trainz user

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I remember when I was 7-8, (i'm 13) i went to canberra to the train museum, a lot of classic locos there... we asked if we could go into the scrapyard, lots of rusted out vans and flatcars, and, within the rows and rows of rusty wagons, we found a Garrett Class 81, i think, i might be wrong (long time since i googled it:hehe: ) Me, the train fanatic of the family, climbed inside the cab (my dad had to help me up) i remember trying to move, what i guessed to be, the brake, it wouldnt budge, too rusty, not even my huge muscles could move it:p . I opened the firebox though, expecting bats to fly out:hehe: , it was rusty, dark, everything an empty firebox is.
I also ride on the 3801 and 3830 when they come up to my town, lean out the window with these plastic goggles they give you, and look at both locomotives pulling, i try to peek inside the cab to see the fireman & driver at work. then we get near Wingham, and both locos run around the train and go back to taree tender first. we arrive back and cant wait till next time, but they havent been back:( . I also remember once i was at the station in my town, and No. 5085, an old local goods steamer, was stopped there, my dad and i walked up to look at it, i dont remember much, but i remember saying hello to the fireman and moving on.
This has got me thinking, why did they choose diesel over steam? In britain the first diesels were unreliable. but they preferred diesel over steam, i think steam is faster too, they wound the Mallard up to around 200km/h, but i've never heard of a diesel doing 200km/h, electrics yes, but where does electricity come from? coal-fired power stations!
 
locomotive10 said:
Dnutter,

I did not understand a word of that post. Please learn how to type correct sentances. I know your teachers in school taught you better than that.

Loco10
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And I suppose your spelling is the result of such good teaching?

Dnutter, I have to say. I admire your restraint in the face of such frequent criticisms

Congratulations to Sporbust. Seems incredible you can be inspired by Trains enough to be as involved in Trainz and these forums as you are, without ever having been on one! Hope you have many opportunties to repeat the experience.

Phil
 
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dont ask me how it happened, but my son is a very lucky guy. he made it into the cab of a locomotive at 8 months old. that beats us all.
 
Lets see I've driven a small diesel at Camp 6 in Tacoma, Washington a couple years ago. I've been in the cab of heisler #91 at the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad, in Washington about the same time. I've also been in the cab of Granite Rock #10 at the California State Railroad Museum. But that was very long ago but I still remember the whole thing as if it was yesterday.

Oh and I don't remember what my first train ride was, I believe it was at the California State RR Museum.

Matt
 
FootplatePhil said:
And I suppose your spelling is the result of such good teaching?

Dnutter, I have to say. I admire your restraint in the face of such frequent criticisms

Phil
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Keep in mind that you are replying to a post made over two years ago...:p

My first train ride was a 3rd grade class field trip on the old Chicago-Northwestern line....we got cardboard engineer caps, pictures and other stuff. It was then I got bitten by the train bug....been 50+ years...:cool:
 
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