| 12/19/2008 9:43:28 PM |
Describe your best train ride |
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tellergoodnight
Granbury, TX
64, joined Sep. 2008
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Only 'old guys and gals' remember real trains........what was your best train ride. Mine was aboard the Super Chief to Gallup New Mexico in a huge snow storm as a kid; rode the Vista Dome all the way......some Christmas treat........there'll never be days like that again.......All the Way with Santa Fe!
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| 12/19/2008 9:54:48 PM |
Describe your best train ride |
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prxf
Pittsburgh, PA
60, joined Dec. 2007
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All my train rides were good memories, I've been on the now defunct New York Central, the Pennsylvania Railroad(leather seats), and my more recent memories are on Amtrak.
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| 12/19/2008 10:10:02 PM |
Describe your best train ride |
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desertlynx
Clarksville, TN
59, joined Feb. 2008
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As a child I rode the train from Los Angeles to Colorado Springs. I remember the lighting dance across the plains and the snow falling in the mountains, I remember hearing the sound of the train rolling across the tracks and the gentle motion it made when I was falling asleep at night. It is one of the most memorable times I remember as a child.
I have wanted many times to take the train again. And have taken a short trip from Sacramento CA to Bakersfield CA on the Amtrak but it did not compare to that first train ride.
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| 12/19/2008 10:51:03 PM |
Describe your best train ride |
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annamranna
Bloomington, IL
62, joined Apr. 2008
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I use to take the train home when I was in college. It was only $8.00 from Chicago to Bloomington AND back! That's crazy! My son took it the other day and it was $35.00! How times have cahnged. It's a shame it went up, we use to take it to Saint Louis for the ball games too! It was a lot of fun!
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| 12/19/2008 10:56:20 PM |
Describe your best train ride |
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cricket128
Ocala, FL
65, joined Feb. 2008
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Ahhhh...seeing the title of this thread instantly brought back fond memories. I grew up on the east coast (MD) and so for me the Shenandoah were mountains...until...
...I took my first real train trip - from Washington, D.C. to Spokane, WA - on the Empire Builder. As luck would have it we went through the Rockies around midnight... with a full moon out, and when I first saw those awesome mountains, with the moonlight glimmering off the snow-caps, my jaw dropped...and stayed there for at least an hour...
I've taken that trip several times since, and I ready my jaw each time because I can never look at that awesome show of Mother Nature without being inspired...
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| 12/19/2008 11:00:19 PM |
Describe your best train ride |
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prxf
Pittsburgh, PA
60, joined Dec. 2007
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I really don't care how much a train is, I'd take it anytime, compared to going by plane.
I've gone down to Florida, gone to the Northwest and even to California on Amtrak.
Yes, going by plane is faster, but you can't really see the country that way. The meals, the scenic countryside, meeting people, the clickety clack, etc. Nothing compares(imo).
I'm glad we still have Amtrak and I'm glad that more are using it now.
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| 12/19/2008 11:08:41 PM |
Describe your best train ride |
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pink_pants
Port Byron, IL
62, joined Apr. 2008
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The only one I can remember was from Chicago to TN when I was a child. I remember how scary it was when you had to go from one car to the other you could see the tracks flying by or I guess it was the wood slats between the tracks. It was so loud out there you could not hear anything. I was holding onto anything I could as I was scared to death to cross over thought I would be sucked into the opening between the cars. On the other hand I do remember the scenery being really pretty and liked to hear the clicky clack of the tracks as we traveled along. Always liked the turns so I could see the engine car in the front as it turned first. Yeah trains are pretty neat and would like to go on one of those fancy trains they have now adays I think its the oriential express that would be awsome.
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| 12/20/2008 1:30:09 AM |
Describe your best train ride |
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sweet_taurus
Laytonville, CA
66, joined Jun. 2008
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My "vagabond" adventure was on the Northwestern Pacific, up to Ukiah along the Eel river...in a boxcar at night...
My steam "hoghead" adventure was driving Virginia & Truckee #28, a Baldwin 2-8-2
My diesel "hoghead" adventure was engineering SP 2873, an EMD GP-9...originally painted for the Santa Fe, it was diverted to SP...(hoghead is the railroad term for Engineer)
As a kid I watched the California Zephyr pass by twice a day, pulled by the WP A-B-A
"F units"...next spring I get to drive WP # 918, one of the "F units" that pulled the Zephyr...
Very good video's (on DVD) are available for such trains as the Zephyr, Coast Limited, Starlight limited, Super Chief, etc...also look for good train tv shows on PBS & RFDTV channels
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| 12/20/2008 1:37:30 AM |
Describe your best train ride |
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nighthawk13
Colorado Springs, CO
81, joined Aug. 2006
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My dad was a brakeman for Sante Fe in the early 40s. I worked as a switchman in the Sante Fe yards in kansas City, Kan. in the 60s.
My Best train ride was thru the Alps from Germany to Zurich Switzerland. That is some of the most beautiful/breathtaking scenery in the world.
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| 12/20/2008 6:19:07 AM |
Describe your best train ride |
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claypot
Lewiston, MI
57, joined Nov. 2006
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 This isn't what I thought, I had to read it twice, I first read, "describe your best ride" I thought to myself, dang thats pretty personal,  But, as I reread it, I see my mind took a trip down the WRONG memory lane.
Mine was in 73, course this was my one and only train(real)ride. From Mi. to Ca. Saw many things, learned some of the ways of different cultures, and was busted for smoking by my mom in the smoking lounge.
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| 12/20/2008 6:36:43 AM |
Describe your best train ride |
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slowdancen
Azle, TX
64, joined Oct. 2008
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I live in the west so my train rides were on the Burlington Northern and I took a few. I loved the train and I liked the freedom of being able to get up and walk, no mater where I went the scenery was always breathtaking and to this day I like the sound of the clickity clack. I so miss those days.
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| 12/20/2008 6:43:38 AM |
Describe your best train ride |
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imtaken
Olathe, KS
62, joined Aug. 2008
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The only one I ever rode was a train from K.C. to Raton, N.M. I was 14 and going to scout camp, Philmont. 12 hours on the train and no where to sleep but in a seat. I did meet two girls on the way back though. 
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| 12/20/2008 6:52:07 AM |
Describe your best train ride |
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sorprano
Wayne, NJ
65, joined Apr. 2007
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mine has to be a short local train ride--happened during a HS football game when 4 of us guys came back to watch our old HS team play a football game...we knew this nice older guy who allowed us to jump aboard his freight train as we passed the field we all had a chance to push the alert button and we all waved and so did the fans watching the game back at us...now i know of other things that felt like train rides but this thread is rated G  BTW the only train i've been on otherwise was the NY subways and the only thing fun there is watching talented people perform there playing instruments etc on the platforms
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| 12/20/2008 7:07:12 AM |
Describe your best train ride |
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lonewolf1408
Lexington, SC
68, joined Sep. 2008
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I've had several while living in England going to London or to go shoping in Coventry from Oxford. my most menorable was from Bangkok to Singapor it was like what you would see in a old western movie complete with bandits the scenery was awsome going through the jungle, rubber plantations and the rain forest. in 2nd place was going from Hong Kong into mainland China over the mountain range and seeing the Great Wall. the most nasty was from Bombay to Calcutta, don't pench pennies and take 1st class 
[Edited 12/20/2008 7:17:32 AM ]
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| 12/20/2008 9:22:14 AM |
Describe your best train ride |
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prxf
Pittsburgh, PA
60, joined Dec. 2007
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It's interesting, reading about all the experiences(domestic or foreign) and I want to thank Tellergoodnight for this thread(I love trains). But I also want to remind everyone that we have Amtrak. It may be a little different, but it's still a passenger train.
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| 12/20/2008 12:31:28 PM |
Describe your best train ride |
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tellergoodnight
Granbury, TX
64, joined Sep. 2008
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It's interesting, reading about all the experiences(domestic or foreign) and I want to thank Tellergoodnight for this thread(I love trains). But I also want to remind everyone that we have Amtrak. It may be a little different, but it's still a passenger train.
You are all quite welcome. My mind runs to trains sometimes. I was a 4th generation railroader myself...having worked for Texas Southern RR in San Antonio (we put out the Dinner Train and rebuilt RR Cars) My dad was an Engineer on the Santa Fe for 34 years and so I rode with him alot.....his dad was a Conductor on the Texas and Pacific around the turn of the Century and his dad worked for the Gulf Coast and Santa Fe lines...I got to thinking on those Warbonnet F units and remember that Christmas to New Mexico......I am like the rest of you; nothing takes the place of a train. That Dinner train was a Romantic ride there in San Antonio but I noticed that if the couples did not get along...it was a long long long date.....LOL.......I have also found that people who like trains are a breed apart from the rest of the herd. I think in this bad economic times it would be wise for the country to gear back up and rebuild our RR infrastructure.....my vote always goes for more trains! Good stories ya'll
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| 12/20/2008 12:58:27 PM |
Describe your best train ride |
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prxf
Pittsburgh, PA
60, joined Dec. 2007
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I always rode on trains(hopefully will again), but my Mom once told me about a relative who worked on the rail road. Unfortunately, he was killed on the job while trying to connect the railroad cars.
My great grandparents house stood at the top of a hill overlooking railroad tracks. During my visits as a boy, I would hurry to the back door and count the cars on the passing freight trains(my great Aunt now lives in that house). Only two lines of Amtrak come thru, Broadway Limited(NY-Chi) and the Capital Limited(Wash-Chi).
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