Everything Train Related Thread

[DeadheadNM]

Train stories, songs, photos, anecdotes, history, lore, memorabilia, museums please. Bring it on.

My first trip was in grade school on a field trip from St Paul to Red Wing, MN. The depot in Red Wing is real pretty. Depot in San Diego is really pretty too.

The depot in Whitefish, MT houses the oldest operating Hertz Rental Car operation still extant.

A great uncle of mine had a career with the Great Northern Railroad and died and is buried in East Glacier, MT in a tiny cemetery back in the forest.

Johnny Burnette Trio-Train Kept A Rollin' -...

Mystery Train by Elvis Presley on 1955 Sun 78. -...

[Sheepdip]

The Title Says it All.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjWBw4tZUO4

[DeadheadNM]

The Lake Shore Railroad Museum in Duluth, MN is well worth a visit: https://lsrm.org/the-collection/

I’m strongly considering a quick trip from Tomah, WI to Union Station in Chicago this summer and dream of riding from Red Wing to the Izaak Walton Lodge in Glacier Park.

[truckster]

I love trains. There are tracks that run next to the road in front of our school. When I'm outside and a train comes by I tend to get distracted.

I'm also a big Lego fan. In the last year and a half I've gotten two Lego trains. I'm not ashamed to admit I enjoy them more than my grandchildren do.

[Ironhorse]

Big fan of trains, used to watch them when I was growing up in Rice Lake, Wis. not too far from you Deadhead. Mid fifties when still had the steam engines, yeah, I'm that old, My house was about a block and a half from the tracks. Love the sound of that old steam engine whistle, nothing like it, the diesel engines of today don't even come close.

My wife is a rail road brat, LOL, her Dad worked for the Santa Fe RR here in Kansas for 42 years. That's the long haul, worked for Santa Fe RR prior to and after WW2. Since we 've been married have taken several short rail trips while on vacations. Best one we have been on is the Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge RR in Colorado. First time was many years ago for our anniversary. 45 mile one way from Durango to Silverton along the Animas river. Stayed in Silverton at an 1890s hotel B & B. That is some beautiful scenery and listening to that steam engine huffing and puffing, blowing black smoke thru the mountains one can almost feel like your back in the 1800s. We went back in 2021 for our 50th anniversary and again enjoyed it very much. Did not stay at the B & B this time tho. Stayed in Durango, made the trip up and back same day.

Wish this country would put more effort into national rail travel. For years there has been talk about running a passenger train from Chicago thru Kansas City - Wichita-Oklahoma City- Dallas but so far that is all it has been, talk. I'm sure it boils down to a return on investment situation as for passenger rail traffic there would need to be some serious track upgrades done.

One of the best RR songs I can think of is Arlo Guthrie and his ''City of New Orleans'' Great song with a lot of meaning when you listen to the lyrics.

[CAMAROBOY68SS]

I am a huge steam locomotive fan. Got hooked a kid with Thomas the Tank Engine and have loved them ever since. Such an amazing piece of technology.

"I'm Still Standing" | Tribute To The...

[CAMAROBOY68SS]

1880s vintage train restoration of locomotive...

[Stocker]

My Grandad, gone about forty years now, worked for the Great Northern Railroad. I have never ridden on a train, but somehow always wanted to. My train experiences were as a boy, when I'd set pennies on the track just before a slow freight came by on its way to or from the local sawmills.

[special-K]

trains have been growing on me more lately it seems. They are always there but you only see them so often. Same with the tracks. I've come to realize that since rails aren't used for passenger traffic in the way they were when I was young, that my rides are all the more special to me. my mom never drove and my dad would drop us off at the station and we'd ride up along the Potomac River to the mountains to stay for the summer. I've ridden the train from San Jose, Costa Rica to Puntarenas and back a long time ago. Those train trips are embedded memories. I almost forgot I have also ridden on AmTrak and that's more fuzzy. I guess traveling so fast leaves less memories.

Here's a song and then a couple pictures from October of a B&O steam engine at the Oakland, MD station that is now a museum. This is the station where we got off the train

NRPS - Glendale Train - YouTube

[MJN]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

The Lake Shore Railroad Museum in Duluth, MN is well worth a visit: https://lsrm.org/the-collection/

I’m strongly considering a quick trip from Tomah, WI to Union Station in Chicago this summer and dream of riding from Red Wing to the Izaak Walton Lodge in Glacier Park.

I agree, the LSRM is a great place to stop. We visited last summer and then headed over to the lake walk and lift bridge.

The Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wi is a another great little spot to visit. Just south of the Dells, the train ride was fun and my son had a blast getting to ride a train.
https://www.midcontinent.org/

I am hoping to get over to Green Bay and visit the museum there soon and then make a loop through the U.P. and visit some friends and a few RR spots along the way. This site has some really good pictures and info of the Copper Range RR, there are still some remnants left you can explore.
http://www.copperrange.org/Crrr.htm

[GOPAPA]

My longest train ride was from northern Arkansas to Kansas City where I got on the Porland Rose and rode it Portland Oregon.. the slow moving old train out of Arkansas stopped to pick up people along the tracks and one stop for 30 minutes that allowed people to get off and go get a sandwich at a little town by the tracks ,, When I got on the Portland Rose I was told not to go up in the vista car at night as it was off limits .. I did go up there after around 10 oclock and no one run me out.. ,,,,,,,,It was my first outing into the big world and after I ate my meal in the eating car ,,a person across from me left with out picking up some change that was laying on the table ,, I picked the money up and took a couple steps and handed it to him and that is the first time I found out what a tip was.. I had just turned 18 years old,,,,

Something else I remember and looked it up.. the train I rode in Arkansas to Kansas city had the name on it WaBash Cannon Bzll ,,it was one of more than one of the trains in that part of the country named that..

[yuccales]

I love trains and anything rail related.

[GOPAPA]

I do reseach for sites on facebook for small towns I grew up in on in Western Oregon and I found that an old Shay RR Engine that hauled logs out of the woods there in the early 1900 dreds ,,had a engineer who came from back in the mid west .. he tells of trading his turn at running a engine with another engineer one day back then ,, the one he traded with on the engine was ,,,,,,,,,,,Casey Jones .

[special-K]

Lots of early railroad history around here. The town Mt. Airy is a railroad town of the B&O. Parrs Ridge divides the piedmont in a diagonal across Central MD. This is the original main line, still used by CSX today. Mt. Airy started out as a water stop. It gets windy on the ridge and the workers building the track came up with the name. Twin Arch bridge is an original RR bridge that passes over the Patapsco R. and Twin Arch Rd, right about where The National Road also crosses. Also still in use. The train climbs along the river out of Baltimore to near the source of the river at Mt. Airy

During the Civil War the Union Army had to keep troops in town to protect the trains from the not so Union residents. The B&O RR was a key asset in the war.

On the western slope of Parr's Ridge there were five incline planes originally used. Then B&O built a tunnel in 1901. The National Road (or Pike) became US40, which ran through the same gap on the western side. When I-70 took the place of US40 it took out what was left of the incline planes. We still have the original US40 road bed, though. Once west of Parr's Ridge the track makes it's way to meet the Potomac River

[special-K]

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus had their own train, minus engines. Too bad they are gone. never imagined that happening.

RARE Final Circus Train! Last Train In West...

[CG]

We had been thinking hard about taking the Amtrak Empire Builder from Seattle to Glacier and back. Its a 6 day round trip.

Wife retired on Friday. She looked up the cost of the trip yesterday. 4 grand for two people and it doesnt include anything, not even a tiny little room, just reclining seats. No way Im paying 4 grand for that. I double checked today, doesnt include the tours once you are there either. No mention of any food. Of course they offer upgrades.

We could drive there, take our time, stay at decent places and eat decent for a whole heck of a lot less than that.

Link ... https://www.amtrakvacations.com/trip...p-from-seattle

[special-K]

Wow, I had no idea. That should include hauling your car!

[HO455]

I do like trains but I'm not quite a Foamer, yet. My grandfather was a mechanic for the Great Northern in Wells Nevada before WWII and I have heard some good stories from my mom about growing up there.
The wife and I have taken the train from Portland to Sacramento to visit the California Railroad Museum. Then we catch the next train from there to San Francisco. Usually for a week then back to Portland on the train.

For me hands down the best train song is the one by Doug MacLeod


https://youtu.be/h2R8OTXJsxw

[special-K]

Thanks for that one. That was great. Hard to beat that!

[CAMAROBOY68SS]

Originally Posted by CG

We had been thinking hard about taking the Amtrak Empire Builder from Seattle to Glacier and back. Its a 6 day round trip.

Wife retired on Friday. She looked up the cost of the trip yesterday. 4 grand for two people and it doesnt include anything, not even a tiny little room, just reclining seats. No way Im paying 4 grand for that. I double checked today, doesnt include the tours once you are there either. No mention of any food. Of course they offer upgrades.

We could drive there, take our time, stay at decent places and eat decent for a whole heck of a lot less than that.

Link ... https://www.amtrakvacations.com/trip...p-from-seattle

Yeah its bonkers what they want. I had a buddy at work about 5 years ago go from Portland to Chicago along a northern route and then came back from Chicago going south and then came up the coast line in California. All he could say about the trip was it was jarring and they were way behind schedule for every stop due to having to wait for a freight train. He would never do it again,lol.

Ive looked into it as well, but I think I would rather fly to a historic railroad and just ride behind a steam engine for a bit and then fly home. I would have lot more money in my pocket at the end as well.

[LS short box]

If you do Glacier Park I wouldn't stay at the east Glacier Lodge. Tour it but don't stay there Way over priced for what you get room wise. Less than fair bar/grill.
The mountain view is great.
If you are so inclined go to London or Paris take the Euro Star. Pretty cool cruising at 120 mph plus. Book first class. The food is great.

[Getter-Done]

Here is what is available for a train ride in my area.

https://www.tcry.org/

There is always a lot of people on it.

[yuccales]

I have enjoyed 40 yrs of camping along the tracks in Calif and Nevada. Just love it. Anywhere in the Sierra Valley and the Feather River are my favorites. This guys video goes right past some of my favorite spots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_E3SalaIBk

[57larry]

I worked 43 yrs on the railroad, car dept to general claims dept retired now 11 yrs, don't miss it a bit

[Ironhorse]

My middle son just started with Burlington-Norther/Santa Fe last month as a "car mechanic" . Following in his Granddad's foot steps on the railroad I guess. For today's world and in our small town, great pay and benefits. He enjoys working with his hands and being outside not cooped up all day in a building.