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"...But even as the
electronic calculators evolved, noiselessly, the tonnage ratings of
infallible operations and equally soundless position lights indicated a
mainline clear , the dead hand of the past threw clashing switches in
the coachyards of remembered carriers long gone and the ghostly profiles
of once glittering limiteds rolled thunderously into the mainline of
time. No silence will mute the sound of their going, no science abate
their wonderment. Indeed, as they recede into the distance of the
decades, the images of the past are clearer and more cherished. Secure
in the repository of remembrance where no accident of mischance or
derailment happens, the trains of a golden time roll timelessly upon
their appointed errands, beyond reach of delay by dispatcher or
annulment by any management. Forever, for them, the lights show green
down the tangents of glory" --Lucius M. Beebe
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Those
of you who know me well know that I've never met a train I didn't like.
From the day I saw my first train till the present I've been fascinated
by the railroad. I don't know why...Maybe it was the wave of a friendly
engineer, and the cab rides and caboose rides I got growing up as a teenager,
or maybe it was Pennsylvania station in New York, with it's high vaulted
ceiling, it's booming PA announcements of far away places with strange
sounding names, and the thoughts of someday going to some of them, or was
the roar of the GG-1 locomotives of my childhood and the clickity-clack
of the cars that followed..................... Or was it that far-off whistle,
that makes dreamers of us all?
Anyhow, climb
aboard and ride along in spirit, as I follow my dreams on the steel rails. Below are descriptions
and photos of actual trips I've recently taken on Amtrak. Just click
on the link to read the article. ENJOY!
**Please Note: Reports are now listed in
chronological order i.e.; the NEWEST first.
Also, a note of thanks to
FRIENDS OF
AMTRAK for publishing my reports, and to HaRRy Sutton for compilation and
layout. |
1. Farewell to the
"Pennsylvanian" [Newark, NJ to Philadelphia
and Chicago & return] January 19-25th 2003
2. Return to
Lynchburg, Va. November 3-7 2002
3. METRA in Chicago, 2002, February 9-16, 2002
9. My trip to
Lynchburg, Va. October 31 1999 [REQUIRES ADOBE
ACROBAT READER]
**Please note: The reports below
are temporarily Offline due to a web hosting move by
ON TRACK ONLINE they should be
available soon**
4. Philly Fest, 2001, Saturday July 21, 2001
5. My METRA
adventure in Chicago February 11-16, 2001
6. Our Christmas trip to Newport News, V.A. Dec 26-31, 2000
7. Our trip to Great Lakes, Ill Oct. 17-23 2000
8. My trip to Milwaukee April 24-May 2, 2000
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Old
Right-of-Ways
When I'm not
busy RIDING trains I can be found trying to catch the memories by
visiting abandoned railroad
right-of-ways. Sure the tracks are still there, but the question begs asking: WILL
WE EVER SEE A TRAIN HERE AGAIN? In the case of the Jersey Central Right-of-way
in Jersey City and Bayonne, the answer is a resounding YES! NJ Transit
just started running light rail [Trolley] there on 4/15/2000, so there
is HOPE for the right
of way between Elizabeth and Cranford, since plans are on the table to
do the same there.
BUT until it happens, ENJOY the photos of how it looks now. Currently,
fiber optic cable is being
laid alongside the ROW.
1.
CNJ Right-of-Way between Elizabeth and Cranford, NJ |