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  1. Trollopian

    New member, hello world!

    Welcome, turtly! I envy you and others who had even one train ride as a kid. I had zero, zilch, nada, unless you count the kiddie train at Kennywood. I'm very much making up for that in adulthood. South Bend is a great (well, could be greater if not for delays, but still) hopping-off point...
  2. Trollopian

    Pittsburgh Light Rail Upgrades Kicking Off

    I have never ridden that trackage and I look forward to it! It's a long, "overland" route to bypass the tunnel. The Allentown neighborhood is a stone's throw from where my dad grew up on Mt. Oliver and went to the now-closed St. Justin's High School (3 classes ahead of quarterback Johnny...
  3. Trollopian

    Viewing a country across a border during a train ride

    Or, I dunno, call in the United Nations peacekeepers?
  4. Trollopian

    Pittsburgh Amtrak Station past, present and future

    Oops, now I recognize from your detailed description the entrance you're talking about. And it seems to be open in daytime, locked at other hours, including those hours when the Cap Limited leaves on its westbound and eastbound legs (around midnight and 5 a.m., respectively). I haven't taken...
  5. Trollopian

    Pittsburgh Amtrak Station past, present and future

    I'm sorry to say: No. Though I have an apartment in the Pennsylvanian, there is no direct access between it and the Amtrak station...unlike the heyday of train travel when the now-Pennsylvanian was the station (with Pennsylvania RR offices above). It's an early example of office-to-residential...
  6. Trollopian

    Pittsburgh Amtrak Station past, present and future

    I confess to not going through that little plaza after sunset. It's a pretty parklet (Google "11th & Liberty" for a street view), with trees and benches, and, uh, bench occupants. I don't have any particular knowledge of risks but as a smallish female I prefer to remain in full view of passing...
  7. Trollopian

    Britain's most unique trains?

    And Stourbridge Junction has a cat on staff! George the ginger was appointed chief rodent control officer after three years of volunteering his services. He sleeps in the station and is never late to work. George has a huge fan base among commuters, and on Instagram and the Site Formerly...
  8. Trollopian

    Pittsburgh Amtrak Station past, present and future

    Ah, Google. Fast, efficient, and dumb. It's apparently directing you to turn right on Liberty when you exit the station, which might be shorter but is dark and dank and dystopian. For pedestrians anyway. Best route: from the station turn left on Liberty one-half block toward 11th St. and the...
  9. Trollopian

    Pittsburgh Amtrak Station past, present and future

    Take it from a Yinzer: you're correct, Smallman or Penn are better, I'd favor Penn for its variety of storefronts, I absolutely do not recommend Liberty which in that area (as distinct from downtown) has few businesses, little foot traffic, and little separation from traffic whooshing seemingly...
  10. Trollopian

    Interesting facts and notes in old railroad magazines

    "The Kid in Upper 4" is absolutely masterful. Thank you for posting it, Willbridge. Sure it's propaganda but propaganda is not a bad word. I'm preparing my Uncle Rudy's wartime letters for publication, and although I don't cry easily, I cried when he described slipping out of NYC harbor on a...
  11. Trollopian

    Hi to all

    Welcome! Amtrak's station page for CRF notes that "Laid out in 1823, the town is home to Wabash College and was once known as the 'Athens of Indiana' for its resident literary figures." Crawfordsville may be small, but the Cardinal's times are decent, 3.5 hours to or from Chicago and (nearly)...
  12. Trollopian

    New member intro

    Welcome, JMcK! Based on the geographic clues ("My usual routes are PIT-PHL and PIT-DC" plus your interest in Ohio expansion), my razor-keen analytical mind guesses that you live in southwest PA or southeast Ohio. Nice thread on Pittsburgh's pitiful Amshack at...
  13. Trollopian

    Interesting facts and notes in old railroad magazines

    And of course it was the growth in air travel that made baseball expansion possible. "The expansion of MLB coincided with an increase in the ease of travel by commercial jets, making it easier for players to fly across the continent. This is important given that when Walter O'Malley moved his...
  14. Trollopian

    Pittsburgh Amtrak Station past, present and future

    The good news is that it really is a very short distance from Pittsburgh's Pitiful Amshack, just 0.3 miles according to Google maps, and opens at 6 a.m. The bad news is that it is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. If only Einstein or similar could be persuaded to open a coffee and pastry cart...
  15. Trollopian

    Capitol Limited cancelled in both directions, 2/13/24

    The result of a Monday-afternoon CSX derailment of four cars carrying caustic sodium hydroxide in WV. From the linked news article, "The derailment resulted in Monday night’s westbound Capitol Limited returning to Washington, D.C., after it had departed there; the rest of that trip was...
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