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Note for this forum: I wrote this for a family memory project my now 89-year-old Dad is working on. Thought I would share. This is Eric, again. I had toyed with the idea of a family train trip ever since our successful jaunt to and from Michigan. One idea I had floated and even priced was that...

It appears that yesterday there was a serious accident between a specialized transport semi-truck moving a windmill blade and a Union Pacific freight train in Luling, Texas. According to reports I've seen, the windmill transporter was attempting to make a right turn from highway U.S. 90 onto...

I'm putting together a training syllabus for volunteer docents at the Galveston Railroad Museum. While I've already gleaned bits and pieces from various places over the past fifty years, most of it isn't documented. I'm asking for good sources for reference material on classic passenger train...

You hear here and elsewhere about the decline of scheduled intercity bus service. I was curious and wanted to find a route map to see what is left of the network and what city pairs might be ripe for new service, especially in the western U.S. However, it seems that route maps and bus timetables...

Check this out: Alaska Railroad pens agreement on rail connection to Lower 48 Just a "working agreement," no financing, no survey that I'm aware of. Still, if this ever happens, I believe it would easily be the largest railroad construction project in North America in the past hundred years...

I'm considering a short (~1 week) trip to India in October to visit an acquaintance for World Space Week. He lives in Nashik and I will be flying into Mumbai (Bombay). I'd like to work in an overnight trip on Indian Railways either at the beginning or the very end of the trip. At a preliminary...

Dozens bleed from ears and noses after flight crew forgets to pressurize plane.

So, I just bought my first Open Sleeper ticket.... Background: One of my extracurricular activities is serving as the local chapter president of the National Space Society. The annual national convention, ISDC 2017, is being held in St. Louis (at old Union Station) this weekend. When the...

...is due to kick off in less than 19 hours, now. I'm tracking the progress of the eastbound Sunset Limited, now leaving El Paso very close to on-time. Bags are packed, folks are ready, we've arranged for a ride...as of my mark we are GO for departure! *Railfan Madness Part I was in March of...

Here's some rare mileage! The Galveston Railroad Museum, with the cooperation of BNSF, is planning a special train from Galveston to Brenham and return on Sunday, October 2, 2016 as a part of "Railroad Days" at the museum. Previous trips were "invitation only" but this time the trip is intended...

(Reposting from a thread started by a member planning an Amtrak trip to Galveston in order to catch a cruise ship.) I am a semi-regular volunteer at the Galveston Railroad Museum, which is located in the former Galveston Union (railroad) station. It also serves as the Galveston terminus for the...

For our sleeper trip from New Orleans to Portland this September, we have confirmed reservations in two upper level roomettes at low bucket. Very recently my father (who will be 84 at the time of travel) has developed mobility problems, pain in his knee, and has been having to use a cane to get...

I'm planning to take Cascade 516 all the way up the coast from Portland to Vancouver in September with both of my parents as part of my big circle trip. (We'll be arriving on the Empire Builder the previous day.) I'm wondering if it's worth it to pay the extra $35/person to upgrade to Business...

I'm planning a big circle trip for next fall, HOS-NOL-CHI-PDX-VAC-SEA-SAC-GBB-SPI-LVW-HOS. I'm planning on taking my parents with me. Can anyone recommend a convenient place near the stations to grab breakfast in Sacramento and lunch in Galesburg? Possibly a lunch in Portland, Oregon as well.

I'm contemplating a trip returning from the West Coast (Seattle or Sacramento) to Houston using the bus bridge between Galesburg and Springfield. My originating station handles checked baggage. My destination station handles checked baggage. The intermediate stations where I make my van/bus...

As a volunteer at the Galveston Railroad Museum, I have been invited to come along as a passenger on their upcoming special train from Galveston to Bellville, TX (and return) via Rosenberg. This train is a kind of "dry run" for a possible hurricane evacuation scenario. Hurricane Ike devastated...

To recap...my Railfan Madness 2015 trip was, IMHO, a great success: HOS-NOL-CHI-FUL-ANA-LAX-HOS, with a 2-night layover in New Orleans and 2 nights visiting Mickey in Anaheim. I'm now looking towards what I can do when I accumulate some more vacation time, say by mid-May. I'm driven by the...

Aboard the Sunset Limited: We got off to a late start; the train was over an hour late into Houston. With the generous station dwell time cut as far as possible we left only 30 minutes late, but lost time again while on the ex-Missouri Pacific line to Beaumont (on which the speed limit is only...

I'm booked in a Roomette on the Sunset Limited in March at a medium-low bucket fare. I got an Amsnag fare alert the other day that the bucket had dropped, although it was back up by the time I checked (one of y'all beat me to it, obviously!). But that brings up the question: What is the best way...

Surfliner 785: Scheduled arrival LAUS: 6:55 p.m. Sunset Limited: Scheduled departure 8:00 p.m. (modified schedule). Roomette (so Lounge access available). No dinner on board after departure. I love French Dips. No trouble with six blocks or so of walking. Not checking baggage but will have...