My family likes to go to the county fair. I avoid it. They went Saturday, 8-11-07, and found an Amtrak booth just inside the entrance to the fairgrounds. They said the people at the booth were friendly and helpful, and the family even brought me back a few souvenirs:
A 2007-2008 system timetable. Haven't perused it yet, but a handsome cover of an Acela Express near Mystic, CT. Don't know about other places, but system timetables are hard to come by around here; very valuable to me.
A copy of "making tracks," the Amtrak California passenger publication (Vol. 17, No. 2 Summer 2007).
Southwest Chief timetable.
Amtrak California timetable. My sister told a booth person that I had recently taken a trip on the Pacific Surfliner (I actually rode the Coast Starlight, and you can read the posts and see the pics), and was told "He'll like this, then."
Amtrak California clickable ballpoint pen. It writes in black and feels pretty good in the hand. A keeper.
Amtrak California luggage tag (made in Taiwan), with plastic attachment thing. One side of the tag shows an Amtrak California train, and above it "Stretch Out."
These little goodies came in a handsomely printed (both sides, different illustrations) plastic bag.
All in all not much, but cool anyway. Probably the coolest part is that I have a family that appreciates my love of trains, and even caters to it in small and touching ways.
Oh, one not-so-nice thing: My mom, who is getting on in years, had to be grabbed - not gently - from under a lowering crossing gate by my niece's fiancee. The rail line runs right next to the fairgrounds, and during the fair Metrolink runs special trains to and from the fair; many trains coming and going, Metrolink on top of U.P. and Amtrak. Metrolink doesn't usually run around there, so folks aren't used to it. If I had been there that wouldn't have happened. Family is not as safety-conscious as me, but fortunately the fiancee was alert.
A 2007-2008 system timetable. Haven't perused it yet, but a handsome cover of an Acela Express near Mystic, CT. Don't know about other places, but system timetables are hard to come by around here; very valuable to me.
A copy of "making tracks," the Amtrak California passenger publication (Vol. 17, No. 2 Summer 2007).
Southwest Chief timetable.
Amtrak California timetable. My sister told a booth person that I had recently taken a trip on the Pacific Surfliner (I actually rode the Coast Starlight, and you can read the posts and see the pics), and was told "He'll like this, then."
Amtrak California clickable ballpoint pen. It writes in black and feels pretty good in the hand. A keeper.
Amtrak California luggage tag (made in Taiwan), with plastic attachment thing. One side of the tag shows an Amtrak California train, and above it "Stretch Out."
These little goodies came in a handsomely printed (both sides, different illustrations) plastic bag.
All in all not much, but cool anyway. Probably the coolest part is that I have a family that appreciates my love of trains, and even caters to it in small and touching ways.
Oh, one not-so-nice thing: My mom, who is getting on in years, had to be grabbed - not gently - from under a lowering crossing gate by my niece's fiancee. The rail line runs right next to the fairgrounds, and during the fair Metrolink runs special trains to and from the fair; many trains coming and going, Metrolink on top of U.P. and Amtrak. Metrolink doesn't usually run around there, so folks aren't used to it. If I had been there that wouldn't have happened. Family is not as safety-conscious as me, but fortunately the fiancee was alert.
