Destination Deadlock

[Joel N. Weber II]

(Why is every other train station named union station?)

Seriously, according to Wikipedia, "A union station or union terminal is a train station where tracks and facilities are shared by two or more railway companies allowing passengers to connect conveniently between them." If Wikipedia is correct, this obviously has it's origins in pre-amtrak days!

the more interesting question is why so many are called pennsylvania station.

union actually makes sense.. pennsylvania, not so much

Owned by the PRR

I think 100 years ago, it was quite common for train stations to be named after the railroad. If you go to Back Bay Station in Boston and wander around the surface streets looking at what are now the emergency exit buildings on the surface, you'll find that what is now Back Bay Station was once two different stations, at least one of which still (as of a year ago or something, anyway) has a sign listing the name of the original railroad it was built for.

Eventually the railroads realized that operating out of shared stations made sense, and Union Station became the typical name for such stations. However, there are exceptions; South Station in Boston is an example of a union station.

 

[ralfp]

Child Care Workers? You mean teachers? Why would they only be child-care workers for one day? They will mostly use the metro, since you ask for my assessment.

:huh: I'd say that teachers are generally not child care workers on a day when school is closed. Parents need to find one-day replacements, and those replacements then have to get to their temporary work-places (children's homes).

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

(Why is every other train station named union station?)

Seriously, according to Wikipedia, "A union station or union terminal is a train station where tracks and facilities are shared by two or more railway companies allowing passengers to connect conveniently between them." If Wikipedia is correct, this obviously has it's origins in pre-amtrak days!

the more interesting question is why so many are called pennsylvania station.

union actually makes sense.. pennsylvania, not so much

Owned by the PRR

I think 100 years ago, it was quite common for train stations to be named after the railroad. If you go to Back Bay Station in Boston and wander around the surface streets looking at what are now the emergency exit buildings on the surface, you'll find that what is now Back Bay Station was once two different stations, at least one of which still (as of a year ago or something, anyway) has a sign listing the name of the original railroad it was built for.

Eventually the railroads realized that operating out of shared stations made sense, and Union Station became the typical name for such stations. However, there are exceptions; South Station in Boston is an example of a union station.

Bingo. Give the man a prize.

I happen to like the old PRR names, they play off the heritage.

 

[Ryan]

too bad it earned its reputation as the "felony express" and doesn't really extend much outside of the DC Ghetto Suburbs

I've never heard the Metro referred to as such, and your characterization of Metro's service area as "ghetto" is incorrect at best, and down right offensive at worst.

Dude, if you hate it so much. move.

Hear Hear!

 

[Guest_Yerry_*]

If your profile is correct, it's incredible that someone living so close to DC (between Annapolis and DC) can know so little about what goes on in DC on Inauguration day. Either that or a failed attempt at baiting.

The crushing crowds is nothing new; in the days of surplus pax cars, multiple sections of almost every DC-bound train was common, but extra equipment is nonexistant nowadays. Witness the Congressional runaway/wreck for one of Ike's inaugurations-- Railroads and Union Station not only handled the crowds, they worked around a train buried in the middle of the station.

Never had a problem on the Metro, nor do I know anyone who has. The fear that criminals would use Metro to commute to crime sites from the inner city never materialized; for a short time when I lived there, there was a gang that went from Arlington TO Washington to steal cars there. Even panhandlers on the trains were scarce.

Where I taught, we ALWAYS had Inauguration Day off. "crowd" is an understatement.Spent the day grading papers with the TV on in the background. Really too busy to go out and look for a child-sitting job to make a few bucks. Most kids overnighted the night before with others of their peer groups. No big deal. Apparently nobody here knows what kids do anymore?

Putting it all in perspective, every four years for the past 228, we have either a continuation, semi-change or substantial change in National government WITHOUT military interference, massive riots or curfews, which the vast majority of the world's population will never experience even ONCE. Well worth celebrating.

 

[The Metropolitan]

too bad it earned its reputation as the "felony express" and doesn't really extend much outside of the DC Ghetto Suburbs

I've never heard the Metro referred to as such, and your characterization of Metro's service area as "ghetto" is incorrect at best, and down right offensive at worst.

Dude, if you hate it so much. move.

Hear Hear!

Thank You!

Property Values traditionally RISE in areas close to Metro Stations.

Don't think I've ever read a thread on here laced with such bitterness.

 

[Kramerica]

EDIT: After reading posts on the forum that bashed the northern states for being red, I should have figured a deluge of half-cocked replies would flood in

Half-cocked? Geez, look who's talking!

As a conservative, I'd like to point out that Kevin's attitude and "knowledge" is not representative. I voted for McCain, but I certainly don't begrudge Obama or any of his supporters the exciting time they'll have on Inauguration Day. In fact, if it was a weekend day, I'd be watching it myself. It is an historical and important event. It is only the 44th time in 200+ years. (I also don't like Al Gore, but I did get to shake his hand while he was VP, which IMO is something to brag about. No matter what you think of the guy, that's the VP!)

To be mad at Obama because lots of people are coming to the Capitol and wrecking his travel plans... that's just nonsensical. Especially since it would be almost as bad (travel-wise) on that day if McCain was being sworn in.

I'm looking at the bright side of an Obama administration... a much better chance of better public transit, including Amtrak!

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Mein gott, will you people shut up about McCain Vs. Obama? The damned campaign is over. Stop with this "blight on the map" and "unfortunate mistake" crap. The country voted, a man was elected by the biggest margin in years. The country didn't make a mistake, they made a choice. It may have been a mistake, but if we ever know that, it will be decades from now. So stop.

And Kevin, stop being so selfish as to complain that this election has inconvenienced your travel plan. Whatever else he may be, Barack Obama is the first black president. If you view this as a mistake/problem/whatever, it doesn't matter, because no matter how you look at it, this is a historic thing. A year ago, I would have said he was unelectable, yet he won. The country has done things I didn't think they had the guts to do. And I am proud of that.

Want advice? Cool, ask for it. But drop the "inauguration screw-up" rubbish from your rhetoric.

I don't quite get the point of being in DC for the event. From what I've read, it seems like the majority of people who are in DC for the event will be watching it on a big outdoor TV. And if you're going to watch the event on TV, why not just stay home?

Joel, so you can say that you were there! I guess you are not much of a ROMANTIC. Oh well

Joel is definitely not that, no.

 

[Montanan]

Mein gott, will you people shut up about McCain Vs. Obama? The damned campaign is over. Stop with this "blight on the map" and "unfortunate mistake" crap. The country voted, a man was elected by the biggest margin in years. The country didn't make a mistake, they made a choice. It may have been a mistake, but if we ever know that, it will be decades from now. So stop.
And Kevin, stop being so selfish as to complain that this election has inconvenienced your travel plan. Whatever else he may be, Barack Obama is the first black president. If you view this as a mistake/problem/whatever, it doesn't matter, because no matter how you look at it, this is a historic thing. A year ago, I would have said he was unelectable, yet he won. The country has done things I didn't think they had the guts to do. And I am proud of that.

Want advice? Cool, ask for it. But drop the "inauguration screw-up" rubbish from your rhetoric.

Well said, sir.