Western Railroad Discussion > Must visit places: Bucket List

OK, as I see pictures in here of just awesome places, it got me thinking. What would you consider a "Must visit rail place"?

Criteria could be (but not limited to):
Traffic (rail and people)
Scenery
Nostalgia
People to rail fan with
Museum/static displays etc.


What would you recommend and why?

I have meet some great people here on TO and have really broadened my horizons because of them, I have been to some cool places like:
BNSF Transcon, UP Transcon, Tehachapi, Feather River Canyon, Downtown Fresno, Cajon and a few other places with Bob that I can't recall the names. I have even seen a really cool small scale civilization in So Cal.

David Locher
Fresno, CA

DOWNTOWN FRESNO?! Do you know what Fresno means in Spanish?! No, don't turn to your Wikidictionary, instead download a copy of Carol Burnett's classic "FRESNO" TV send-up. The translation is explained in the opening scene. Now, had you said Stockton or even Bakersburg, then I would say that you had a truly once-in-a-lifetime Golden Experience in the Golden State! LOL



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/11 11:50 by railwaybaron.

Railwaybaron.She was too busy raising Cane.Fresno was a funny movie.

Greetings,

Promontory, to see what it took to build a railroad and what they faced back in the day. Tehachapi, Williams, Keddie, Donner, Horse Shoe Curve PA, Durango, and Chama as every one knows why.

Andre

BNSF Transcon, Needles to Barstow, Ca. Huge traffic, very scenic vistas, broad open spaces, easy access. Though it is a desert that can be very harsh at times, so proper equipment is essential: car in good repair, good ground clearance for the dirt roads should you choose to go back behind Siberia to the big curves, food and water and a cell phone to call for help should you break down or get stuck. I never go without my 4WD, several gallons of water and a long-handled flat shovel for digging (usually other people) out of sand blows). Gas is at 60-80 mile intervals and is expensive ($5/gal some places two weeks ago).

Kit Courter
Canyon Lake, CA
LunarLight Photography

bnsf's seligman sub between kingman, az and seligman, az on rt. 66..............

66

Columbia River Gorge

goneon66,

Didn't I meet you out there, although I think it was the other side of Kingman with Bob.

David Locher
Fresno, CA
http://www.youtube.com/learnwithgern

My personal bucket list

1. Places that I have not railfanned before.
A. The Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon and the Canadian rockies)
B. The Powder River Basin and Montana
C. The Pokey Sub from Kenova down to Bluefield (I have railfanned Bluefield to Welch)
D. The Sunset Route between Yuma and Elpisshole TX
E. Donner

2. Places that I just have to return to
A. The old D&RGW between Provo & Green River and between Dotsero and Big 10 (including the Northfork coal branch).
B. Nebraska
C. Clovis NM
D. New River Gorge, WV
E. Long Beach / San Pedro Harbor area
F. Cajon Pass



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/11 13:37 by chuchubobnv.

dlocher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> goneon66,
>
> Didn't I meet you out there, although I think it
> was the other side of Kingman with Bob.

Antares Curve to be exact!

Well heck Bob, going to Donner would put you through my neck of the woods. Donner is on my list too, sounds like a plan is in order :)

Pilotblue, I have CRG on my list already, looks amazing.

David Locher
Fresno, CA
http://www.youtube.com/learnwithgern

Santa Fe Junction Kansas City, MO and Kansas City Union Station. High train counts, simultaneous action and great 'foaming' spots.
Oh... and GREAT places to eat nearby.

Places I've been that I would go back to:

Cajon Pass
Tehachapi Loop
BNSF Transcon Barstow east into AZ
Marias Pass
ex-SP coast line

Places I want to go:
Horseshoe Curve
Saluda Grade
Alaska RR (all of it)
Abo Canyon
ex-RI Golden State Route Cimmarron River bridge (Sampson of the Cimmarron)
Curtis Hill
Keddie Wye
as much abandoned RI or MILW ROW as I can find

Mark

Some places I can always go back to:

Need a Station Inn in Cresson, PA fix every few years
PRB/Nebraska
Chicago

Some places I really want to go to:

NE Ohio (tentatively have a "Junction Tour" vacation planned for next year)
Pac NW (Seattle Sub and Columbia River Gorge)
CN/CP paired track in Canadian Rockies
NS Pokey (although given that article posted on the Eastern Board a few days ago, I wonder how busy that area may be in a few years???)
Montana Rail Link

Tom



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/11 14:23 by zchcsse.

Places That I have been to that I will return to:

CAJON
CAJON
CAJON

Places I hope to visit:

CAJON
CAJON
CAJON

railwaybaron Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Places That I have been to that I will return to:
>
> CAJON
> CAJON
> CAJON
>
> Places I hope to visit:
>
> CAJON
> CAJON
> CAJON

You have got to be kidding!!! Cajon is great, but if you think that Cajon pass is the only place worth railfanning, you need to widen your scope a LOT!!!

Bob

I have a few places that I call Sacred Ground...I've been there a number of times, but would go back any number of times:

1. Durand, Michigan.
2. The entire C&O main line from Limeville Junction to Clifton Forge.
3. Horseshoe Curve
4. Cajon...Hill 582.
5. The Hart-Montague Bicycle Trail, between Mears and Shelby, Michigan (an old Pere Marquette line--this stretch runs through hilly terrain past lakes, scenic vistas, etc., inaccessible to anyone sticking to the streets).
6. Wyoming Yard, Grand Rapids, Michigan (used to be a lot busier, but it was a place where I saw and learned a lot).
7. Elmhurst, Illinois.
8. Camp Mookie (Lincoln, Nebraska, at the east end of the BNSF Yard; First Street grade crossing).
9. The UP Overland Route between Fremont and North Platte.
10. Proviso, Illinois...the only place where my hobby ever earned me money.


Other places worth revisiting:

1. Wilton Place, Cincinnati (thanks, Paul!)
2. LaGrange, Illinois
3. St. Louis, possibly by the new Amtrak station.
4. Rochelle
5. Cresson, Pennsylvania
6. Cumberland, Maryland
7. Fostoria
8. Deshler
9. Marion, Ohio
10. Porter, Indiana (or thereabouts, thanks to other folks).
11. Dolton Junction, Illinois
12. Blue Island, Illinois
13. Fullerton, California
14. Tehachapi
15. Berea, Ohio
16. Bayview, Ontario
17. Galesburg
18. Savanna, Illinois
19. Syracuse, New York (west end of DeWitt Yard)
20. Eureka, Missouri (same trains as Kirkwood, but BNSF, too!).

Places I haven't been (or spent enough time at), in no particular order...the real bucket list:

1. The Columbia River Gorge (Pasco/Hinkle)
2. The Thompson River Canyon
3. Gallup, New Mexico
4. Houston
5. Kansas City (for railfanning).
6. Philadelphia (ditto)
7. Harrisburg (if that B&B dries out).
8. The Mississippi River, between Baton Rouge and the Huey P. Long Bridge.
9. Florida (somewhere I can find phosphate and orange juice in freight cars).
10. Rotterdam, New York (or somewhere else around Selkirk).

As you might be able to tell, my places are usually based on volume, or on good memories. I'm not a photographer, but I just want to get a good variety of freight cars observed and documented. Retirement gives me more time, but I have to be tolerant of a wife who needs the attention, too. Even though I'm in reasonably good health, going to all ten bucket-list places will probably be unlikely in my remaining years...good thing I have all those other places I like!

Carl Shaver
Lombard, IL

Every railfan, historic preservationist, and train rider should visit New York's Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal, preferably one right after the other -- Penn to see what happened before the landmarks preservation movement started in the USA, and GCT to see the sort of edifice it saved.

Plus, both are busy as all get-out, and the information booth on GCT's main concourse is as iconic a meeting place as exists on this planet.

As the saying goes,GO WEST YOUNG MAN,GO WEST !!!!!!!!!!!!Steve (UP6553)

For those coming out east...

East Broad Top. Hurry, as it seems to be heading towards becoming a tourist attraction rather than an operating museum.

Strasburg RR.

Pennsylvania RR Museum (very near the Strasburg operation)

Horseshoe Curve

Cresson, PA railfan platform

Cassandra, PA railfan area

Altoona RR Museum (Altoona, PA)

Thrumond, WV A "ghost town" with CSX, Amtrak (flag stop)preserved station and a shortline.

Prince, WV In the middle of nowhere. Miraculously preserved late 1940's time-warp ex-C&O (regular stop for AMT "Cardinal") passenger station.
Mostly unmolested. Just over the hill from Thurmond, WV.

The O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke, VA. Figure to spend an afternoon if not an entire day here and at the adjacent Virginia Transportation
Museum.

Be Well,

Tim Colbert K3HX