AARoads Forum

Non-Road Boards => Off-Topic => Topic started by: texaskdog on May 02, 2013, 01:35:50 PM

Title: Any rail fans?
Post by: texaskdog on May 02, 2013, 01:35:50 PM
Never understood my love for roads or trains, but to me they are somewhat related.  Wondering how many others share a love for trains?  I had a train set when I was 18 and just got a new one for Christmas, and love going to train museums and riding on trains, such as the Durango-Silverton.
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: Brian556 on May 02, 2013, 01:48:32 PM
I am one, too.
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: Dr Frankenstein on May 02, 2013, 01:51:16 PM
*raises hand* Hello from the country that has an EMD F40 on their newest issue of $10 notes. :)
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: Molandfreak on May 02, 2013, 06:26:55 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycRAGsVM-Pk

I guess you could say I'm a rail fan now  :nod:
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: NE2 on May 02, 2013, 07:01:57 PM
Fan of the infrastructure, not the vehicles. Just like roads.
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: andrewkbrown on May 02, 2013, 08:01:43 PM
I like long stretches of road that parallel railroad tracks, along with railroad crossings; old crossings, abandoned crossings, unusual crossings.

And I can never go over a crossing without slowing down and taking a quick glance to the left and right just to see if the bright, cycloptic headlight of an approaching train can be seen in the distance. 
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: Duke87 on May 02, 2013, 09:50:47 PM
The mass transit section of this forum isn't there for nothing. :P

I have a pseudo-competition with my sister to see how many different cities each of us can ride the subway (or light rail) in. Currently we're tied at 13 each.

Of course, I have four cities (New York, Toronto, Montreal, Detroit) completely clinched, whereas she can't say that about any. :P
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: NE2 on May 02, 2013, 10:28:05 PM
Quote from: Duke87 on May 02, 2013, 09:50:47 PM
The mass transit section of this forum isn't there for nothing. :P
It's there so CP can post news articles.
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: US81 on May 02, 2013, 11:11:21 PM
Quote from: andrewkbrown on May 02, 2013, 08:01:43 PM
I like long stretches of road that parallel railroad tracks, along with railroad crossings; old crossings, abandoned crossings, unusual crossings.

And I can never go over a crossing without slowing down and taking a quick glance to the left and right just to see if the bright, cycloptic headlight of an approaching train can be seen in the distance.

Seconded.

I rode Amtrak for the first time several months ago. Thought it would be an amusing, but brought plenty of reading material. Never even took a book out of my duffle.  I had not expected to find so much road-geek fun - evidence of old alignments invisible from the newer road, and the old / abandoned / unusual road crossings. Water crossings were a great opportunity to see old or abandoned bridges or the remnants of bridges.
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: Dr Frankenstein on May 03, 2013, 09:36:16 AM
True words, US81. I took the Adirondack a year ago and I basically sat down in the Café car and looked out of the window for almost the entire duration of the 10-hour trip.

In fact, I've been wanting to go to a roadgeek meet by train. I almost did it for Richmond last year, but I had roads to clinch.

It's a shame that so many people take the bus instead of the train.
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: Rick Powell on May 03, 2013, 09:46:25 AM
I worked on the original construction of an interstate highway, as well as a rail transit extension, by the time I was 21.  My dad was a railroader who turned into a highway guy; his side of the family has railroad roots going back to the 1800's.  My great grandfather (Bill Hadaway) and John Luther "Casey" Jones were co-workers and friends in the same BLE Lodge of the Illinois Central RR in Jackson, TN, and died in separate train wrecks just a few years apart in the early 1900's.       
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: ghYHZ on May 04, 2013, 06:14:36 AM

Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on May 02, 2013, 01:51:16 PM
*raises hand* Hello from the country that has an EMD F40 on their newest issue of $10 notes. :)

Me too!.......and here's that new $10 Bill:


(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8403/8693039423_a27fe8ba95_c.jpg)


And have you seen the new Canadian Passports:

http://www.ppt.gc.ca/eppt/photos.aspx?lang=eng#sp4

Page 10 > 11: Driving the Last Spike on the CPR
Page 14 > 15: A Prairie Grain Train
Page 24 > 25: The CPR's Chateau Frontenac Hotel


Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: NE2 on May 05, 2013, 03:07:30 PM
This should not have been moved to mass transit.
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: DaBigE on May 05, 2013, 03:33:16 PM
Quote from: NE2 on May 05, 2013, 03:07:30 PM
This should not have been moved to mass transit.

Agreed. I'm a rail fan too, but like most I know, I'm a freight rail fan.
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: spmkam on May 05, 2013, 07:00:36 PM
I am huge fan of commuter rail and subway systems
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: Alps on May 05, 2013, 07:10:06 PM
Quote from: NE2 on May 05, 2013, 03:07:30 PM
This should not have been moved to mass transit.
Agreed. Not only because rail fans are often freight rail fans, but because this is about the people, not the transportation.
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: thenetwork on May 06, 2013, 12:47:50 PM
Quote from: Steve on May 05, 2013, 07:10:06 PM
Quote from: NE2 on May 05, 2013, 03:07:30 PM
This should not have been moved to mass transit.
Agreed. Not only because rail fans are often freight rail fans, but because this is about the people, not the transportation.

And that discussions about (mostly freight) railroad crossings & bridges get to stay in the general road forums.
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: stormwatch7721 on May 06, 2013, 03:40:32 PM
I'm interested in the rail signal system in which tells a train to stop or slow down.
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: DaBigE on May 07, 2013, 12:33:47 AM
Quote from: thenetwork on May 06, 2013, 12:47:50 PM
Quote from: Steve on May 05, 2013, 07:10:06 PM
Quote from: NE2 on May 05, 2013, 03:07:30 PM
This should not have been moved to mass transit.
Agreed. Not only because rail fans are often freight rail fans, but because this is about the people, not the transportation.

And that discussions about (mostly freight) railroad crossings & bridges get to stay in the general road forums.

Maybe it's time for a Rail discussion board, with childs consisting of passenger, freight, and infrastructure (signal systems, crossings, bridges, etc.). Or would that be getting too far off of the road theme of the overall site?
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: ghYHZ on May 07, 2013, 05:38:44 AM
Quote from: DaBigE on May 07, 2013, 12:33:47 AM
Quote from: thenetwork on May 06, 2013, 12:47:50 PM
Quote from: Steve on May 05, 2013, 07:10:06 PM
Quote from: NE2 on May 05, 2013, 03:07:30 PM
This should not have been moved to mass transit.
Agreed. Not only because rail fans are often freight rail fans, but because this is about the people, not the transportation.

And that discussions about (mostly freight) railroad crossings & bridges get to stay in the general road forums.

Maybe it's time for a Rail discussion board, with childs consisting of passenger, freight, and infrastructure (signal systems, crossings, bridges, etc.). Or would that be getting too far off of the road theme of the overall site?

Why not an "All Transportation"  thread?......Sure there's Airliners.net and Railroad.net out there but it would be nice to keep it in our own community.

(One of my interests is Ferries and they're semi road related)
Title: Re: Any rail fans?
Post by: texaskdog on May 07, 2013, 08:24:37 AM
It's funny, I'm on an alternate reality board and I rarely use it because no one knows how to group anything, and I'm always glad our site here does.