Railfans

[dejavu]

That waiting area in Philadelphia is nice! I'm sure they have something similar in DC, but not for coach passengers! 

The Meridian station is beautiful, I think it's been refurbished since I was last through in 1997.

And Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans was probably the last major passenger station built in this country, in 1954. Before then there were 5 or 6 different stations, and there was a maze of train tracks all around the city. It was unusual to travel anywhere in the city without having to stop and wait for a train to pass, passenger or freight. They eventually consolidated the freight lines too. In A Streetcar Named Desire, I think Williams made reference to the fact that Stella and Stanley's apartment was very close to the train tracks that went down the middle of Elysian Fields Avenue, which I remember well. They were removed around the same time that Union Station was built.

Yes, Fritz, my Crescent train timetable says that Club Acela lounges are available in Boston (? - Crescent doesn't go there), New York, Philadelphia and Washington, so there is something similar in Washington.  And it mentions the Magnolia Room in New Orleans.

There also is (or was 10 years ago) a lounge for sleeping car passengers in Chicago, but it wasn't a Club Acela, and was even nicer in some ways.  Not as fancy, and more hustle/bustle of passengers, but it had its own conveniences.  You could check your bags for an all-day wait (sometimes you come into Chicago in the morning and don't make a connection out until the evening) and then go on your way, without suitcases to carry around, to tour the city.  Or you can sit in the lounge without suitcases to worry about, until the time is closer to your train departure.

I did like that Meridian station, too.  It has a small-town feel and yet is quite elegant in design.

Interesting about all the different train tracks in New Orleans in the "old days."

[dejavu]

I can remember a time when this board was full of times for long-distance and connecting trains. The station would be barely used at all if it weren't for the fact that it has also been made the main bus station, too.

How true.  Sad, in some ways.



That's it for my trains and train stations pictures.

[fritzkep]

Thanks, Debbie! Appreciate them!

[BillyBobcat]

Inside the AMTRAK train station in New Orleans.  The Greyhound Bus station is in the same building.

The integraton of bus and train is convenient and it does liven things up. I do like that New Orleans station. Are there other intermodal Amtrak stations besides New Orleans and Bellingham, WA (which serves Greyhound and State ferries)?

Our old Pacific Central station here in Vancouver serves Amtrak, VIA Rail Canada and several bus companies, which keep it fairly animated most of the day.  Actually, now that I think of it, the old Canadian Pacific station is intermodal too, serving suburban commuter rail, ferry ("sea bus") and 2 subway lines.

Further to the discussion of "1st Class lounges", the space in the Vancouver VIA station that used to be the station restaurant "back in the day" has been repurposed as such a lounge.  However, it's too small to handle the crowds in the high season. In summer the crowd spills out onto a patio and sometimes there's a live band. Very festive.

--Bob/BillyBobcat

[Cally]

A trip on the South Devon Railway last month with grandchildren - sadly only ½ hour each way.

 (expect there's a technical term)

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Views from the train.

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Old posters.

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[janjo]

We too have been taking our grandson on a steam railway, in this case the Kent and East Susses railway.
This pic is of the first steam engine,(or anything else), to travel at 100 miles per hour.