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One of my longtime Divemasters is a Southwest pilot and he gave me a voucher for anywhere SW flies..... I'm Thinking about taking a 48 hr dash somewhere for a quick railfanning trip with my new way cool camera....
I'll leave it up to you guys......If you could pick up and go to the best trainspot in the US (or at least where Southwest Airlines goes) where would you go???
This is your call...we'll put together 2 or 3 top spots, vote and I'll go....
Only rules.
Has to be within a reasonable rent car distance from airport
I have to complete travel by March 4..very little time
I can only stay one night
Southwest Airlines only
Anybody want to meet me?
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Well , I'm a Shay fan and would like to get to Cass ,WV some day but it doesn't look good at this point in time for me . Why don't you go and tell me all about it ?
T
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
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teejay Wrote:Well , I'm a Shay fan and would like to get to Cass ,WV some day but it doesn't look good at this point in time for me . Why don't you go and tell me all about it ?
T
Went to Cass last October. Whether your a railfan, Shay fan or a fan of old logging railroads, that's the place to go. The four hour trip up to Bald Knob is highly recommended. And if you are a "leaf peeper". Fall is the best time of year..
Torrington, Ct.
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Weather being what it is right now I would opt for Waycross Ga.
Mike
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Anybody been to Steamtown Penn ? I've heard good things but never been .
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
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After percolating about it, I was thinking of a couple suggestions...
As T suggested , Steamtown, or any big railroad transp museum
A large classification yard - UP Bailey Yard comes to mind
Something specific like a the "world's longest/oldest/highest wooden trestle" bridge site
Facility that builds or restores locomotives
Any Holy Grail of Trains place
These are just suggestions to get the ideas going...we only have 7 days to complete this mission...
Mike, what's in Waycross GA?
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Mike Kieran
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" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
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Mike Kieran
Port Able Lines
" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
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I was in Strasburg a few years ago and quite enjoyed myself ....wandering around on my own into shops and things . Probably not acceptable these days with all the bad guys out there . The projects track was very interesting too with a big steam crane in need of resto . I really dig cranes !
Across the river in the outskirts of Detroit is Henry Ford Museum ( indoors ) and Greenfield Village ( outdoors ) which is very nicely done . When I went to the Narrow Gauge Convention in 2005 there was a day excursion to Greenfield Village and the guys were most impressed .
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
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Richard it's a major RR hot spot. It got that name because as many as 100+ trains a day were going thru at one time. They are foamer friendly as well. You should be able to google lots of info on it.
Another RR place is Chattanooga Tenn. There is a restaurant made of RR cars, a hotel made of RR cars, an excursion and an incline RR, a train museum and the Model Railroad museum.
Mike
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Fly to Baltimore and see and ride the Northeast Corridor. There are early, nonstop flights from Dallas available to get there, which will give you almost the two full days free. Ride it one day, and watch it another.
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Further thoughts:
Waycross is a 1.5 hour drive from Jacksonville, and the earliest flight gets in a little before noon. By the time you pick up a rental and hit the road, best case scenario is trackside by 2 pm. It gets dark about 6 pm.
Southwest doesn't fly to Chattanooga, and the city is a 2.5 hour drive from the Atlanta airport. First arrival is a little before 10 a.m., so best case scenario you'll be in town about 1 p.m.
Nashville is another opportunity with a direct morning flight and fairly busy CSX action, which you can't see in Texas.
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railohio Wrote:Fly to Baltimore and see and ride the Northeast Corridor. There are early, nonstop flights from Dallas available to get there, which will give you almost the two full days free. Ride it one day, and watch it another.
B&O Railroad Museum, Canton Railroad, etc., Chaps Pit Beef, The Rusty Scupper (Sunday Brunch), and a great Italian Restaurant on Eastern Avenue named LaScala (don't go on Sunday or Monday - Chef/Owner Nino's days off).
If the Orioles are in town, go to a game. Orioles Park at Camden Yards is the first of the retro ballparks and a great baseball experience. There's an area between the right field fence and the B&O Warehouse (The Orioles' offices) that marks where home runs landed after bouncing off the warehouse - regardless if it was hit by an Oriole or opponent.
Mike Kieran
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" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
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Another vote for Steamtown, PA. 
That was really nice of him to give you the voucher too!
Have fun!
Andrew
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If you want to consider the West Coast, Cajon Pass typically sees 100 trains per day both BNSF & UP. It depends on whether you are into historical trains or wants to see modern diesels. At the base of Cajon Pass is the San Bernardino Railroad Museum in the old restored Santa Fe station. The nearest airport that Souhtwest fly's into is Ontario less than 10 miles from San Bernardino. You would probably want to rent a car to go up Cajon Pass. An alternative is to catch a Metro Link into Union Station in Los Angeles and take Amtrac on the San Diegan to San Diego. Go to Balboa Park on public transportation. San Diego and San Francisco are two cities in Cali that have outstanding public transportation. You could fly back home from San Diego. The reason that it is better to fly to Ontario than Los Angeles is that LAX is quite a ways from Union Station which is the Rail hub for the Los Angeles metropolitan area, but the Ontario airport is not far from the Metrolink.
If you want to consider something farther north, fly into Sacramento, and go to the California State Railroad Museum in Old Scramento also known as "Old Town." I don't know what sort of public transportation system Sacramento has, you might need to rent a car there.
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