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Favorite Passenger Trains

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  • Member since
    July 2006
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Posted by Retired in Maine on Monday, January 23, 2017 1:05 PM

My favorite passenger experience was on the Phobe Snow between Newark, NJ and Elmira, NY. I rode it four times every year for four years (1966-1960) as I attended a boarding school in Watkins Glen,NY. The on-train staff treated us (high schoolers) as any other passenger and were very helpful whenever they were asked for help or information. So it goes to understanding why Erie, Lackawanna, and Erie-lackawanna is the reason for my MRR being East Coast-based and coal and mixed freight the dominant revenue sources.

John

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Posted by NWP SWP on Monday, January 23, 2017 7:06 PM

What about the Hiawatha, Daylight, El Capitan, Super Chief, Empire Builder, California Zephyr all eastern and midwestern trains! Nice choices though just would like to see some western trains! Thank you!

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

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Posted by Mheetu on Monday, January 23, 2017 9:14 PM

 

Frisco firefly and PRR The Congressional

 

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Posted by NWP SWP on Monday, January 23, 2017 9:20 PM

The firefly, very interesting!

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

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Posted by matt56 on Monday, January 30, 2017 12:43 PM

Gotta go with the Flambeau 400.  Just something about railroading through thick, forested swamps deep in the Wisconsin northwoods.  It ran between Ashland, WI and Chicago.  Towards the end (1971) it's normal consist was only one or two bilevel coaches pulled by an F7, making it the shortest "name train".

Modeling the C&NW in northcentral Wisconsin, late summer 1976

DrW
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  • From: Lubbock, TX
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Posted by DrW on Monday, January 30, 2017 6:48 PM

matt56

Gotta go with the Flambeau 400.  Just something about railroading through thick, forested swamps deep in the Wisconsin northwoods.  It ran between Ashland, WI and Chicago.  Towards the end (1971) it's normal consist was only one or two bilevel coaches pulled by an F7, making it the shortest "name train".

 

After a post on the shortest "name train", I would vote for one of the longest passenger trains, with usually around 34 cars, but sometimes up to 44 cars - The Ghan.  Since 2004 it runs between Adelaide and Darwin; before that date , it just went up to Alice Springs.  However, the portion between Alice Springs and Darwin is the more interesting part.  35 years ago, I visited that part of the Australian Northern Territories (by hitchhiking!), and I fell in love with it.  My favorite place was the Katherine Gorge.  The Ghan stops in Katherine long enough so that you can do a tour.

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Posted by NWP SWP on Monday, January 30, 2017 8:39 PM

Very nice! Just curious what would be the longest North American passenger train?

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

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    November 2008
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Posted by De Luxe on Monday, January 30, 2017 8:58 PM

@ DrW: very interesting! Can you show us a photo of a 44 car long Ghan? I would love to see that silver snake!!! By the way I wonder why they never used dome cars in Australia despite having large open spaces and no tunnels. Is it maybe because the landscape is just not that spectacular, being mostly flat desert?

@ cascadenorthernrr: As far as I know the combined Sunset Limited-Golden State of 1964 regularily had 20 to 25 cars between Los Angeles and El Paso. I also think that the City of Everywhere in the late 60s and early 70s easily had more than 20 cars between Cheyenne and Green River. When it comes to single trains, I guess in the classic era the Empire Builder was the longest one. I saw some consist lists where it reached up to 21 cars and even featuring a 4th short dome car. Nowadays, VIA Rails Canadian can also have up to 25 cars in the peak of the summer season.

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Posted by NWP SWP on Monday, January 30, 2017 9:04 PM

I see. I found this story about the VIA Rail Canadian in National Geographic: Journey Across Canada by Train. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/canada/train-trip-journey/

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

DrW
  • Member since
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  • From: Lubbock, TX
  • 371 posts
Posted by DrW on Tuesday, January 31, 2017 9:44 AM

De Luxe

@ DrW: very interesting! Can you show us a photo of a 44 car long Ghan? I would love to see that silver snake!!! By the way I wonder why they never used dome cars in Australia despite having large open spaces and no tunnels. Is it maybe because the landscape is just not that spectacular, being mostly flat desert?

 

You get several web sites just by googling The Ghan 44.  The best photos and even a video I found on

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3610661/The-world-s-longest-train-LONGER-Australian-behemoth-stretches-length-12-football-pitches-650ft-extra-carriages-added.html

JW

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Posted by NWP SWP on Tuesday, January 31, 2017 12:56 PM

I see, very interesting indeed!

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

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Posted by ATSFGuy on Saturday, February 4, 2017 11:56 PM

I like the San Diegan (Amtrak's version) and Santa Fe's version.

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Posted by NWP SWP on Sunday, February 5, 2017 12:00 PM

I see, very interesting!

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

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    November 2013
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Posted by DAVID FORTNEY on Sunday, February 5, 2017 3:01 PM

Although I have never rode a train in my 70 yrs I have lots of favorites. Anything being pulled by a gg1, the daylight, Powhatan Arrow, Anything pulled by a ABB set of SF red and silver F units, The Tennessean, Texas special and many others. 

Dave

 

 

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    January 2017
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Posted by NWP SWP on Sunday, February 5, 2017 7:51 PM

Very nice.

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

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