I used to be stationed in Charleston, SC.
The Best Freind is no longer in Charleston, presently on loan to NS. The storage building on Ann Street? downtownis still there, easily identifyable by the tracks thatlead out of the building.
There are a few railyards, unfortunately the belong to the railroading antichrist, CSX. Still not bad to watch.
There are a few small branch sidings near the harbor that make for some interesting railfanning, especially watching intermodal loading from ship to train out near the IMAX theater on the waterfront.
There is often some interesting railfanning to be had near the Naval Base. I would not recommend lurking around or having a camera on hand though.
There are lines running past the base, often with long freights. There is a bar just outside the main access gate that has a porch that is near the tracks, which makes for some real fun times: Drunken sailors and trains, it can be tough to determine which is louder.
There are a few hobby shops of interest, the best of which is a store called Just Trains which is on Rivers Highway (US 52), which runs from Downtown Charleston through North Charleston (which is where Just Trains is located.) and around the area.
While you are in Charleston, there are some other locations that I would recommend:
There is a Navy museum in Mount Pleasant, SC called Patriot's Point (just across the river from downtown), which is home to the USS Yorktown (CV-10) a WWII carrier, the USS Clamagore (SS-343) a late WWII diesel submarine, and a CG Cutter, and a Destroyer, along with a really nice Vietnam exhibit.
Fort Sumter is a nice place to visit. Boats leave Patriot's Point on a routine basis and provide tours of the place where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.
Taking a nice stroll downtown is always a fun idea, many old buildings to look at, I would recomment parking in a garage, as it is cheaper than using the parking meters, and there is a rather nasty meter maid that makes her rounds and has been noted to sit there and wait for the second the meter says "expired".
(I know this from first hand experience.)
I was waiting to cross the street to get to my car, as I got across the street, the "expired" flag popped up, and no sooner than the flag went up, the ink was dry on my ticket, despite me getting to the car as soon as she had put the ticket under the wiper, which resulted in me paying a $30 donut tax.
There are a number of good places to eat at. There is a nice hole in the wall place called Breck's on Rivers Avenue. It is located in a strip mall near K-Mart. If you cannot find it, ask a sailor, chances are they know where it is at.
If you go to Breck's, arrive hungry. They have what they call a Breck's Burger. It is one BIG Burger. Rather cheap and tasty.
There is also two locations for a resteraunt called Sticky Fingers. If you like chicken, ribs, and/or some of the best BBQ you have ever had, then that is a place to go. The easier location to get to is near Northwoods Mall in North Charleston. It is not far from a movie theater, and a Hooter's location. (Good wings and then some....)The other Sticky Finger's is located downtown Charleston. Again, parking and driving in downtown can be a pain (old narrow roads, some are cobblestone, and a LOT of tourists.)
I spent close to 3 years in Charleston, so I know a lot of the ins and outs of the area. I may have been stuck in Rotten Groton, CT for the last 3 years, but I still keep up with what is going on in Charleston.
If you would like more directions or advice, just send me a line.
r/
James
So many scales, so many trains, so little time.....
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