Alternative transportation

[exlrrp]

recent discussions got me to thinking of alternative transportation and herein may be a good topic.
Anybody ever ride the side door Pullman? I been doing this since I was a kid, hopping freights altho not much in the past 10 years.--its sorta guerilla transportation at its finest, motorcycling ain't in it for constant risk, plus illegality.
The towns where I grew up, Richmond, El cerrito and berkeley had two railroads--the Southern Pacific and the Santa fe. (the western Pacific came into Oakland--now its all UP and BNSF)
the Sp roared thru town on A big triple track speedway but the Santa fe sorta skulked thru towns backyards at about 15 mph, dropping off a flat of lumber here and a gondola of gravel there-I was not raised on the wrong side of the tracks, I was raised in The Richmond Annex, literally, between the tracks.it went right close to my HS and JHS and the afternoon peddler freight went right by school to El Cerrito Plaza, then a state of the Art mall. there was a propitious S curve where a vigorous lad could hide and nail the freight as it went by, it always had empty gons, hop off at the Plaza for some after school girl ogling.
Ive never been thru the Panama Canal on a ship but I crossed it in a boxcar (troop movement)
After the Army I traveled around, hitchhiking and riding freights--some notable rides: Roseville to Reno over Donner Pass on the SP, Salt Lake City to Pueblo on the DRGW, Redding (CA) to Portland on the SP, The Feather River Canyon (CA) on the WP.
Amtrak has passed its drop dead deadline, they'll be cancelling long distance trains this year. I'm going to ride as many as I can before theyre gone, but my days of the side door Pullman are over.

James

happy just to be alive

[blues clues]

it kind of fit into my life style layed back took the train to AIT hate to ride on a bus air plains go to fast and too high up i've always liked to look at the country as we went through it will be sad to see it go.i guess everyone is in to much of a hurry on days,real sad.
razz :( :( :(

[DMZ-LT]

I grew up in Newark NJ in the mostly German immigrant neighborhood called the Iron Bound. My dad walked to work at the brewery. It was called the iron bound cause no matter how you got there you had to cross the RR tracks to be there. It's a Portugese neighborhood today. Been riding motorcycles for over 38 years now --- ain't nothing like it. In a car you look out and see the picture , on a bike you are IN the picture. Welcome Home

[Drywall]

Used to take the train to my grandpa's house before my Dad had a car. The depot was only a couple blocks from our house and we got picked up on the other end by one of my uncles. Musta rode the train a few dozen times back then. Now the depot isn't even there anymore and you have to drive 40 miles to catch the soon to be gone Amtrac. The Army sent us from Mpls. to Ft. Lost in the woods, Mo. on a train. That depot is now an indoor ice skating rink. I miss trains. My wife has never ridden on a train. Hope we can again someday.

[SgtBlake]

just about everyway possible on this planet, but I've never had the opprotunity to travel by train, I hope that some day I get the chance.

[andrew]

Never rode the RR after age 16. A friend named Al Lemeire jumped a train and got seperated from his right arm, just above the elbow.
On Tuesday went for a four mile walk, about three miles into it a guy I used to work with pulled up with his Harley 1200 and offered me a ride. Going from walking in 90+ heat to doing 70 MPH on that bike reminded me of getting on a chopper, a slick.
Problem with motorcycles around here is wet in the spring time and lots of leaves on the road in the fall. (Lets not even talk about winter.)

Stay healthy,
Andy - under a new name, can't figure out how to get the old one.
Hey James, the E-Mail address is czyk13@charter.net

[Hoyin]

Ahh..trains. I have so many memories involving trains. I still love them. See I grew up with a dad who is a steam engine FANATIC. The house was filled with HO scale brass models..we had the huge set-up in the garage..the library, trunks and every concievable space available filled to overflowing with railroad and train books. Laterns, stakes and other items all over. I remember standing on the side of the tracks with all the older guys..camera at the ready for that one shot of the Pacific Coast Daylight, and I've been on every single broad gauge line except the Chataanooga in the East and every narrow in the West except the Silverton Durango.
My office now has a painting of UPs 8444 and the Pacific Coast Daylight racing up El Cajon.
Trains are a huge part of our history. Dad was a fanatic..and I cant say I fell to far from the tree here.

[exlrrp]

[i] The house was filled with HO scale brass models..we had the huge set-up in the garage..the library, trunks and every concievable space available filled to overflowing with railroad and train books. Laterns, stakes and other items all over. I remember standing on the side of the tracks with all the older guys..camera at the ready for that one shot of the Pacific Coast Daylight, and I've been on every single broad gauge line except the Chataanooga in the East and every narrow in the West except the Silverton Durango.
My office now has a painting of UPs 8444 and the Pacific Coast Daylight racing up El Cajon.
Trains are a huge part of our history. Dad was a fanatic..and I cant say I fell to far from the tree here. [/B]

(Drool!.......) I wish I got into this hobby while it was still cheap. I am the only one in my family afflicted with this. Think it comes from being young and my dad (another railfan but not a modeler) would take me down to the Santa fe, SP and WP yards and Bullsht our way in to riding in on the turntable into the roundhouse--this was while there was still steam and roundhouses (steam ended here fully in 1958)
you live in Northern CA, right? have you been to the museums here? portola, Rio Vista, etc? I paid $75 to spend 1/2 hour in the Portola Museum yard switching cars with a GP9 couple years ago.
I have an N scale layout built on a 36' door, its a module that depicts Port Costa in its heyday. Also about 300 books on trains

we have our very own Iron Triangle right here in Richmond and it would remind you of one of Vietnams Iron Triangle on one of its livelier seasons, , the lrrpster pedals VERY fast through there on his Kamikaze days.

James

[Hoyin]

Oh yes..been to all the musuems around this area. More than once!! I've stopped at places in towns were they just have a train. Somewhere I have this picture I took, dont know *how* it came out this way but looked just like a painting that my dad got published in some train magazine. I should ask him where in the world that got to.
My house and world growing up practically revolved around trains (Religion and WWII history as well) and even my first date with Paul was to a train musuem to watch the steam engine that was going to be running that night!
Still love them.

[phuloi]

The U.S. has a long and glorious history in the railroad industry,but you`ve really missed something special if you have never road the rails in Europe....

[39mto39g]

Suuuuuuup.
Are you ready for May?
The wife says she wants to come along this time, I guess I had to much fun last time.
Ron

[Packo]

HAVE TRIED FOUR TIMES TO ANSWER THIS POST ABOUT A GREAT TRAIN TRIP WHEN I WAS 5 AND OTHER GREAT MEMORIES PROVIDED BY MY DAD. EVERY TIME I FINISH AND HIT SUBMIT, IT GOES TO A "NOT LOGGED IN SCREEN THING" AND DELETES MY POST. WHAT, IS THERE A FRIGGIN' TIME LIMIT ON THE POSTS? THIS WAS MY LAST ATTEMPT.

JAMES, THANKS FOR THE FINE MEMORIES YOUR POST BROUGHT BACK FOR ME.

DAVID, WHAT THE CHRIST IS UP WITH THIS?

PACKO

[sfc_darrel]

I took trains as a child. Darrel took trains in Europe.
We took the train from Lansing Michigan to Washington DC in June 2000. Sidetracked for everything. Late by hours.
If you want a good memory of train travel, pick your trip where the train you travel on owns the track where you're going. Example northeast corrider passenger trains have high priority.
No passenger trains through Yakimaa for years. All were taken out of service to facilitate really long trains of coal and grain for export.

[exlrrp]

Originally posted by 39mto39g
Suuuuuuup.
Are you ready for May?
The wife says she wants to come along this time, I guess I had to much fun last time.
Ron

RON--- YOU BETCHA!!! SATurday, May 5th, Breaux bridge, crawfish festival,(the white fest at the fairgrounds) in front of the Budweiser booth--I'll be wearing a cammo T shirt and a black Oakland Raiders hat. oh yeah, some shorts too.!! Can you stay over night? there's some great clubs to go to, all the hot players be jammin
WHAT TIME?? 1:00 PM is best but you name it
Anybody else in the Area is welcome and encouraged to attend, ESPECIALLY Chilidog!! and Mrs E
Admission: $5.00

(Authors note: You may wonder why I specify "the white one." well, its because our Southern Friends had two Cajun/Zydeco Fests in the SAME SMALL TOWN on the SAME WEEKEND for decades due to some QUAINT LOCAL CUSTOMS we need not go into now. When these quaint local customs came to an end, due to federal Yankee intrusion, forcibly, With typical Southern Pride and Stubborness they decided to continue this altho black and whites mix at and perform at both. An enterprising carpet bagging Yankee might be thinking" well why don't the idiots space em out and make more money?" but a prudent Westerner like myself has learned to bide his tongue when consorting with contrary Rebs, they do love their history so, the white version anyway)
Speaking of which, Packo, keep trying! These stories of me and my dad have a lot of meaning to me. he had 8 kids and these are the memories of him I had when I was young. My parents were divorced when I was 8, we were estranged for years, now we're cool.

howw about trolley cars and interurbans?
the bay Area has a long history of light rail , SF still has their system, Now we have the BART again--they have some new branches I been meaning to ride and its going into SFO next year. they also have rail commuter trains running all the way from Colfax to San Jose now, Stockton to Silicon Valley--this is REAL popular as Silicon Valley workers gfind much cheaper housing out in the Great Valley.
I remember the Key System, catching the streetcar in Berkeley on Shattuck and taking it over the Bay Bridge to SF.
Northern CA also had the longest electric Interurban, the Sacramento Northern from SF to Chico, 165 miles. This used to run right by a friend of mines house, we'd watch the little electric lokies trying to make the Havens grade. I photoed the drop dead final run of the SN through Chico before absorption by the UP and then abandonment.
I am an artist, a technician and a history buff and I find that the model railroad is a good blend of all. the weird part is the Shakespeare fetish.

all for now

James
Happy just to be alive!

[exlrrp]

Originally posted by phuloi
The U.S. has a long and glorious history in the railroad industry,but you`ve really missed something special if you have never road the rails in Europe....

Griz--I'll be going to italy in July in the Florence/Sienna area to a place called Poggibonce, south of Sienna
Any suggestions?
James

[Drywall]

It was 35 years ago when I was in Europe, but everybody is right, the trains are an excellent way to travel. They were on time and there were alot of them. There used to be someting called a Eurorail Pass. It was bought in advance and good for a certain time period. It was good all over Europe and you could ride the trains all you wanted for the purchase price. I don't know if it's still available but any travel agent should be able to tell you. Probably somewhere on the net too.

[blues clues]

about it was the guy walking up and down the ailse's selling the beer,don't remember much about the ride after a few bottles of that beer but as i remember the beer was EXCELLENT but now i would really enjoy the ride more.i've never forgot those pop-top bottles.
razz

[Drywall]

I also remember coming off the ship in Bremerhaven, being given a travel voucher and told "go to Ansbach private." I took trains all the way down there and didn't really have a lot of trouble doing it. Not bad for a young kid who didn't speak much of the language. It was the trains that got me there.