Alaska Railroad Coastal Classic

We arrived in Anchorage a few days ago, and yesterday we took a day trip to Seward to take a cruise to Kenai Fjords. To get to Seward, we took Alaska Railroad’s Coastal Classic Train from Anchorage. The route was gorgeous. We traveled along the coast of Turnagain Arm before cutting across through glacial valleys where the Kenai Peninsula connects to the main part of Alaska. We traveled along the Placer River including through several tunnels before then traveling along the Trail River. The trip was worth the train ride alone, even if we had nothing to do in Seward. Along the way we also spotted sheep, moose, and lots and lots of birds.

Turnagain Arm

Placer River

Spencer Glacier

Placer River

Placer River

Placer River

Trail Creek

Upper Trail Lake

Lower Trail Lake

Bay Lower Subway Station

Another site I visited with Doors Open Toronto was an abandoned subway station. When the Bay Subway Station was built, there was an upper and lower level. According to the Doors Open Toronto website “When Line 2 officially opened in 1966, Bay Lower was in full use. Alternate trains used the Wye connection, which allowed customers to travel from Line 1 to Line 2 without changing trains. The TTC tested this system for six months and also tested the two separate subway lines for six months. Following testing, the TTC decided that two trains worked best and Bay Lower was closed.” If like me, you do not live in Toronto, that means very little or nothing. Having studied the Toronto subway map for a little bit of time, I think I now understands what it means, but to be perfectly honest, it sounds like it was a dumb idea from the start. Yes, yes, hindsight is 20/20, but it just seems overly complicated, and I know how long it took me just to understand New York City’s local versus express lines, so this seems like it might have made things easier for some but confused the heck out of others. It also sounds like something that carried not insignificant risks for train operation and train traffic control.

The lower level was not used for very long, but it has been used ever since by TTC for testing and training. It has also been used by the television and movie industry quite a bit for shooting scenes. The signs they had displayed seem to indicate that it has been a stand in for many U.S. city subway lines. Ever since I visited the lower level, I have been trying to think how many U.S. cities actually have a subway, as in trains that run underground. There are not that many, and furthermore, not many look like this station. Then again, the movie industry may not always care about things like that. But I digress.

In any event, it was kind of neat to walk around the platform. They had a train on either track with all doors open, so you could walk around the trains. They also let people visit the conductor’s seat/booth/area/I don’t what it is called. Today I learned, when given the opportunity to visit this area, people both young and old, really, really, really like to honk the horn. How the employees watching everything were not developing headaches from the horns constantly going off in the confined station where the noise really bounces around, I have no idea.

One final observation. I am rather fascinated by Toronto’s subway trains because the individual cars are all connected into one true train where you can walk very easily between all the cars. I don’t how many other systems have cars like this, but I was fascinated by it. I am most familiar with the Washington, D.C. and New York City subway systems where walking between cars requires going outside and is rather frowned upon or difficult. It would seem likely this would make it rather difficult for trains to be taken apart should only one or two cars need service, but I am not sure how often cars are taken apart and reconfigured on other systems where visually at least, it would appear to be easier.

Bay Lower Subway Station
One of the trains at the Bay Lower Subway Station. You can easily walk the entire length of the train.
One of the trains at the Bay Lower Subway Station. In the foreground is where two cars are joined, and you can walk in between.
View from the end of the Bay Lower Subway Station platform into the tunnel.

Doodlebugging in Delaware

I recently took a rail excursion in Delaware on the Wilmington & Western Railroad in a Doddlebug. What kind of a train is a Doodlebug? It is a self-propelled one car train that was used on less populous branch lines. This particular one is used on Wilmington & Western Railroad’s route though the Red Clay Valley. The tracks follow along the Red Clay Creek, which is a pretty little creek. For our excursion, we stopped and explored Brandywine Springs Park, which is park that is also a bit of a archeological dig of the historic Brandywine Springs Amusement Park, an early 20th Century amusement park. After the park, we just rode along enjoying the valley. It is a lovely ride and a fun train on which to ride.

Doodlebug

Doodlebug

Red Clay Creek with Greenbank Mills & Philips Farm in distant right

Brandywine Springs Park

Native orchid

Covered bridge over Red Clay Creek

Red Clay Creek

California Zephyr

I’m traveling to the west, and I decided to take the train. I took the California Zephyr from Chicago to Denver. I have heard if you take this train past Denver through the Rocky Mountains, it is one of the most beautiful train rides in the US. However that is a ride for another day. There is something very relaxing about taking the train and just staring out at the countryside. A few photos of the view are below. Not my greatest photos, but you try taking good photos through the dirty window of a fast moving train.

Somewhere in Illinois

Somewhere in Illinois: I think that is soy crops, but I was amused by corn that was popping up in the soy field.

Somewhere in Illinois

Traveling over the mighty Mississippi

Somewhere in Colorado

Potomac Eagle

About a month ago, I went for a ride on the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad. The train follows a gorgeous path through the West Virginia country side, the highlight of which is through a gorge of the South Branch of the Potomac River known as the Trough. The train is called the Potomac Eagle because you are almost guaranteed to see bald eagles while in the Trough. I think we saw almost ten. I got photographs of about five. Truthfully even if I hadn’t seen the eagles, the scenery was worth the trip.

West Virginia countryside

Farmland

Entering the Trough

The Trough

The Trough

The Trough

The Trough

The Trough

The Trough

The Trough

The Trough

Bald eagles

Bald eagle and its nest

NY 240th Street Yard

My most recent nerd trip to New York was to tour the New York City Transit Authority’s 240th Street Yard, also known as Van Cortlandt Yard. The train yard is completely elevated, which in my opinion makes for impressive structural engineering. It is a small shop, so it cannot hold all the trains that are out of service. The do regular maintenance as well as repair. I was impressed with all the safety mechanisms and protocols they have to make sure no one gets hurt.

Entrance to the elevated 240th Street Train Yard

Entrance to the elevated 240th Street Train Yard

Below the elevated 240th Street Train Yard

Below the elevated 240th Street Train Yard

The underside of the completely elevated 240th Street Train Yard

The underside of the completely elevated 240th Street Train Yard

The lavish office of the yard supervisor

The lavish office of the yard supervisor

Train in for maintenance

Train in for maintenance

Stacked and organized supplies

Stacked and organized supplies

I have no idea what these are, but the shop has really cool looking parts

I have no idea what these are, but the shop has really cool looking parts

Contact shoes (how the train makes contact with the 3rd rail). The one of the left is a snow shoe, the ridges cut the snow and ice, and the one on the right is a regular shoe.

Contact shoes (how the train makes contact with the 3rd rail). The one of the left is a snow shoe, the ridges cut the snow and ice, and the one on the right is a regular shoe.

Basket full of contact shoes. The yellow one is a snow shoe.

Basket full of contact shoes. The yellow one is a snow shoe.

Trains in the 240th Street Train Yard shed

Trains in the 240th Street Train Yard shed

Cables hanging in front of the car are "bugs". The ones with more cable and a 2nd box are little bugs because the have less voltage. The other one on the left is a big bug because it has more voltage and power the entire train.

Cables hanging in front of the car are “bugs”. The one with more cable and a 2nd box is a little bug because it has less voltage. The other one on the left is a big bug because it has more voltage and power the entire train.

A stick is used to make sure the contact shoe is at the right height. A maintenance worker is carrying another stick used to measure the height of the car above the rail.

A stick is used to make sure the contact shoe is at the right height. A maintenance worker is carrying another stick used to measure the height of the car above the rail.

Unclose view of the 3rd rail that ends at the entrance to the shop.

Unclose view of the 3rd rail that ends at the entrance to the shop.

Cool looking thing on a train the shop. I think it is a device that tests the doors and opening and closing.

Cool looking thing on a train the shop. I think it is a device that tests the doors and opening and closing.

240th Street Train Yard entrance to the shop

240th Street Train Yard entrance to the shop

Signals at the entrance to the 240th Street Train Yard shop

Signals at the entrance to the 240th Street Train Yard shop

Amtrak Vermonter

I think I have written blog posts before about how much I love traveling my train. I love sitting back and watching the world go by. Train travel also sometimes allows you views you could not get any other way. I recently took the Amtrak Vermonter from Washington, DC to Burlington, VT. The latter part of the trip had wonderful views of the Connecticut River and rural Vermont and New Hampshire. It was a wonderful way to start my trip. Here are a few photos from the trip.

Triborough Bridge (East River) in NY

Triborough Bridge (East River) in NY

Crossing the Connecticut River near Windsor Locks, CT

Crossing the Connecticut River near Windsor Locks, CT

Bridge over the Connecticut River near Northfield, MA

Bridge over the Connecticut River near Northfield, MA

near Bellows Falls, VT

near Bellows Falls, VT