Best and worst places to railfan
Christopher Kevin Balducci
Where are the best and worst places to railfan in North America in
terms of accessibility, safety from criminal activity, and friendliness of
workers? Of course, an area with no rail service is the absolute worst and
doesn't count!;-)
Chris Balducci
Sirsonic
The worst place to railfan would have to be Hoboken, New Jersey, on
Conrail's River Line.
Expect a train on ANY track, at ANY time
in ANY direction.
Sirs...@aol.com M.P. 20.05 Conrail Lehigh Line
Safety Never Hurt Anyone
Keep Conrail Conrail!! (until UP buys everything....)
Ray Meyer
I can't say it's the best, but one of the top ten has to be at
Rochelle, Illinois. The UP double track main crosses the BN double
track main at grade. 50 trains during daylight hours is not unusual.
The local railfans set up a small park at the diamond. The city is in
the process of acquiring land to create a public railfan park in the V
of the diamonds, even considering erecting a building with a glass
balcony. Lots of friendly people stop by. Fast food is 5 minutes away
(the diamonds are in town), and lodging maybe ten. Lazy railfans can
set up a lawn chair and watch the parade. [I am afraid people who know
about this place will be mad at me for revealing it; occasionally you do
have trouble shooting pictures without other railfans in them]
Ray
Carl Smith
In article <5buc52$738$2...@thorn.cc.usm.edu>, cbal...@whale.st.usm.edu
(Christopher Kevin Balducci) wrote:
> Where are the best and worst places to railfan in North America in
> terms of accessibility, safety from criminal activity, and friendliness of
> workers? Of course, an area with no rail service is the absolute worst and
> doesn't count!;-)
>
> Chris Balducci
I'd like to put a positive vote in for the St. Denis MARC commuter
station, located just south of Baltimore MD. It is a small commuter
station located in a residential neighborhood. The station is just north
of Relay Jct. CSX traffic (at least 4 TOFC trains, 2-4 freights with
foreign motive power, commuter trains, and coal drags) passes by for both
the Capitol Sub and the Old Main. Also nearby is Thomas Viaduct and
another MARC station on Amtrak's NEC.
The St. Denis station is up the hill from Relay Jct. and is a wonderful
place to hear the older diesels climb the scenic S-curved hill. A signal
bridge and a long straight section is visible from the station, looking
northbound. This allows the scanner-less railfan to anticipate train
movements. The speed limit in the area is 35-50.
St. Denis is right off of US Rte 1 within 3 minutes of I-195, I-895, and
I-95, just south of Baltimore. The residential neighborhood is relatively
safe. And as along as you stay within the safety of the station, you
shouldn't be bothered by workers.
Just my $0.02 worth.
Riverline
The area south of Penn Station Newark NJ (near old Hunter Tower) is one of
the busiest, but one of the least safe. Amtrak Northeast Corridor and
Metroliners, NJ Transit Raritan Line diesels, NJ Transit New Brunswick,
Trenton and Jersey Shore electrics and diesels, Conrail freight overhead
on the Lehigh Line. Thirty trains per hour is not unusual in the evening.
The area is filled with old junkyards, shooting galleries (both kinds),
disoriented people, and is an area where stolen cars are torched. Train
watching, however, is pretty good. Lighting is better in the afternoon.
Paul Reiss
Marty Bernard
Best places based on my experience
Mojavi to Bakersfield, CA, especially the Loop and around Caliente and
Bealsville, is number one in my book
Elizabeth, NJ west plateform, south end, summer afternoons best
Cheyenne to Laramie, WY especially the first 10 miles west of Chyanne
Ashland, VA, anywhere along the street
Joliet, IL at the station and where the old Rock Island line crosses
the EJ&E a couple of miles east
east of Flagstaff, AZ, best in a.m.
Dowingtown, PA morning and evening rush hours, summer
Castle Rock to Colorado Springs, CO
Jack London Square, Oakland, CA, Just stand there and they will come
to you
Croton-Harmon, NY
Upper Darby, PA if you like traction
Lisle, IL, curve just east of station, telephoto lens good
Perry, OK
Provo to Helper, UT
Kansas City, MO, many good locations, trains are slow so they can be
chased from spot to spot once you learn the short cuts
Around Ludlow, CA along old Rt. 66
Stockton, CA, tower and station
Truckee, CA to Nevada boarder, afternoon only except first few miles
East of Truckee, should get better with UP
--
Martin J. Bernard III, Ph.D.
Oakland, California
To find out about a new form of personal urban transportation
please visit the Information Pages of the National Station Car
Association at http://www.stncar.com which are updated periodically.
School of Env. Design Student
Other top spots
> include Berea, OH; Rochester, PA; Dalton, Cartersville, and Austelle, GA;
> South Bend, IA; Galesburg, IL; Texarkana, TX/AR; Amarillo, TX; Vaughn,
> NM; Barstow, CA; Spokane, WA; and the Columbia River Gorge, OR/WA.
That should be South Bend, IN.
School of Env. Design Student
In article <32E3AF...@execpc.com>, ra...@execpc.com wrote:
> Christopher Kevin Balducci wrote:
> >
> > Where are the best and worst places to railfan in North America in
> > terms of accessibility, safety from criminal activity, and friendliness of
> > workers? Of course, an area with no rail service is the absolute worst and
> > doesn't count!;-)
> >
> > Chris Balducci
>
Fostoria, Ohio is in my top 10, with 70-90 trains per day. CSX's Chicago
to Willard line crosses its Toledo to Columbus line, with a wye connecting
track on all 4 quadrents, and movements in all directions. NS's Bellevue
to Ft. Wayne line crosses to the north and west,creating a fairly tight
triangle. A safe small town of about 12,000, I think. Other top spots
Kevin L. Wagner
In article <student-2001...@sedlab11.sed.uga.edu>,
stu...@sed.uga.edu (School of Env. Design Student) wrote:
> Fostoria, Ohio is in my top 10, with 70-90 trains per day. CSX's Chicago
> to Willard line crosses its Toledo to Columbus line, with a wye connecting
> track on all 4 quadrents, and movements in all directions. NS's Bellevue
> to Ft. Wayne line crosses to the north and west,creating a fairly tight
> triangle. A safe small town of about 12,000, I think. Other top spots
> include Berea, OH; Rochester, PA; Dalton, Cartersville, and Austelle, GA;
> South Bend, IA; Galesburg, IL; Texarkana, TX/AR; Amarillo, TX; Vaughn,
> NM; Barstow, CA; Spokane, WA; and the Columbia River Gorge, OR/WA.
Fostoria is an awesome place to railfan. There's plenty of public places
to watch the action. I just watched the 2 hour video I made this last
summer of action at the old B&O station. It's awesome. Also, all
movements are coordinated by the dispatchers at the tower, so if you have
access to a scanner, it's a valuable commodity there!
Kevin
Matt Conrad
Marty Bernard <stn...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> Best places based on my experience
<snip>
> Dowingtown, PA morning and evening rush hours, summer
Huh? I've *never* seen a train go through Downingtown, and I used to
work around that area.
> Upper Darby, PA if you like traction
Yeah, but it was better before the N5s and Kawasakis.
I'd add the following as my favorites:
Wallace, SC (between Bennetsville and Cheraw off of SC Rte 9) early in
the week, just about any time of year, if you like industrial
narrow-gauge. Visit my Palmetto Brick Co. Railroad Railfan Page (get
there through the URL in my tagline, it's among the Iron Pony pages) for
more info on what I've dubbed "The World's Easiet Railroad to Railfan."
Hamlet NC, at the train station. Lots of CSX action.
Salisbury NC, also at the (beautifully restored) train station. Lotsa NS
action.
Saluda's pretty fun, too, but you have to know the back roads & train
scheds.
The South Carolina Central RR's Bishopville branch on Tuesdays. The
local departs Hartsville at around 9 AM. There's also the Hartsville
switcher on Tuesdays, although it's difficult to find a good, safe,
out-of-the-way-of-the-$#@%-trucks parking place around the SONOCO plant.
Florence, SC, again at the train station. I've never been bothered by
anyone, although I've gotten some odd and suspicious looks. Park in the
lot of the Business & Tech. Center (known locally as the BTC) and cross
Baroody Street. Especially nice now that Florence has a daytime Amtrak
train again.
--
-Matt Conrad, Artist, J.M.Conrad Co., jmco...@InfoAve.net
Railroad videos, clip art, and Mac software.
http://web.InfoAve.net/~jmconrad/
Someday I'll hang the inventor of the necktie with one.
Ken Stitzel
Marty Bernard (stn...@ix.netcom.com) wrote a nice list. With my
Colorado bias, I'd just like to second a few of them:
: Best places based on my experience
: Cheyenne to Laramie, WY especially the first 10 miles west of
Cheyenne.
Cheyenne itself is quite remarkable for watching crew changes, lots
of big power, big yard, nice old station (ain't it a museum now or
soon to be?). Very occasionally, UP opens up its old roundhouse
with the giant steamers inside--at least when they aren't out somewhere.
LOTS of trains, too.
: Castle Rock to Colorado Springs, CO
Lots of trains, pretty mountain backdrops.
: Provo to Helper, UT
The loops at Gilluly (?) are spectacular.
I would also add:
Minturn, Colorado, to east portal (really south) of summit tunnel
at Tennessee Pass--about 20 miles. Helpers put on in Minturn for
eastbounds grind slowly up the pass. Steep grades, they work hard
but go slow, so you can work in several photo ops. Trains go through
a spectacular canyon outside of Minturn, then across some alpine
flats, then up on a mountainside, then around a double S turn by
the highway. Not all the stuff is accessible, but you can see a LOT!
Fantastic mountain scenery from the top of the pass.
Great restaurants and B&Bs in Minturn. The Turntable Restaurant
is run by the railroad and adjoins the crew dormitory. You can
rub elbows with the guys and maybe learn about the line-up.
Hurry, though. UP wants to abandon this line this year and will be
cutting back service in the second quarter. Currently about 20+
trains per day. TRAINS will feature this line in their next issue.
--
Ken Stitzel (k...@fc.hp.com)
Learning Products Engineer (tech writer with functional enhancements)
Hewlett-Packard Company (a pretty cool company to work for)
Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
(Opinions stated herein are provided without warranty and are not
representative of official or unofficial HP policy on railfan
recommendations ;-)
Bonnie Bucqueroux
In article <5buc52$738$2...@thorn.cc.usm.edu>, cbal...@whale.st.usm.eduÜ says...
>
> Where are the best and worst places to railfan in North America in
>terms of accessibility, safety from criminal activity, and friendliness of
>workers? Of course, an area with no rail service is the absolute worst and
>doesn't count!;-)
>
> Chris Balducci
views of the Chicago skyline and the Amtrak and Metra yards, plus the
drawbridges over the Chicago River. However, I would not stray far from
the car.
Also, Lumber St. crossing on the south side of yards is a good place to
see Amtrak ops.
Brent Frerck
Christopher Kevin Balducci wrote:
>
> Where are the best and worst places to railfan in North America in
> terms of accessibility, safety from criminal activity, and friendliness of
> workers? Of course, an area with no rail service is the absolute worst and
> doesn't count!;-)
>
> Chris Balducci
what about in Texas, Oklahoma & Arkansas?
Brent
eb...@gnn.com
Yeah, there are hoards of blacks and puerto ricans around that will kill
you for your car.
ric...@aol.com
In my experience, the best place I've ever come across is in Stockton, CA.
"Taylor" and Union Streets. (Taylor St. is otherwise known as the mainline
of the BNSF, there is no pavement there.) Right where the BNSF gets
crossed by and interchanged wtih the UP and SP. It was quite a location
in the mid-'70s with the double-tracked ATSF, quadruple-tracked SP, and
the sinlge-tracked WP. I had seen twelve movements at once. Interchange
track movements, in & out of the three nearby yards, three shortlines
originating within sight of the diamonds and an active branch line, too.
Mainline street running. Branchline street running. Foreign power, (on the
WP was a lot of BN run-through loco's). Old F-units working on the
Tidewater Southern. A 44-toner working on the Stockton Terminal & Eastern.
Interlocking tower. It had/has it all.
It was a place where when it was quiet for a half an hour, you really
appreciated the time to relax. I haven't been there for about four years
now, and I didn't get to stay there long, and at that in the mid-day when
everything is slow. I couldn't really say it is that great now, but it was
a real good place.
The worst place I found was Grand Forks, ND. Though, maybe it was the
wrong time of year, December. Just cannot sit by the tracks in -10
degrees, regardless of what great train is coming by. Just can't really
appreciate it then. Probably I should go back in the summer to get a
second opinion of the place. Though, I still don't think that there will
be much variety in the action there.
Richard A. Likins
in Oakland, CA
John Gist
Brent Frerck <bfr...@psyberlink.net> wrote:
>Brent
Yes Brent - what about TX, OK & AR? Tell us where the good places
are. Curtis Hill in OK is one I know of. I'm sure there are many
others.
John Gist
jeff...@aol.com
According to a friend of mine who was just there, I quote regarding CSXT
Gentilly yard, "Let me reccommend to any of you, that if you're in the New
Orleans area, do NOT go to this yard. Although its BIG and it has a LOT
of interesting trains, lets just say it is NOT in a good neighborhood, and
I feel somewhat lucky to be able to tell this story. Although it was a
nice yard, it didn't have all that much action when we were there."
Forwarded by Jeff
Who would say that Susquehanna, PA was one of the good places if the D&H
Penn Division still existed. :^(
Grant Ringel
Curtis Hill, really anywhere between Woodward and Waynoka, is very
interesting. Generally a lot of Santa Fe mainline action and the
landscape is interesting.
Perry. The Santa Fe and BN cross there with a lot more action since the
merger. They now move Santa Fe's trains to Enid through Perry on the BN
instead of the Santa Fe branch from Guthrie, which washed out.
Enid. Lots of railroading for a small town. BN, SF, UP and Farmrail.
Great little railroad museum.
Wagoner. Two UP mains cross there. Lots of coal and big UP power.
Durant. UP and BN use the same bridge to cross the Red River.
I have less experience in Arkansas, but Fort Smith is a great place to
start. UP, KCS, Missouri and Arkansas and Ft. Smith Railroad in addition
to beautiful scenery.
Grant Ringel
Christopher Kevin Balducci
jeff...@aol.com wrote:
: According to a friend of mine who was just there, I quote regarding CSXT
I know N.O. fairly well and I can assure you there are few good
neighborhoods anyone down there! I hope the Superbowl fans there will be
safe.
How about East St. Louis as one of the worst places to railfan.
Dangerous neighborhoods and pistol-packing rr workers.
Steve Panza
On 24 Jan 1997 18:00:20 GMT, cbal...@whale.st.usm.edu (Christopher
Kevin Balducci) wrote:
> How about East St. Louis as one of the worst places to railfan.
>Dangerous neighborhoods and pistol-packing rr workers.
Or maybe Gary, IN? Lots of trains, but I would not venture from my car
in many of the neighborhoods. Another place that has good photo
possibilities, but very dangerous local populace is by old Mission
Tower in Los Angeles.
--
Steve Panza
ste...@holli.com
http://user.holli.com/~stevepxx/home.htm
"In all my travels, I have never been anyplace in more need of higher education such as this."
- John Purdue c1868 to his fellow citizens of West Lafayette, IN
Glen Smith
cbal...@whale.st.usm.edu (Christopher Kevin Balducci) wrote:
> Where are the best and worst places to railfan in North America in
>terms of accessibility, safety from criminal activity, and friendliness of
>workers? Of course, an area with no rail service is the absolute worst and
>doesn't count!;-)
> Chris Balducci
In my opinion:
The Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia is both the best and worst
place to railfan.
There is only one train per day each way over the 200 mile route. In
many cases, to get a good shot in good light you have to hike a few
hundred feet from the road. To get in position, you have to be ahead
of the train and by the time you get back to your car, it (the train)
is too far ahead to catch.
Unless you shoot from the road (and there are many good highway spots
to shoot from), you may have to settle for one or two shots per day.
At the same time, the hills and lakes of Cape Breton Island provide a
bautiful setting and the one shot hike is often well worth it.
The railroad people have to be the friendliest in the business and
yard and roster shots are easy to arrange.
You can park your car on the shoulder, leave the engine running and it
will still be there when you turn around.
Glen Smith
Port Morien, NS
Canada
WMFisher40
I've got to nominate my backyard as the worst place
to railfan. In the first place, there's no trains there.
In the second place, my wife will keep yelling at you
to come in and quit daydreaming about steam engines
that died forty years ago.
- Bill F.
John W. Waters
On 19 Jan 1997 23:53:06 GMT, cbal...@whale.st.usm.edu (Christopher
Kevin Balducci) wrote:
> Where are the best and worst places to railfan in North America in
>terms of accessibility, safety from criminal activity, and friendliness of
>workers? Of course, an area with no rail service is the absolute worst and
>doesn't count!;-)
>
My vote would be Pickering, Ajax, or Whitby GO (Government of Ontario
Transit) stations just east of Toronto, ON.
It's right on the CN Main with Commuter rail, VIA passenger, and
freight moving constantly. I would guess about 75-85 trains per day.
Best time is in the summer when it's warm.
Clay M. Gilliland
In article <5buc52$738$2...@thorn.cc.usm.edu>, cbal...@whale.st.usm.edu says...
>
> Where are the best and worst places to railfan in North America in
>terms of accessibility, safety from criminal activity, and friendliness of
>workers? Of course, an area with no rail service is the absolute worst and
>doesn't count!;-)
>
Add to a lot of other fine sites posted here, SP Mile post 867.8 on the Gila
Line, also known as Shawmut. The SP crews expect fans at this location and
always seem glad to se them.
The weather is a little hot in the summer,110+, but with plenty of wateand
shade it can be done. The Winter months are great.
Best of all the SP puts on a great show.
And on the weekends there are the Combat Railfans.....
Wormburner
check us out at
http://www.primenet.com/~claygill/
SteamLives
I would have to agree. I can hear the SP I-5 corridor from my spa, but it
sure isn't a good photo location. The only steam that is my backyard is
my Gauge 1 live steamer. And it is worshiped!!!
As my screen name says - STEAMLIVES!!!!!!!
James Bryant
To add to the thread, out west, Donner Summit. This is the mother road
of all western lines. The first transcon. With all the detours off the
Feather river route, a very busy line! Central Pacific's marks can be
found in many places along this line, multiplying the experience.
Jim Bryant
Nevada Rail Home Page
http://pages.prodigy.com/jbryant
SEAHAWK 15
From my adventures, I must list my top 10 of the best places to railfan,
they include:
1. Powder River Basin(Mass BNSF/UP coal trains!)
2. US 30 in Nebraska(Triple track with UP trains every 7 minutes)
3. Tehachipi (BNSF/UP/SP trains and they do not hassle as much as Cajon
Pass)
4. Fraser/Thompson River, CA (CN on one side,CP on another)
5. Columbia Gorge (BNSF on WA side, UP on OR side)
6. Marias Pass (Scenery and BNSF makes it good!)
7. Nebraska US 2 (BNSF coal trains)
8. Blue Mountains (UP's famed bottleneck)
9. Needles Sub (Warbonnets aplenty!)
10. Stevens Pass (Maybe not too many trains, but scenery and my favorite
watering hole worth it!)
Worst Place for me so far is the Feather River Canyon, as especially now
access is not too hot due to the recent storms.
I'd love to hear of other places, so please list them.
John A. Peralez
Peter Gough
SEAHAWK 15 wrote:
>
> From my adventures, I must list my top 10 of the best places to railfan,
> they include:
>
>
> watering hole worth it!)
>
Peter Gough in NB, Canada
Phillips, III J.A.
Ex- Great Northern, Ex-Burlington Northern route between Everett,
Washington and Wenatchee, Washington across the Cascades Range.
Eight-mile long summit tunnel was longest in North America until CP
drove their new tunnel in western Canada a few years back. Completed
1893, New Cascade Tunnel completed 1929.
73s,
JP
--
|| N O R T H E R N P A C I F I C R A I L W A Y ||
Route of the Great Big Baked Potato
(Np)
///
______ ///
\\ \ ///
\\ \ ///
\\ \ ///
(o\\\\ ^^^^^///////////////)
\ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^7 \
( \ v / ( * ) 7/
\ ( O ) 7/
( / | \ 7/
__ -----___ ~_ ~~ __~ 9)
( xoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxooxox )
\_________________________7
Mark McAllister
In article <19970128033...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
seah...@aol.com (SEAHAWK 15) wrote:
> From my adventures, I must list my top 10 of the best places to railfan,
> they include:
>
(snipped at demand of quirky newsreader - "more old lines than new..")
>
> John A. Peralez
Pacific, Missouri, southwest of St. Louis. UP double-track paralleled by
a BN single-track main. Plenty of safe parking and they come by frequent
and fast.
Mark McAllister
Anthony P. Fabro
stu...@sed.uga.edu (School of Env. Design Student) wrote:
>In article <32E3AF...@execpc.com>, ra...@execpc.com wrote:
>Fostoria, Ohio is in my top 10, with 70-90 trains per day. CSX's Chicago
>to Willard line crosses its Toledo to Columbus line, with a wye connecting
>track on all 4 quadrents, and movements in all directions. NS's Bellevue
>to Ft. Wayne line crosses to the north and west,creating a fairly tight
>triangle. A safe small town of about 12,000, I think.
I would recommend Fostoria as well to those who are near the area. You
just can't beat the frequency of trains. Get there early in the
morning (7-8 a.m.) for a very impressive show. Three times I have had
8 trains in the 7:00 a.m. hour alone. The town is a little seedy where
the lines converge, but the station is a good hangout.
I would also recommend Marion, Ohio. Not quite as busy 40-60 trains,
but it has a little more variety with CR, CSX, and NS all crossing at
basically the same point. A train station at the junction provides a
beautiful area to watch trains and park. The only downside is that AC
Tower which used to control all movements is now closed and everything
is handled by the CR Columbus Line Dispatcher. Still a nice place to
go... and there's a model train layout in one of the freight houses
next to the station.
Tony N8RRB
fab...@osu.edu
Ian Gardner
John W. Waters (jwa...@ibm.bet) wrote:
: On 19 Jan 1997 23:53:06 GMT, cbal...@whale.st.usm.edu (Christopher
: Kevin Balducci) wrote:
: My vote would be Pickering, Ajax, or Whitby GO (Government of Ontario
: Transit) stations just east of Toronto, ON.
: It's right on the CN Main with Commuter rail, VIA passenger, and
: freight moving constantly. I would guess about 75-85 trains per day.
: Best time is in the summer when it's warm.
For scenery in the same vicinity, try the Rouge Hill GO station. Park
atmosphere, good long straight-away to the west and a good beach for
photography (or amusing family) and good light all day
--
Ian Gardner Toronto, Ontario Canada
"Be clamorous and leap all civil bounds
Rather than make unprofited return"
