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Location: [Home] [Eric] Rail Travelogues

I've become something of a rail enthusiast. It actually began with a visit to the National Toy Train Museum and the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum in Strasburg, PA, in 1996. I got very excited about model railroading, and began making plans--which so far, I must admit, have moved no farther than concept, research, and the purchase of some HO locomotives so I can play every once in a while. 8-{)

The research, however, got me interested in trains at "twelve inches to the foot" scale. In addition, Rebekah's illness required a lot of travelling to Boston and back, most of which we drove. Then one day, toward the end of her treatment, we needed to switch from one parent to the other at the Harvard Cyclotron (where she had her radiation therapy). Rather than have both of us drive, we decided that I would take the train home. And I did.

I suddenly discovered that, though the travel time was slightly longer, it was relaxing, not stressful. I got myself a seat, opened up a book (purchased, in fact, at a South Station kiosk), and relaxed. I arrived home less, not more, tense than when I started.

Recent explorations of the Internet have also revealed to me the practice of train travelogues. So for those admittedly few who find this interesting, here are some of my stories. For those others, well, there are other things to read on the Internet.

Available Trip Reports

• Aboard the Acela Regional--Amtrak's Acela Regional--March 9, 2000
• An Emergency Trip from Burlington to Boston--Amtrak's Vermonter and Lake Shore Limited--August 19-20, 1999
• A Vacation Trip Through the Adirondacks--Adirondack Scenic Railroad's Thendara Express--August 13, 1999
• Salmon and Sunshine--Amtrak's NortheastDirect/Minute Man--March 23, 1999
• Back to Boston Again--Amtrak's NortheastDirect/Fast Mail and NortheastDirect/Senator--March 18, 1999
• Long Day in Boston--Amtrak's NortheastDirect/Fast Mail and NortheastDirect/Evening Metropolitan--February 18, 1999
• A Day Trip to NYC--Metro-North's New Haven Line--February 12, 1999
• Working on the Railroad--Amtrak's NortheastDirect/Patriot--February 9, 1999
• There and Back Again, Fast!--Amtrak's NortheastDirect/Fast Mail and NortheastDirect/Patriot--February 4, 1999
• Another Indulgence--Amtrak's NortheastDirect/Minute Man--February 2, 1999
• Club Class along the Shoreline--Amtrak's NortheastDirect/Minute Man--January 12, 1999
• A Ride on the Candy Cane Express--Metro-North's Candy Cane Express special--December 6, 1998 (photos added 2/15/1999)
• A Weekend in Virginia--Amtrak's NortheastDirect, Cardinal, and Crescent--October 8-12, 1998 (photos added 11/12/1998)
• An Unexpected Train Trip to Boston--Amtrak's NortheastDirect/Twilight Shoreliner--September 22, 1998
• A Day Trip to New York City--Metro-North's New Haven Line and Waterbury Branch--August 26, 1998 (photos added 9/6/1998)
• Following Ducklings--Amtrak's NortheastDirect/Fast Mail and NortheastDirect/Twilight Shoreliner--August 13, 1998 (with photos; new photos added 9/6/1998)
• Home from the Adirondacks--Amtrak's Vermonter--July 29, 1998 (photos added 8/15/1998, consist correction 9/6/1998)
• One Day to Washington, DC and back--Amtrak's NortheastDirect/Twilight Shoreliner--July 9-11, 1998
• A Steam Trip along the Connecticut River--Valley Railroad's Deep River Express--July 8, 1998 (with photos)
• To Kansas City, Missouri and back--Amtrak's NortheastDirect, Lake Shore Limited and Southwest Chief--April 13-20, 1998
• To Erie, Pennsylvania and back--Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited--March 26-28, 1998
• To Needham, MA and back--Amtrak's NortheastDirect and Boston's MBTA--Sept. 8, 1997
• Down the Connecticut River--Amtrak's Vermonter--July 5, 1997

Please note: I have fallen behind on writing, and am slowly making up ground. In particular, I have an increasingly late report on a visit to Baltimore from April. There have also been several hospital-related trips on NortheastDirect, some of which may not make it to a travelogue--I'm running out of things to describe on the Shoreline Route--but I do plan to tell the story of a day trip to Providence. Please stand by!

This page has been visited times since July 25, 1998.

If you like these, check out Steve Grande's travelogues on TrainWeb!

Craig O'Connell's Friends of Amtrak site also has trip reports section well worth looking at.