Planning Trips, Part 4, An Actual Planning Sessions

I was looking through old pictures and video about my visits to Cass Scenic Railroad, in WVA. I decided to plan a trip (by car) to Cass. My first step is to go to Google Maps and layout the first leg of the trip, obviously Home to Cass:



The layout of this trip, gives various intermediate destinations: train watching in Roanoke, VA, Lynchburg, VA (my parents home town and mother's grave). But first, let us add another destination. It would be hard to come this far north and this far west with out going by the other great Mecca of railfans: Horseshoe Curve and Altoona. So let's add that, shall we?



Altoona has a lot of railroad interest. going west we have horseshoe curve. We will add some interesting detail, later, but for now, one more destination and home. That would be Philadelphia. I had serveral ideas for that destination, and than home.



Next: add details and other stops.

Planning Trips, Part 3, choosing destinations. Complications

Trips are more or less complicated and a combination of railfan sites and normal tourist sites. Miami is another Florida destination has its on complications. My first plan for Miami, included down and back, touring public transit which includes airport monorail and people movers. Included in this is commuter rail. The first complications requiring to re plan, was Brightline. My first plan did not include Brightline as it was in planning and being built. Finally the first phase opened, between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. This warranted the trip to watch and/ or ride. Finally, a new complication with the service to Miami. Brightline announced service to Miami, itself.

Planning Trips, Part 3, choosing destinations.

Choosing destinations can be complicated or can be simple. One way to visualize this destination question is like a dog bone. Our trip has a long shaft, our route to our destination, with a number of attractions at the destinations, like the bulb at the end of a dog bone.  Consider a trip to Florida from Cary, NC. First, we have a limit of trains, to the one, the Silver Star. It does go to Tampa before heading for Miami. I was examining Tampa as a destination, there are limits on train watching. There is an airport monorail, which would make it worthwhile, only if driving through or past. I did that a few years ago, so no use doing it again. Instead, I looked at Orlando and Jacksonville as good destinations. Orlando has SunRail Commuter rail that might be interesting and Jacksonville has a monorail public transit.

Choices need to be made! Looking at the schedules, it looked good to take the Star to Orlando, watch the SunRail and take the Meteor northbound to Jacksonville and the Star Northbound back to Cary, NC. Day 1 would be boarding the Star at 9:23 pm and arrive in Orlando at 10:06, day 2. Watching SunRail and whatever til 1:35 pm, when I board the Silver Meteor, Arriving in Jacksonville at 4:47 pm. In Jacksonville, after watching the monorail, at 11:03 pm, I board the Silver Star for Cary, NC with arrival 8:08 am on day 3. I would not even need to take an extra day off. Here, we have two destination in one trip, as well. Orlando and Jacksonville become that large bulb at one end of the bone. Some trips might have a bulb at each in with a central shaft, sort of a "T" bone. Another, would be two bones together. In addition to an ultimate destination, we set intermediate destination, perhaps alternative transfer points. 

Planning Trips, Part 2, choosing route

I will recap planning. There are two ways to determine trip. The first is final destination. This destination is chosen because of what you will see there, for one thing. The second thing, is how you get there. The second factor in planning is route. How do you go. This may be determine by how you get there as well as intermediate destinations.

In choosing a trip to Boston, MA it began as a major destination. In that destination, there were many sub-destinations: trains to watch and other sites to see. Amtrak will route the trip with a transfer in Washington, DC. From Cary, NC, we have two trains, the Carolinian and the Silver Star. Both, only go as far as New York. We have to transfer to the Northeast Regional. The Northeast Regional, that we will transfer to, originates in Newport News, Virginia. If we take the Star, we can transfer in Richmond, VA and Alexandria, VA in addition to Washington, DC. The Carolinian adds Fredericksburg, VA.

The major problem with Washington is that it is very late. Departure from DC is around 10:00p. By the time you settle for the long trip it is an hour later. Alexandria, is almost 1:15 earlier. South of Washington, the train is pulled by diesel engines and north is electric. In DC the switch engines, resupply the commissary, change crews, and add or subtract cars. This takes 30 or so minutes, normally. So to board in Alexandria, you board earlier, and by the time the trains leaves DC, you are well settled. The drawback is that the station closes about an hour before the train arrives, meaning you will be sitting outside on the platform, until train arrives.

Fredericksburg, VA is much earlier. We have Commuter rail that comes into Fredericksburg, Amtrak, and CSX. If at the wrong time of the year, and the Carolinian is much late, it is after dark or limited in the time of daylight, making watching, more difficult. There is not alternative destinations, in walking distance, in the area. To make matters worse, there is no indoor waiting area.

As we see we need to choose route, including transfer point. Occasionally we can make weird routes and make one out and a different one back. In a planned trip to Chicago from Cary, We make the transfer and take the train to Boston, as mentioned above. We take the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago. Return would be via West Virginia on the Cardinal, Here, I would stay the night in Manassas, as there is good and less expensive lodging close to the train and a scenic route, I would take Commuter Rail into Washington or Alexandria, to take the train home.