These are the blogs of a man going where others have gone before. Trains are watched, cities photographed, and the past bravely explored as much as the future. Day trips, overnighters, vacations, and family visits are all opportunities for everything from trains to cityscapes to landscapes to ..... Other railroad videos and slideshows are on my YouTube Channel at gcm100x. If you would like to contribute to this blog, do so at http://paypal.me/Gregory643.
I took a daytrip to the train station in Raleigh, NC The older "Southern RR" train station is being torn down.
A new station is now open and my excursion was to see this new station. This new station is really a remodeled factory or warehouse that the city remodeled. They kept features of the old warehouse in they left the old cranes in the ceiling. This is going to be more that a train station. It will be a transportation center, for buses as well as trains. There has been talk of commuter rail and light rail in the region, but that may be years away.
As I said in an earlier post, I have interest and non-interest in certain things on vacation or excursions. I am not a beach, amusement park, or recreation person. I may look at and may photograph a ski area but you will never catch me skiing, intentionally. I like the ocean view but not swimming in the ocean. I will go by and enjoy a visit to a restore village, or an old house that has been preserved. I might even visit a historic site. So, in looking at Boston, a visit to the bay is to see the bay not to use the bay for recreation. OK I love the beach to people watch (girl watch). I go to the state fair, not to ride rides but to look at the exhibits and animals. I do like to watch the people riding rides and playing the concessions.
One thing I concluded was that both of my train watching sites were not so good. I selected another on the Lowel Line, that had a low platform and nice view of the train (I think) West Medford. As I looked at it on the map I came across a historic site, not far: Royall House and Slave Quarters. I put in my idea list and could visit it, on a future day-trip or extended time away. I than looked up other historic and interesting places to visit on a future trip. I may or may not visit them.
I took out some previously outline excursions and might take one of them. I did make some alterations to them and look at alternative versions. I like to go to Florida, Miami, Orlando, and Jacksonville. Another good excursion starts with a overnight to Chicago and than to Memphis, to see a suspended monorail. There are others, that I have done, each with variations.
The train loaded in Boston and home I go. I actually got some sleep, on the train. 10:30 the next morning I arrive in Richmond, Main Street. So as the train departs, . . .
I reflect on how it could be better while omitting the shortfalls and I begin looking at future trips.
One thing that I do not always have control is the nature of platforms. At 128, there were two platforms, one northbound and the other southbound. They were high platform. When I take and look at pictures and video I want to see the full train, top to bottom. A high platform will hide the wheels sets/ This arrangement can overlook this problem with videoing accross the track. It means being at the end of the platform on the side where the train will load. You video that train before it get to the platform while the other direction is not obscured by the platform. When I looked Anderson, It had the disadvantage of having high platforms, central of the two lines. I do not like to use these as watch sites. It seemed from the research that the parking lot was an alternative, however my research was wrong. Another drawback at Anderson was that I could not go all the way to the end of the platform, in one of the directions. I had done some research on Winchester and it would have been better, if my research was correct. I prefer low platforms.
One note at this point, this was mostly a train watching trip. As I look at other trips have varying degrees of train and sight watching. As I plan ahead, there are things that I like and things that I don't. I am not into amusement parks. I love the high view as in cityscapes and landscapes. I do love architecture, but I do not duplicate my pics, of styles, too often.
As I planned this excursion, I wanted on south side watching location. Amtrak stops at 128, so this station had a good advantage. The alternatives were to go into South Station or Back Bay and took a local commuter to another station. The arrangement of platforms overcame (if set up was right) the high platform problem. I wanted a northside watching location, as well. I chose the Lowell Line because it had the Downeaster. I did look at other sites on the line. However, I change lines when I thoughts the trains on that line were not running. I had looked at Lynn, MA. It was a place I lived, way back then. It was high and central platform. Only one other stop, outbound and before the lines split. It had a low platform. The schedule was not ideal, but I could make it work. But I chose the alternative. Maybe next time, I will use better.
From Cedar Grove I made my way to the Airport Station to see the Blue Line. I normally would not bother with the Blue Line. However, the Blue Line is duel power. That is, while underground, it is third rail, which is interesting but not something that I would video. Once it surfaces, the blue line is a trolley or overhead electric. It is at The Airport station that the pantographs go up going outbound and come down inbound.
After Airport Station, I make my way to North Station. You may remember that I had planned to take commuter rail out the Lowell Line and watch at Anderson. Also, than in looking at the schedule last week, I learned that trains were being substituted by buses along the line due to track work. I than chose to go out another line to photograph and video North Station Trains.
I arrived at North Station and found out that I misread the schedule. The Lowell Line trains were running and was only substituted by buses, on weekends. I think that when I checked the schedule last week it was on a weekend, so no trains then. I now had the decision to either change my itinerary back to Lowell or take my substitute. I chose to take the Lowell Line. At Anderson I spent a long afternoon watching seven trains, one which was Amtrak Downeaster.
After these three hours of railfanning, I made my way back to North Station and out past Copley Square to Northeastern University Station on the Green Line. This is the first above ground station on this branch of the Green Line. When I first visited Boston, the Green lines major cars were the old PCC Electric Streetcar. Some people call the Green Line the Green Line Trolley. When I worked their the alternated the PCC with the LRV, a newer light rail vehicle. There are several generations of LRV's on the Green Line and the old PCC cars were move to Mattapan Line which I saw first.
This ended my day of Train watching and now I made my way to South Station. I arrived with enough time to explore.
Time to board is at hand and on my way I go. I was thinking what is better: bus, train, or plane. It depends, really, on how much time you want to use to get there. A bus trip, across country is a bit much, as far as I am concerned. A few hour trip is fine. Buses are good for medium to short trips. Trains are good for more and longer trips. If you have time, a coast to coast might be nice but for travel overnight or within a day, a train is comfortable and allows to see the landscape going by. Trains allow for more movement. Train walking is a time honored exercise. There is always the cafe car to visit for a drink and food.
My trip began at 6:30 in the evening and I would arrive in Boston on the next morning around 7:30. I decided to get off at Route 128 and spend a couple of hours train watching. One my way I spent some time in the cafe.
Upon arrival I began to film. In two hours I videoed 13 trains, including 11 MBTA Commuter Trains, one Amtrak Northeast Regional, and one Amtrak Acela Express.
Now I take the commuter rail into South Station to get the Red Line to Ashmont. Where I board the Mattapan Trolley
I take the trolley to Ceder Grove to watch for an half hour or so:
I arrived at Main Street Station with time to explore. Entering the imposing facade up the steps. Main Street Station has always, as far as I remember, been a landmark on the Richmond Landscape.
