More on Boston

One of the interesting things about where we live, is that we have more fondness for a place after we leave, than when we lived there. Sometimes our problem with the place we live is more a way of allowing ourselves to move from there. It also may be that in absence, we forget the bad and only remember the good. Occasionally, it is the opposite. I can say that I have more fondness for Boston, now than when I lived in the area. It was more than 35 years ago since I left and I had a girlfriend here that I was going to. And than there is the great changes that have taken place, What was a bad neighborhood is now the place to live and those good places are now not so fashionable.

I became more fond of Boston in recent years. I love to take those one day trips, taking the overnight train in and out. My first time back after I left in 1983, was 2010. I flew to Boston Logan airport and took public transit for the days I was there. I did rent a car for the day for a trip up to the North Shore, where I lived, when I lived there. I even drove by the building that I lived in and got pictures. I never took picture of it, when I lived there.

I need to interject something at this point. I have tried to remember when, but could never get the timeline right, in my thoughts, on many occasions. I finally created a timeline of when I did what. going back to the beginning. Of course, I call it timeline. I have been referring to this as I type. I was looking at pictures of Boston, as I plan and just could not remember when. Now with the timeline, I know. 2010 was a week to Boston, flying from Richmond, VA. 2012 my first overnight. 2014 an across New England trip, similar to my 1978 trip. On both occasions I planned to drive through, not stay, in Boston. On that 1978 trip I pulled off the expressway, without planning it and to review the map (before GPS and Google Maps), next to South Station. I was coming through the west side and continuing south to Plymouth.

My December overnight without train watching but this upcoming will be mostly trains. My 2014 included trains and spent most on the north shore.

I began thinking about this trip as I was looking to my next Richmond trip. I had thought about taking it over the 4th of July. It would be in Richmond for the 4th, going to Boston before or after. I did give some thought about being in Boston for the 4th, That would not work out unless I spent the night in Boston. the overnight leaves too early for the concert along the Charles River. When I lived there, I did go to the Boston Pops concert for the 4th. Richmond has their concert in Dogwood Dell, which I went to last year. Cary, NC has their outdoor 4th concert, as well. I decided to stay home. Maybe next year I might go to Richmond or Boston for the 4th. When I lived in Richmond, I went to the Dell for their concert, every year except the first year.

So the plan is like this: Richmond, VA and spend the night. I might do some research in the State Archives, on my ancestors. I will spend some time visiting with friends. I will take the overnight train from Main Street Station, Richmond, VA to Boston, MA. I will stay for the day and take the overnight back. I chose Main Street because of its nature. When I love in Williamsburg, VA, Amtrak ran what was named the Colonial. They now run NE Regional on two of its schedules. When I took the Colonial, it Passed by Main Street Station, as the train made its way trough the interchange with the SAL. The old train shed was in shambles but still with the tracks in but the building was in deplorable shape. However, they did keep the clock running in the clock tower.

Some years ago, they renovated the building and began to stop trains there. They turned the train shed into a mall for a couple of years and from what I see there is more renovations on the shed being done. The old building looked good the last time I went there, although the shed was not renovated, at that time, or I could not go in there. It should be a good place to start my trip and a good place to end it.

Boston Redo

I spent some time on planning that vacation, but I decided to put if off for a more compact trip. When I moved near to Hamlet, NC, I did a check through Amtrak, on line, to see how I might go to Boston, MA. It recommended The Silver Star to Washington, DC and transferring to the Northeast Regional to Boston. Leaving DC around 10pm, after a 6 hour layover and arriving in Boston the next morning. I tried this trip and I watched the MBTA commuter rail, at North Station and went to Ashmont and watched the Mattapan High Speed line. And there was the subway, including the green line trolley, the red line, and the blue at the airport where the went between overhead and third rail. The Boston portion was put together to be easy and planned quickly. I redid the prospectus, since that trip. The December trip, focused on a different transfer location. In Boston, I looked at other things, such as the old Sears Building, the Tea Party Ship, and the Harbor, just south of South Station. It was not the more detailed version, with no train watching.

The Northeast Regional which goes to Boston, overnight, originates in Newport News, VA and goes through Richmond, where it stops not only at Staple Mill Station but also at Main Street Station. I love Main Street Station. The old Colonial that went from Newport News to Boston, went past Main Street Station, but that was a long time before it was renovated and reopened as an active station. I wanted to take the train from that station so now my Boston trip would include a trip from Richmond to Boston, beginning at Main Street Station through the old interchange to Staples Mill Station. From there on to Boston. This trip has on major advantage to allow boarding around 6:30. Boarding from Staples Mill would be 30 minutes later.

I have friends in Richmond as well as living there for a number of years with a long stay in Williamsburg, VA. I would go to Richmond for shopping for Model Railroad supplies and Folk Dancing. I go back several times a year. So a trip to Richmond for visiting the city with a side trip to Boston, would be nice. I love genealogy with most of my family coming trhough Virginia so an added trip to the State Archives would be nice. In fact, I could spend the afternoon at the Library and archives, go to Main Street Station after the Library closed, and take the train to Boston.

The next question is how do I do it. Do I spend time before or after the trip to Boston or do I take a day or two on each side of the trip.

Planning Trips, Part 4, An Actual Planning Sessions, Padding

I had several versions of a Philadelphia stop. Now that I have a circuit, I bit of enhancement will be natural. One thing I came accross was the Delaware River Railroad Excursions, Phillipsburg, NJ which would be a small digression from the circuit. A nice addition. Years ago I visited a old preserved railroad, Strasburg Rail Road, PA. This would be good addition, since it has been more that 30 years since my last visit, Across the road is an nice railroad museum, as well. All this is set in Amish Country. I am not big of watching Amish. They are a people not a museum, so it is invasion of privacy to gawk. It is ok to buy from them, however. So this is the revised trip:

I still need to work out the details of both destinations. Back to Cass, The Cass Website links you to operations that we can be involved with. Not only at Cass, but also in in Elkins and Durbin,  we have more roailroad stuff. I still need to research it further. It may be that several days may be needed, between these three sites.

Horseshoe Curve near Altoona, is an objective on a trip and this trip sounds good. I could go to Altoona for lodging and than to the curve, or visa versa. Altoona would be a good for a bit of time, it has a railroad museum. Besides visiting Horseshoe curve, I would love to take the train through the curve. There is a daylight train, the Pennsylvanian that goes through the curve, So a trip between Altoona and Johnstown, PA, would lead you through the curve and it is a daylight train. (my first experience in the curve came on the, now extinct Broadway Lmt. between Philadelphia and Chicago. However, it was scheduled to go through the curve during the night. When I woke the next morning, I was talking to the car attendant and told him that I was sorry I could not see the curve during the daylight. He said that we were many hours late and had not gone through the curve, as yet. He even allowed me to go to the  old dutch doors at the end of the car, which he opened and let me, look out as we went through the curve).

My first thought would be to take the Pennsylvanian west bound out of Altoona, spend time in Johnstown, and return on the eastbound, again going through the curve. Timing is the real kicker. If I were to want to do any siteseeing in Johnston, there would be very little daylight to take advantage of it. So, let's look at sites to see, around Johnston with Google Maps.

I had placed an another train trip on the trip to Philadelphia. From Philadelphia I leave for home. Than something was remembered. In my New England Trip, 40 years ago, I had stopped by Strasbourg Railroad. I should add that to this trip. Now for the homeward bound. I could come down the Eastern Shore of Virginia, through the Bay Bridge Tunnel, and home that way.

I could add more and more details to this trip but I have not laid out a possible time frame. When I lay out the trip, I use Google Maps. Inserting origin and destination, it will calculate several routes and give an estimate of time traveled. It will even give optional public transit. This will give a better understanding of time frame, and appropriate adjustments will be made. (Be careful, however. I was use to a certain trip but decided to use Maps to see how Maps would do it. I laid in two familiar points and than followed their itinerary. I followed it and at one point it took me down a ugly dirt road. Than it had me cross the railroad tracks but not at a RR Crossing. I scratched my head at this until I notices that I was not looking at driving but walking, in the instructions. What I was seeing as hours, was actually days of walking. In other words, if you set the mode of transit wrong, sometimes you can't get there from here.)

So to sum up: we lay out a general route, of certain key points. We expand that to include details and sites we might as well visit. Get a general day by day travel guide. As to this trip, I am still working it out. Time frame indicated that I might need to do it in twos or take more time than I should. I will work it out.