Someone at the UP had some fun with chalk.
Technorati Tags: unionpacific, up, railroad, trains, humor
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From the monthly archives:
August 2006
For the railfan photographers out there I ran across a new Internet magazine for you to look at. It is called Railway Photography. As you read through it you’ll notice the content is distinctly European though, according to the editors notes, the goal is to expand outside the borders of the UK. The photographs presented are quite nice and it is fun to notice the differences between typical trains in the U.S.
Technorati Tags: railfan, railroad, photography, Railway Photography, trains, photos
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This is part two of a three-part series where I’m going to post several shots from my June 2005 trip to Alaska on a family vacation. These images were the basis for my show at GorgeRail 2006 titled “117 Miles of Beauty.”
I caught this work train sitting in western Anchorage
The Coastal Classic begins its journey towards Seward at Potter Marsh
The Coastal Classic along Turnagain Arm
The Coastal Classic arrives into Seward with two cruise domes on the rear of the train
The Coastal Classic is nearing Anchorage as it returns from its daily journey to Seward
The Glacier Discovery is leaving the city of Anchorage at Rabbit Creek
The Glacier Discovery skirts a hillside approaching Portage
The Glacier Discovery returns to Anchorage in the evening twilight
Technorati Tags: alaskarailroad, arr, railroad, trains, railfan, railfanning, ak, alaska
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As many west coast railfans know Union Pacific’s SP ‘heritage’ unit numbered UP 1996 made its maiden voyage to Portland this weekend. It arrived in Portland during daylight hours Saturday (8/26) and covienently rested south of Brooklyn yard all day at a location a railfan could sneak into and out of quickly without raising too much attention. According to those I talked with Saturday night, the sun moved around far enough that by 6 or 6:30pm there was a reasonable photo to be had. I chose not to go poaching instead electing to catch it another time (i.e. during my normal Sunday railfanning).
Sunday morning (8/27) it departed Albina for West Colton at 7:10am. Unfortunately my family responsibilities kept me close to home until 8:45am and by then it had reached Canby. Doing some quick math it was apparent that even if I ran down I-5 it would be a minimum of an hour and a half until I could get ahead of it and get a photo. So instead of burning a tank of $3.00/gal gas, I allowed UP 1996 to win this battle and settled on my regular tour of the Vancouver terminal.
After seeing several trains at Vancouver Center I started north when a garbage train started south from Felida. Leading the U-INBROO I captured a worn Santa Fe unit followed by a wonderful series of rent-a-wrecks (NREX 5467, NREX 7510, and FURX something). This lashup begs the question: Where does the power stop and the garbage train begin? As a side note, this is a fine time of the year to stand next to a passing loaded garbage train.
Technorati Tags: railfan, railroad, photography, BNSF, Vancouver, trains, UP, garbage
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My last experience redeeming Amtrak Guest Rewards points for travel was a bad one, with an agent who was hard to understand, couldn’t provide definitive answers, and didn’t seem to know much about train travel in general.
I’m happy to report that today I had a much better experience… in fact, I doubt it could have been any smoother. Next month I’ll be taking a railfan trip to Colorado and Wyoming, and I’ll be getting there via Amtrak to Denver. I wanted to redeem Guest Reward points for a roomette from Vancouver, WA to Sacramento on #11, followed by a roomette on #6 east to Denver.
I called the 800-number and after “Jackie” confirmed my rewards number and phone, she asked if I would be booking sleeper travel. I said yes, and she brought another agent, “Mike” onto the line. Mike handled the reservation and it was perfect. He was able to book me on the exact trip I wanted. He even noted that the system had booked me into lower-level rooms and asked if I would prefer upper level. He then read to me the list of all available rooms/cars on those trains and asked exactly which one I wanted.
Mike confirmed the train numbers, arrival/departure times, and all other pertinent information. He asked if I’d like to have the tickets mailed or pick them up at a station. He confirmed my e-mail address and sent a reservation confirmation via e-mail.
My experience with Mike today was exactly how every Amtrak customer service experience should be.
Technorati Tags: amtrak, guestrewards, amtrakguestrewards, trains, travel, transportation, customerservice
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