The Orient Express is alive and well, or will be ...

[dogtag]

Loved trains as a kid - when they were steam. Used to go to the
end of the platforms at the various Terminals in London.
All the shunting was going on getting engines ready to leave.
Place was covered in steam, engine drivers would wave to
the kids who were busily entering engine numbers in their
train spotter books. I still like trains, even built a model railroad,
but diesels lack the charm of the old steamers. Travelled many
miles on them and loved the dining cars and the sleeping cars.
There's nothing can beat sleeping on a train, the rocking motion
and the sound of the rails clicking sends you to sleep fast.
I can only imagine what it would be like travelling on the Orient
Express as the cost would be way beyond my meagre funds.
But I can look at the pictures and imagine.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/t...aris-2024.html

[Allen]

All we have in my area is Amtrak. Runs into every thing, derails and goes 3x the speed limit.

[dogtag]

Took Amtrac back in mid 70s - it was a trip to Disney Land in Anaheim.
Left from Oakland. Trip took 12 hours. Train went about 30 mph.
Probably due to lousy track. The only good part was the dining car.

[blackhawknj]

Here in J we have NJ Transit, plenty of local excursions, day trips. There's the Port Jervis line on the tracks of the Erie Railroad. Above Harriman, New York you ride on the Moodna Viaduct, longest rail viaduct east of the Mississippi. Built 1907-1909, still going strong.

[Allen]

Took Amtrac back in mid 70s - it was a trip to Disney Land in Anaheim.
Left from Oakland. Trip took 12 hours. Train went about 30 mph.
Probably due to lousy track. The only good part was the dining car.

Amtrak going 30mph? Probably driving across NO track.

[dryheat]

Don't we all have some affection for trains? I grew up a couple a hundred yards from the train track. I never jumped on a train or off, but I looked it over some. Turn me in if you want to but I put a coin (probabaly silver) on the tracks. It got squeshed. Got yelled at by the guy running that little steam powered or foot powered cart they ran down the tracks when I put a coin on the rail in front of them. That's why I'm not a professional criminal. The driver got of the cart and kicked the coin off and told us the story of the train that jumped the rails a while back. I rembered the story but never connected it to any fault of the kids in the vicinity. But there was coal to be picked up, and that's what kept us warm in the house when we moved the pot belly stove in after the flood.

[Art]

When I was a child mid 1950s there were still a few steam locomotives running but the conversion to diesel-electric was well under way. For a while we lived in a house that had a railroad track in front. I remember two things clearly about that time...the trains, especially the steam locomotive pulled ones, and falling off a fence in front of that place, doing a face plant and breaking my nose. Traumatic for a 7 year old.

Speaking of speeding. Most of the great train wrecks in the late 19th and early 20th century were due to excessive speed, the penalties to engineers being greater for being late than for safety violations. The "Old 97" may not have actually been going 90 miles an hour when it left the track but it was probably doing better than 70 and Casey Jones was going over 70 (he was almost on time after having started out very late) when he rear ended that passenger train.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNo0cGi1xZU

Steve Broadie the engineer on the Old 97 "Fast Mail" started an hour behind schedule on what should have been a 4 hour run at 40 miles an hour. To make up the time he'd had have to have averaged over 50. Contrary to the famous song, there was no evidence of brake problems on the train.

[dogtag]

Lived in the Mojave desert for a while early sixties. Used to drive (59 AH Sprite) to
Lancaster, to work. RR track crossed the route and if I saw a train coming I'd
race to get over the crossing before it did. (no crossing gates). If I didn't make it
I'd sit and count the cars. Two big diesels up front and one in back. Took quite
a while to go past as it was fairly slow. Train stretched as far as I could see. Can't
remember the count now - too long ago - but it was way, way over a hundred,
probably close to two.

[Vern Humphrey]

Train cars have dates on them. Guess which kind of car will always be the oldest in any train?

[rayg]

RE: dogtag and his 59 sprite he mention above..

I Loved my little 1960 AH bugeye sprite and especially the sound that little engine made!

[dogtag]

RE: dogtag and his 59 sprite he mention above..

I Loved my little 1960 AH bugeye sprite and especially the sound that little engine made!

Wish I'd never sold mine. Same goes for my 67 Alpha.
Never cared much for my MG TF. Can't keep everything.

[barretcreek]

What was the Alfa? Duetto?