I-10 - Tallahassee to Houston

[atsf sp]

I'm just wondering for the future but does route 10 from Tallahasee to Houston ever run near the tracks? Is there any parts that they run side by side?

[Champlain Division]

Generally, we refer to this highway as Interstate 10 or I-10; not "Route" 10.

Several different railroads parallel the road, but they run right next to U.S. & State highways which also parallel the Interstate. You'll get glimpses here and there, but my memory of having traveled I-10 over the years doesn't produce many images of many "pacing" miles right up next to the railroad.

[atsf sp]

Are the majority of lines CSX?

[Champlain Division]

No. Beyond New Orleans it's a mix of BNSF, KCS and UP.

[Rockingham Racer]

US 90 is a better option for following railroads, I think.

[atsf sp]

What would be the driving time differences by taking 90 rather than 10?

[Champlain Division]

On two lane, or even improved four lane, U.S. Highways you can generally double the time it would take via Interstate. That's because you have to speed up and slow down for every little town. Then there's the roadside attractions, restaurants, railfanning, going off the main highway to find the railroad when you can't see it, etc.

I call utilizing these surface roads "taking the Scenic Route."

[atsf sp]

It will all depends on my time constraints and where I stay. Right now it looks like 10 but I will keep 90 in my head.

[Rockingham Racer]

On two lane, or even improved four lane, U.S. Highways you can generally double the time it would take via Interstate. That's because you have to speed up and slow down for every little town. Then there's the roadside attractions, restaurants, railfanning, going off the main highway to find the railroad when you can't see it, etc.

I call utilizing these surface roads "taking the Scenic Route."

You apparently haven't driven out West very much. It's not unusual to have speed limits of 65 and 70 MPH on two=lane roads. US 90 in Western Texas gets up to 75 MPH, in fact. Once you're away from the bigger cities, you can "make time" on a US route just as well as on an interstate.

[Otto Vondrak]

I'm just wondering for the future but does route 10 from Tallahasee to Houston ever run near the tracks? Is there any parts that they run side by side?

http://maps.google.com might be a good place to start.

[Champlain Division]

You apparently haven't driven out West very much. It's not unusual to have speed limits of 65 and 70 MPH on two=lane roads. US 90 in Western Texas gets up to 75 MPH, in fact. Once you're away from the bigger cities, you can "make time" on a US route just as well as on an interstate.

Well, I wouldn't call Western Texas the area we're talking about here. (Draw a line from Brownsville through San Antonio, Abilene and Amarillo - - that roughly bisects the state. The eastern portion is much more populated with little towns and Houston is in Eastern Texas.) I've driven out west in the area you're talking about, but once again, that's not what the subject is about. When paralleling the railroads closely from Tallahassee to Houston a person will run into exactly what I was talking about. And I quote:

On two lane, or even improved four lane, U.S. Highways you can generally double the time it would take via Interstate. That's because you have to......slow down for every little town. Then there's the roadside attractions, restaurants, railfanning, going off the main highway to find the railroad when you can't see it, (add depot/railroad museums) etc. I call utilizing these surface roads "Taking the Scenic Route."

If I were the topic poster I would block out an entire day from dawn to dusk to run this route and enjoy it to its utmost. I would probably not make it to Houston until well after sunset. I would just tell anyone waiting for me there not to expect me before 10:00 pm local time. Especially in late june when the days are longest.