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General discussion about the RAILROAD.NET site, forums, or content ONLY. Please do not post your general railroading questions, please choose an appropriate forum. For help using the site, please post in the Help Using RAILROAD.NET Forum.

Moderator: Jeff Smith

 #567473  by Otto Vondrak
 
Well, we did it once in 2006... http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=117&t=26759

Image

RAILROAD.NET member Chris Stilson (stilson4283) is going to be driving across the country from Lancaster, California to Lancaster, New York (okay, actually, just short of there, he'll be in Buffalo). Chris will be driving across the country in search of trains and adventure. He's leaving California on Friday morning, August 15. If you see him out and about, make sure you stop and say hello.

Planned itinerary:

Lancaster, California to Grand Junction, Colorado

Grand Junction to Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines to Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown to Buffalo, New York (expected arrival on Monday, August 18)


We'll keep you posted as often as we can... stay tuned!

=otto=
 #567561  by Otto Vondrak
 
Here is a map of Chris' projected route...

Discuss Chris' trip here... http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=141&t=54071

We'll keep posting updates as we get them...

-otto-
 #567645  by Otto Vondrak
 
Friday, August 15, 8:45am PST - BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA

Chris Stilson says: "I'm at the station in Barstow, and they have a train museum here. I'm taking pictures of Santa Fe 95 and they also have a center-cab switcher and some other pieces of MOW equipment. Also a GP40-2, some random cabeese, it's pretty cool."

NEXT: Chris is headed to Las Vegas, to the crew change point on the UP.
 #567708  by Otto Vondrak
 
Image

11:00 AM - LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

Chris says: "Made it to Vegas to the UP crew change point... got a picture of the tower with the giant UP logo on it... but there's nothing else going on. I'm going to go see if I can catch a train passing by the old steel water tower at the edge of town."
 #567734  by Otto Vondrak
 
12:00 noon

Chris: "I think I figured something out... Union Pacific doesn't work on Fridays! Hung around Vegas for a while, didn't hear anything on the radio, didn't see anything coming, so I took off. Caught some dedicated switching power (including an ex-SP unit) sitting at a nearby gravel quarry... haven't seen anything since. I'm continuing on my way, headed for the Rockies! Maybe the railfan gods will favor me with some ex-Rio Grande power!"

NEXT STOP: Grand Junction, Colorado

Discuss Chris' trip here... http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=141&t=54071
 #567930  by Otto Vondrak
 
7:30pm PST

Chris says: "I just got into Grand Junction. Saw a UP coal train heading the other way as I got into town! I'm going to get up at sunrise, try to get some shots around the station before I head off."

NEXT STOP: Denver, Colorado and Caboose Hobbies, and Des Moines by Saturday night!

Discuss Chris' trip here... http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=141&t=54071
 #568075  by Otto Vondrak
 
9:45 CST Chris says: "Got some nice morning shots at Grand Junction... ex-Santa Fe four-axle geep and a BN caboose switching in the yard, and a BNSF widecab was lurking about as well. Turns out the old Grand Junction station is for sale, in case anyone is interested! Found out that Union Pacific does run on Saturday! Started heading east, caught a BNSF unit doing some switching in Parachute, Colorado. Looks like a branch or shortline connects at a small yard nearby. They were using CSX power with the BNSF power, so I felt right at home!"

NEXT STOP: Denver, Colorado. (The weather is clouding up, I may not stay long)
 #568513  by Otto Vondrak
 
SUNDAY, AUGUST 17, 2008

"Got out of Omaha at 6:00am this morning, so I didnt make it over to the park to shoot Big Boy and the DD40X Centennial... the park doesn't open until sunrise! But I had a 13-hour drive ahead of me to make it to Youngstown, Ohio. I didn't stop until some random town in Nebraska where I saw an Amtrak station, pulled off (because I wanted to get food), took some shots of the state, but of course, there were no trains. I did see a BN caboose on display though, but no trains. Double track BNSF mainline, why would there be trains on it? Oh well. Drove all the way to Joliet, Illinois! So I got to Joliet, hoping to catch one of the Metra trains, but they were delayed a half-hour, and I couldn't wait. I just kept driving across I-80, got into Youngstown around 10:00pm EST."

NEXT STOP: BUFFALO, NEW YORK
 #569062  by Otto Vondrak
 
Chris arrived safely in Buffalo on Sunday night, and will be spending the week out here before returning to California this weekend. I guess this trip wasn't as eventful as in years past, but I'm sure it won't be the last!

-otto-