User:Trainfan01
I have been a Wikipedia editor since April 2010. My typical hobbies are mainly various types of transportation and some Pixar films.
Below is a list of the things I like.
Railroading
[edit]As you can tell by the name of my account, I pay quite close attention to mainline train activity wherever I go. However, despite living in a city that is served by three freight services (BNSF, CP and CN) and three passenger services (Amtrak, Via Rail and Rocky Mountaineer), I rarely encounter any mainly because my daily business routines do not usually take place near any of the mainlines. As a result, I mostly encounter mainline freight or passenger rail services when I am outside of Vancouver. Below is a table listing all instances where I have come across any mainline freight or passenger rail activity to date (since 2000). Many of the instances were caught by chance and some were done in preparation (mainly the passenger services). The following listing though, is based on memory and may not be the exact number of train sightings I have actually had (there may have been lots more than what is listed) and the more recent sightings are more accurate. Sightings of freight/passenger services that are now defunct to this day (ex. BC Rail) are omitted and are not included on this list. Sightings of trains on lines that are specifically for tourist railroads are also not included on this list. Instances where there was only a passenger or freight car(s) that was just parked or an engine that was just parked seperate from any cars are omitted as this is a frequent sight I see alot of the time. Train numbers are based on chronology and are not the actual numbers of the engines/cars themselves (which I have not really paid attention to).
| Train number | Train type | Date of train sighting | Location of train sighting | Summary of train sighting | Notes on train units | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freight | 2000 | Seattle, WA | Visiting Seattle's Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. While still in the parking lot, I could hear a whistle nearby (the mainline crosses over the Salmon Bay Bridge right by the locks). Once reaching the locks, I could see the last quarter of a southbound freight (assumingly BNSF) crossing over the bridge | ||
| 2 | Passenger | 2000 | Seattle, WA | Not long after the freight (train 1) crossed over, then a southbound Amtrak Cascades train passed over the same bridge as well on its way into Seattle. | ||
| 3 | Freight | Summer 2001 | Pasco, WA | While at Pasco's Saturday Market, I heard a whistle in the distance (the mainline is located several blocks away to the east). A few minutes later, while driving across the Ed Hendler Bridge (which runs parallel to the nearby railroad bridge), I could see the end of the train, a westbound (southbound at this point) freight (assumingly BNSF) disappearing off the bridge. | ||
| 4 | Freight (multiples) | Summer 2001 | Ellensburg, WA | The Wendy's restaurant that sits along the main drag is right across from the tracks and BNSF freight trains sometimes were going past (both directions). | ||
| 5 | Freight | Summer 2001 | Seattle, WA | Visiting Seattle's Museum of Flight. The mainline is visible right on the other side of Boeing Field and at one point a southbound BNSF freight passed by. | ||
| 6 | Passenger | Summer 2001 | Seattle, WA | Riding on Seattle's (now defunct) Waterfront Streetcar. At one point the trolley paused at a stop along the northern portion where the mainline follows the waterfront and right then, a northbound Amtrak train sped past heading out of Seattle (unknown if it was Cascades or Empire Builder, can't remember the units). | ||
| 7 | Freight | July 30, 2002 | Biggs Junction, OR | Gassing up my car at a service station before heading south, an eastbound UP freight sped past along the mainline through the Columbia River Gorge. | ||
| 8 | Freight | August 1, 2002 | Unknown, I believe it was somewhere between Dorris, CA and Macdoel, CA, basically where Highway 97 parallels the mainline | Driving south on Highway 97 in thick haze (visibility very limited, caused by forest fires nearby), I passed a northbound UP freight going the opposite direction. | ||
| 9 | Freight | July 2003 | Revelstoke, BC | Eating at an A&W restaurant that sits right next to the berm that the CP line runs along, an eastbound CP freight rumbled past overhead. | ||
| 10 | Freight | July 2003 | Revelstoke, BC | Driving to the Revelstoke Railway Museum I caught a glimpse of the end of an eastbound freight (assumingly CP) passing over the bridge on the west side of town. Soon after, I had to stop at the crossing by the museum to wait for the remaining quarter of the slow moving train to pass. | All coal cars | |
| 11 | Freight | July 2003 | Near Golden, BC | Driving east on Highway 1 on my way to Calgary, I passed a westbound CP freight just west of Golden. | ||
| 12 | Freight | July 2003 | Near Field, BC | I stopped at the viewpoint on Highway 1 overlooking the (lower) Spiral Tunnels and not long after showing up, an eastbound CP freight passed through the tunnel. | ||
| 13 | Mostly freight (multiples) | July 2003 | Castle Junction, AB | Camping for two nights at Castle Junction in Banff National Park. The campground is close to the CP mainline (not visible, trees block the view) and the rumble and whistle of trains going past in both directions day and night frequently happens. | ||
| 14 | Freight | July 2003 | Near Airdrie, AB | Driving north on Highway 2 on my way out of Calgary, I paralled a northbound CP freight going in the same direction and at a similar speed as I was. | ||
| 15 | Passenger | July 2003 | Jasper, AB | Drove into Jasper from the east and when I got there, Via Rail eastbound Canadian was parked in the station unloading its passengers. | ||
| 16 | Passenger | July 2003 | Jasper, AB | A few hours later, I returned to Jasper and now the westbound Via Rail Canadian was parked in the station. | ||
| 17 | Freight | July 2003 | Jasper, AB | Riding up to the top on the Jasper Tramway, I noticed an eastbound CN freight passing by down below. | ||
| 18 | Passenger | July 2003 | Near Field, BC | While heading west on Highway 1 on my way back to Vancouver, I stopped at the same Spiral Tunnels viewpoint as I did when Train 12 passed through. This time though, the westbound Rocky Mountaineer passed through the tunnels. Later, while driving further west along Highway 1, I passed the same train outside of Golden. | ||
| 19 | Freight | July 2003 | Craigellachie, BC | While driving west, I stopped at the site of the Last Spike. Soon after getting there, an eastbound CP freight sped past. | All coal cars, engine pushing at rear | |
| 20 | Multiples | July 2003 | Kamloops, BC | Stayed at a hotel east of Kamloops along Highway 1 where the mainline parallels the highway. CP freights were going past in both directions day and night and at one point, the same westbound Rock Mountaineer I encountered a few hours earlier (train 18) passed by. | ||
| 21 | Freight | July 2003 | Near Lytton, BC | Driving west along Highway 1 through the Thompson River Canyon, I passed an eastbound CP freight heading the opposite direction. | ||
| 22 | Multiples | November 12, 2004 | Seattle, WA | Visiting the Museum of Flight. A northbound BNSF freight was trundling along on the other side of the field. At one point a northbound Amtrak Cascades train sped past on its way into Seattle. | ||
| 23 | Multiples | November 12 or 13, 2004 | Seattle, WA | I arrived at King Street Station late in the afternoon. While in the main lobby, a northbound BNSF freight rumbled past. An Amtrak train was also parked in the station, but I could not identify if it was Cascades or Empire Builder (it had a Cascades Talgo locomotive, but was pulling superliner cars). Later while leaving the station I noticed a northbound Amtrak Cascades train (this time regular Talgo unit) pulling into the station. | ||
| 24 | Freight | November 14, 2004 | Seattle, WA | Driving north on Alaskan Way near the north end of the waterfront, I caught a glimpse of the end of a northbound freight (assumingly BNSF) disappearing out of sight. | ||
| 25 | Freight | November 14, 2004 | Near Mount Vernon, WA | Driving north on I-5 just south of Mount Vernon on my way back to Vancouver, I passed a southbound BNSF freight heading in the opposite direction. | ||
| 26 | Freight | May 2005 | Near Eugene, OR | Driving west on 126 back into Eugene, I caught a glimpse of a southbound freight (assumingly UP) passing under the I-5 overpass. | ||
| 27 | Freight | May 2005 | Eugene, OR | Driving north from downtown Eugene on an overpass that goes over the mainline, I could see part of a northbound freight (assumingly UP) passing by down below. | ||
| 28 | Freight | May 2005 | Eugene, OR | I arrived at Eugene station late in the evening since an Amtrak Cascades train was due to arrive. While inside the quiet station, a whistle suddenly exploded from outside, so I quickly dashed back to the platform just as a southbound UP freight sped past. | ||
| 29 | Passenger | May 2005 | Eugene, OR | Not long after the freight (train 28) had passed through, another whistle became audible in the distance to the west of the station. Eventually the darkness became engulfed in a very bright headlight of an approaching train. The light(s) got closer (albeit very slowly) until eventually the train, a southbound Amtrak Cascades pulled into the station to unload its passengers (it would be parked in Eugene for the night). | Engine pulling train on south end painted in Pacific Surfliner colours | |
| 30 | Freight | Summer 2005 | Near Woodland, WA | Driving south on I-5 towards Portland, I passed a northbound freight (unknown if it was BNSF or UP, only saw the end of the train) heading in the opposite direction. | ||
| 31 | Freight | Summer 2005 | Multnomah Falls, OR | After visiting Multnomah Falls, I returned to my car in the parking lot and right then, an eastbound UP freight sped past | Very short in length | |
| 32 | Freight (multiples) | Summer 2005 | Near Dodson, OR | Camping at Ainsworth State Park, the UP mainline runs past nearby and I could get a glimpse of the trains going past in both directions day and night. | ||
| 33 | Freight | Summer 2005 | Near Cascade Locks, OR | Driving across the Columbia River on the Bridge of the Gods and a BNSF freight heading eastbound sped past down below. | ||
| 34 | Freight | Summer 2005 | Near Stevenson, WA | Driving east along Highway 14, I passed a BNSF freight that was sitting parked along the line pointed west (I do not know if it was stopped waiting for something or what). | ||
| 35 | Freight | Summer 2005 | Near The Dalles, OR | Driving east on I-84, I noticed another BNSF freight on the opposite side of the river that was parked, this time pointed east. | ||
| 36 | Freight | Summer 2005 | Maryhill, WA | Visited Stonehenge Replica and while looking down into the Columbia Gorge from the high bluff, a westbound BNSF freight passed by down below. | ||
| 37 | Freight (multiples) | Summer 2005 | Pasco, WA | Lots of BNSF freight engines shunting in the yards near Pasco station (including a set of two still in the old Burlington Northern livery). | ||
| 38 | Passenger | Summer 2005 | Pasco, WA | Late in the evening, Amtrak's eastbound Empire Builder pulled into Pasco station, unloaded and loaded its passengers and then pulled out again continuing east. | Very short train, only two superliner cars | |
| 39 | Freight | Summer 2005 | Spokane, WA | Stayed at a hotel in Spokane. The train tracks are visible from the room I was in and at one point I noticed part of a westbound freight passing by (unknown if it was BNSF or UP). | ||
| 40 | Freight | Summer 2005 | Near Sandpoint, ID | Driving north on highway 2, I passed a southbound freight heading in the opposite direction (unknown if it was BNSF or UP). | ||
| 41 | Freight (multiples) | Summer 2005 | Sandpoint, ID | About to go under the railroad overpass and an eastbound BNSF freight passed overhead. Later while in a nearby park on the lake, another eastbound BNSF freight sped past. | ||
| 42 | Freight | Summer 2005 | Near Cranbrook, BC | Driving north on Highway 95 towards Cranbrook and passed a southbound freight (assumingly CP) heading the opposite direction. | ||
| 43 | Freight (multiples) | Summer 2005 | Fort Steele, BC | The steam train at Fort Steele stops at a viewpoint overlooking the valley. Visible below is a junction where two mainlines join in a y-junction where one line branches off to go north and the other goes east towards the Crowsnest. At the time I was there, one CP freight that had come from the north was stopped waiting for another CP freight that had come from the east to pass. | ||
| 44 | Passenger | March 16, 2006 | San Juan Capistrano, CA | I was visiting Mission San Juan Capistrano located just across the street from the train station and at one point I caught a glimpse of a northbound Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train pulling out of the station. | Operating in cab-car mode | |
| 45 | Passenger (multiples) | March 17, 2006 | Los Angeles, CA | Went up on the platform at Union Station. At the time, two Metrolink trains pulled out of the station and a couple of Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains were parked on platforms further over. | ||
| 46 | Multiples | July 30, 2006 | Eugene, OR | The REI store in Eugene sits right next to the train tracks at a railroad crossing (approximate distance between the back wall of the building and the tracks seems to be barely six feet). Every time a train passes by, the rumble and whistle shakes the store. This was true while I was in there. In a few instances I dashed out the front entrance of the building over to the street to see what the train was. Most instances were freights (assumingly UP, never saw the lead units) and another instance, it was Amtrak's southbound Coast Starlight train on its way into Eugene. | ||
| 47 | Passenger (multiples) | August 2, 2006 | Portland, OR | Arrived at Union Station late in the afternoon uncertain of what times the trains came and went. Right as I was arriving there, Amtrak's Empire Builder departed the station to head eastbound (northbound at this point). Am Amtrak Cascades train was also parked in the station looking rather quiet. | Cascades train: engine on south end painted in Pacific Surfliner colours | |
| 48 | Passenger | August 3, 2006 | Portland, OR | Visited OMSI and while returning to my car in the parking lot, I heard a whistle nearby. I glanced over and saw the tail end of a northbound Amtrak Cascades train heading past on its way into Portland. | ||
| 49 | Freight | August 4, 2006 | Portland, OR | Driving north on US 30 towards the St. Johns Bridge. In the rail yards, I passed a southbound BNSF freight moving slowly through. | ||
| 50 | Passenger (multiples) | June 1, 2007 | Seattle, WA | While atop the Smith Tower, a Sounder Commuter Rail train pulled into King Street station down below, followed by another one (it was nearing afternoon rush hour). Then Amtrak's Empire Builder train pulled into the station to prepare loading its passengers for its eastbound (northbound at this point) departure. I quickly hurried over to the station and by then, more Sounder trains were in the station and an Amtrak Cascades train was also parked in the station. The first Sounder train of the afternoon rush hour departed southbound and then another one pulled into the station (painted in a special "Fight the Cure" livery). The Empire Builder was still parked in the station when I left. | ||
| 51 | Freight | June 3, 2007 | Seattle, WA | Visited the Museum of Flight and two BNSF engines rolled past along the mainline on the other side of Boeing Field. | ||
| 52 | Multiples | June 3, 2007 | Seattle, WA | I returned to King Street Station late in the afternoon. This time there were no Sounder trains as it was a Sunday. Amtrak's Empire Builder and an Amtrak Cascades train were already parked in the station. The Empire Builder which had loaded up its passengers departed on time heading eastbound (northbound at this point). After it had gone I started to leave the station to head back to my car, but then a whistle was heard in the far distance. Uncertain whether it was from the Empire Builder that had just left or if it was from another train, I stopped to figure out which direction the sound was coming from. The whistle kept blowing and it became clear that it was getting closer and approaching from the south. I quickly turned around and dashed back up to the pedestrian bridge that crosses over the tracks and made it just as a northbound BNSF freight rumbled past down below. Meanwhile, the Amtrak Cascades train was starting to load it passengers for its southbound departure, but I did not wait for that. | Freight: All container cars | |
| 53 | Freight | June 4, 2007 | Seattle, WA | Driving south along Elliot Avenue which parallels the waterfront and mainline. I could see part of a southbound freight (assumingly BNSF) moving in the same direction as I was and at a similar speed. | ||
| 54 | Freight | June 12, 2007 | Delta, BC | Driving north into Vancouver along Highway 17 from Tswwassen after coming off the ferry from Nanaimo. As I passed over the railroad line that goes to Roberts Bank, I caught a glimpse of the headlight of a freight (assumingly CP) approaching from the east. | ||
| 55 | Freight | July 29, 2007 | Lakewood, WA | Driving south on I-5, I passed a northbound Tacoma Rail freight heading the opposite direction. | Very short in length | |
| 56 | Freight (multiples) | July 29, 2007 | Winlock, WA | Driving into Winlock from I-5, I was forced to stop at the railroad crossing when the gates came down. First, a northbound UP freight rumbled past through the town and while it was still going past, a southbound BNSF freight passed by in the opposite direction. The end of the UP freight went by first and the end of the BNSF freight went past shortly thereafter. | UP freight: all container cars | |
| 57 | Freight | July 29, 2007 | Winlock, WA | Not too long after the two freights (train 56) had passed. While parked in Winlock, the gates and bells at the railroad crossing nearest to me activated. I waited and nothing came for a full minute, but eventually another northbound UP freight rolled past through the town. | Very short in length | |
| 58 | Freight | July 29, 2007 | Kalama, WA | Gassing up my car at a Chevron station just across I-5 from the mainline, a southbound BNSF freight sped past. | ||
| 59 | Passenger | July 29, 2007 | Portland, OR | Driving off the Steel Bridge into Portland, I caught a glimpse of the end of a southbound Amtrak train disappearing underneath (unknown what train it was; it had Superliner cars). | ||
| 60 | Passenger | July 29, 2007 | Portland, OR | While atop the Portland Aerial Tram, I heard a faint train whistle far below. Eventually the southbound Amtrak Coast Starlight headed past on the other side of the river. | ||
| 61 | Freight | August 1, 2007 | Near Hercules, CA | Driving east on Highway 4 on my way to Walnut Creek, I passed a BNSF freight heading westbound on the line above. | Different engine, seemed more like a shunting/switching type of freight engine; very short in length | |
| 62 | Passenger (multiples) | August 7, 2007 | San Jose, CA | I showed up at San Jose Diridon station uncertain of what trains would arrive or depart. I went up on two different platforms and in both places there were lots of Caltrains and Amtrak California Capitol Corridor trains parked. At one point, a northbound Caltrain pulled in from the south and then departed continuing northbound. | One Amtrak California train had a regular Amtrak P42DC instead of the usual F59PHI and P32-8WH locomtives; Caltrain that passed through running in cab-car mode | |
| 63 | Passenger | August 13, 2007 | Sacramento, CA | Viewing the Sacramento River from the marine park (can't remember the name, but it is near the railroad museum and the dock with the riverboat), an eastbound Amtrak California Capitol Corridor train crossed the river on the nearby I Street Bridge on its way into Sacramento. | Train had a regular Amtrak P42DC engine pushing at the rear; running in cab-car mode | |
| 64 | Passenger | August 15, 2007 | Kalama, WA | Gassing up my car at the same Chevron station as I had when I encountered train 58. This time, Amtrak's southbound Coast Starlight sped past | Of the two units pulling the train, the first was regular Amtrak P42DC, but the second was an Amtrak Cascades F40PH | |
| 65 | Passenger | August 15, 2007 | Near Castle Rock, WA | Driving north on I-5 a few minutes after train 64 had passed, I was catching up to a northbound Amtrak Cascades train speeding along the mainline. Right as I noticed it, trees started to obscure the view of the tracks, so I quickly exited the freeway just south of Castle Rock and turned west along the road to cross over the tracks. Right then it sped past underneath and I got a better view of it for a few seconds before it disappeared out of sight. | Engine pushing on south end painted in Pacific Surfliner colours; regular Amfleet passenger cars instead of the normal Talgo cars | |
| 66 | Passenger (multiples) | March 19, 2008 | San Juan Capistrano | At San Juan Capistrano station, a northbound Amtrak Pacific Sufliner train pulled in and later departed to continue north. A few minutes later, a southbound Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train pulled in and departed continuing south. Then a few minutes later, a northbound Metrolink train pulled in and departed to continue north. | First Surfliner train operating in cab-car mode; Metrolink train also running in cab-car mode | |
| 67 | Passenger | March 19, 2008 | Torrey Pines, CA | Stopped at Torrey Pines state natural reserve. Down below a southbound Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train sped past. | ||
| 68 | Passenger | March 19 or 20, 2008 | San Diego, CA | While exploring Old Town San Diego, a train whistle echoed nearby. Glancing through a gap, I caught a glimpse of a northbound Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train speeding through a crossing. | Train running in cab-car mode | |
| 69 | Passenger | March 21, 2008 | San Diego, CA | Driving across the tracks on my way to SeaWorld, I caught a glimpse of a southbound Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train approaching in the distance. | ||
| 70 | Passenger | March 22, 2008 | San Diego, CA | While wandering along the waterfront, a whistle started becoming audible. The whistle kept blowing and echoeing across the entire city. I dashed over to a spot where I could see up a street and a southbound Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train passed through a crossing arriving into San Diego. | ||
| 71 | Passernger | March 24, 2008 | San Diego, CA | Had just eaten breakfast in Old Town. I wandered over to the tracks just as a northbound Coaster train pulled into the Old Town station. It later pulled out again continuing north. Later while driving across the tracks by the station, a southbound Coaster train was stopped at the station. | Second Coaster train running in cab-car mode | |
| 72 | Passenger | June 5, 2008 | Portland, OR | While atop the Portland Aetial Tram, I sheltered indoors next to a window so I could see the view (it was raining outside). Down below on the other side, I noticed Amtrak's southbound Coast Starlight train going past on its way out of Portland. A few minutes later, the northbound Amtrak Coast Starlight headed past in the opposite direction. | ||
| 73 | Freight (multiples) | July 29-30, 2008 | Spokane, WA | Staying at a hotel in Spokane near the tracks, lots of BNSF freight trains rumbling past in both directions day and night. | ||
| 74 | Passenger | August 2, 2008 | West Glacier, MT | Waited at West Glacier station late in the evening. Amtrak's westbound Empire Builder train pulled into the station and unloaded its passengers. It later moved forward a few feet (platform was not quite long enough to handle the full length of the train) and loaded up its passengers. It later departed continuing west. | Special car on end painted in old orange and brown colours with "City of Spokane" in neon letters marked on the back. | |
| 75 | Freight | August 5, 2008 | Spokane, WA | Driving west on I-90 through Spokane and passed an eastbound BNSF freight passing on a high viaduct west of the city. | ||
| 76 | Passenger (multiples) | August 8, 2008 | Seattle, WA | While atop the Columbia Center, I glanced down into King Street station below and several Sounder commuter trains were in the station (it was nearing afternoon rush hour). Amtrak's Empire Builder train pulled into the station to load its passengers for its eastbound (northbound at this point) departure. One Sounder commuter train departed heading southbound while more of them pulled in. | ||
| 77 | Passenger (multiples) | March 17, 2009 | Vancouver, BC | While atop Harbour Center, I could see several West Coast Express trains parked at Waterfront station (this is not actually an uncommon moment, I often see them parked there). It was nearing 4 PM in the afternoon and the first train departed heading eastbound and another one pulled into the station. | ||
| 78 | Passenger | March 18, 2009 | Vancouver, BC | Riding the Skytrain over to Burnaby for a meeting, an Amtrak Cascades train was parked at Pacific Central station. | Not regular Talgo unit; consisted of Superliner cars | |
| 79 | Passenger | July 13, 2009 | Near Tacoma, WA | Driving south on Highway 16 across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, on the mainline far below, I briefly got a glimpse of an southbound Amtrak Cascades train that seemed to be stopped waiting for something. | ||
| 80 | Passenger | July 15, 2009 | Washington, DC | Outside the National Air and Space Museum, I noticed a train stopped on an overpass a block south. Eventually the train started moving heading south, a Virginia Railway Express train. A few minutes later, another southbound Virginia Railway Express train pulled into the same stop (it was afternoon rush hour at the time). | ||
| 81 | Passenger | July 19, 2009 | Near Washington, DC | Turning onto Highway 50 to head east, I caught a glimpse of the end of a southbound Amtrak Northeast Regional train passing in the opposite direction. | ||
| 82 | Freight | July 21, 2009 | Gettysburg, PA | Staying at a hotel across the street from the train tracks, I noticed from my room part of a freight going slowly northbound (unknown if it was CSX or Norfolk Southern. | ||
| 83 | Passenger | July 22, 2009 | Harrisburg, PA | Driving across an overpass over the train station, an Amtrak Keystone Service train was parked in the station facing east. | ||
| 84 | Passenger | July 24, 2009 | Elizabeth, NJ | Driving north under an overpass I caught a glimpse of the end of an Amtrak Acela Express going northbound. | ||
| 85 | Passenger (multiples) | July 24, 2009 | Hoboken, NJ | Riding in an airport shuttle van into New York City (I had dropped off my rental car at the airport), there were two NJ Transit trains going in opposite directions near the tunnel that goes under the Hudson River. | One of the trains running in cab-car mode | |
| 86 | Passenger | July 26, 2009 | New York City, NY | From the top of the Empire State Building, I caught a glimpse of a train approaching from the west into Penn station through the open yard (unknown if it was Amtrak or commuter). | ||
| 87 | Passenger (multiples) | July 29, 2009 | New York City to Baltimore, MD | Boarded Amtrak's Northeast Regional at Penn Station in New York and rode it south passing numerous Acela Express and other Northeast Regional trains along the way. Also passed many commuter trains among them, NJ Transit, SEPTA and finally MARC before getting off the train at BWI Airport station. It departed and continued south. Not long after it went a southbound MARC train sped through the station. | Some commuter trains running in cab-car mode | |
| 88 | Freight | July 31, 2009 | Seattle, WA | Riding the new Link Light Rail for the first time into Seattle. While passing through the SODO area, I caught glimpses of parts of a southbound freight (unknown if it was BNSF or UP) passing through several crossings a few blocks over. | ||
| 89 | Freight | March 13, 2010 | Near Cabazon, CA | Driving east on I-10 towards Palm Springs, I was paralleling an eastbound UP freight going in the same direction and at a similar speed as I was. | ||
| 90 | Passenger | March 19, 2010 | Torrey Pines, CA | Visiting Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and a northbound Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train sped past way down below. | Train running in cab-car mode | |
| 91 | Freight | June 18, 2010 | Nanaimo, British Columbia | While driving south on Highway 19A into Nanaimo on my way to catch the ferry to Horseshoe Bay, there was a SVI freight pointed northbound, but stopped on the track waiting for something (don't know what, not much in the way of double track along that line). | Train consisted of only one engine and two cars | |
| 92 | Freight (multiples) | July 14, 2010 | Portland, OR to Boise, ID | Driving east on I-84 from Portland to Boise, there were many UP freights going both directions along the mainline during the entire drive. During the Columbia River Gorge segment, there also were many BNSF freights on the other side of the gorge going in both directions. | ||
| 93 | Passenger | July 16, 2010 | Layton, UT | Driving south on I-15 into Salt lake City, I passed a northbound UTA FrontRunner train heading in the opposite direction. | ||
| 94 | Freight | July 24, 2010 | Near Flagstaff, AZ | Driving west on I-40 into Flagstaff, I overtook a westbound BNSF freight going the same direction. I later exited and stopped at a hotel, which it sped past outside. | ||
| 95 | Freight | July 24, 2010 | Flagstaff, AZ | While wandering the streets of downtown Flagstaff, a westbound BNSF freight rumbled past the train station. | ||
| 96 | Multiples | July 24-26, 2010 | Flagstaff, AZ | My hotel was along the main drag east of town and across from the mainline. Numerous BNSF freights were going past in both directions day and night with one coming approximately every 2-3 minutes. In one instance the second night late in the evening, Amtrak's westbound Southwest Chief sped past on its way into Flagstaff. | A few freights had engines pushing at the rear; many were all container cars; some freights had military vehicles on the backs of flatbed cars (mostly on westbound trains) | |
| 97 | Freight | July 27, 2010 | Near Seligman, AZ | Driving west on Route 66, I passed an eastbound BNSF freight going in the opposite direction. | ||
| 98 | Passenger | July 30, 2010 | Near Davis, CA | Driving west on I-80 on my way to Walnut Creek, I caught a glimpse of an eastbound Amtrak California Capitol Corridor train speeding past in the opposite direction. | Train running in cab-car mode | |
| 99 | Freight | August 1, 2010 | Oakland, CA | Riding BART to or from San Francisco (can't remember which direction). As the train passed over the mainline in West Oakland, I could see a UP freight approaching from the south. | ||
| 100 | Passenger | March 20, 2011 | Seattle, WA | Driving south past Safeco Field on my way to the Museum of Flight, I could see Amtrak's Coast Starlight backing into King street station to prepare loading its passengers for its southbound departure. | ||
| 101 | Freight | March 21, 2011 | Seattle, WA | While atop the Space Needle, I noticed a northbound BNSF freight slowly moving past below along the waterfront. | All coal cars | |
| 102 | Freight | March 21, 2011 | Seattle, WA | While atop the Columbia Center, I noticed a northbound BNSF freight rumbling through King Street Station. | all coal cars; two engines pushing at rear | |
| 103 | Passenger | March 21, 2011 | Seattle, WA | Not long after the freight went through a Sounder train pulled into King Street Station to be the first of the afternoon rush hour trains which would eventually depart southbound. | ||
| 104 | Passenger | July 21, 2011 | Mount Vernon, WA | Driving south on I-5 through Mount Vernon on a very wet slippery day, I caught a glimpse of the north end of a southbound Amtrak Cascades train pulling out of Mount Vernon station. | ||
| 105 | Freight (multiples) | July 22, 2011 | Post Falls, ID | The Cabela's store in Post Falls seemed to be near some railway tracks because the whistles of nearby trains, which assumingly were all freights, could be heard close by. The actual mainline of BNSF/UP is located quite a ways over to the north (but is visible in the distance from the parking lot). However, it turned out that there is a seperate branch line that goes off the mainline and runs close to the store which I noticed it while pulling out of the lot. | ||
| 106 | Freight | July 22, 2011 | Near Avon, MT | Driving east on US 12 towards Helena and I started to catch up to a UP freight going eastbound in the same direction and at a similar speed. I eventually passed it and left it behind. | Very short in length | |
| 107 | Freight | August 1, 2011 | Near Echo, UT | Driving west on I-80 towards Salt Lake City and just before I came to the split junction where I-84 goes north and I-80 goes south, I overtook a westbound UP freight going in the same direction. | Very short in length | |
| 108 | Passenger | August 1-2, 2011 | Salt Lake City, UT | From an obsevation window of a building in Temple Square (which I went up twice), I got an occasional glimpse of a FrontRunner train speeding past heading north. | ||
| 109 | Freight (multiples) | August 3, 2011 | Pocatello, ID | Lots of UP freight shunting in the yard at Pocatello | ||
| 110 | Freight | August 7, 2011 | Kennewick, WA | About to cross the Columbia River, I could see the end of an westbound (southbound at this point) freight (assumingly BNSF) coming off the railway bridge. | ||
| 111 | Freight | March 18, 2012 | Los Angeles, CA | Visited LA's Griffith Observatory and glancing to the southeast, I could see part of a southbound freight (unknown if it was UP or BNSF) moving slowly through the Glendale area. | ||
| 112 | Passenger (multiples) | March 19, 2012 | Los Angeles, CA | Went up on a platform at LA's Union Station late in the afternoon (it was rush hour at this point). Right away, a Metrolink train departed the station and it passed another Metrolink train pulling in (this train was actually two two trains connected to each other; they later uncoupled them from each other). Another Metrolink train pulled five minutes later. | The double Metrolink train that pulled in was running in cab car mode | |
| 113 | Passenger (multiples) | March 22, 2012 | Burbank, CA | Preparing to catch a flight out of Bob Hope Airport. After pulling into the parking lot, I noticed a southbound Metrolink train pulling into the Burbank airport station. Later after having passed through security and waiting for my flight to Seattle, I noticed a northbound Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train speeding past on its way out. | Metrolink train running in cab-car mode | |
| 114 | Freight | March 22, 2012 | Seattle, WA | Flying into Seattle from Burbank while passing over Boeing Field, I could see a northbound BNSF freight heading past far down below. | ||
| 115 | Passenger | March 22, 2012 | Near Ferndale, WA | Driving north on I-5 from Seattle back to Vancouver, I glimpsed a southbound Amtrak Cascades train speeding past in the opposite direction. | Train not in regular talgo unit; pulled by regular Amtrak P42DC and consisting of four or five Superliner cars | |
| 116 | Freight (multiples) | August 4-10, 2012 | Portland, OR | The UP mainline ran right behind my hotel (near the airport), so I could hear numerous trains whistling and rumbling past day and night in both directions. However in the instances that I did see UP freights going past, they were mostly heading west. | ||
| 117 | Passenger (multiples) | August 7, 2012 | Portland, OR | I got off a MAX light rail train right by Union station knowing that Amtrak's southbound Coast Starlight train was scheduled to depart at 2:25 PM. Sure enough I could see it (or at least the train that I thought was it) parked in the station. I waited 15 minutes, expecting it to depart (time now 2:40 PM), but it did not move. I soon noticed one of the baggage carts going down to the south end of the platform as if anticipating something to show up (which I assumed would be the northbound Coast Starlight train, which would arrive at 3:40 PM). The train still didn't move. Finally after half an hour of waiting in the hot afternoon sun, a second Amtrak train also heading south pulled into the station and came to a stop. Uncertain what this train was, I went up onto the pedestrian bridge over the tracks and it turned out that the second train that had pulled in was pulling over 10 Superliner cars meaning that this was the Coast Starlight I had been waiting for (scheduled arrival: 1:50 PM; actual arrival: 3:00 PM; more than an hour behind schedule). Since I was uncertain how long it would be in the station for since it was well past its scheduled departure time, I headed inside where crowds were in line waiting to board the train. When I headed outside again, I could hear the bell and then noticed both engines and baggage car had been uncoupled from the rest of the train for whatever reason and now were continuing south. I finally gave up and got back on a MAX back into downtown. While waiting I later noticed the baggage car and engines slowly backing up into the station again and a few minutes later while riding MAX east onto the Steel Bridge, I could see the train still parked in the station now with the engines and baggage car coupled on again. | ||
| 118 | Multiples | August 9, 2012 | Portland, OR | I tried my second train attempt at Union Station just before noon knowing that a northbound Amtrak Cascades train would be due to arrive at 11:35 AM. While waiting for a MAX train to take me to Union Station, I could hear a whistle in the distance (time was 11:15 AM). When I got off the MAX train at Union station, I could see a northbound UP freight slowly passing through, which I assumed was what the whistle had come from. Seeing no sign of the Amtrak Cascades train, I hurried onto the pedestrian bridge over the tracks and glancing to the north a ways down the platform, I could see an Amtrak Cascades train stopped at a platform that passengers were unloading from (time was 11:25 AM). I assumed this was the southbound Amtrak Cascades train that had arrived from Seattle at 11:00 AM so I waited ten minutes and nothing showed up. Eventually, an announcement came over the station speakers for all passengers to prepare for boarding train 506 (which would be the same Amtrak Cascades train that would have arrived at 11:35 AM and continuing north) therefore meaning that the train I could see actually was the train I had been waiting for and that it had arrived early (by 10+ minutes), completely opposite of what had happened two days prior. I turned and headed back into town. | ||
| 119 | Freight | August 10, 2012 | Near Terrebonne, OR | I was at Peter Skene Ogden State Park when a southbound BNSF freight sped past on the high berm above. | ||
| 120 | Freight | August 6, 2013 | Near Kamloops, BC | Dring east on Highway 1 out of Kamloops, there was a CP freight parked along the mainline pointed east, however there was no one visible in the engine cab and the headlights were not on, so I do not know what the train was stopped for. | ||
| 121 | Freight (multiples) | August 6-7, 2013 | Revelstoke, BC | The CP mainline ran right behind my hotel in Revelstoke, so the rumbling of trains going past in both directions day and night and they were visible if I looked out the window to the far right. There were also a number of freights that went past in both directions while I was having dinner at the Denny's across the highway from the hotel. | Some of the freights had an engine pushing in the middle and another pushing at the end | |
| 122 | Freight (multiples) | August 7, 2013 | Revelstoke, BC | Visited the Revelstoke Railway Museum. When I stepped outside in the outdoor exhibits I could hear the bells at the railroad crossing nearby. I noticed the gates come down and sure enough, an eastbound CP freight rumbled through. It eventually slowed down and finally came to a complete stop while still in the crossing (anyone who would be attempting to get out of the parking lot of the museum would have had to wait a while). After ten minutes, a hissing noise emanated from the cars before a grinding noise could be heard as each car jerked and the train slowly started to creep forward again. It continued on east and the end finally went past. Later while coming out of the museum returning to my car, I saw the end of another CP freight heading westbound moving past. And a few minutes later while coming out of a grocery store in downtown, another eastbound CP freight rolled past, slowed and stopped. It still had not moved when I left the town on the highway. | Second freight was all coal cars; engine pushing at rear | |
| 123 | Freight (multiples) | August 7, 2013 | Field, BC | Right near the town of Field while I was driving east on Highway 1, I noticed two CP freights parked facing each other, one pointed east ready to climb the Kicking Horse Pass and the other pointed west which had just come down the Kicking Horse Pass. | ||
| 124 | Freight (multiples) | August 7-9, 2013 | Lake Louise | Camped at Lake Louise for a couple of nights. The CP mainline was nearby nd the rumble and whistle of freights going past in both directions was heard day and night. | ||
| 125 | Freight | August 9, 2013 | Lake Louise, AB | While walking under the railway overpass after having breakfast, I heard a train whistle in the distance. It was hard to tell which way the train was going, but the depth which sounded like a doplar effect seemed to indicate that it may have gone past earlier (although unless the train was really short, the end of it would probably have still been going over the bridge then). However, a couple minutes later the CP freight came rumbling over the overpass heading westbound, so my predictions were wrong. | All container cars | |
| 126 | Freight (multiples) | August 9-11, 2013 | Jasper, AB | Driving to and from my campground there were sometimes CN freights heading either direction stopped on the overpass just before getting to the town of Jasper. | ||
| 127 | Freight | August 10, 2013 | Jasper, AB | While atop the Jasper Tramway, I could see an eastbound CN freight winding its way past down below and through Jasper. | All cattle cars | |
| 128 | Freight (multiples) | August 10, 2013 | Jasper, AB | I returned to Jasper in the afternoon at around 3:15 PM as Via Rail's Canadian was due at 4:00 PM. The status sign in the lobby of the station (which also lists the units of the train that is scheduled) had it as on time. A CN freight was stopped in the yard, but it eventually started moving heading westbound. Later, I returned to to the station after grabbing a bite to eat at an A&W nearby and there were now baggage cars on the station platform ready for the train. Meanwhile , another westbound CN freight moved slowly through the yard and stopped. It started moving again five minutes later. When it did another westbound CN freight rolled past on a closer track and it stopped to let the other freight go ahead which eventually went past. The second freight would not start moving again to continue west until the Canadian (train 129) pulled in 20 minutes later. | Last two CN freights were all container cars | |
| 129 | Passenger | August 10, 2013 | Jasper, AB | At 4:13 PM an announcement came on the system noting that Via Rail's eastbound Canadian would be arriving in 10 minutes. However in five minutes, it pulled into the station at 4:18 PM to unload its passengers. It sat in the station for over an hour which there was cleaning on the dome cars. The train then loaded up its passengers and departed on time first backing out of the station through the way it came in, before changing tracks and moving forward to continue eastbound out of Jasper. | Colorado railcar located at mid-point of the train | |
| 130 | Passenger | August 10, 2013 | Jasper, AB | Ten minutes after the Canadian (train 129) had left, another Via Rail train, this time the Jasper – Prince Rupert train backed into Jasper from the west (don't know how or where it turned around to back in as there seem to be no places anywhere along the line west of Jasper until approximately Valemount) and came to a stop. It unloaded its passengers and then continued to back up further out of the station before stopping further along the track less than a kilometer from the station where it would be parked for the night. | ||
| 131 | Passenger | August 10, 2013 | Jasper, AB | One minute after train 130 had parked east of the station, another train, this time the Rocky Mountaineer pulled in from the west. It unloaded its passengers and would remain parked here for the night. | ||
| 132 | Freight | August 11, 2013 | Jasper, AB | Waiting by my car near the public washrooms in Jasper, I could hear a faint beating sound emanating in the distance. I was uncertain if this was my imagination, but it became clear that the beating sound was getting closer and approaching from the west. The beat turned out to be that of a train bell and moments later, the gates at the railroad crossing nearby activated. The train, an eastbound CN freight soon came into view and rumbled past before slowing to a stop in the yard. | ||
| 133 | Freight | August 11, 2013 | Jasper, AB | Leaving Jasper to head east, I could see a westbound CN freight rumbling past over the bridge. | ||
| 134 | Freight | August 11, 2013 | Edmonton, AB | Trying to drive south, but every street I looked down, there was a southbound CP freight moving slowly through every single crossing. I drove a few blocks further west and finally there was no train, so I turned south. | ||
| 135 | Freight (multiples) | August 11-16, 2013 | Edmonton, AB | My hotel in South Edmonton was across the highway from the train tracks and at times, there were CP freights speeding past going both directions day and night. | One of the many trains at an engine pushing in the middle and another at the end | |
| 136 | Freight (multiples) | August 12-15, 2013 | Edmonton, AB | Near the Strathcona District, the CP line dead ends as no longer being a through line (the line reappears again a couple streets over, but is designed for High Level Streetcar use only). In a few instances there were some CP engines (mostly in old CP colours) moving slowly towards the last crossing but the gates did not activate meaning that the train would probably stop, but it was still moving closer and closer when I crossed over the tracks. | ||
| 137 | Freight (multiples) | August 16-17, 2013 | Innisfail, AB | My hotel in Innisfail was near the train tracks, however I did not realize where they were until late in the evening when I heard a train whistle and noticed the red flashing lights at a nearby crossing. Eventually the the CP freight(s) would speed through the crossing. In all instances both that evening and the following morning, all trains were heading north. | ||
| 138 | Freight | August 18, 2013 | Cranbrook, BC | Driving west through town, I noticed a CP freight moving slowly westbound a little ways over before turning up another street. While collecting cash at a bank, I could hear the whistle of the same train. | ||
| 139 | Freight | August 18, 2013 | Near Cranbrook, BC | Driving west on Highway 93 a ways out of Cranbrook, I was catching up to a southbound freight going at a similar speed in the same direction. I eventaully passed it as it sped through a crossing. | Different engines on each end, regular CP engine pushing at rear, but two UP engines pulling at the front (train obviously was heading to the USA) | |
| 140 | Freight | August 19, 2013 | Kamloops, BC | Caught a glimpse of a CN freight stopped far below that had come from the north while driving west on Highway 1 out of Kamloops. | ||
| 141 | Freight | August 19, 2013 | Near Savona, BC | Caught a glimpse of an eastbound freight (unknown if it was CP or CN) while driving west on Highway 1 back to Vancouver. | Only coal cars visible | |
| 142 | Freight | August 19, 2013 | Unknown, somewhere in the Thompson River Canyon where the line on the highway side of the river is to the left when driving west | While driving west on Highway 1, an eastbound CN freight was stopped on the line. I stopped down below and eventaully it started moving slowly to continue east. | ||
| 143 | Freight | August 19, 2013 | Unknown, somewhere in the Thompson River Canyon | Driving further west on Highway 1, on the opposite side of the river, there was a CN freight parked on a siding that seemed to be gathering rocks that come tumbling down from the high bluffs above. | Engine did not have any headlights, caboose on end | |
| 144 | Freight | August 19, 2013 | Near Yale, BC | Driving west on Highway 1, I caught a glimpse of part of a westbound (southbound at this point) freight (unknown if it was CP or CN) going along the opposite side of the river. | ||
| 145 | Passenger | August 19, 2013 | Near Hope, BC | Driving west on Highway 1 just west of Hope, I passed the westbound Rocky Mountaineer train which seemed to be stopped. Soon after, I ran into a traffic jam (on the radio, it was because of a semi that had jackknifed somewhere along the westbound lanes). While stuck in traffic, the Rocky Mountaineer sped past on its way into Vancouver beating all the traffic. Further along, just west of Chilliwack. I caught a glimpse of the end of the train in the distance briefly as I was starting to catch up to it at that point. | ||
| 146 | Freight | August 19, 2013 | Langley, BC | Driving west on Highway 10 through Langley, I was forced to stop at a crossing for an eastbound CN freight to pass through. | All container cars | |
| 147 | Freight | August 19, 2013 | Delta, BC | Driving over to Tswwassen for dinner, as I passed over the line that goes to Roberts Bank, am eastbound CP freight passed by down below. | All coal cars; cars were empty | |
| 148 | Passenger | January 25, 2014 | Burnaby, BC | Had just gotten off the skytrain at Renfrew station. At this point Via Rail's westbound Canadian rolled past on its way into Vancouver. It seemed to be running hours late, since it was around 2:00 PM in the afternoon and the train is scheduled to arrive at 9:40 AM. | Colorado railcar at midpoint of the train | |
| 149 | Freight | March 8, 2014 | Near Tacoma, WA | Driving across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, I could see a freight train on the main line below, but it was not moving. | ||
| 150 (failed attempt) | Passenger | March 19, 2014 | Los Angeles, CA | I headed over to Union Station, knowing that the northbound Amtrak Coast Starlight was scheduled to depart at 10:10 AM. I got off the subway at 10:00 AM and headed through the tunnel checking to see which platform it was departing from. I soon found the signs indicating it was departing from Track 10, so I started to head for the platform, but every platform entrance now has a sign saying "Metrolink requires valid fare beyond this point". Puzzled about this (as notified above, I had successfully gone up on the platforms twice before without any issues and I don't remember these signs existing before), I headed up the steps to the platform and saw the train in the station already loaded and ready to go, but the female employee on the platform stated that unless I had a valid ticket for travelling on Metrolink or Amtrak, I could not be up on the platform (I found a forum discussion regarding this issue and it can be seen here and also features an image of the sign also). I ended up heading back into the tunnel and hurried over to the east side of the station (where the bus plaza is located) and tried to see if I could get a view from there, but the view is mostly blocked by concrete walls, plants and other trains (I could see part of the Coast Starlight, but the engines were not visible). Knowing that the west side would not be any better since the Coast Starlight was departing from one of the far east platforms, I headed back into the tunnel. The same female employee appeared again picking up the signs pointing to the train which would now have been departing and stated that she would be back around 12:15-12:30 PM and that she might be able to take me up to a platform for me to see a train arrive or depart, but I figured that I would probably not be back around then since I had other stuff to do. I headed over to the station lobby at the other end of the tunnel and over to the information desk. I asked the man there if there were any good spots to watch the trains without buying a ticket. He said that the best spot would be on the Metro Gold Line platform (which could have worked since I had a Metro Daypass), but since only the first few west tracks are visible, he also said that while you get a great view of trains arriving or departing on those platforms, it would be a hit or miss to expect one, otherwise there was no other good spot. I gave up and left the station. | ||
| 151 | Passenger (multiples) | March 21, 2014 | Burbank, CA | I pulled into the parking lot at Burbank Airport to drop off my rental car. As I drove under the railroad overpass, I noticed a southbound Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train stopped at the Burbank station. Later, when I had pulled in and got out of the car, I looked towards the station and it had gone. Then a southbound Metrolink train rolled past and stopped at the same station for a minute and then pulled out again. At the same time, a northbound Metrolink train pulled into the station. | ||
| 152 | Passenger | August 7, 2014 | Near Tacoma, WA | Driving across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, I noticed a northbound Amtrak Cascades train moving slowly down below. | ||
| 153 | Freight (multiples) | August 7, 2014 | Near Kelso, WA | Driving south along I-5 along the main line, I caught a glimpse of the end of a southbound freight (the freeway curved up and away from the tracks past this point, so I did not see the engines). Later, there was a northbound freight further along (again, there was alot of trees here, so I did not see the engines either). Further along, past a set of signals (all of which were on red), I caught a glimpse of the headlights of a northbound UP freight in the distance. | Second freight seemed to be all coal cars. | |
| 154 | Freight (multiples) | August 8, 2014 | Portland, OR | Many UP freights seen going behind my hotel in northeast Portland (I could hear many and only saw some of them). | ||
| 155 | Multiples | August 8, 2014 | Portland, OR | Having discovered that you can track Amtrak trains and see what their status is, I decided to make a second attempt at Union Station with the southbound Coast Starlight. Because Union Station does not offer Wifi, I used my laptop at a McDonalds in downtown (very slow Wifi; took ages for pages to load) and scanned the status for Train 11 (southbound Coast Starlight) for August 7 into PDX (callsign for Portland Union Station; same as the airport). At 12:00 PM, it was still on time for 1:50 PM, so I hopped on a MAX train headed to Union Station and got off there at about 1:10 PM. So far, it had not arrived yet (according to the status website for the last four weeks, it has been running an average of 20-25 minutes ahead of schedule into Portland). I headed up onto the pedestrian bridge. Down below, the Empire Builder was loading passengers for its eastbound departure at 1:40 PM. Just before departure, I could hear a whistle emanating from what sounded like the northerly direction, which I assumed to be the Coast Starlight. But then the sound turned out to be emanating from the south, therefore, it could not be a passenger train since there were none scheduled at that time. It turned out to be a northbound UP freight with a few weight cars (don't know what they were holding), which came trundling through the outside of the station. At the same time the Empire Builder started off northbound (east) and soon had left. Once this and the freight had gone past, the station was quiet again. A few minutes later, an announcement came over the PA system indicating that the Coast Starlight was due (could not identify anything being said, it is so echoey in the station) and I noticed baggage vehicles and forklifts going across the tracks to the second platform getting ready. At 1:57 PM, the train arrived into the station and slowed to a stop. Once it had arrived, I heard another whistle from the northerly direction, but it turned out to be that same freight I saw earlier continuing north (it had yielded for the Empire Builder to go ahead and then for the Coast Starlight to go past before continuing north). I then headed into the station for the next few minutes. So far, the status board showed the westbound Empire Builder being delayed to 4:15 PM (4 hours, 30 minutes late) and the northbound Coast Starlight delayed to 11:00 PM (7 hours, 30 minutes late). The southbound Coast Starlight was still scheduled to go at 2:25 PM and there was quite the lineup of passengers waiting to board the train. On the other end of the hall, another lineup of passengers were waiting to board Amtrak Cascades train #516 to Seattle (I could see it in the station the entire time I was there and it would go at 2:45 PM). Suddenly it was 2:18 PM and the lineup for the Coast Starlight was empty and then an announcement came over the PA for the final boarding call for Coast Starlight #11 (I think I was able to hear Klamath Falls and Eugene mentioned, but it still really echoes). I quickly hurried back out to the pedestrian bridge. At 2:29 PM, the train started off heading south and soon was gone while passengers started boarding the Amtrak Cascades train (No, I did not wait for that to depart also). | ||
| 156 | Passenger | Portland, OR | August 8, 2014 | Riding MAX east across the Steel Bridge, the was an Amtrak train approaching from the south down below. Since it was a Genesis pulling Superliner cars (therefore meaning this was not Cascades), I first initially thought this was the northbound Coast Starlight (even though it was not due until 11:00 PM), but it was too short in length. I decided this was the westbound Empire Builder which had arrived, unloaded its passengers and was turning around across the river so that the engine would be pointed in the right direction for it to head east (and this seemed more consistent since it was delayed to 4:15 PM and the time was 5:13 PM). | ||
| 157 | Freight (multiples) | Near Multnomah Falls, OR | August 9, 2014 | Various UP freights seen going past in both directions throughout the day while making my way up and down Multnomah Falls. Also could see and hear BNSF freights on the opposite side of the river going both directions. | ||
| 158 | Freight | Near North Bonneville, WA | August 9, 2014 | Upon crossing the Bridge of the Gods, I passed right over the end of a westbound BNSF freight. I turned west on Highway 14 and started racing the train which also was moving at quite a clip. I slowly overtook most of the rear half and then tracks became lost from sight. | All coal cars. 2 engines pushing at the rear. | |
| 158 | Passenger | Portland, OR | August 10, 2014 | I was driving to the Portland Aerial Tram from Lloyd Center and following signs for the Ross Island Bridge. I ended up on a road near OMSI where I had to turn right to cross the mainline. The traffic signal showed "No right turn on red". I waited for it to change, but then the railroad crossing gates activated. I could hear the whistle of the approaching train and waited to see if it were freight or Amtrak. It turned out to be the latter when the southbound Coast Starlight sped past through the crossing. Once it had passed, I waited for the gates to go back up again and turned right through the crossing. | ||
| 159 | Freight | Portland, OR | August 10, 2014 | I was on the Aerial Tramway reaching the top of the tram and I noticed a northbound UP freight moving past OMSI. Once I got off the tram, I could hear the whistle of the train as it progressed on through the industrial area. Eventually, the end of the train passed by out of sight. | Entire train consisted of empty flatbed cars | |
| 160 | Passenger (multiples) | Portland, OR | August 13, 2014 | I was riding the Portland Streetcar east across the Broadway Bridge. Glancing down at Union Station below, the Amtrak Empire Builder and one Amtrak Cascades train were parked in the station. 30 minutes later, now riding the streetcar west over the bridge, the Empire Builder was still parked in the station and now 2 Amtrak cascades trains were in the station. | ||
| 161 | Passenger | Portland, OR | August 13, 2014 | Riding MAX east onto the Steel Bridge, I glimpsed the southbound Coast Starlight parked in the station. | The lead engine visible was one of Amtrak's 40th Anniversary livery engines, but I don't know which one. | |
| 161 | Freight | Portland, OR | August 13, 2014 | Not long after seeing train 161, as MAX reached the east end of the Steel Bridge, there was a UP freight approaching from the north. Later on after making a complicated transfer (construction was going on along a segment of the MAX line between the Convention Center and Lloyd Center, resulting in service being temporarily halted along here), I was back on another eastbound MAX going along I-84 and another UP freight heading eastbound (which I am pretty sure might have been the same one) was stopped on the adjacent line and then it started moving forward, but it was soon left behind. | ||
| 162 | Freight | Kalama, WA | August 14, 2014 | Gassing up my car at the Chevron station in Kalama, a northbound freight train sped past (didn't notice it at first until I heard a whistle and by then the engines had already gone past). A couple minutes after the end went past, I was back on the freeway heading north. I soon caught up to the train just north of Kalama. It seemed to be slowing down and then eventually stopped and I finally passed the three BNSF engines leading it. | ||
| 163 | Freight | Seattle, WA | August 15, 2014 | While inside a lighting store in SODO, a whistle suddenly sounded from close by. It was difficult to tell where it was coming from, but it sounded close. I finally peered round the corner to the east and could see the railroad crossing lights flashing. Eventually, 2 BNSF engines rolled southbound through the crossing. A few minutes later, the lights were flashing again and another BNSF engine reversed northbound through the crossing this time with no whistle (don't know if it was one of the same ones before). | ||
| 164 | Passenger (multiples) | Seattle, WA | August 15, 2014 | I was atop the Columbia Center Observatory looking down over King Street Station. It was late in the afternoon and many SOunder commuter trains were pulling into the station and pulling out again heading either northbound or southbound. At one point an Amtrak Cascades train pulled into the station from the south while Sounders kept arriving and departing. | ||
| 165 | Freight | Near Tacoma, WA | August 4, 2015 | Driving south across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, there was a southbound freight train stopped on the tracks down below. | ||
| 166 | Passenger | Washington, DC | August 8, 2015 | I made my way on the Metro Red Line subway to Noma-Gallaudet U station (mentioned below under the Washington Union Station listing) intending to catch some trains. As the subway approached the station, there was a Northeast Regional train arriving into Union Station (I was unable to time it for that one). After getting off the train at this stop and waiting on the platform for 15 minutes, I managed to catch 2 more trains. Amtrak's Capitol Limited arrived into Union Station at 1:55 PM (it is scheduled at 1:05PM). An Acela Express train departed at 2:00PM. There were also a couple of single Amtrak engines rolling through the yards outside the station. A few hours later while coming back on the subway through this stop (I continued up to Wheaton before coming back), the same Capitol Limited train went past going out of Union Station and a Northeast Regional train headed out at the same time. | ||
| 167 | Freight | Washington, DC | August 9, 2015 | At times when I was around the National Mall area, there would be the occasional train whistle in the distance. At one point while walking up a street across the mall when another whistle was heard, I could get a glimpse of part of a freight train (don't know what the lead units were) headed south across a bridge a few blocks south. | ||
| 168 | Passenger | Fredericksburg | August 12, 2015 | In the somewhat quiet town (I was in around 8:00 PM), there would be the occasional sound of train whistles in the distance most of which were inidentifiable. At one point though I was getting into my rented car and a Virginia Railway Express train pulled into the train station just down the street and came to a stop. This would be the last of the evening rush hour trains coming back from Washington at this time. | ||
| 169 | Passenger | Philadelphia | August 16, 2015 | I parked in a parking lot near 30th Street station where I could pick up a subway into downtown (was quite the pain trying to find a place to park outside of downtown since I was unfamiliar with the city and surrounding neighborhoods). At times there would be the occasional SEPTA Regional Rail train that would pass on an overhead viaduct heading in both directions. | ||
| 170 | Passenger (multiples) | New York City to Baltimore | August 25, 2015 | Similar to 2009, I picked up an Amtrak Northeast Regional train from New York Penn Station to Baltimore BWI Airport station. On the train heading between the two cities, there were plenty of other Regionals, Acelas, NJ Transit, SEPTA Regional Rail and MARC trains heading in the opposite direction as the train progressed through each city. I left the train at BWI station and it continued on south. | ||
| 171 | Freight | Near Woodland, WA | August 7, 2016 | Driving south on I-5, I saw the second half of a northbound BNSF freight train heading the other direction. | Grain cars and a few trailers near the end; engine pushing at the rear | |
| 172 | Passenger | Portland, OR | August 7, 2016 | Driving south on I-5 through Portland, I glanced back and could see an Amtrak Cascades train on the Steel Bridge. It might have been going south, but it was moving slowly enough that it was hard to tell at the rate I was moving. | ||
| 173 | Freight | Near Dunsmuir, CA | August 8, 2016 | Driving south on I-5, I caught a glimpse down below of a fast moving freight train heading northbound. | ||
| 174 | Freight | Red Bluff, CA | August 9, 2016 | Just after leaving my hotel in Red Bluff, I turned onto another street and a northbound UP freight sped past. | ||
| 175 | Passenger | Oakland, CA | August 11, 2016 | Riding on BART back over to the east bay From San Francisco, as the train passed over the main line near the Port of Oakland, there was a northbound Amtrak California train speeding past down below. | ||
| 176 | Passenger | Near San Ardo, CA | August 13, 2016 | Driving south on 101 near a large field of oil wells, the northbound Amtrak Coast Starlight sped past heading the opposite direction in the distance. | ||
| 177 | Passenger | Norwalk, CA | August 14, 2016 | Driving south on I-5, a northbound Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train sped past heading the opposite direction. | ||
| 178 | Multiples | Anaheim, CA to Los Angeles | August 20, 2016 | I caught a bus over to the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center to catch a train into Los Angeles. While waiting, two Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains (one southbound and the other northbound) arrived and departed the station. A southbound Metrolink train then arrived. Just before it departed, the northbound Metrolink train arrived. I rode it all the way to Union Station and passed several other trains (UP freight and BNSF freight and more Pacific Surfliner trains). Later in the day, I picked up a southbound Metrolink train out of Union Station heading to Anaheim. Upon arrival, I got off the train and it continued on south. | ||
| 179 | Freight (multiples) | Between Visalia, CA and Lodi, CA | August 23, 2016 | Driving along Highway 99 along this stretch through the Central Valley, I passed two UP freight trains heading southbound. Later, while entering Lodi, I had to stop at a crossing since there was a northbound BNSF freight passing through. | First UP freight had five engines leading and two pushing at the end | |
| 180 | Passenger | Near Albany, OR | August 24, 2016 | Driving north on I-5 past Albany, I could see the end of the northbound Amtrak Coast Starlight just ahead and starting to catch up to it. But then I ran into a pinchpoint of traffic on the freeway and the train sped on ahead and out of sight. | ||
| 181 | Freight | Near Vancouver, WA | August 24, 2016 | Driving north on I-5 across the Interstate Bridge, I looked west over at the railroad bridge and could see a northbound BNSF freight stopped on the bridge. | ||
| 182 | Freight (multiples) | Near Kelso, WA | August 24, 2016 | Driving north on I-5, I passed two southbound BNSF freight trains heading the opposite direction. |
Railfanning at major train stations
[edit]As noted above, it is harder to trainspot at major rail stations without a ticket. Below, I have a listing of what and where the best ticketless viewing spots are located at stations across North America. At stations in small towns, it is really easy to get close to the action without a ticket since there is often nothing more than a fence or barricade seperating the platform from the station or there may not even be any obstruction at all. As a result, I am focused on stations in big cities. All of the viewing areas listed are based on visits to the station or uses of Google Street View and various sites on the internet. Also, I have listed the level of what the viewing is like at each station as presented by each of the following numbers:
5=Easy to get close views of trains at the station
4=Getting close to the trains cannot easily be done, but there are other spots that offer great views of the action
3=Some great viewing spots of the trains, but you may have to wander a ways from the station to get to them
2=Good viewing spot exists, but it only offers a limited view of the action
1=No good viewing spot exists.
What is the action like? Serves Via Rail's Canadian (weekly) and Amtrak Cascades with a few departures a day.
Platform access [1] (Note the blue sign at the middle top of the image and the green sign on the left side of the image)
Level of viewing 4
Viewing spots and conditions If you can go a little ways just to the east of the station to where Thornton Street turns into Evans Street, it runs parallel to the tracks on the south side. Nothing more than a barbed wire fence seperates the tracks and you get a great view of all traffic coming in and out of the station. Also, National Avenue which runs along the north side of the station offers a great view of the action as well (but note that a large facility building blocks the view from just before Thornton Street to quite a ways after. If you go past the east end of the building, you will be much closer to the action).
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [2] (north side), [3] (south side)
What is the action like? Serves only one train (Via Rail's Canadian) weekly.
Level of viewing 5
Viewing spots and conditions Despite this station being in a big city, it sits on the outskirts and is actually quite a small station. Nothing more than a fence seperates the platform from the station, so you have a great close view of the trains.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [4], [5] (if you go right up to the barbed wire fence)
What is the action like? Serves two Via Rail lines, the Canadian (weekly) and the Winnipeg-Churchill train.
Platform access [6] (very small resolution so it is difficult to read that sign in the center of the photograph)
Level of viewing 3
Viewing spots and conditions Because the trains are on an elevated viaduct as they pass through Winnipeg, it is more difficult to trainspot here. The Fort Gibralter Trail is at the bottom of a steep embankment by the line. At the top of the slope is a barbed wire fence where you can see action outside the east entrance of the station. For stuff coming out the west entrance, you can see trains from the parking lot around William Stevenson and Westbrook, but the view is a bit obscured and a train may appear with very little warning.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [7] (east end), [8] (west end)
What is the action like? Serves only one Via Rail line (the Ocean) 6 days a week.
Platform access [9] (only half of the sign is visible on the left of this image, it fully reads "Passengers Only Permitted On Platform" and is then repeated in French)
Level of viewing 4
Viewing spots and conditions Some parking lots on the south side of the station offer a view of the action if you go to the back of them.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [10]
What is the action like? Hub for AMT and Via Rail with numerous Corridor routes going out of here as well as the Ocean. Also serves Amtrak's Adirondack.
Platform access [11] (these gates are firmly locked shut when no train is boarding or unloading at the platforms the entrance is for)
Level of viewing 1
Viewing spots and conditions No good spots seem to exist around this station. Because the trains board underground and they enter and exit the station on an elevated viaduct, they are not really visible from the streets below. The Bonaventure Expressway is at level with the tracks as it enters the city and the trains are visible from there, but this of course cannot be accessed to pedestrians.
What is the action like? Serves a couple of Via Rail Corridor routes to Montreal and Toronto.
Platform access [12] (note the blue sign on the right side of the image)
Level of viewing 5
Viewing spots and conditions Even though the platforms are off limits, there are big windows in the station where you can plainly see the trains just outside. Also lots of spots on the west and east sides of the station offer views as well.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [13], [14] (yes, you can get this close)
What is the action like? Busiest train station in Canada. Hub for GO Transit and Via Rail with numerous Corridor lines going out of hereas well as the Canadian. Also serves Amtrak's Maple Leaf.
Platform access [15] (note the sign on the left side of the entrance, albeit blurry)
Level of viewing 3
Viewing spots and conditions Several overheard pedestrian bridges are located west of the station that cross over the tracks and you get a great view of trains coming in and out of the west entrance. There aren't any good spots east of the station, but the large majority of traffic comes out the west entrance.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [16] (this is the closest skybridge to the station), [17] (taken from a skybridge further west; others can also be seen in this image)
What is the action like? Serves Amtrak's shorter haul Cascades and long distance Empire Builder and Coast Starlight.
Platform access [18] (note the white sign in the center of this image)
Level of viewing 4
Viewing spots and conditions Overheard pedeastrian bridge crosses over the south end of the station platforms offering views of the trains right below. Also Station Way runs parallel to the tracks towards the north end and offers views of the trains here too.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [19] (the bridge), [20] (street views)
What is the action like? Serves Sounder commuter rail lines and Amtrak's short haul Cascades and long haul Empire Builder and Coast Starlight. Rocky Mountaineer also shows up here on only a few dates a month during its season of operation.
Level of viewing 5
Viewing spots and conditions Unlike at other major train stations, the Sounder ticket machines are located on the platforms rather than in the station (it makes it easier to connect from the transit tunnel without having to all the way over to the other side). This makes it possible to go down on these platforms and watch action here as well as the overheard pedestrian bridge (Amtrak platforms are off limits). Also, 4 Avenue runs parallel to the east side of the station and offers views of activity coming out both ends.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [21] (the bridge), [22] (Sounder platforms)
What is the action like? Serves Northstar commuter rail and Amtrak's Empire Builder.
Level of viewing 5
Viewing spots and conditions Pretty easy to watch the action from the station even if the platforms are off limits.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [23]
What is the action like? Serves Amtrak's Sunset Limited weekly
Level of viewing 5
Viewing spots and conditions This is a small station so watching the trains here is easy.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [24]
What is the action like? Serves three long distance Amtrak routes, Sunset Limited, Crescent and City of New Orleans.
Platform access [25] (note the stop sign on the paper posted to the door)
Level of viewing 3
Viewing spots and conditions If you go over to Le Rouge Lane, just west of the station right by the arena, you have a great view of trains coming in and out.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots I could not find any images from my listed location (but there are lots taken from the platforms themselves)
What is the action like? Serves Amtrak's Cresent.
Level of viewing 5
Viewing spots and conditions Deering Road runs parallel to the station and offers a great view of the action from above.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [26], [27] (this is taken from the road)
What is the action like? Serves two short haul Amtrak lines and the long haul Texas Eagle.
Level of viewing 4
Viewing spots and conditions Not sure if the platforms are off limits at all, but if they are, then going to the back of the station parking lot offers a view of the station. While 14th and 18th streets cross over the tracks to the east and west sides of the station respectively, they are not pedestrian friendly as they have no sidewalks.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [28]
What is the action like? Serves Amtrak's Silver Meteor and Silver Star. Also serves SunRail commuter rail service.
Level of viewing 5
Viewing spots and conditions Under the shelter of the station, only a fence separates the platform from the station therefore making it easy to trainspot here.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [29] (no fence here, but stay behind the columns)
What is the action like? Serves as the terminus of Amtrak's Silver Meteor and Silver Star.
Level of viewing 5
Viewing spots and conditions This is a small station, so plenty of viewing spots in and around the station
Images from aforementioned locations [30]
What is the action like? This is the big station of the midwest and serves numerous Amtrak lines (both short and long haul) and is a hub for Metra commuter rail.
Platform access [31] (note the sign directly below the track numbers)
Level of viewing 3
Viewing spots and conditions Because the trains board underground, it may appear tough to trainspot here. However if you go over to where Polk Street crosses over the tracks (right by the entrance to the postal facility), you have a great view of trains coming out of the south entrance of Union Station (this is also the side of the station where the most activity comes out of). For trains coming out of the north end of the station, Randolph Street crosses over the tracks and you can see the action from here. It is also possible to view some of the action from inside the station itself because the platform entrances are at level with the tracks (they are not at the top or bottom of a long escalator, staircase or ramp).
Images from aforementioned viewing locations [32] (south entrance; this was actually taken from the bridge further south of Randolph Street, which is visible in the distance), [33] (north entrance)
What is the activity like? Serves only one train train (Amtrak's short haul Wolverine).
Level of viewing 5
Viewing spots and conditions This is a small station so it is easy to find many great spots to watch the trains here.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [34]
What is the activity like? Serves Amtrak's long haul California Zephyr and Coast Starlight and two Amtrak California routes, San Joaquin and Capitol Corridor.
Platform access [35] (there does not seem to be any obvious sign visible noting a valid ticket being required, but it is not easy to tell)
Level of viewing 4
Viewing spots and conditions Extensive construction progress is in effect, but if you go past the railroad museum under the overpass to the back of the parking lot, you are right by the tracks separated only by a barbed wire fence and you get a great view of trains coming out of the west end of the station. Also the back of a parking lot along N 7th Street offers a view of trains coming out of the east end of the station. The light rail platforms also afford a good view.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [36] (This was taken somewhere close to the east end)
What is the activity like? Serves two Amtrak California routes, the San Joaquin and the Capitol Corridor and the long distance Coast Starlight.
Level of viewing 5
Viewing spots and conditions Trains run through the streets outside of this station which is also very open (platforms can be accessed without going through the station) which makes viewing here easy.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [37]
What is the activity like? Serves as a hub for Caltrain and a terminus for Altamont Commuter Express and Amtrak California's Capitol Corridor. Also serves Amtrak's long haul Coast Starlight.
Level of viewing 4
Viewing spots and conditions When I visited this station in 2007, I could freely go up on the platform. However, it is possible that things have been upped at that station since then, so if the platforms are now off-limits, going over to where Bush Street parallels the light rail line offers a close view of the trains coming out the south end. Going over to the back of the bus plaza on the opposite side also gives you close views of trains coming out the north end of the station.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [38] (this was easily possible at the time), [39] (if you go to the right of this image, you will get the east side view), [40] (taken from the west side)
What is the activity like? Serves as a terminus for Amtrak California's Pacific Surfliner and NCTD's Coaster commuter train.
Level of viewing 5
Viewing spots and conditions At the station itself, only a fence seperates the platform so you have a great view of trains here. Also going up onto the trolley platform affords an even closer view.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [41]
What is the activity like? This is the second busiest train station in the United States and serves numerous Amtrak lines as well as being the southern terminus of the Northeast Corridor (Regional, Acela) and serving various long haul routes. Also a terminus for MARC commuter rail and Virginia Railway Express commuter rail.
Platform access [42] (note the red sign on the left side of the entrance next to the status board)
Level of viewing 3
Viewing spots and conditions No spots in the street afford a good view of the action. Instead, get on the Washington Metro Red line and get off at Noma Gallaudet U Station (which is the stop right after Union Station). The platform here is right at level and parallel with the tracks and you get a great view of all the trains coming in and out of the station (even though VRE departs to the south, there yards are north of the station so they also come out here). This location is considered one of the best trainspotting locations in the US.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots On this forum
What is the activity like? Serves several Amtrak lines including Northeast Corridor services and is a hub for MARC commuter rail.
Platform access [43] (noted on the bottom of the "Train Information" board) [44] (also noted here on the messahing board)
Level of viewing 3
Viewing spots and conditions All bridges that cross over the tracks (Maryland Avenue, Charles Street, St. Paul Street and Calvert Avenue) are lined with railings on both sides, but they are short enough that you can peer over them and see the action below. A better place is the MTA light rail platform at Penn station where you get great view of the trains here.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [45] (light rail platform)
What is the activity like? Serves several Amtrak lines including Northeast Corridor services and is a hub for SEPTA Regional Rail service. Also the terminus of NJ Transit's Atlantic City line.
Level of viewing 3
Viewing spots and conditions Part of the issues with this station is that it is built next to a freeway (which runs at level with the tracks) which makes it very difficult to watch trains here. However while all streets crossing over the tracks have big concrete walls blocking the view, Schuylkill Ave runs parallel to the tracks between Chestnut Street and Walnut Street and the view down onto the tracks is not blocked by any fencing and you can see trains coming out of the south end of the station. For trains coming out the north end, the Spring Garden Street bridge crosses over the tracks and at certain points you can see the trains passing by down below (a metal wall blocks the view part of the way).
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [46] (south end)
What is the activity like? Serves as the northern terminus of Amtrak's Northeast corridor services and the eastern terminus of the long haul Lake Shore Limited. Also the hub for MBTA Commuter rail services.
Level of viewing 3
Viewing spots and locations There is no good spot to watch the trains from the streets at all due to the large amount of freeway off-ramps. However, in the station if you go through the glass sliding doors to the area under the shelter (the actual platforms are off limits), you can see the action from here.
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [47] (this is how close you can get without a valid fare)
What is the activity like? This is the busiest train station in North America serving Amtrak lines all along the coast (including Northeast Corridor services) and to the midwest. Also a hub for Long Island Railroad and NJ Transit commuter rail.
Platform access [48] (the signage is not visible in this low resolution image, but having travelled through this station once before, I am aware of its presence)
Level of viewing 1
Viewing spots and conditions Because the trains board underground and go under the city and the Hudson River, there is no good spot to watch the trains anywhere. While 9th Avenue crosses over the tracks at an opening, a massive concrete wall blocks the view. According to this forum, it seems that it is better to try another station further along the line, due to limited lighting and sensitive security in Penn Station.
What is the activity like? Serves as a hub for all Metrolink lines and Amtrak California'a Pacific Surfliner. Also the terminus for Amtrak's long haul Sunset Limited, Southwest Chief and Coast Starlight.
Platform access [49]
Level of viewing 2
Viewing spots and conditions As stated above in the section on "Train 150" in the Railroading table, platform access can no longer be done without a ticket. The Metro Gold Line platform affords a close view of trains on the far west tracks, but due to the angle, anything on tracks further over (including long haul Amtrak trains) are not easily visible from here. The parking lot of the Metro Gold line station also affords a view, but the only way you can see anything further over is if all the closer platforms are empty (which is a pretty rare occurrence especially on a weekday).
Images from aforementioned viewing spots [50] (notice the very small gap between the Metro train and the Metrolink train)
Movies I like
[edit]Below is a list of the movies I have seen and like. Although I own VHS and DVD copies of all these listings, many of them (especially the earlier listings) I have not watched in ages (it has been nearly twenty years since I last watched Dumbo). Some of the listings might appear odd, but I seem to more like the ones that people don't seem to remember that much. Also, in addition to the movies listed here, there are a huge lot of other movies on my video shelf, but I have never watched any of them. Even if they are good ones, they either seem to range from not being of my interest (Frozen) to mostly blatant commercialism (The Lego Movie). I have listed my own thoughts of what I think about the movies that I like. The movies are listed in the order I got them, although the first few films are ones I initially got when I was very young and I cannot remember which ones I got first.
Dumbo (This is only one of two traditionally animated Disney films I have seen. I only received it because of my train interest (a.k.a. Casey Jr.). While these earlier scenes have always gotten me the most attention, the second half of the film sort of drags along even for its short runtime (films always seem much longer when you are younger). Due to my hatred for clowns, I stopped watching this and started watching Mary Poppins instead.) (I own a VHS copy and it was one of the first videos I have owned. I cannot remember how I got it)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (I still use my Winnie the Pooh plate after all these years. Back when I regularly watched this, I always requested to fast forward the scene of Rabbitt being lost in the woods. Sometimes, I remember even stopping the film before this last part.) (I own a VHS copy and it was one of the first videos I have owned. As with Dumbo, I cannot remember how I got it)
Babe (The stuff I remember about this film (other than the talking farm animals concept) is only the first few minutes and the last few minutes. I can't really remember the middle part of the film which tediously dragged along. Also at a younger age, I could not figure out what the storyline was.) (I own a VHS copy and it was one of the first videos I have owned. As with the above two, I cannot remember how I got it)
Mary Poppins (I have never made it through the film's entirety. While it certainly remains a well-known classic with its familiar songs, I always stopped watching after the end of the animation/live-action segment because the film got boring after that.) (I own a VHS copy and it was one of the first videos I have owned. As with the above three, I cannot remember how I got it)
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines (Despite never making it through Mary Poppins, I never have had a problem in viewing this film in its entirety. Maybe because of my interest in airplanes and trains (the latter of which comes up towards the end of the film).) (I own a VHS copy and it was one of the first videos I have owned. As with the above four, I cannot remember how I got it)
Toy Story (never had any problems with this film, but it certainly is one of my faves.) (I own a VHS copy and it was one of the first videos I have owned. As with the above five, I cannot remember how I got it)
Toy Story 2 (Both this and Toy Story are my two favorite films in the series.) (I own a VHS copy and I got it much later than the above six. I cannot remember how I got it)
Stuart Little (I have never read the original book; I first got exposed to Stuart Little in a PC computer game based on the movie. While I like this film, parts of its second half drag on for lengthy periods of time.) (I own a VHS copy and I got it much later than the above seven. I believe I got it as a christmas present)
Stuart Little 2 (I liked this one better than Stuart Little. Much more action and excitement to it.) (I own a VHS copy which I got as a christmas present)
Finding Nemo (This and Cars are the only non-Toy Story Pixar films I have seen. Another Pixar masterpiece.) (I own a VHS copy which I got as a christmas present)
The Polar Express (This film I saw twice in regular cinema and once in IMAX. I read the original book, but it is nothing compared to this amazing masterpiece (and trains are the major focus here). Music is even on the John Williams score level.) (I own a VHS copy which I got shortly before christmas came along)
Madagascar (This is a funny film with the catchy "I Like to Move It" song, but it gets tiresome quickly (maybe I had been surfing the film's website too often beforehand). Regardless, I actually like The Wild better.) (I own a VHS copy which I got as a christmas present)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Never seen the 1971 version, but that hardly matters. I have read the original book and this version stays much closer to the book.) (I own a DVD copy which I got as a christmas present. This was the first DVD I got and since there was only a VHS player in my apartment beforehand (they were no longer releasing films on VHS), I had to buy a DVD player in preparation for this and future films)
Herbie: Fully Loaded (Never seen the original Love Bug films at all, but I was forced into seeing this film despite it not being on my list. However, in the end, I do like it and at least it is fresh enough (the concept of the car is self-explanatory) for ones who have not seen those films.) (I own a DVD copy which I got as a christmas present along with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (I haven't watched the short films in ages, but I do like the feature film. Many funny moments.) (I own a DVD copy which I got shortly after its release)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (I read the original book in elementary school, so I brought the movie. Pretty faithful to the book.) (I own a DVD copy which I got shortly after its release)
The Wild ([51], [52], It's not THAT bad a film. Although it appears to initially be a repeat of Madagascar at first, it is not quite on the same rip-off level as FlyOver Canada is with Disney's Soarin' Over California (that is far worse). Also, The Wild was in production first anyway (but took much longer to make). Regardless, this one has better animation and has its moments.) (I own a DVD copy which I got as a christmas present)
Over the Hedge (Funny movie.) (I own a DVD copy which I got as a christmas present)
Cars (This and Toy Story are my two favorite Pixar films. I own the soundtrack, a 2007 film-based calender and even a Lightning McQueen christmas decoration to further prove it. I do not care about the forgettable sequel.) (I own a DVD copy which I got as a christmas present)
Hoot (I read the original book in middle school and it caught my interest (I probably would have never known of burrowing owls beforehand), so I grabbed the film as well. Decent faithful adaptation.) (I own a DVD copy which I got shortly a year after its release (I had not read the book when it initially came out))
Charlotte's Web (I read the original book in elementary school, so I grabbed this movie as well. It is also a pretty faithful adaptation with the sense of Babe to it.) (I own a DVD copy which I got shortly after its release at the same time I got Hoot)
Flushed Away (Funny film much like Over the Hedge.) (I own a DVD copy which I got shortly after its release)
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Better than the first film. Lots of funny moments.) (I own a DVD copy which I got shortly after its release)
Bolt (I initially did not plan on seeing this film, but changed my mind. It is a pretty good film.) (I own a DVD copy which I got as an Easter present)
Toy Story 3 (I do not like this film as much as the first two. While it certainly is a perfectly consistent follow-up and has its moments, the second half suddenly turns really dark (at times, you forget this is a Toy Story film). Also, the scenes are better and more relaxing when the annoying and rather irritating Bonnie is not on screen. I hope Toy Story 4 will be better.) (I own a DVD copy which I got as a christmas present)
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (I like this one better than Toy Story 3 and the first Madagascar. More entertaining moments that get my attention.) (I own a DVD copy which I got as a christmas present)
