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My railroad milage right now is 262471.The vast majority is on Amtrak,but I also have some pre-Amtrak milage.I also have small amounts in Canada,and in Mexico.
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I have traveled in excess of 300,000 miles on the ATSF and Amtrak. I grew up on the train as my father was an ATSF employee. We traveled the ATSF system extensively and frequently, usually every other weekend somewhere. I can well remember my dad saying that he was hungry for Mexican food...Well that ment we were going out on #19, and later #3 from Topeka to Albuquerque for lunch on Saturday. Then back Saturday evening. Etc. Etc. I still even have a Santa Fe bib that I used some 44 years ago!!! I continue to travel on the Southwest Chief with my family, although nowhere near like I used to now that I have to pay for it.
Posts: 6 | From: Topeka, Kansas, USA | Registered: Aug 2002
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Addition to my previous post:In 1978 and 1979 I took a cross country trip on Amtrak.Also did cross country trips in 1987 through1995.In the latter period,I rode every long distance Amtrak route and a few short distance trains.
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How about Rogers E. M. Whitaker? He lived from 1/15/00 to 5/11/81. He logged 2,748,674.75 miles riding the rails. He attended Princeton University but did not graduate. He went to New York City and worked for The New York Times. Then in 1926 he joined the editorial staff of The New Yorker magazine. He wrote many articles about his experiences traveling by rail. He used the pseudonym, 'Frimbo.'
Whitaker was a director of the Valley Railroad in Connecticut and an honorary engine driver of the Festiniog Railway of Wales. As the years went by he became known as the world's greatest railroad buff. When he died his ashes were scattered were scattered over Cumbres Pass. A plaque commerating his life is fastened to a Cumbres and Toltec railroad tie at an altitude of 10,015' above sea level.
2,748,674.75 miles on trains. An impressive figure indeed.
Posts: 284 | From: Ithaca, NY USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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As for me, 10,000+ miles and more calculating to do. Must wait for MileTrak to add info about older routes and stations, e.g., Broadway Limited mileage circa 1977; St. Albans - Montreal; Rye - New London; Rye - White River Jct; Indio - New Orleans; Stamford - Atlantic City.
Dave
Posts: 284 | From: Ithaca, NY USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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As for me, 10,000+ miles and more calculating to do. Must wait for MileTrak to add info about older routes and stations, e.g., Broadway Limited mileage circa 1977; St. Albans - Montreal; Rye - New London; Rye - White River Jct; Indio - New Orleans; Stamford - Atlantic City.
Dave
Posts: 284 | From: Ithaca, NY USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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I'm now up to 17,637 miles traveled on 72 Amtrak Trains in 7 years. I'll be taking my 7th trip in 2003 sometime in December which will be a record for me (Took 6 trips in 2001).
Posts: 113 | From: Buffalo, NY | Registered: Sep 2002
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Since my last post- I've heard MileTrak is going to be updated in the near future with expanded route listings. Goooooooood. Definitely an invaluable resource there.
Plus I'm going to get another 678 come next weekend.
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Jonathan its impossible to tell, especially since we have no idea where you got on all those trains.
----------- BTW to reply to the topic. If my brother attends college at Purdue next year in Lafayette, Indiana, then I'll be taking the Texas Eagle up to Chicago then the Cardinal to Lafayette every weekend I have available. Im trying to persuade him into going to Purdue, since its between Purdue and Indiana, and since no trains go there I want Purdue for him.
Posts: 547 | From: St. Louis, MO, USA | Registered: Nov 2002
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I have 12,072 Amtrak miles... all in 2003. Hope to best that mark this year... I'm going to start the new year off right with another 3,566 miles next month.
Posts: 19 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I was thinking that we should all plan on getting together when Chris scores his 1,000,000th mile. It would take a little advance notice and some planning, but what the hey?
How often do you get to see someone who's traveled a million miles via RR tracks?
Posts: 1418 | From: Houston, Republic of Texas | Registered: Jan 2001
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Thanks to all. This Saturday at Fullerton Lets Talk Trains will be doing their show from outside the cafe at Fullerton with a celebration of my 775,000 mile. Feel free to come join us. http://www.trainweb.org/chris
Chris
Posts: 711 | From: Santa Ana | Registered: May 2003
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As of my last trip in December, I'm now up to 18,555 miles traveled on 75 Amtrak Trains since 1996.
Posts: 113 | From: Buffalo, NY | Registered: Sep 2002
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Having ridden 790K miles all since, as your linked bio notes. 1980 and using 40mph as an average train speed. you have spent a total of 823 days on trains over that 23+ year period (790K/(40 X 24)=823), or some 36 days and nights per year. If you exclusively rode Amtrak's "Great Circle", i.e. NYP-JAX-LAX-SEA-CHI-NYP, which takes eight days to complete riding continuously, you would have completed 4+ such trips in each year since you reported when you started riding trains.
Using a speed of 350mph, those in the airline's "elite mileage programs" with 100K per year, will have spent almost 12 days continuously on aircraft in flight (100K/(350 X 24)=12.
I doubt if Amtrak has a "platinum elite' program sufficient to "reward" Mr. Guenzler for his travels (which I sincerely hope does not represent too much travail).
Related to this, a few years ago, the Wall Street Journal, printed an article relating to a fellow who literally "lived aboard' cruiseships (his domicile being a one room efficiency apt in Ft. Lauderdale). However, as I recall, this article did not exactly go out of its way to "flatter' this fellow. They reported his name, went on to note he weighed some 350lbs, and was the beneficiary of a Trust Fund providing him with income in the $300K/yr range.
I only hope, Mr. Guenzler, I'm saying something nice, when I note the Journal would have a difficult time doing a similar piece on you; as your bio suggests you are made of "much stronger stuff".
GBN Age 63; lifetime mileage 250K - first ride during 1946
Posts: 9977 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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littletrain, you keep on railing. That's a lot of miles for a young man your age. Not to fear, there are a lot of guys your age and younger who like to travel on the trains.
Posts: 100 | From: Sacramento,CA | Registered: May 2003
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All right, I gave MileTrak a try. Since I'm a "mileage collector", I only note first trips on each route. By that standard, as noted in my earlier post, I have about 65,000 unduplicated miles in North America (and many more overseas).
Trying to convert that to Miletrak terms is tough, but I put on my thinking cap and I've got about 40,000 "Amtrak" miles for the period 1956 -- 1987. Since 1987, I'd guess I have maybe 20,000 more. By definition, one I've ridden the entire Amtrak network (which I did years ago, with a couple of very minor exceptions), all my "rare miles" are non-Amtrak. So I'd guess I've got at least 150,000 total miles, and probably more (I go to either Washington or New York about once a month from Philadelphia, and have done so for the last 15 years, so that's more than 40,000 miles right there.
Posts: 614 | From: Merchantville, NJ. USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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21,921 miles in 19 trips, according to miletrack. Of course, it counts segments of trips as entire trips (CDL-CHI, CHI-SAC is two trips), so we really haven't done that many. Adding another 5,000 miles in May, though, and giving our granddaughter (3) her first rail mileage.
Posts: 58 | From: Owensboro, KY USA | Registered: Apr 2002
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I'm sure if he has that much mileage he must be a rr crew member or maybe even a hobo. heres my estimate: 365 days in a year minus weekends = 261 days times 20 years x average mileage 250 miles a day = 1,305,000...so he must be the biggest buff around at 800,000 miles. Can you imagine the check he would get for working that???...lol
[This message has been edited by rr_conductor (edited 03-16-2004).]
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If your talking about Chris Guenzler with over 791,000 rail miles,I have never been a hobo or worked on a railroad. Go to http://www.trainweb.org/chris to read about all my long distance trips.
Chris
Posts: 711 | From: Santa Ana | Registered: May 2003
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