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I just returned from another Spring Break trip to visit the relatives in Florida. that puts my total, according to Miletrak, at 18042 miles. (See my trip report in the "Travel" section of this forum) Wow. One or two long trips per year, plus a few cross-state ones to visit other realtives a couple times per year, and the mileage really starts to add up.
Posts: 506 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Mar 2002
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This morning on the Southwest Chief I passed my 800,000 rail mile just west of the West Corona Metrolink Station on the return of a Rail Sale Trip to La Junta.
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Hey Chris! Way to go! Glad it all went so well! I wish I could have stayed on 'til LA with you to celebrate, but I hope you got your pictures in and celebrated with a Coke! I can't wait to read the story! ~Eric
Posts: 553 | From: Flagstaff, AZ USA | Registered: Apr 2001
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MileTrack is indeed a lot of fun. I updated my travels on Amtrak through 1996 and I am up to a little over 30,000 miles. My travels have slowed down some since then, but I'll bet I have another 3000 or so.
Jim
Posts: 24 | From: Panama City, FL | Registered: Apr 2004
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As of 11/7/2004 Chris Guenzler now has 833,198.3 rail miles or 1,288,663.8 kilometers.
Posts: 711 | From: Santa Ana | Registered: May 2003
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Over the past 30 years I have taken 7 round trips from Miami to Montreal, 11 round trips from Palatka, FL to Vancouver, BC with side trips to Las Vegas, Tucson and San Francisco, 12 roundtrips from Washington, DC to Palatka, FL and 12 round trips from NY to Toronto and 16 round trips from Penn Sta. (NY) to Port Jeffereson, NY or Montauk Point, NY that I remember. You add it up and tell me the mileage! It must something! Maybe I like rain trips.
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Posts: 287 | From: Palatka, FL, USA | Registered: Feb 2004
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Over the past 30 years I have taken 7 round trips from Miami to Montreal, 11 round trips from Palatka, FL to Vancouver, BC with side trips to Las Vegas, Tucson and San Francisco, 12 roundtrips from Washington, DC to Palatka, FL and 12 round trips from NY to Toronto and 16 round trips from Penn Sta. (NY) to Port Jeffereson, NY or Montauk Point, NY that I remember. You add it up and tell me the mileage! It must something! Maybe I like rain trips.
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Posts: 287 | From: Palatka, FL, USA | Registered: Feb 2004
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Over the past 30 years I have taken 7 round trips from Miami to Montreal, 11 round trips from Palatka, FL to Vancouver, BC with side trips to Las Vegas, Tucson and San Francisco, 12 roundtrips from Washington, DC to Palatka, FL and 12 round trips from NY to Toronto and 16 round trips from Penn Sta. (NY) to Port Jeffereson, NY or Montauk Point, NY that I remember. You add it up and tell me the mileage! It must something! Maybe I like train trips.
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Posts: 287 | From: Palatka, FL, USA | Registered: Feb 2004
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Well, at the urging of ChrisG I am going to humbly post my miles:
16,914 (sorry, no decimals!)
And the majority of those are Amtrak. I also have San Diego Trolley miles which I have recorded the ride but not the miles yet so it will grow a bit once I do that.
In the menatime, ChrisG et al, have a good safe ride anytime!
Richard
------------------ EngineerRichard Host of Lets Talk Trains http://letstalktrains.us
Posts: 3 | From: San Diego, CA, USA | Registered: Nov 2004
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I'm a "mileage collector", so miles only count the first time I ride over a route. I don't want to diminish in any way ChrisG's 700,000 miles, but if I had counted all my trips up and down the NEC over the years, plus multiple trips on various Amtrak routes, I'd be well over 100,000 -- and that's just in North America.
I've never even bothered to total my mileage in Latin America, Europe, and Asia (no Africa -- yet, and no Australia either).
Current North American total stands at 65,443 -- out of a North American total of about 200,000 route miles, so I'm closing in on having ridden one-third of the network.
Oh, and about 7,000 miles of that is behind steam.
Posts: 614 | From: Merchantville, NJ. USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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I've traveled every extant LD troute west of Chicago in both directions (except Empire Builder WB CHI-SPK and the Sunset route east of SAS) and have been on some routes that the DOT ordered gutted.
Last time I checked I had 27,000 miles under my belt. With my California Zephyr trip last summer, I likely have close to 30,000 miles.
One giant trip in 2000 involved this routing that involved 6 days in a row on the train in sleeper and in coach:
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I think most will consider the Amazing Chris G. the leader in this "competition." The miles that count here are bought and paid miles, and he has documented his trips with logs, photos, and all kinds of proof. RR employees, of course can amass more than Chris's numbers, but those are different kinds of miles. However, if you look at most lifetime "rails" such as as attendants, or operating crews with 30, 40 or more years, the million to two million figure could easily be reached. Them are a lot of miles!
Posts: 588 | From: East San Diego County, CA | Registered: Oct 2004
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I have 9,500+ over 11 Years of train Travel. I started at Age 4 in 1994 Chicago-Milwaukee.
Posts: 3 | From: Downers Grove, IL BNSF MP21 | Registered: Sep 2005
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Chrisg, 900000 is great, however MP 437.1 is about nine miles west of Seligman and about 62.5 miles west of Williams Jct.
As they say in China "close enough for tunnel work". This old joke no longer applies to the currently very tech educated chinese. But the old story was: How do you create a tunnel in China? And the answer; 10000 coolies one one side of the mountain and 10000 on the other and if they meet in the middle you have a tunnel. But if they don't you have two tunnels.
Posts: 467 | From: Prescott, AZ USA | Registered: Mar 2002
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Go Go Go for the big ONE, Mr. Guenzler
Posts: 9977 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Short answer, not enough. But, a change of circumstances (all of a sudden, a job with vacation, paid or otherwise) and that's going to change over the next nine months.
Posts: 391 | From: Schenectady | Registered: Jan 2002
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LA - Abilene KS 1963, 1967 RT LA - Newton KS 1972 RT KC - LA 1973 OW LA - San Jose 1974 RT SB-LA 1975, 76, 77, 78 (at least 1 x year, OW) Lord knows home many Munich-Hamburg, FFM - Munich, Basel Bad BHF- Cologne, FFM-Dortmund ad infinitum on DB 1983-87 OMA-RNO 1997, 1999, 1999 Christmas, 2004 KC-LA 3/4 RT 2001
I guess 45,000 so far... +/-
-------------------- The City of Saint Louis (UP, 1967) is still my standard for passenger operations Posts: 1404 | Registered: Oct 2001
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This has to be the longest-running thread on the forum. Anyway, we're up to 33,001 miles after two Carbondale-Seattle trips since my last posting. And my granddaughter, now 5, has racked up a healthy 10,800 miles on her own. Plus all the running up and down the aisles.
Posts: 58 | From: Owensboro, KY USA | Registered: Apr 2002
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From 1980 to 1996 I made 515 round trips for Amtrak as a TA on various long haul routes, ranging from 1000 to 4000 miles per RT. For example, a six day RT run on 4/3 is about 4K. Most of my trips were on the Chief or the Sunset. Using 3000 mi. as a conservative average, that is 1.54M. From '96 to '02, I worked Surfs exclusively. Also I began train riding at 6 months with my mom on the old El Capitans, and today ride regularly both local and cross country on a RTPC card as a retiree (thank you Amtrak!) With my non-employee based RR miles added in, I must be at or beyond 2M. But any full career railroader, either in operations or the service end, can easily accumulate this many miles. Chris G. is still the de-facto leader here in the Great Mileage Chase, as his miles are revenue miles. His million really means a million; perhaps the LA Times can cover his upcoming big day! Or the OC Register...
Posts: 588 | From: East San Diego County, CA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Today in the last Great Dome on the Amtrak System on Train 785 at MP 200.9 of the Metrolink San Diego Sub I passed 950,000.0 rail miles. For all of you who cares!
Chris
Posts: 711 | From: Santa Ana | Registered: May 2003
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-------------------- The Copper Country Limited [Milwaukee Road-Soo Line] and the Peninsula 400 [CNW} still my favorites Posts: 175 | From: FENCE WI USA | Registered: Oct 2000
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I would think Mr. Guenzler's upcoming story of exceeding one million non-business rail miles would be newsworthy for a Santa Ana or regional Orange County CA newspaper.
As I may have previously reported here, my lifetime total starting during 1946 is likely about 350K, of which maybe 100K has been logged on Amtrak LD. The rest was pre Amtrak, commuter rail, Corridor, or overseas.
But I don't expect that total to rise appreciably as it seems like my travel today is essentially to fufil family obligations either in New York or Florida. It is simply no longer fun using ANY mode. But I will always feel fortunate in this life I was able to "do it" (will the filter catch that one?) while I was young enough to enjoy it.
Posts: 9977 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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I can't wait to read the story!
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
