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As long as everyone is posting topics, off the subject of Trains, or not real posts, I'd Like to start a thread in which everyone shares a litte something about each other.
In the year Ive been on here I havent gotten to know everyone(although the board has a "who" button, I seem to forget everyone I know on here and it gets annoying going back and looking at the info) so I'll start:
From: St. Louis, MO Age: 16, going on 17, soon Favorite Sport: Baseball Favorite City to Visit: Chicago Favorite Train Route Taken: Coast Starlight Favorite Movie: The Fugitive(That has a train so now this post is train related,lol) Best Vacation ever Taken: To Seattle by Plane, then took the CS to Portland, incuded a Mariners Game. First Time on a Train: 1991 STL To CHI First Overnight Train Ride: 1992 KC To Flagstaff.
Thats Me
Posts: 547 | From: St. Louis, MO, USA | Registered: Nov 2002
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From: White Plains, NY Age: 43 Favorite Sport: Skiing Favorite City to Visit: Montreal, Canada Favorite Train Route Taken: Hudson Line Favorite Movie: Comedies - Airplane, Young Frankenstein, My Cousin Vinny Science Fiction - Aliens, Independence Day, Star Trek/First Contact Dramas - American Beauty, Cast Away, Forrest Gump Crime Dramas - Casino, French Connection Action/Adventure: Indiana Jones & The Raiders of The Lost Ark; Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom, all of the James Bond movies Historical Drama - Braveheart; Saving Private Ryan Classics - Play It Again, Sam; Dr. Strangelove (Or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb); The Blob; Mutiny on The Bounty Best Vacations Ever: JFK-AMS-LHR-AMS-JFK; JFK-FCO-TLV-ATH-COP-JFK; New York City to Bermuda aboard Cunard Lines H.M.S. Franconia; Hiking for eight weeks in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine First Time On A Train: White Plains, NY to Grand Central Terminal, NY First Time On An Amtrak Train: Rye, NY to New London, CT First Overnight Train Rides: The Montrealer from Rye, NY to White River Junction, VT (coach); The Broadway Limited from New York/Penn Station to Chicago/Union Station (slumbercoach) Amtrak Trains Ridden: NEC (multiple trains), Harrisburg-Philadelphia, The Montrealer, The Broadway Limited, The National Limited, The Atlantic City Express, The Lake Shore Limited, The Shenandoah, The California Zephyr, The Pioneer, The Coast Starlight, The San Joaquin, The San Diegans, The Sunset Limited, The Crescent Commuter Trains Ridden: C&NW: Chicago-Geneva MBTA: Gardner, MA-Boston/North, Boston/North-Ipswich, MA, Boston/South Station-Back Bay Station (Back Bay Shuttle), Boston/South Station-Framingham CalTrain: San Francisco-San Jose Tri-Rail: Lake Worth-Miami Canada: CN Dorval to Montreal/Central Station, CP Montreal/Windsor Station to Brownville, Jct., Maine Mexico: Mexicali-Mazatlan r/t, Nogales-Sufragio-Chihuahua (Copper Canyon)-Ciudad Juarez Europe by Eurailpass: Brussels-Amsterdam-Paris-Normandy-Biarritz-Lisbon-The Algarve-Seville-Barcelona-Cannes-Copenhagen-Frederikshavn-Gothenberg-Stockholm-Brussels
[This message has been edited by dnsommer (edited 11-16-2003).]
Posts: 284 | From: Ithaca, NY USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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From: Anaheim California Age: 23 (will be 24 on the 16th, four days!) Favorite Sport: Hockey Favorite Movie: Silver Streak (1976) Train Info:
I've traveled on trains since 1980, so I was barely one on my first trip! It was on the Empire Builder. After that I've traveled countless times on the Southwest Chief, and several on the Desert Wind and many San Diegan/Surfliner trips as well.
I've also been on several private car trips back when you could (before material handling stuff was put on the rear) These trips include 2 on the Louisa one to Chicago (Coast Starlight and Cal Zephyr) and the other to Portland, on the Coast Starlight. The Yorba Buena to Denver (Desert Wind + Cal Zephyr). The North Star to Portland, again on the Coast Starlight. And the Caritas, to Chicago (Coast Starlight to Oakland, then Cal Zephyr)
My favorite Amtrak train is the Southwest Chief as my name may have given that away
I really like Superliners and have learned all I can about them. They're just Super
Model Trains: I'm big into model railroading. I have an outdoor G scale layout, and two indoor (O and HO). My favorite railroad is the Santa Fe and I've read a lot of books about it. But the Rio Grande Narrow gauge is starting to become my favorite. I posted a link to my website about the G scale layout. http://pages.sbcglobal.net/fdoti/index.html
Last thing: I'll be taking the Chief after Christmas, from Fullerton to Gallup and back again. I'll post a travel log about it.
Posts: 579 | From: San Bernardino Subdivison | Registered: Dec 2001
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From:grew up in Whittier,Ca.From my front yard I could see the U.P.main line&S.P Los Nietos branch Age:51 Favorite sport:Baseball Favorite city to visit:Portland,Or.I lived there for a few years in the mid ninties. Favorite train ride:Amtrak Zephyr. Favorite movie:Silver Streak. Favorite vacation:My first cross country Amtrak trip in 1978.I rode the Sunset Limited L.A.to New Orleans,Southern Crescent to Washington D.C.&New York,Broadway Limited to Chicago San Frncisco Zephyr to San Francisco,Coast Starlight to L.A.At this time, The Crescent was still operated by the Southern Railway.This train wes better than anything I ever rode on Amtrak.North of Wash.The train had GG1's.Also had GG1's on Broadway. First train ride:From L.A to San Francisco,on theSan Joaquin Daylight,and back on the Coast Daylight,in 1961. First overnight train:Special train to Reno,Pacific railroad Society,in Feb.1973. This,plus my signature,says it all.
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I am 27 yrs old i grew up in Okemos MI and i now live in Lafayette LA and work for the BNSF Railway as a Conductor.I love riding trains any chance i get i will ride Amtrak anywhere.My name is Matt.
------------------ LOOK LISTEN LIVE BEFORE CROSSING RR TRACKS
[This message has been edited by BNSF 1088 (edited 11-13-2003).]
My Age; 62 My Status: Retired CPA My Home; Clarendon Hills, IL My College: University of Illinois; BS Accountancy June 1970 My Railroad Service: MILW 1970-81 My Military Service: Air Force 1965-69 My War: Nam My Most Recent Employment: My own CPA firm; 1982-closed Jul 03 My Lifetime Rail Mileage: at least 200K My Travels: Three Quarters of the way around the world (missing 15E to 105E) My Given Legal Name: look off to the left My Net Worth; "Sorry 'Bout That'
[This message has been edited by Gilbert B Norman (edited 11-20-2003).]
Posts: 9977 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Happy Birthday, Southwest Chief! You sure have covered a lot of ground on the rails. I once worked in Anaheim. Are there still freight trains running down the streets there? How about those old wig-wag signals?
Dave
Posts: 284 | From: Ithaca, NY USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Actually I'm more in Anaheim Hills (Yorba Linda) than Anaheim. But I have ventured out there to see the local freights. And the wigwags were still there a few years ago. But since I haven't been out there in a while, I don't know for sure. I think you have given me a good excuse to go looking for them.
(cool I hear the Southwest Chief!!, must be at the Imperial Highway crossing)(sounds like she's a bit late, but not too bad)
Posts: 579 | From: San Bernardino Subdivison | Registered: Dec 2001
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Hi all! "Railroad Rich" here. I am 55 and have been riding AMTRAK since the mid-70's. I worked for AMTRAK for a few months back in 1973 while I was getting my Masters Degree and hadn't found a permanent job in my field yet (I worked at the Chicago Reservations Bureau at the corner of Michigan Ave. & Jackson Blvd -- the old Santa Fe bldg, and I remember watching the Sears Tower be built while I was working for AMTRAK!) My first ever train trip (that I can remember) was when I was about 3 years old, riding on the old Nickel Plate from Cleveland, OH to South Bend, IN, with my mother and sister to visit grandparents. I currently live in Fern Park, FL (suburban community to Orlando). My "home" AMTRAK station is Winter Park (it was Orlando previously, when I lived in S. Orlando). Other than trains, I enjoy downhill skiing and outdoor activities. I am also a devoted fan of Jimmy Buffett, and am a member of a "Parrothead Club." I am employed by a state water management district (in other words, I am a government bureaucrat!!)
Good idea, Uncle Buck!! See y'all on the train!!!
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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From: South Bay, L A County, CA Age: Born well before Amtrak Favorite Train Route: BNSF LA-Barstow First Time on Train: Santa Fe, Amarillo-Chicago + Erie-Lackawanna, Chicago-Binghamton (hardly remember it, early 60s). Better memory of San Bernardino-LA on UP and return on Santa Fe (late 60s). First Amtrak Rides: LA-Oceanside in '75; LA-San Jose in '76 Most Recent: BWI-Newport News & return, 8/03
MP
Posts: 874 | From: South Bay (LA County), Calif, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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Residence: Prescott, AZ Age: 71 Retired after 35 years with Santa Fe in engineering and later property management
Trains ridden: all of SF passenger trains except branch line doodlebugs, Capitol Lmtd. City of New Orleans, AOE, SW Chief, Amtrak Texas Chief, IC commuter trains in CHGO, WAS to NYC in 1965 and return but cannot recall trains name or number. Sevaral SF freights incl. the Super C, SF rail detector car. Hobby: RR history and collecting authentic dining car china, hence my name above.
Affiliations: Life Member American Rwy. Engineering & Maintenance of Way Assn., American Legion for 52 years, Railroadiana Collectors Assn.
Posts: 467 | From: Prescott, AZ USA | Registered: Mar 2002
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I live in Spotsylvania, Va, and commute on Virginia Railway Express between Fredericksburg and Arlington. I'm 50 and have always loved trains.
I'm the chairman of the Virginia Assn. of Railway Patrons. Today we hosted an information table at the Train Day at the Ashland, VA, library.
My sons, age 17 and 21, like trains, and my 6-year-old daughter, who went to Train Day with me, loves them. My wife and my other daughters are moderately warm toward trains but are not fans.
I write a "Commuter Crossroads" column for the Fredericksburg paper, usually about trains, and archive it, with other stuff, on my website.
------------------ Steve Dunham Literalman@aol.com http://www.stevedunham.50megs.com/
Grew up in L.A. basin in 40's when P.E. ruled the world.
Early 50's between Victorville & Barstow watching F's, Aerotrain, UP turbines, PA's, etc.
Back to Orange County in 60's when rails were still in to Balboa and still in crossings along Newport Blvd from Tustin to Costa Mesa.
First out of Calif ride was New Haven from New York to New London.
Last "pre-Amtrak" (1970) was San Joaquin Daylight Bakersfield-Mojave, then return on an ATSF mail train (conductor in rider coach was flabbergasted - he had never had a passenger before!)
Made Tennessee Pass on an AAPRCO special with Pacific Rail Society.
Have ridden almost all of Amtrak, virtually everything in Switzerland, quite a few charters and tourist roads. Most isolated was Puntas Arenas-San Jose in Costa Rica.
Most "stuffed" (you couldn't move and could hardly breathe) was rear platform when SDRM equipment was moved from San Ysidro to Campo thru Tijuana and Tecate.
Posts: 114 | From: pismo beach CA | Registered: Jul 2003
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Queens, New York Age: old enough to remember the New York Central System. Work: retired educator...but would love to get a job with Amtrak, or other passenger tourist r.r. Best trip: Alaska (Mckinley Explorer/Alaska Railroad to Denali Park and Lodge-return to Anchorage, then Alaska RR Grandview train to the ship "Celebrity Summit" for an inside passage cruise}. 1st. train ride : 20th Century Ltd. to Chicago to connect with Super Chief to Los Angeles. Other interests: theater, gardening,and add a measure of fitness lite. Favorite baseball team: New York Yankees Birth place: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Posts: 498 | From: New Hope, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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From: Flagstaff, AZ Age: 17 Favorite Sport: Baseball Cities to Visit: Eugene, OR & Chicago, IL Favorite Trains: SW Chief, Starlight Favorite Movie: The Blues Brothers Song: You Can Call Me Al (Paul Simon) Hobbies: Model RR, Photography, Music, playing bass guitar, automotive stuff Future: Amtrak conductor/engineer w/ later management position
Posts: 553 | From: Flagstaff, AZ USA | Registered: Apr 2001
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From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Age:60 Occupation: Retired secondary school Geography teacher. Favourite films: The Searchers, My Darling Clementine, Memphis Belle, Lawrence of Arabia, The French Connection, Grapes of Wrath, Manhattan... Favourite Cities: New York, Boston, San Francisco. Favourite sport: Hockey (I still play) Rail History: I'm old enough to remember in 1950, boarding an Ontario Northland passenger train, in Toronto's Union Station, pulled by a steam locomotive for a trip to Timmins in N. Ontario. British Rail: London-Newhaven France: Normandy(Bayeux)-Paris Paris-Interlakken, Switz. Paris-London by Eurostar-Tunnel USA: 2002 North American Rail Pass, 30- day coach trip around the USA, staying at least one night in each of 14 cities. Covered 8770 miles. From Toronto, I used The International, The City of New Orleans, Sunset Limited, Texas Eagle, Illinois and Missouri Routes, Southwest Chief, Coast Starlight, California Zephyr. Other Canada: VIA Rail's "The Canadian" from Toronto to Jasper, Alberta in Sept./03. Had top bunk section-sleeper on this trip. Future trip..Copper Canyon in Mexico.
What I've learned about rail travel: . My wife and two sons have no interest in trains. The closest they get is driving me to the station and picking me up on return. I'm reminded of Lyndon Johnson's comment that "When you pee down your own leg it feels warm to you, but not necessarily to someone else." . In regard to quality of service and meals, VIA and Amtrak long distance trains were equal, but VIA had a better on-time record. . I prefer to be seated with my back to the direction of travel. I have no idea what this means, but it works for me. . Avoid making two connections in one day, and don't complain if the train is late.
Age: Old enough to have gotten lost in New York's original Pennsylvania Station when I was a little kid.
Pre-Amtrak railroads I've traveled on: New York Central, Pennsylvania, New Haven, Erie, Nickel Plate Road
Favorite railroad ruins: Buffalo Central Terminal (Buffalo, NY); trashed Illinois Central dome car (trackside at Dodge City, KS); old New York Central coaling tower (Collinwood yards in Cleveland, OH); the High Line (New York, NY)
Favorite railroad stations: Grand Central Terminal; Los Angeles Union Station; Chicago Union Station (original waiting room only); Portland Union Station; 30th Street Station in Philadelphia; Hoboken Terminal; Toledo Union Terminal (a 1950s time warp).
Amtrak trains I've taken: Lake Shore Limited, Pennsylvanian, Southwest Chief, Adirondack, Coast Starlight, Vermonter, Empire Builder, Crescent, Three Rivers, NEC Regional, Pacific Surfliner, Empire Service Regional, Cascades, Twilight Shoreliner
Favorite Amtrak cars: Heritage coach; Superliner 1 sleeper (refurbished version; great standard room closet); Horizon coach (refurbished version; more spacious; great windows)
Least favorite Amtrak car: Viewliner (too many buttons, crappy curtains, standard room toilet creeps me out)
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Location: Western Kentucky (and catching a train from here isn't done on a whim).
Age: 55.
Job: Wire editor at a newspaper.
First train: The late Broadway Limited, back in the early '80s. Heritage equipment. Flush the toilet, see the track.
More recent trains: City of New Orleans, California Zephyr, Empire Builder.
My wife and I have to take the City of New Orleans to get anywhere else. We like to go out west, and have done the Zephyr 3 times (went to Reno, then Truckee, then Sacramento; may go all the way sometime, but I believe that's another topic) and the Empire Builder once.
We're planning to go back to Seattle next spring with our 3-year-old granddaughter. Robert Benchley once wrote that there are two classes of travel, first class and with children. We'll let you know.
We are fans of train travel, though not particularly trains as such. "Consist" in our house is a verb: "The train consists of different cars." I didn't know it was a noun until I started reading this board.
And I write my congressthings about supporting Amtrak.
------------------
Posts: 58 | From: Owensboro, KY USA | Registered: Apr 2002
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Thanks, Uncle Buck, for starting this. I have an Uncle Buck who lives in St. Louis and I always wondered if there was a connection, but he's older than me, and I'm considerably older than you. In fact, my first train ride was in 1944 - Boston to Spokane - LSL and EB.
I'm fortunate that I work for myself in the Boston area and can take the time to ride the rails when the mood hits me. My 2 older kids live in NYC, so I ride the Acela quite alot. When my wife is tired of my antics I get to take a longer trip. I guess my entertaining diversions are train riding, model ship building, pathetic golfing, and sailing. In between these I try to make some intelligent investments in start-up, high-tech companies in our area.
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Dnsommer So nice of you to go back to your first message on this thread and join in the Fun. How could I have known you like those movies.
Posts: 547 | From: St. Louis, MO, USA | Registered: Nov 2002
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Favorite railroad cars;S.P.3/4 domes.any other domes,SlumbercoachI prefer these to a roomette both for price,and because you can use the can in the middle of the night without raising your bed.Round end observation cars,andsomething you can'tget on Amtrak,open platform observation cars.
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Whoa, Dave!!! You're on the wrong topic!! This is the "get to know your TrainWeb posters" thread!!!
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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Age: just turned 44. Born in the fabulous '50s, but just barely (Nov. 3, 1959)
Occupation: Audio/Visual technician (you can hear me and see me) - 7.5 years in a rut.
Former occupations: movie theater staff/manager (11 years), hardware & paint sales (2 years of retail was enough for a lifetime).
Hobbies/interests: Amtrak advocacy, historic preservation, a little model train set, various community projects (mostly environmental protection and historic preservation), airplane watching, photography, home theater, website (see link below).
Family status: married almost 21 years to the same lady. No kids, one cat.
First train ride: California Zephyr (December 1962).
Regularly rode: Coast Starlight (1974-1984).
Brief flirtation with: Metroliner, one way DC to Boston in three legs, June 1976.
The great void in my Amtrak experience: 1985-1999.
Trains taken since 1999: California Zephyr (2000), Coast Starlight (three trips 2001 to present).
Next planned train trip: February 2004. Not soon enough.
Favorite vegetable: Broccoli.
Best president in my memory: Gerald Ford. Worst: Tie between LBJ and GWB.
Given a choice I prefer: Coke over Pepsi; Kirk over Picard; Beatles over Elvis; McDonalds over Burger King; American cars over imports; Bugs & Daffy over Mickey & Donald.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
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I've been meaning to get to this for awhile: Name: Jerry Peterson Age:57
Home:St.Paul, MN close enough to the Amtrak station to hear the whistle of the Empire Builder every night and morning.
Occupation: Computer Programmer (mainframe, PC illiterate).
My travel interests: primarily the southwest: AZ, NM, CO; which means my trains have been the SWC, CZ and more rarely the EB. Never been east on a train. Lately I have been getting in 4-5 Amtrak trips a year.
I have to drive to Iowa or Missouri to catch the trains I take most. As a kid I loved trains and collected lots of timetables.
My user name is the name of the train that would have saved me that drive to the SWC & CZ: Rock Island's Twin Star Rocket - from the North Star State to the Lone Star State, from the Twin Cities of MN to Dallas Fort Worth. I still have the timetables.
Favorite movie: on Amtrak, the window.
Latest trip: Ft.Madison-Fullerton-San Diego, rental car to ABQ for a Phoenix wedding, then back to Iowa.
I have 25 year old very urban twin children who are into hip-hop, skiing, snowboarding, and especially the train.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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Oh well, since everybody else seems to have joined in.
Name: Geoff Mayo Location: Wiltshire, UK Age: 27 Job: Software, specifically railway signalling simulations (http://www.theraileng.co.uk) Marital status: Still looking for her Pets: 2 cats Hobbies: Riding trains, travelling in general, computers, MSTS, music Claim to fame: author of SimSig, currently used by thousands of users worldwide (a UK version of Train Dispatcher but better - far better, of course!)
Mr Toy - try typing in the words "miserable failure" into Google - you'll like this one!
Geoff M.
Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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The names AJ Pennypacker and dont you go forgettin it now. Born off the shores of Kansas City Hobbies/Likes: Trains, Hockey, A little baseball, No Planes, Pizza, Thats about it. Dislikes: Planes, Les Escargots, Canadien Bacon the food, Foreign films, and much much more. Single, but with prospects Age: 28 College: University of Maine Now living in Chicago Favorite Sports teams: Blues(NHL), Royals(MLB), Bengals(forever, yeah) Cavs(Basketball) Nickname: The "White" LeBron James Favortie Movie: Dances W/ Wolves Favorite Train Route: City Of New Orleans Job: English Teacher Posts: 8 | From: Here and There, USA | Registered: Dec 2003
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Name: Dean Location: Phoenix, Arizona Birth Date: April 22, 1960 Wife: Twyla Children: Maggie 19, Ephraim 15, Petra 10 First Train Ride: The San Diegan, then the Coast Daylight, 1969 Occupation: Civil Engineer for 18 years on and off Previous Occupations: Middle School Band Director, High School Drafting Teacher Hobbies: Model Railroading, Playing Trombone and Euphonium, Shooting, Canoeing, Running Favorite Movie: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
posted
Mind you, I do not advise disclosure of full names over the Web, but many people here have done it already and it is certainly too late for my advice to be taken.
As for myself, my first name is Alan (or Al if you like), presently living in Tobyhanna PA (used to live in Elizabeth, NJ, right on one of the major reverse curves of the Northeast Corridor—before that, I lived in Dublin and Leixlip in Ireland). Presently laid off due to Honeywell closing the plant I was working at; planning to go back to college soon. Nearest rails to my current residence are those of the Delaware-Lackawanna short line, better known as the former "Route of the Phoebe Snow", a train that should have been part of Amtrak's present repertoire IMHO (for its mere existence if not for comparable on-board amenities).
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