posted
It used to be that you could pretty well count on the times when trains would operate. In Miami the Silver Meteor always departed at 9:00am under Seaboard, SCL, and for years under Amtrak. Now they change schedules and ammenities so often that you can't count on anything. Many months ago my family booked a cross-country trip for December. First we booked the Silver Star but then the schedule changed and it misconnected with the Capitol Limited so we switched to the Meteor. Now the Star makes the better connection but I had heard the same rumor about downgrading it to coach so forget that. We will be pushed to make the Meteor as it leaves soon after school exams get out that day. Then we have to detrain in Washington at about 6am and endure a long layover. It is so hard to plan anymore.
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
If baggage service is eliminated we are in a bind as we are taking a long cruise from California. We need to take lots of clothes due to the length of the trip, the various climates, and the need to take dressy clothes for the ship. The on board baggage restrictions make this not work and the Viewliner sleeper in the east has no common baggage storage space. I return on the Sunset (while the family flies home) and face this dillema at my home station where there is now no ticket agent thus no checked baggage. On my last Sunset trip in May there was a rumor that the diner may be cut. Any truth to this? I refuse to east packaged sandwiches for three (or four) days.
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
I too took Amtrak from my area to LAX for a lengthy cruise. I had to pack formal wear for the cruise as well as for two cross country Amtrak trips (5 segments), then more clothes for a cruise up the west coast with ports of call in California, Oregon, Washington, and Victoria BC, then a week along the Inside Passage of Alaska. Talk about climate variations!
Since my hometown does not have a ticket agent or checked luggage I had to go to the closest one that did (over 40 miles away) and depart from there. I had a ton of luggage but most of it got checked. I too had a lengthy connection time (10 hours) so I called in advance (Enterprise) and rented a car. Did quite a bit of sightseeing. Since the bulk of my heaviest luggage was checked I could either take the carry-on with me or use the stations short-term luggage storage area for my days jaunt.
The last time I had a lengthy overlay in DC I used their luggage storage and hit some of the sights I had not seen before, specifically the new Air and Space Museum at Dulles (Space Shuttle and Concorde were very cool).
I too had to deal very recently with Amtraks change of the Silver Service departures from Miami. I called to ask them why the changes? I was informed that the Silver Meteor was changed to depart 4 hours earlier so that it would make it possible for these passengers to connect to the w/b Sunset Limited in Orlando. Neither of the Silver Service trains stop at Sanford anymore. I had already bought my tickets and Amtrak made changes to my reservation with no fees. I wound up taking the Silver Star because it worked better. I also got the chance to see the (new?) Auto-Train station at Sanford. Quite amazing to see the rail car-haulers and all those Superliners parked everywhere.
On this trip the SILVER STAR's consist in both directions was:
1 Locomotive 1 Baggage car 1 Crew car 3 Viewliner Sleepers 1 Dining Car 1 Lounge/Snack Car 4 Coach Class
The best part of my most recent trip SAL-RGH-TPA-MIA-RGH was definitely NOT the ride on the GREYHOUND bus from SAL-RGH. This was my first and last trip with them, and I cant ever recommend Greyhound especially if you have to overnight-it. Nor was it the inevitable rude Coach-class Amtrak attendants, or the passengers in the lounge car and in the coach-class car with the portable DVD players at full blast and no headphones. Or that the train shut down in Deland for 25 minutes in the middle of dinner. Or the lack of any kind of movies (either s/b or n/b) in the lounge car.
Aside from the Amtrak French Toast and the Salmon at dinner, the best part of this trip was seeing the change in flora. I had not seen elephant ears so huge in my life (some looked as big as 6 feet long)! Going from Palmettos to Palms to Sawgrass, hundreds of miles of giant old trees draped so elegantly in Spanish Moss, and the many, many miles of lakes and flat swampy areas in between was incredible. I guess this was better than a boring old movie in the lounge car afterall...
Ahhh, The South.
-------------------- The best part of life is the journey, not the destination. Posts: 497 | From: Clarksburg, West Virginia | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Best advice for traveling anywhere, Mr. Silver Star; "if you can't carry it, don't bring it'.
Failing that, likely the only alternative to any Amtrak baggage restrictions is to pack everything up and trot off to your local friendly Kinko's (FedEx) or Mail Boxes Etc (UPS).
Posts: 9980 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
That was an interesting post dmwnc. Are you located in Western NC as I suspect? We actually should be okay as long as checked baggage is not eliminated as we are departing froma station other than our home station. On the way home my wife and son can check some items home on the plane and I will just have to do the carryon routine since I will return to the home station which is without an agent. It is just ashame that such ammenities keep eroding further. As for climate: North FL can be chilly in winter, the connections in WAS and CHI downright cold, LA moderate, and Hawaii very warm. I can't wait...nothing beats train travel and a cruise.
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by SilverStar092: That was an interesting post dmwnc. Are you located in Western NC as I suspect? We actually should be okay as long as checked baggage is not eliminated as we are departing froma station other than our home station. On the way home my wife and son can check some items home on the plane and I will just have to do the carryon routine since I will return to the home station which is without an agent. It is just ashame that such ammenities keep eroding further. As for climate: North FL can be chilly in winter, the connections in WAS and CHI downright cold, LA moderate, and Hawaii very warm. I can't wait...nothing beats train travel and a cruise.
I need to change my sign in name to a catchy one like all of yaw have...actually the DMW are my initals, the NC for the state. Confusing I know...:-) I am actually in south central NC state above Charlotte.
A long cross-country Amtrak trip followed by an even longer cruise is indeed the best of both worlds. I have done it more than once and highly recommend it. The 'catch' is getting all your 'cruise' luggage on the train with you!
Have a WONDERFUL journey.
-------------------- The best part of life is the journey, not the destination. Posts: 497 | From: Clarksburg, West Virginia | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
The constant flip-flopping of schedules for the Silver Service trains the last few years has been particularly troublesome. Of course CSX can't get 'em over the road anywhere near on time either. That 'long' layover isn't going to be that long!
The 'Star' is most easily accessible to me in Columbia, SC (only a three hour drive) and with in-laws in the Orlando area would be a train I would take regularly if it were convienant. However, I'm not interested in catching a train in or out in the middle of the night. We've tried driving as far as Savannah and catching the train there but those times aren't significantly better.
Personally, I wish the southbound 'Star' departed Columbia around 10:30pm, arrived in Orlando the next morning say 8:00am or so......and then operated northbound about 45 minutes earlier than this. THAT'S the schedule I long for.
While I'm at it, how about a new passenger train originating in Asheville, NC and operating to Salisbury, NC (NCDOT has been talking about this much for a decade) and then continuing south to Charlotte, NC and on to Columbia. Tack on a through sleeper and I'd be set for 'seamless' travel Asheville to Orlando. Ahhhhhhhhhh.
Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:While I'm at it, how about a new passenger train originating in Asheville, NC and operating to Salisbury, NC
Salisbury’s station will serve as the eastern terminus of passenger service to Asheville being planned now by NCDOT. Historic stations along the Western N.C. line, including those in Statesville, Hickory, Morganton, Marion, Black Mountain and Old Fort, are already being restored. Asheville and Valdese will get new stations.
NCDOT studies found strong popular support for passenger service east to Wilmington as wel
A little behind schedule it seems...:-) Service set to begin in 2008. Four trains a day, two in each direction. Supposed to be timed with connecting services (Crescent? would be nice)
-------------------- The best part of life is the journey, not the destination. Posts: 497 | From: Clarksburg, West Virginia | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:While I'm at it, how about a new passenger train originating in Asheville, NC and operating to Salisbury, NC
Salisbury’s station will serve as the eastern terminus of passenger service to Asheville being planned now by NCDOT. Historic stations along the Western N.C. line, including those in Statesville, Hickory, Morganton, Marion, Black Mountain and Old Fort, are already being restored. Asheville and Valdese will get new stations.
NCDOT studies found strong popular support for passenger service east to Wilmington as wel
A little behind schedule it seems...:-) Service set to begin in 2008. Four trains a day, two in each direction. Supposed to be timed with connecting services (Crescent? would be nice)
The snag with Asheville service is that Norfolk Southern first wants a huge financial package to make 'track and signal' improvements to a line that is already in better shape than when Southern Railway #'s 3 and 4 expired 30 years ago this month. The proposal for an NCDOT passenger train to Asheville has actually been around since about 1994.
One of the early proposals was for a Raleigh-Asheville train operating via Salisbury....but this would have meant a backup move in and out of the Salisbury station as the junction to Asheville is just north of the station there. (writing for the masses DMWNC.......I know you are familiar with the track configuration in Salisbury).
I suppose one of the other issues with an Asheville train would be the establishment of service facilities in Salisbury now that any train would likely originate there. One item I read mentioned the possibility of doing that on the grounds of the North Carolina Transportation Museum located just a couple or three miles from Salisbury at the former Southern Railway Spencer Shops.
The Wilmington service is getting a whole lot of attention, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Don Stewart in Fayetteville, NC.
Thing is, they haven't been able to settle on one of the proposed routes over the other and there are problems with both. The shorter route is less populated and would require putting back old ACL track (25 miles or more) through Pender County which CSX abandoned and pulled up. The more populated route through Fayetteville would require building a new connecting track from the north-south line to the east-west line in Pembroke, NC. Sadly, this connecting track needs to be in the northeast quadrant at the junction and that would wipe out a good portion of downtown Pembroke. To make a pun, the mayor of Pembroke is not 'on board' with the project.
Still.......I am pleased that North Carolina is committed to doing what it can for rail passenger service in the state. Our DOT folks were on record in the Charlotte press conference with Norm Mineta that any plan which bankrupted Amtrak was unacceptable and the station restoration program has been just wonderful. Salisbury's is good but High Point is a real gem.
David Pressley
Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Thanks a lot dwmnc1959 and notelvis for all the info about NCDOT. Obviously I don't live in North Carolina, but I am a frequent visitor and love the area (I hope to even live there someday). Anyways, I just so glad that the state has made rail passenger service such a priority, even with the service that they currently run through Amtrak. It's really great. I just wish Florida would get 'on board' with in state service. The problem is that everyone here thinks that rail service has to be high speed. The fact is, most tracks in the state are in good enough condition to run trains at 70 to 100 mph. If it's as fast or faster than the interstate, people will ride. Of course North Carolina, California, and Michigan have already learned this. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to sit back and watch as rail service dies out in the state, and multi billion dollar fairytales about high speed service are thrown around. Best of luck to North Carolina, and please keep me informed!
Posts: 82 | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:The snag with Asheville service is that Norfolk Southern first wants a huge financial package
Dont you just love NS.
quote:...operating via Salisbury but this would have meant a backup move in and out of the Salisbury station as the junction to Asheville is just north of the station there. (writing for the masses DMWNC.......I know you are familiar with the track configuration in Salisbury).
I've lived here for most my adult life and I didnt even think of that inconvenient maneuver it would have to make! THANKS for reminding me!
quote:I suppose one of the other issues with an Asheville train would be the establishment of service facilities in Salisbury now that any train would likely originate there. One item I read mentioned the possibility of doing that on the grounds of the North Carolina Transportation Museum located just a couple or three miles from Salisbury at the former Southern Railway Spencer Shops.
This would be GREAT. The Spencer Shops are quite amazing. There is a shuttle service already in place from the Amtrak station to Spencer (that could be expanded) that could transfer folks coming off of the morning/evening 'Carolinian' and 'Piedmont' since these would be the most likely connect times.
quote:Still.......I am pleased that North Carolina is committed to doing what it can for rail passenger service in the state. Our DOT folks were on record in the Charlotte press conference with Norm Mineta that any plan which bankrupted Amtrak was unacceptable...
David Gunn is ALSO quite impressed with North Carolina's achievments in rail service and upgrades. He said that we set a fine example that others in the country could follow...
quote:.. and the station restoration program has been just wonderful. Salisbury's is good but High Point is a real gem.
Agreed...and High Point is one of the finest small stations I have ever seen. The High Point tracks, in the 'old days', used to run 'through' the middle of downtown, now they run 50 feet 'below' the street level, and its a shame. I was on the 'Piedmont' coming from Raleigh the other day and one of the passengers remarked 'High Point doesnt even have a station, just a platform...". It cant be seen from track level and can only be enjoyed by those who make an effort.
-------------------- The best part of life is the journey, not the destination. Posts: 497 | From: Clarksburg, West Virginia | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
-------------------- The best part of life is the journey, not the destination. Posts: 497 | From: Clarksburg, West Virginia | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
You have a good point about the FL train likely being late into Washington which would reduce our long layover. As for the NC train to Asheville, I hope it finally happens. I have always regretted never getting to ride Southern's Asheville Special but finally did get to ride an excursion train years ago between Asheville and Hickory. Is there a reason why Salisbury is avored over Greensboro as a connecting point? I would think Winston-Salem would povide more population. Or is that line not so great anymore?
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by SilverStar092: Is there a reason why Salisbury is avored over Greensboro as a connecting point? I would think Winston-Salem would povide more population. Or is that line not so great anymore?
For some reason Winston Salem is currenty only serviced by thruway coaches. Must not be enough demand for passengers in that area to use Amtrak. Service from Salisbury to Ashville was around for decades. It makes it easier also to connect to the existing Amtrak services Carolinian/Piedmont. The existing track between SAL-ASH (which is in very good shape) and stations along this route would need minimal efforts to return to service. I think the trackage around Winston-Salem would need considerably more efforts to bring on-line since there is no passenger traffic through there now other than bus services. I believe the current NS tracks out of Winston-salem head back down towards Salisbury anyway and pass just 10 miles from the current Amtrak station, outside of town near Barber, where it would take a hard right turn to go up to Statesville and on to Asheville.
-------------------- The best part of life is the journey, not the destination. Posts: 497 | From: Clarksburg, West Virginia | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I know this is a repeat / double post or whatever, but since the question was in twice, here it is: Western North Carolina Service:
In the 50's and 60's the Western North Carolina trains did run Greensboro - Winston Salem - Barber - Asheville. However, the Winston Salem to Barber line is currently out of service and would require considerable money to restore to service. I beleive at least on fairly major bridge needs replacing. Greensboro to Winston Salem would also need some work, maybe a full rail relay to be able to be run a reasonable speed. This is the main reason the Winston Salem line is not considered in the running.
Posts: 2810 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by George Harris: I know this is a repeat / double post or whatever, but since the question was in twice, here it is: Western North Carolina Service:
In the 50's and 60's the Western North Carolina trains did run Greensboro - Winston Salem - Barber - Asheville. However, the Winston Salem to Barber line is currently out of service and would require considerable money to restore to service. I beleive at least on fairly major bridge needs replacing. Greensboro to Winston Salem would also need some work, maybe a full rail relay to be able to be run a reasonable speed. This is the main reason the Winston Salem line is not considered in the running.
You're good George. This is new information on the thread.
The Asheville service did in fact operate via Winston-Salem and connect in Greensboro as late as 1968. Sometime between that time and 1971 they were shifted to make the connection in Salisbury.
It was a cost-cutting move in that the shift 1) eliminated a time-consuming back-up move at Barber Junction; 2) Allowed the closing of the passenger station in Winston-Salem; and 3) Reached the mainline two hours sooner.
This reduction in running time, combined with a newly rescheduled 'Piedmont' (not the current Piedmont but Southern's Washington-Atlanta day train which survived until November 1976), made a same-day Asheville-Washington, DC trip possible for the first time. THIS in turn ended the need for a through sleeping car on the Asheville train. Meal service had already been eliminated in favor of box meals placed aboard at Hickory in each direction.
Gee.......can anyone tell that I collect old Southern Railway public timetables? Sorry for getting carried away.
Oh.....and a major PS: The original circa 1900 passenger station at Barber was picked up, moved to the Spencer Shops grounds, and restored. It is now the welcome center and ticket office for the on-site train ride at the North Carolina Transportation Museum. It's not Sacramento (yet) but Spencer is worth the time if you are a rail fan. Come visit us and have a look. Better yet, come by train!
Gee.......can anyone tell that until we moved to Western North Carolina from Fayetteville in 1998 that I was one of the NCDOT Volunteer Train Hosts? Again, sorry for getting carried away. This forum has been a tremendous outlet for my enthusiasms.
Thanks for the link DMWNC.......very good read!
David Pressley
Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged |
"Back up move at Barber Junction"? Didn't know about that one. I though they had wye connection in the northwest quadrant so that all the Asheville Special and Carolina Special had to do was go directly thorugh the wye from southbound to westbound and visa versa.
The Piedmont day train was nice and carried nice streamlined equipment, but was somewhat slow. It actually was a piggyback train as well.
On southern.railfan.net they have some Southern Railway employee timetables from the 40's scanned in. Very interesting reading.
George
Posts: 2810 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Mr Pressley, you are indeed a wealth of information. What would we do without you?
I am surprised how little I know about my own town of Salisbury sometimes. I should go to the library more often, and with this new information, hit the Spencer Shops and NC Museum of Transportation just five minutes up the road from my house.
It's funny, because on weekends I can hear their whistles blow from my house and never think twice about the incredible rail history in my own back yard.
Time to change that...
-------------------- The best part of life is the journey, not the destination. Posts: 497 | From: Clarksburg, West Virginia | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Thanks for all of the great insight by Mr. Harris, dmwnc, and not elvis. My 1964 Official Ry Guide shows the Asheville Special running via Winston-Salem but I remember it later switching to the Salisbury line. Now I know why. We were just in Winston-Salem in June and the rail line looked like it was in poor shape so I am not surprised. The bad thing with that 1964 schedule was that the train arrived in Asheville at about 8:30am meaning poor hours at stops from Hickory-east. A big plus now would be the ability to travel to Raleigh and even connect to Florida.
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by dmwnc1959: Mr Pressley, you are indeed a wealth of information. What would we do without you?
You're too kind!
It's mostly just a matter of one thread discussing a couple of things I've been intensely interested in for more than 30 years...the decline and demise of rail passenger service in Western North Carolina and how southeastern Amtrak schedules could be more efficient for most.
I hit the jackpot with this thread.
David Pressley
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I have also been following the goings on in North Carolina with interest for several years.
David: I looked at Barber on Topozone and it shows wye tracks in all quadrants. Interestingly, the northeast quadrant is shown as recently built. (On USGS maps changes in an intermediate update are shown in a different line type.) Therefore, there should have been no back-up move needed for the Asheville trains, which would have run around the northwest wye quadrant. Up to the late 40's, Trains 21 & 22 (Carolina Special) appparently had some form of connection or interchange of cars between a Greensboro -Winston Salem - Barber - Charlotte train and a Salisbury - Asheville train. Southern did some nice interchange or hub and spoke type connecions long before the Airlines ever though of it. For example, the Piedmont Limited both directions and the Carolina Special both directions were all four in Spartanburg at the same time.
In your talking about southeastern trains, if you take a Charlotte to Columbia SC train, an Asheville to Columbia train (reopened or rebuilt Saluda) and combine them with the Silver Starat Columbia, what you have actually done is resurrect the old Skyline Special which combined at Columbia to run as one train south toward Jacksonville, further combining with the Kansas City Florida Special between Jesup GA and Jacksonville. When this train died, the Charlotte to Columbia leg died first, sometime between 1952 and 1956, and the Asheville to Columbia train died soemtime between 1956 and 1962.
George
Posts: 2810 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by George Harris: I have also been following the goings on in North Carolina with interest for several years.
David: I looked at Barber on Topozone and it shows wye tracks in all quadrants. Interestingly, the northeast quadrant is shown as recently built. (On USGS maps changes in an intermediate update are shown in a different line type.) Therefore, there should have been no back-up move needed for the Asheville trains, which would have run around the northwest wye quadrant.
In your talking about southeastern trains, if you take a Charlotte to Columbia SC train, an Asheville to Columbia train (reopened or rebuilt Saluda) and combine them with the Silver Star at Columbia....
George
Hi George,
Quite possible that there may have been a northwest quadrant wye at Barber at some point. In fact, I would go so far as to say it was probable so long as Southern was using steam locomotives.
I do know that when I actually visited Barber in the late 1990's that the only connecting track in place was southeast quadrant. I've read (but couldn't cite the source from memory) that a Barber back-up was one of the reasons cited for re-routing the remaining Asheville passenger train to Salisbury in the late 1960's and also for not looking to renew Asheville passenger service via Winston-Salem.
Again.......not to say that there was never a northeast quadrant wye there.....one would have made sense at one time. I'll visit Barber next time I go that way and see if there has been any recent change. Would I bet my life on the backup move? No. I never experienced it first-hand and am going with information I seem to recall having read but can't recall where.
And yes, a passenger train down Saluda direct to Columbia from Asheville would be wonderful. The tracks are still in place and there have been rumours recently that Norfolk Southern may reopen the line. I doubt NS would go for passenger service on that mountain though. I also doubt that the NCDOT would support a passenger train on that route since the bulk of it's operation would be in South Carolina. BUT man, if one did come to that route I would be the first in line to buy a ticket!!!!!
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by notelvis: [QUOTE]And yes, a passenger train down Saluda direct to Columbia from Asheville would be wonderful. . . . BUT man, if one did come to that route I would be the first in line to buy a ticket!!!!!
Likewise! As to Barber, never argue with the man who has been there. Here is my email: georgeharris "at" thsrc.com.tw or ghharris44 "at" yahoo.com
Posts: 2810 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by notelvis: [QUOTE]And yes, a passenger train down Saluda direct to Columbia from Asheville would be wonderful. . . . BUT man, if one did come to that route I would be the first in line to buy a ticket!!!!!
Likewise! As to Barber, never argue with the man who has been there.
Hi George......
It's been a hectic week both at work and in the evenings.....in what little spare time I have been able to muster I have gotten somewhat addicted to Topozone. I was unaware of that site and have had a bit of fun finding my house with it! I see what you describe at Barber and agree that for much of the life of passenger service to Asheville it must have run through the now missing northwest connection without backing up. (I'll check the timetables and see if I can find at what point an extra 15-30 minutes running time first appeared in the neighborhood of Barber.
I've been trying to locate the source of that back-up move I believe existed (but I'm beginning to be less sure of) but haven't found it yet.
One other note, out of curiousity, I checked the Topozone map for Murphy in the extreme southwestern corner of North Carolina. The on-line map clearly shows the Louisville and Nashville Railroad branch crossing the river and moving southwesterly out of town. Thing is, this branch was abandoned in 1984 and the tracks lifted by 1987. I think I'll play with he site to see how other abandoned rail lines are treated by topozone. I appreciate this unexpected new resource.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged |
The thing with Topozone maps is that they are the US Geological Survey Quadrangle maps. Some of these maps have not been updated in years. For example the quad covering the area in Tennessee where my grandfather lived shows the situation as in 1961. For some areas they are good for archeology, not current conditions. You can fish around on the topozone page and get the date information, but I do not usually, and did not for the Barber area quad. Have no idea when the Murphy area quad was last updated, either. Rural areas that do not change very fast seem to be updated much less often. This is another area where a push of the congress for funding could also be beneficial. The USGS is very close to a self-sustaining agency due to map sales.
How the line is treated depends on the date of the map. If abandoned at the time of the map, abandoned lines are shown dashed, but only if the enough remains of the cuts and fills to make them a feature on the map. If abandoned after a partial update, they will show as a purple dash.
George
Posts: 2810 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
