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We have returned from our summer 2010 trip which involved over 5,000 driving miles. During our trip we covered new rail mileage on the Music City Star and the South Shore commuter line between South Bend and Chicago, and took a ride on Amtrak between St. Louis and Kansas City. Most importantly I covered the last two segments of Amtrak's system map that I had never ridden: Quincy to Galesburg and Detroit to Pontiac and the final VIA Rail Canada segment I had missed: White River to Sudbury. The two longest rail rides this trip were on the Algoma Central from Sault Ste. Marie to Hearst and Ontarion Northland's Polar Bear Express from Cochrane to Moosonee and back. It was a great trip but I need time to recover. Watch for a TrainWeb article or two in a few weeks.
notelvis Member # 3071
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How did you find riding the South Shore?
And Quincy to Galesburg? I've been trying to concoct a plan to fill in those gaps on my personal rail map as well as visit the stations in St. Louis and Kansas City...... I could probably do it more efficiently if I arranged a rental car. To offset my guilt at not using trains exclusively, I might arrange for a couple of nights at the Depot Inn in LaPlata, MO.
TwinStarRocket Member # 2142
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The Kansas City Depot can be a destination by itself. Allow a lot of time.
notelvis Member # 3071
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quote:Originally posted by TwinStarRocket: The Kansas City Depot can be a destination by itself. Allow a lot of time.
Agreed. I visited it in 2002 but I'm eager to go again now that Amtrak has space in the grand building as opposed to the little cinderblock box at track-level.
SilverStar092 Member # 2652
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The ride on the South Shore line was very enjoyable. It's an interesting operation and starting in South Bend is great as it leaves right from the airport so ample, close parking is available though there is a charge. Our train ran a few minutes late due to signal issues caused by the prior night's massive storms so we had a very quick turnaround at Chicago. It was neat seeing all the various rail lines we passed over, under, or beside along the way. I recommend this route.
SilverStar092 Member # 2652
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Kansas City Union Station is indeed a great destination and I'm so glad to see Amtrak inside the great hall. There is an amazing model train layout in one of the rooms at the end of the Great Hall and I'm not that much into model railroads.
SilverStar092 Member # 2652
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In answer to NotElvis: the Quincy to Galesburg ride was nice...lots of farms with enough small towns to make the short journey interesting. Having twice daily service helps but a car is really the way to go. My wife drove us one way so the itinerary we followed worked great using the afternoon run from Quincy to Galesburg. If you drive to one end or the other and take the train roundtrip, it's best to start in Quincy as there's a fairly onvenient return run in the evening. The Galesburg depot has ample freight action and a few stationary pieces of rail equipment to gaze at during the layover plus that station is staffed. The Quincy depot has ample parking but is unstaffed is not next to anything within walking distance. There are several chain hotels in town but not right by the station and Hannibal, home of Mark Twain is also a short drive from Quincy and is worth a visit.
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