RAILforum: Get to Know Your TrainWeb Posters

This is topic Get to Know Your TrainWeb Posters in forum Amtrak at RAILforum.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
http://www.railforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/11/1514.html

Posted by UncleBuck44 (Member # 2049) on :

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

Posted by dnsommer (Member # 2825) on :

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).]

Posted by Southwest Chief (Member # 1227) on :

Good Idea

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.

Posted by espeefoamer (Member # 2815) on :

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.

------------------
Trust Jesus,Ride Amtrak.

Posted by BNSF 1088 (Member # 2400) on :

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).]

Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :

Im a very open guy; here's a quick "CV":

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).]

Posted by dnsommer (Member # 2825) on :

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

Posted by Southwest Chief (Member # 1227) on :

Dave,

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)

Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :

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!!!

Posted by espeefoamer (Member # 2815) on :

To dnsommer&Southwest Chief: There is still a wigwag at Lemon&Santa Ana streets.

------------------
Trust Jesus,Ride Amtrak.

Posted by MPALMER (Member # 125) on :

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

Posted by RRCHINA (Member # 1514) on :

No secrets here, well maybe!!

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.

Posted by Steve Dunham (Member # 924) on :

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/

Posted by pismobum (Member # 2628) on :

Pismo Beach CA.

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.

Posted by 20th Century (Member # 2196) on :

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.

Posted by Eric (Member # 674) on :

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

Posted by Dan Adams (Member # 1177) on :

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.

Posted by chrisg (Member # 2488) on :

Just go to
www,trainweb.org/chris
for all my information.

Chris

Posted by chrisg (Member # 2488) on :

It should be
www.trainweb.org/chris

sorry,

Chris

Posted by dilly (Member # 1427) on :

Home base:
New York State

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)

Posted by mrhall53 (Member # 1580) on :

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.

------------------

Posted by TBlack (Member # 181) on :

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.

Posted by UncleBuck44 (Member # 2049) on :

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.

Posted by espeefoamer (Member # 2815) on :

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.

------------------
Trust Jesus,Ride Amtrak.

Posted by UncleBuck44 (Member # 2049) on :

BU

Posted by dnsommer (Member # 2825) on :

Do you think I named too many movies?

Dave

[This message has been edited by dnsommer (edited 11-21-2003).]

Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :

Whoa, Dave!!! You're on the wrong topic!! This is the "get to know your TrainWeb posters" thread!!!

Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :

I shoulda done this sooner...

Location: California's Monterey Peninsula.

First name: Jim

Last name: at left, really.

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

The Del Monte Club Car

[This message has been edited by Mr. Toy (edited 11-21-2003).]

Posted by KA6BGJ (Member # 662) on :

Mr. Toy,

I think you forgot to mention Sylvester over Tweety

Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :

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.

Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :

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.

Posted by 2HOT4U (Member # 2928) on :

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

Posted by amtraxmaniac (Member # 2251) on :

Name: Patrick
Hometown: Bakersfield CA
AGE: 26
Occupation: Social Worker/Payee-Conservatorship services.

First Amtrak trip-1979? Santa Barbara to San Diego (I was born in Santa Maria, Ca. Back then, they didn't have a thu-way service).

Trains taken: The Surfliners, The San Joaquin, CS, SWC, SL, and CZ.

Favorite Train: The CZ closely followed by the CS.

Favorite Station: LAUPT. DEN Union Station is pretty cool too. The Bakersfield Terminal realy is the standard for Modern Stations though.

FAvorite Movies: Star Wars (all of them!), Lord of the Rings, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Hobbies: Playing with my 3 month old son, trains, and maps.

Sport: FOOTBALL. TAMPA BAY BUCS. Even thou they aren't doing so well this year.
Nicknames: Spaceball, Darth Quack, Buddha Bear.

Music: Anything but Rap or Country.s

Patrick

------------------
Patrick

Posted by Konstantin (Member # 18) on :

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

------------------
www.geocities.com/evrr

Posted by JONATHON (Member # 2899) on :

From: Diamond Bar, C.A.

Name: Jonathon D. Ortiz

Age: 15

Favorite Amtrak Route: The Coast Starlight

Favorite Movie: Money Train

Best Vacation ever Taken: The Coast Starlight in 1996

First Time on a Train: 1989

First Overnight Train Ride: The Coast Starlight in 1996

Favorite Show: Trains Unlimitted

I guess that desscibes my life so far!

------------------
JONATHON D. ORTIZ

Posted by irishchieftain (Member # 1473) on :

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).

Posted by Ray (Member # 10) on :

IrishChieftain, Who was it that made you the moniter? Please e-mail me your phone # so I can call you.

Ray

------------------

Posted by irishchieftain (Member # 1473) on :

Hello Ray; already done. Thanks

--Alan

Posted by jst3751 (Member # 1454) on :

Late post but better late than never.

John T.

Rowland Heights, CA.

37 years old.

Have rode Coast Starlight to Salinas. Have rode a number of San Diagans/Pacific Surf Liners.

Even though my user name says new member, I have been a member of RailForum for a couple of years, just don't post to often.

Spent a number of Thrusday nights at Fullerton during my recovery from an auto accident in December of 1998.

I have been known to post harsh comments on the TO board at times, and usually regret it later. Yes, I use the same username on TO.

Yes, I am a memeber of the SBRHS, hence the number in my name. The S is the first inital of my wife's name.

My carrer is computer and network engineering and support. I am heavy into administering e-mail servers and am fighting the war on SPAM.

------------------
John T.
Network Engineer/Consultant

[This message has been edited by jst3751 (edited 12-12-2003).]