Like almost all of you, I have always been fascinated by trains. Until last year, however, my interest for the past ten years or so had been at a low ebb. That interest was rekindled, when I had to make a trip to Baltimore for some medical evaluations. At that time, I thought I remembered that Amtrak ran at least one train throught North Georgia to New York.
Well, as you all know, my memory was correct. So on June 25-26, 2006, we took the Crescent from Gainesville, GA to Baltimore, MD, and we returned on July 1-2. We had a roomette each way. If anyone is interested, I will write a brief trip report. This trip awakened my interest in trains and I have been lurking around this site ever since.
Now a little about me. I was reared in North Georgia within 0.2 miles of the Southern Railway's (now Norfolk-Southern) Atlanta to Chattanooga mainline and within 5 miles of the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis RR's (later Louisville & Nashvile, now CSX RR) Atlanta to Chattanooga mainline.
During World War II, my father worked briefly for the NC&StL as a fireman shoveling coal to the firebox on steam locomotives until drafted into the Navy. Believe it or not, he was called back to the L&N in 1959! He returned to work and became an engineer. He worked for the railroad for the rest of his life, suffering a fatal heart attack at his engine's controls in Inman yards in Atlanta in 1975.
Train Memories:
Being in my father's arms as he boarded a stopped steam locomotive to talk to someone. I remember the firebox being opened and shut. That's all I remember. I suspect it was in Calhoun, GA, and that he was either talking to a brother or a nephew. He had one of each that was a railroader.
Watching steam engines go by on the Southern RR. Watching steam engines often spin their wheels when starting to move. Watching the Royal Palm go north and south and dreaming of being on it. Talking to railroad crewmen in the nearby country store. Seeing them use the telegraph that was in a cabinet on a pole by the tracks. Flagging down the local to go to either Rome GA or Atlanta.
Later riding the Royal Palm as a pre-teen and as a teenager with my grandmother and sometimes my younger brother from Rome, GA to Detroit. I don't remember exactly when interstate trains were desegregated, but some of those trips were before and some after. Coming south from Detroit everyone had to get off the train in Cincinnati so the train could be "remade", i.e., segregated.
Taking the train from Chattanooga to Washington DC and New York for our senion trip. We had the same coach in both directions. Being awestruck by the grandeur of Penn Station, although it was proably pretty shabby by then. I don't remember Union Station in DC at all. Having my first "semi-legal" drink in a restaurant in NYC where the drinking age was 18. I was only 17, but most of my classmates were 18.
Taking the train from Atlanta to New Orleans over Thanksgiving weekend in 1960 while in Graduate School. That was the old Crescent or maybe the Southern Crescent. It followed the route from Atlanta to Mobile and then New Orleans.
When I moved to Wilmington, DE to pursue my career as a research chemist, I often took the Pennsy trains to NYC to see how many museums and B'way shows I could see in a weekend. No, I didn't work for duPont. I worked for Atlas Chemical Industries, later ICI Americas.
Traveling by BritRail pass in 1984. The train from London to Manchester was crammed full of rowdy football (soccer) fans. I took a train from Windsor (Eton) through the Southern London suburbs to Waterloo station and then on to Canterbury with a train change in Ashford. In one of those segments, I rode in a coach like you see in period movies - with a an outside door for each compartment. Later I took the InterCity 125 from London to Edinburgh with a 2 day stopover in York. There is a great railroad museum in York. The Mallard is there-the locomotive that still holds the speed record for steam.
Taking the Metroliners from Wilmington to Washington for conferences with the FDA and other government agencies. There used to be a billboard in Wilmington advertising Amtrak that said something like "Just 75 Civilized Minutes to Washington." That was the truth.
Enough memories.
I have been doing some railfanning in the parking lot on the west side of the tracks north of Morris Street in Dalton, GA. That's where CSX and Norfolk Southern intersect (form a diamond). I have seen as many as 20 trains in an afternoon. Unfortunately there are no passenger trains.
For this forum, I am using the name Dixie Flyer sorto by default. I would have used Royal Palm but it was already taken. I don't have any memories of the Dixie Flyer, but I did inherit a deck of Dixie Flyer playing cards complete with the jokers.
I look forward to your comments, corrections, etc.