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Don’t just stand there and watch – Ride!
By: Chris Starnes
December 6, 2006
 | | Chris Starnes |
As railfans we typically are content to stand by the tracks and watch a train roll by. Many of us, myself included, have stood somewhere to photograph a passing passenger train not fully appreciating the opportunity that is passing us by. Limiting the railroad experience to just standing out by the tracks and watching a fast moving passenger train pass knocks many railfans out of a great experience. While some of those passing train opportunities such as railroad business trains do not allow for the public to ride, there are ample opportunities for the general public (in this case railfans) to hop aboard and ride. Compared to most other means of transportation, particularly air travel, traveling by rail is much more simple and is often much cheaper.
On a recent round trip from Los Angeles to San Diego aboard Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner we were sitting just a few rows behind the engineer aboard one of Amtrak’s Superliner cab control cars. As we made our way northbound between Oceanside and San Clemente I had the opportunity to stand behind the engineer for a front row view as we rolled along at 60, 70, 80 and eventually 90 miles per hour. While I didn’t get any ‘pretty pictures’ of the train as a railfan watching the train pass may have, I did have a great view of the action. Listening to the engineer describe the line’s roller coaster profile to his engineer trainee, smelling a hint of brake smoke as a light brake application was used to keep the train at 90mph while descending a short hill, watching as we sailed past much slower highway traffic on Interstate 5 to our east and feeling the physics of the train at work as we scoot along at track speed all added up for a very memorable experience. All of this would be but a passing thought had we opted to stay along the tracks somewhere and watch trains pass all day long.
In conclusion, don’t limit your railroad hobby to just looking for a new place to take photo or watch a train pass. Riding the train, whether it be a subway, intercity or excursion, will create a unique experience that you will enjoy and will quite possibly offer some unique photographic opportunities as well. Enjoy the ride…for $29 (the standard one-way fare between San Diego and Los Angeles) you can’t go wrong!
Copyright © Chris Starnes. All Rights Reserved.
This article has been viewed 11226 times.
User Comments on this Article:
Posted by George W. Hamlin on December 6, 2006:
Excellent thoughts, good story; well done! It's also fun in the Northeast Corridor at 100-plus, even if you can't see the speedometer on Acela!
Posted by BNSF SAMMY on December 6, 2006:
Nice photo and article!
Posted by Janet Cottrell on December 7, 2006:
Excellent article - couldn't agree more. I get as much enjoyment from riding on trains as photographing them.
Posted by Chris Groeling on December 7, 2006:
Very well written article...hmm, I may have to go ride a Metra this weekend!
Posted by Rob Kitchen on December 7, 2006:
Great article! By checking Amtrak’s schedule, you can find many opportunities to travel through some pretty inaccessible areas. For example, pick up the eastbound Cardinal at Charleston, West Virginia, at 8am (Sun, Wed, Fri), and ride it to Clifton Forge. The westbound Cardinal leaves Clifton Forge around 4pm, so, even if the train is up to 3 hours late, you can make a round trip out of it. The fare is only $62, a lot cheaper than the Fall Foliage train, and you get more miles and a few hours to hang out at Clifton Forge to boot!
Posted by trainmaster611 on December 7, 2006:
Its fun to ride the train as a railfan but traditionally you just can't get the right perspectives from inside the train and still incorporate the railroad elements that make a photograph good. Your point of view is very limited and you have to be a lot more careful about your timing since you are on a moving train. You are also restricted to a single track. ie an interesting train passes to the left but you can't get the picture since you are too close and you can't back up. Generally train riding is fun but it isn't the best for taking pictures. The obvious exception is if you are in a cab and you take a picture of a brigde or a tunnel approaching the train. But still be willing to try new ideas for your photos!
Posted by John Puda on December 7, 2006:
Great article. I really like the picture.
Posted by Adam Neinstein on December 8, 2006:
Yeah! Good point! Of course ride trains! That's the fun part! For a railroad fan hitching a ride, mingling with fellow passengers, talking to strangers in the dining car, even just smelling the charecteristic smells that are different for each railroad are all part of the experience! Being a railroad fan is more than just taking pictures. (I think). Here in Hungary I find it hard to hitch a ride in the cab, I've done it only once (see picture http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=137930 ), but zooming through Budapest at 60-70 miles an hour on international express trains with my head sticking out of the window is fun too.
Oh, and the picture is cool, I like it too!
Posted by Jonathan McCoy on December 8, 2006:
Nice Article Chris... Wish we had passenger service here west of Roanoke. But I have had the luck to get invited to ride in the cab of a freight within the last 6 months.
Posted by Gregg Pullano on December 8, 2006:
VERY Well said Chris.
I'm usually a trackside fan, but I love riding trains, and I never pass up an oppurtunity to do so. Rob brought up a good point about going through inaccessible areas too (Think places like yards, large facilities where trackside fans generally aren't allowed).
All in all, GREAT ARTICLE.
Posted by Louis Becker on December 9, 2006:
Nice photo, nice article. Good work.
Posted by WGrow on December 17, 2006:
You hit the nail on the head, although I've never ridden anything more than the local light rail line here in Salt Lake. When heavy rail gets done, I'm there. I'm going to make a point to get a trip to Ogden and back at least once on the first day of opening.
Posted by John Witthaus - stlouisrail.tk on December 27, 2006:
Riding is one thing, but running is another. If you ever get a chance to run, take it. When I was working as a conductor, there were a few times I was asked to fill in as engineer. But you don't have to work for the railroad, or be certified to have fun running a locomotive. Lot's of museums and tourist operations offer "throttle time" programs, get out there and try it, it's a lot of fun!
Posted by caboose head on January 1, 2007:
I remember when riding passenger trains was a far more intimate and romantic experience.
One of my fondest memories is riding a VIA train between Montreal and Quebec City in August 1990.
For almost the entire trip I stood in the vestibules between cars, my head out the open top half of the door, feeling the wind, smelling the train, and watching for signals. I remeber how one could often walk to the back of the train and get a "caboose eye" view of the road just travelled, and a visit to the incandescent lit baggage car with it's propped open door, train crews and cigarettes was a raw delight.
Nowadays riding a passenger train is like riding an airplane. Standing in the vestibule is in violation of federal law, quite often the rear of the train is off limits and/or the window is sealed up, few trains have baggage cars, and if they do, don't even think of going in there. For a taste of what riding a passenger train used to be like, one must go to Northern Canada, Eastern Europe, or thirld world nations.
As a Canadian I'm disgusted with what is left of our passenger train network. One cannot take a train to Thunder Bay, Regina, or Calgary, all major Canadian cities. Good grief!
Posted by Paul Morgan on December 18, 2007:
Though I'm only 22, I still remember the same... when riding passenger trains was much more than just a ride, it was an experience. My first memorable train ride was when I was only around 3 years old and my family took me for a ride behind N&W Class J, 611 on an excursion called the "Autumn Leaf Special." I am very fond of my memories of that trip as well as some of the photos I have from it. Some of the photos have big black spots on them from where cinders hit the lense of the camera. Though to a professional photographer, that would've probably been an annoyance, to me it simply adds to the memories of what it was really like. Having grown up with a child-like adoration of trains and having never really grown out of it, I've ridden plenty and I agree that taking photos of them is great, but riding is far better. I've had the opportunity to ride in the cab with a few engineer friends of mine a time or two on the Meridian Speedway and the Yazoo Sub here in Mississippi, and if ever given the opportunity legally, I would do so again. It was also quite an experience; everything from rocking back and forth, to feeling every single scrape as the wheels of the engines rubbed the rails on curves and even some straight sections. I will advise however, that as railroad security tightens and laws become more strict, get permission and signed documentation before riding on a freight railroad with buddies or nice engineers. No one's job is worth one ride on a freight train. Anyway, thank you Chris for a great, and what seems to be an inspiring article about riding trains. For many who have not ridden, it has provoked interest and for many who have, it has brought back memories. Kudos
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