National Train Day is either over or almost over, depending on your time zone. So, what did everyone do for NTD?
I rode a quick round-trip on the Hiawatha from Chicago to Glenview, on 331/332 (had about 20 minutes at GLN due to a slightly late #332). Once I got back to Union Station, they were just about getting ready to let people into the Great Hall for the festivities.
The highlight of my day was buying a couple of prints from Robert West (see http://www.trainpaintings.com/ for more info). Among other things, he works for GE doing the "artist's impressions" of locomotives before they're built.
I met up with a few of my coworkers during the day, and also saw Amtrak_Russ briefly. Anybody else at Union Station I may have missed?
Amtrak's equipment on display included 54013 (Wheel of Fortune Horizon car), 39029, 37004, and 34100. Even though it wasn't officially part of the equipment display, a couple of us talked our way onto the "Evelyn Henry" private car for a quick walk-through. It was parked on track 17, attached to the "Patrick Henry" dome car. Talk about a railcar that's furnished nicer than my apartment! (Oh, and for those interested, those cars, with a bunch of others, will be a part of the annual National Restaurant Association dinner train that leaves CUS at 4:45 pm next week Saturday, en route to Sturtevant and back.)
Amtrak had advertised a "train driving simulator," but it just turned out to be Microsoft Train Simulator, which I have at home, so I passed on that one.
A few other nice displays, including one on Pullman Porters, a few on railroad photography, and others. Fun stuff for the kids, too.
What about others' experiences?
I rode a quick round-trip on the Hiawatha from Chicago to Glenview, on 331/332 (had about 20 minutes at GLN due to a slightly late #332). Once I got back to Union Station, they were just about getting ready to let people into the Great Hall for the festivities.
The highlight of my day was buying a couple of prints from Robert West (see http://www.trainpaintings.com/ for more info). Among other things, he works for GE doing the "artist's impressions" of locomotives before they're built.
I met up with a few of my coworkers during the day, and also saw Amtrak_Russ briefly. Anybody else at Union Station I may have missed?
Amtrak's equipment on display included 54013 (Wheel of Fortune Horizon car), 39029, 37004, and 34100. Even though it wasn't officially part of the equipment display, a couple of us talked our way onto the "Evelyn Henry" private car for a quick walk-through. It was parked on track 17, attached to the "Patrick Henry" dome car. Talk about a railcar that's furnished nicer than my apartment! (Oh, and for those interested, those cars, with a bunch of others, will be a part of the annual National Restaurant Association dinner train that leaves CUS at 4:45 pm next week Saturday, en route to Sturtevant and back.)
Amtrak had advertised a "train driving simulator," but it just turned out to be Microsoft Train Simulator, which I have at home, so I passed on that one.
A few other nice displays, including one on Pullman Porters, a few on railroad photography, and others. Fun stuff for the kids, too.
What about others' experiences?