Not a bad summary:
Likewise. I've been on the Cardinal 5 or 6 times in total - one of which had a Parks narrator on-board, but I think the focus was on other elements of the route and they may have either boarded or detrained at Thurmond without any mention of the station's significance.That was interesting. Most of those I've blown through unaware.
one of which had a Parks narrator on-board
I'm surprised that in the video you posted that he didn't mention Browning, MT. I'd be surprised if they had more ridership than the others mentioned. I've been on the Empire Builder out there more than a dozen times in both directions combined and only recall stopping there once or twice. It's a seasonal stop but I don't know whether it's a flag stop or not.
Browning is actually a decent sized town; I've driven through there with my Dad. It's not a virtual ghost town like Thurmond or Sanderson, TX. IIRC (not looking it up, just memory) it's the seat of government of the Blackfeet Nation and has quite a good-sized tributary area. Although it's a seasonal stop I'd be surprised if it qualifies as "little used" while it's in operation.
Not a bad summary:
I've been to Browning. I wouldn't describe it as a town that offers much to the tourist. It's more of a "passing through" kind of place unless you have some sort of connection to the town.
According to the Great American Stations website, ridership for Browning in FY 2019 was 1255.
Again, while the town is small it has a generous unincorporated tributary area. And there aren't a whole lot of alternatives to Amtrak if you're taking a long-distance trip into or out of the area.That's a whole lot more than I would ever have imagined, however in the grand scheme of things, not very many. Of course, we have to consider, this is a seasonal station, which the numbers surprise me even more looking at it that way.
Not much left of it to see; the original Southern Pacific station was demolished several years back. Now there's basically just the remnants of a platform and a sign.I will have to say, I may not have seen the Sanderson Station, I can't remember. But when I traveled through that area I marked it on my GPS because I recognized the area type terrain from the Movie Giant and I wanted to see if it was close. The waypoint I marked on my GPS was about 60 miles from Marfa where the movie location was. Sanderson is 95 miles from Marfa. The high plains. Not much going on.
Again, while the town is small it has a generous unincorporated tributary area. And there aren't a whole lot of alternatives to Amtrak if you're taking a long-distance trip into or out of the area.
FWIW, yearly (FY) ridership for all the stations can be found here: Amtrak Ridership Statistics | Rail Passengers Association | Washington, DC
Albion really surprises me. Unlike the others, it's not seasonal or in some remote location. It is a college town in a metro area, with daily service stopping at reasonable times. The historic station looked quite nice.
There is No Station in Sanderson. They tore down the old SP Station several years ago.I will have to say, I may not have seen the Sanderson Station, I can't remember. But when I traveled through that area I marked it on my GPS because I recognized the area type terrain from the Movie Giant and I wanted to see if it was close. The waypoint I marked on my GPS was about 60 miles from Marfa where the movie location was. Sanderson is 95 miles from Marfa. The high plains. Not much going on.
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