chuljin
Lead Service Attendant
Sorry to have posted (though only a few, not dozens) before noticing there's a place to introduce myself. 
First, the general part: I was born and raised in LaPorte, IN (~2.5 miles south of the Hesston Steam Museum), went to school in Bloomington, IN, and now live (2 miles from GDL) and work (2 miles from LAX [LAUPT, not the airport]) in Southern California.
My father was a railfan, but his 'specialization' differed from mine (see below) in that he was more interested in classic steam trains.
My earliest memories of rail were from tagging along on 'his' trips:
When I was about 5 (I think), we took the Algoma Central from Sault Ste Marie to Hearst and back. About all I can remember of this trip (if even accurate) is being asked for lunch orders, which would be prepared and brought aboard at some station down the line. Despite the 30 years that have passed, I distinctly remember getting a cheeseburger and a pack of gum.
A bit later, we went to Cass, WV. I remember nothing of a train trip that we must have had there, but I do remember my parents buying me a book about steam trains, and that therein was a cutaway diagram of a steam loco, which fascinated me for months.
That close to Chicago, I have to think we went on Amtrak at least once, but I don't remember anything like that.
Later, when I developed my own semi-independent love for trains, it was focused more on modern(ish) mass transit and commuter rail. LaPorte is only about an hour from Chicago, and about 10 minutes from the NICTD/CSSSB/South Shore (I forget what exactly it's called today) Carroll Ave station and shops in Michigan City. In my tweens and teens, there were frequent day-trips to Chicago on the South Shore and, while there, some exploration of the CTA system (here insert your favorite abbreviation of 'elevated', often the subject of lively debate). Even now, when I go home for visits, I fly into ORD or MDW, take the CTA Blue or Orange Lines, respectively, to downtown, and the South Shore to Michigan City.
About 10 years ago, I moved to LA, which has an underdeveloped but interesting (to me) mass-transit system, a fairly decent commuter rail system, and decent Amtrak service. Unfortunately, it didn't occur to me until much more recently to take advantage of most of these.
I didn't ride Metrolink even once between 1996 and 2007, a shame, nor did I 'discover' Amtrak until 12/14/2007.
At least I did not neglect Metro Rail: When I first moved here, the Blue and Green Lines were already in their current states, and the subway was a single line, then called the Red Line, with the same route and stations as today's purple Line. I made a point of taking the Red Line to Hollywood, then North Hollywood, and the Gold Line, on each extension or new line's opening day. Later, when I started going to the Long Beach Coin Show (my non-rail hobbies include coin collecting), I always use the Blue Line. Finally, a year or so ago, I started taking the Gold Line downtown on weekends, to do genealogical research (yet another hobby) at the LA Central Library. At first, the train was a way to get to the library; after I'd gotten as much info there as I was likely to, the library became an excuse to take the train.
Now we come to Amtrak.
Around the beginning of December 2007, it occured to me that I'd never been on Amtrak, for reasons mysterious to me. So on Dec 14, I took my first trip on Amtrak, on train 572 from LAX to OSD (and Metrolink back). I chose Oceanside because it would be a quick day trip, and I also have an interest in intermodal facilities, especially where multiple rail lines converge (Oceanside now has 4; unfortunately, this 4th, the Sprinter, had not yet opened at that time). A couple months before, I'd flown back from ORD in (upgraded) F for the first time, and saw what people saw in the 'premium' travel experience, so of course on this first Amtrak trip, I chose Pacific Business Class. It was an experience to remember, especially due to the kindness of the attendant. I enjoyed Amtrak so much that two days later, I woke up at 8, and, on the spur of the moment, was on a train to SBA around 9. The return on this second trip was also the first of a few short trips on the Coast Starlight, with the different experience that entails.
If you can believe it, from that first trip only 4.5 months ago, to the moment of writing this, I've taken 148 Amtrak trips (read: segments), for a total of some 2700 miles (yes, I obviously have taken no LD trips, but read on). I know this because, as a developer and slightly fidgety data-mining enthusiast, I track, in MS Access, some 15 pieces of data about each trip and ticket so I can track such things as my total mileage, statistics about how long it takes travel to post to AGR (for the curious, my automatically-posted [i.e. without AGRCS intervention] trips posted in an average of 6.8 days, with a surprising minimum of 3 days [only 1 trip achieved this] and disturbing maximum of 17 [only 1]), etc.
They fall into 4 different types, with some overlap: (almost all start from GDL or LAX)
[*]Trips where the ride itself was the goal, and the points were icing on the cake
[*]Trips where the destination was the goal, and the ride and the points were icing on the cake
[*]Purely utility trips, where getting to or (much more often) from work was the goal, and the points (and occasionally the ride) were icing on the cake
In addition, I've taken a few 'Type 2' trips on Metrolink, including The Great Christmas Eve Metrolink Circumnavigation®, and a later trip to Lancaster (warning to anyone considering this latter trip: nothing to see there )
Pictures of all the Type 3 trips mentioned above, as well as a few snapshots from the other trip types, can be found here. N.B.: The C and/or T and/or L in the album names are notes for me about info I still need to supply: Captions, Tags, and or Locations.
Some future trips I have planned, including non-Amtrak overseas rail trips, in descending order of concreteness (or ascending craziness or far-fetchedness, as you prefer):
Of the different systems in the area, I will only have missed ACE, as it doesn't run any day I am there.
For the first time this trip, I will likely also write up a trip report, in addition to my usual just take-a-bunch-of-snapshots-and-shovel-them-into-Picasa.
[*]Fairly certainly going to Thailand in very early 2009 to visit the in-laws; I intend to take a side-trip of a cheap quick flight to Singapore, then overnights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur to Penang, and (if the situation in the Thailand/Malaysia border area ever calms down, otherwise a flight) Penang to Bangkok. (On a previous trip, I've gone 2nd-class sleeper from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and 1st-class sleeper from Hat Yai to Bangkok, and thoroughly enjoyed it.)
[*]Having been to neither Boston nor New York, in late summer (or whatever time has a reasonable total trip cost) I will probably fly into one and back from the other, taking Acela between (and using one of the upgrade coupons in my Select Plus kit, of course)
[*]The next time I go home to Chicago(land) for a visit, I may just take the Southwest Chief there or back (but likely not both)
[*]I keep piling up these points; let's redeem: when I get a good week off, I might do the SDL/WAS/CHI/PDX/LAX 2-zone loophole trip I keep hearing about.
[*]Slightly more far-fetched: I've also never been to Europe. How about exploring central and eastern Europe by rail? (western Europe's a bit played-out and 'conventional')
[*]Way out of left field: everyone's dream, the Trans-Mongolian from Moscow to Beijing. This one I may just save for retirement.
So there I am, in a nutshell (or -case, some might say).
I look forward to contributing to the conversations here.
All Best Wishes,
Chris
First, the general part: I was born and raised in LaPorte, IN (~2.5 miles south of the Hesston Steam Museum), went to school in Bloomington, IN, and now live (2 miles from GDL) and work (2 miles from LAX [LAUPT, not the airport]) in Southern California.
My father was a railfan, but his 'specialization' differed from mine (see below) in that he was more interested in classic steam trains.
My earliest memories of rail were from tagging along on 'his' trips:
When I was about 5 (I think), we took the Algoma Central from Sault Ste Marie to Hearst and back. About all I can remember of this trip (if even accurate) is being asked for lunch orders, which would be prepared and brought aboard at some station down the line. Despite the 30 years that have passed, I distinctly remember getting a cheeseburger and a pack of gum.
A bit later, we went to Cass, WV. I remember nothing of a train trip that we must have had there, but I do remember my parents buying me a book about steam trains, and that therein was a cutaway diagram of a steam loco, which fascinated me for months.
That close to Chicago, I have to think we went on Amtrak at least once, but I don't remember anything like that.
Later, when I developed my own semi-independent love for trains, it was focused more on modern(ish) mass transit and commuter rail. LaPorte is only about an hour from Chicago, and about 10 minutes from the NICTD/CSSSB/South Shore (I forget what exactly it's called today) Carroll Ave station and shops in Michigan City. In my tweens and teens, there were frequent day-trips to Chicago on the South Shore and, while there, some exploration of the CTA system (here insert your favorite abbreviation of 'elevated', often the subject of lively debate). Even now, when I go home for visits, I fly into ORD or MDW, take the CTA Blue or Orange Lines, respectively, to downtown, and the South Shore to Michigan City.
About 10 years ago, I moved to LA, which has an underdeveloped but interesting (to me) mass-transit system, a fairly decent commuter rail system, and decent Amtrak service. Unfortunately, it didn't occur to me until much more recently to take advantage of most of these.
I didn't ride Metrolink even once between 1996 and 2007, a shame, nor did I 'discover' Amtrak until 12/14/2007.
At least I did not neglect Metro Rail: When I first moved here, the Blue and Green Lines were already in their current states, and the subway was a single line, then called the Red Line, with the same route and stations as today's purple Line. I made a point of taking the Red Line to Hollywood, then North Hollywood, and the Gold Line, on each extension or new line's opening day. Later, when I started going to the Long Beach Coin Show (my non-rail hobbies include coin collecting), I always use the Blue Line. Finally, a year or so ago, I started taking the Gold Line downtown on weekends, to do genealogical research (yet another hobby) at the LA Central Library. At first, the train was a way to get to the library; after I'd gotten as much info there as I was likely to, the library became an excuse to take the train.
Now we come to Amtrak.
Around the beginning of December 2007, it occured to me that I'd never been on Amtrak, for reasons mysterious to me. So on Dec 14, I took my first trip on Amtrak, on train 572 from LAX to OSD (and Metrolink back). I chose Oceanside because it would be a quick day trip, and I also have an interest in intermodal facilities, especially where multiple rail lines converge (Oceanside now has 4; unfortunately, this 4th, the Sprinter, had not yet opened at that time). A couple months before, I'd flown back from ORD in (upgraded) F for the first time, and saw what people saw in the 'premium' travel experience, so of course on this first Amtrak trip, I chose Pacific Business Class. It was an experience to remember, especially due to the kindness of the attendant. I enjoyed Amtrak so much that two days later, I woke up at 8, and, on the spur of the moment, was on a train to SBA around 9. The return on this second trip was also the first of a few short trips on the Coast Starlight, with the different experience that entails.
If you can believe it, from that first trip only 4.5 months ago, to the moment of writing this, I've taken 148 Amtrak trips (read: segments), for a total of some 2700 miles (yes, I obviously have taken no LD trips, but read on). I know this because, as a developer and slightly fidgety data-mining enthusiast, I track, in MS Access, some 15 pieces of data about each trip and ticket so I can track such things as my total mileage, statistics about how long it takes travel to post to AGR (for the curious, my automatically-posted [i.e. without AGRCS intervention] trips posted in an average of 6.8 days, with a surprising minimum of 3 days [only 1 trip achieved this] and disturbing maximum of 17 [only 1]), etc.
They fall into 4 different types, with some overlap: (almost all start from GDL or LAX)
- Trips where points were the goal
- perhaps 70-80, I won't enumerate them here. This was essentially the Amtrak equivalent of what frequent flyer enthusiasts call 'mileage runs'. I actually feel a little shame about it, but it felt good to, ab ovo, achieve Select on January 11, in what must be record time. I then calmed down, not achieving Select Plus until March 5.
- perhaps 70-80, I won't enumerate them here. This was essentially the Amtrak equivalent of what frequent flyer enthusiasts call 'mileage runs'. I actually feel a little shame about it, but it felt good to, ab ovo, achieve Select on January 11, in what must be record time. I then calmed down, not achieving Select Plus until March 5.
[*]Trips where the ride itself was the goal, and the points were icing on the cake
- a few quick turns in OXN or SNC on lazy weekend afternoons just for JU
- the go-a-little-further-and-return from the Reagan trip (see below) just for JU in a Horizon BizCafe
- the go-a-little-further-and-return from the Nixon trip (see below) just for JU
[*]Trips where the destination was the goal, and the ride and the points were icing on the cake
- That first OSD trip, mentioned above
- That first SBA trip, mentioned above, and another in late February (on the first trip, I spent the whole time south of the 101, completely neglecting the historic city, for which friends scolded me, so of course I had an excuse to make another trip )
- numerous trips to FUL just to watch trains go by
- a trip to SIM and the Reagan Library (the first step in a very achievable goal of visiting every Presidential Library); I then actually continued on to OXN just so I could come back on 798 and experience JU in the Horizon BizCafe car, making the return a 'type 2' trip
- a trip to FUL and the Nixon Library (second step); similar to the above, I continued on to SNC so I could come back in JU without considering it a waste of money
- a trip to SNC itself and its mission
- a trip to OXN itself (yes, OXN) to see such things as Heritage Square
- a trip to SAN; most of the time there was spent riding the San Diego Trolley around
[*]Purely utility trips, where getting to or (much more often) from work was the goal, and the points (and occasionally the ride) were icing on the cake
- As I said above, I live 2 miles from GDL, and since Feb 28, have worked 2 miles from (rail)LAX, so I park-and-ride at GDL, taking Metrolink in (the first southbound 700-series Surfliner is about 45 minutes too late for me) and, when my work schedule and Amtrak's adherence to theirs permit, Amtrak 785 out (otherwise Metrolink). This amounts, as of last night, to 26 trips (but only one per day ). This achieves a long-standing dream of mine: to ride the train, any train, to and from work.
In addition, I've taken a few 'Type 2' trips on Metrolink, including The Great Christmas Eve Metrolink Circumnavigation®, and a later trip to Lancaster (warning to anyone considering this latter trip: nothing to see there
)Pictures of all the Type 3 trips mentioned above, as well as a few snapshots from the other trip types, can be found here. N.B.: The C and/or T and/or L in the album names are notes for me about info I still need to supply: Captions, Tags, and or Locations.
Some future trips I have planned, including non-Amtrak overseas rail trips, in descending order of concreteness (or ascending craziness or far-fetchedness, as you prefer):
- I toyed with this one for a long time, then finally booked it: I'll be taking the SJ up to the bay area and the CS back over Memorial Day. More specifically:
on 5/24 I'm going LAX(5811)BFD(711)MTZ(728)SAC, looking at old Sac, the Rail Museum, the Capitol area, and Folsom, and of course the light rail there and SAC(749)RIC(BART)SF;
- no rigid plans on 5/25, but you can be sure there will be lots of BART and Muni Light Rail and street car and cable car riding; and I will try flashing my Select Plus card at the CO President's Club at SFO, one of the few landside lounges of any airline in the universe;
- CC (probably 727) to SJC and Caltrain back on 5/26 (and while there, exploring VTA light rail and taking short pilgrimages to Google and Apple );
- and finally OKJ(11)LAX on 5/27 (coincidentally, for part of that trip, jackal will be across the hall from me )
Of the different systems in the area, I will only have missed ACE, as it doesn't run any day I am there.
For the first time this trip, I will likely also write up a trip report, in addition to my usual just take-a-bunch-of-snapshots-and-shovel-them-into-Picasa.
[*]Fairly certainly going to Thailand in very early 2009 to visit the in-laws; I intend to take a side-trip of a cheap quick flight to Singapore, then overnights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur to Penang, and (if the situation in the Thailand/Malaysia border area ever calms down, otherwise a flight) Penang to Bangkok. (On a previous trip, I've gone 2nd-class sleeper from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and 1st-class sleeper from Hat Yai to Bangkok, and thoroughly enjoyed it.)
[*]Having been to neither Boston nor New York, in late summer (or whatever time has a reasonable total trip cost) I will probably fly into one and back from the other, taking Acela between (and using one of the upgrade coupons in my Select Plus kit, of course)
[*]The next time I go home to Chicago(land) for a visit, I may just take the Southwest Chief there or back (but likely not both)
[*]I keep piling up these points; let's redeem: when I get a good week off, I might do the SDL/WAS/CHI/PDX/LAX 2-zone loophole trip I keep hearing about.
[*]Slightly more far-fetched: I've also never been to Europe. How about exploring central and eastern Europe by rail? (western Europe's a bit played-out and 'conventional')
[*]Way out of left field: everyone's dream, the Trans-Mongolian from Moscow to Beijing. This one I may just save for retirement.
So there I am, in a nutshell (or -case, some might say).
I look forward to contributing to the conversations here.
All Best Wishes,
Chris
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