Down the tubes .......again......sigh.....

[jis]

I am traveling from TUS to WUS to CUS to PUS. I wish I could go via DUS but I can't because they canned 35 way back when .... Tee-hee Juust kidding.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

The codes are even used officially in the system timetable and for baggage handling.

Not true.

http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/302/209/Illinois-Missouri-Schedule-011215.pdf

You can find a timetable with Galesburg online at Amtrak.com. Nowhere on the pages of Illinois services does "GBB" appear.

And I'm not handling baggage. I'm trying to read a blog post.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Me thinks this thread as gone waaaay off topic ... all the way from MIA to SEA. :blink:

 

[WoodyinNYC]

For me sometimes I use the codes just because I can't spell some of these station and city names. As some of it is complex.

You can spell Galesburg as Galesberg or Gailsburg or Gaylseberg or Galesburgh and it will be OK. Harrisburgh and Petersburgh will pass, like Pittsburg. I won't complain about spellings that I can figure out. But when the name Galesburg has one 'b' but the station code GBB has two 'B's, I can get confused.

I happen to like Pgh -- or even PGH -- because I spent a year or two near the city in my youth. That was before the Post Office used computers so power-limited that they couldn't read or process long abbreviations like Penn or Tenn or even Tex or Pgh. LOL.

Now I often use the old abbreviations for nostalgia.

And for clarity: AZ for Ariz is better in what way? AR is better than Ark how? AL is easier to figure out than Ala? Alaska is not AL but is something else?

And for ease. Depress and hold the shift key while typing in a capital letter is faster than typing two lower case letters without shifting?

That gets us back to Galesburg. Hold the shift key? Or just type the name, it isn't that much harder.

 

[CCC1007]

The codes are even used officially in the system timetable and for baggage handling.

Not true.
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/302/209/Illinois-Missouri-Schedule-011215.pdf

You can find a timetable with Galesburg online at Amtrak.com. Nowhere on the pages of Illinois services does "GBB" appear.

And I'm not handling baggage. I'm trying to read a blog post.

yes, the station codes are at the front with the station information, and they are used for baggage handling. If they are not, then prove it in the formats that I am specifically citing.

 

[Asher]

I'm sitting at the station in SAC waiting for the 6 to CHI and reading all this jibber jabber. Much to do about nothing.☺☺

 

[WoodyinNYC]

Too bad we don't have a facility like airliners.net has which captures all the common acronyms and codes and hyperlinks them to their definition automatically when you post something.

There is always some amount of judgement involved ... I would expect anyone who is getting involved in a detailed discussion of the power supply and train control systems would know these acronyms, and if they didn't they'd simply ask instead of diverting the entire thread into a meta-discussion of what should be done with acronyms.

For 'P42DC', the locomotive is the first top entry with a Yahoo search.

For 'GBB', 15 pages of Yahoo replies does not yield 'Galesburg'.

And GBB was not being used in any kind of technical or specialized discussion. The original poster referred to a place, a town or station so obscure (LOL) that Yahoo couldn't find it for me.

Easier for commenters to fully spell out a name with all of six ( 6 ) more letters with the first use for a place, instead of using inside jargon. That would avoid provoking a big discussion of the difficulty in understanding, or the implied lack of mental functioning, thus provoked.

Anyway, let's not worry about having gone off topic. At least there's a topic on a v-e-r-y slow news day hereabouts. :giggle:

 

[jis]

Time for a reality check. If you really expect people on a forum that is dedicated to Amtrak to not use Amtrak station codes, trust me you are whistling in the wind. At least I will continue to use station codes like I always do. If someone does not understand that they can ask and will be told, like always.

 

[BCL]

For 'GBB', 15 pages of Yahoo replies does not yield 'Galesburg'.

And GBB was not being used in any kind of technical or specialized discussion. The original poster referred to a place, a town or station so obscure (LOL) that Yahoo couldn't find it for me.

Again, this a forum about Amtrak. It's not that hard to enter "gbb amtrak" into a search engine. A lot of us use these station codes because they're familiar. I mean - they're right on every ticket. If you're willing to enter three letter code into a search engine, then what does one more word cost?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

For 'GBB', 15 pages of Yahoo replies does not yield 'Galesburg'.

And GBB was not being used in any kind of technical or specialized discussion. The original poster referred to a place, a town or station so obscure (LOL) that Yahoo couldn't find it for me.

Again, this a forum about Amtrak. It's not that hard to enter "gbb amtrak" into a search engine. A lot of us use these station codes because they're familiar. I mean - they're right on every ticket. If you're willing to enter three letter code into a search engine, then what does one more word cost?

^^ This

 

[WoodyinNYC]

The codes are even used officially in the system timetable and for baggage handling.

Not true.
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/302/209/Illinois-Missouri-Schedule-011215.pdf

You can find a timetable with Galesburg online at Amtrak.com. Nowhere on the pages of Illinois services does "GBB" appear.

And I'm not handling baggage. I'm trying to read a blog post.

yes, the station codes are at the front with the station information, and they are used for baggage handling. If they are not, then prove it in the formats that I am specifically citing.

You aren't 'citing' anything.

Provide a link to your format, please, like I did to mine on Amtrak.com.

++++++++++++++++

Front of what where? I don't see it. On the 'front' page of the schedule online I see

"Amtrak Service in ILLINOIS and MISSOURI

...

CHICAGO-GALESBERG-QUINCY

and intermediate stations

..."

On the schedule page,

ILLINOIS ZEPHYR and CARL SANDBERG,

I see, left to right,

Carl Sandberg California Zephyr Southwest Chief Illinois Zephyr mile

10:18A 4:38P 5:38P 8:38P 162 Galesburg, IL

Nothing on the schedule says 'GBB', not anywhere.

+++++++++++++++++++

I didn't say the codes weren't used for baggage handling. I'm reading a post, I'm not handling baggage. I have never checked baggage on my Amtrak trips.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

Time for a reality check. If you really expect people on a forum that is dedicated to Amtrak to not use Amtrak station codes, trust me you are whistling in the wind. At least I will continue to use station codes like I always do. If someone does not understand that they can ask and will be told, like always.

Sure. I'll ask and you'll answer. Thanks.

That's gonna be so much faster for you than typing out Galesberg instead of GBB in the first place. :giggle:

 

[CCC1007]

The codes are even used officially in the system timetable and for baggage handling.

Not true.
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/302/209/Illinois-Missouri-Schedule-011215.pdf

You can find a timetable with Galesburg online at Amtrak.com. Nowhere on the pages of Illinois services does "GBB" appear.

And I'm not handling baggage. I'm trying to read a blog post.

yes, the station codes are at the front with the station information, and they are used for baggage handling. If they are not, then prove it in the formats that I am specifically citing.

You aren't 'citing' anything.
Provide a link to your format, please, like I did to mine on Amtrak.com.

++++++++++++++++

Front of what where? I don't see it. On the 'front' page of the schedule online I see

"Amtrak Service in ILLINOIS and MISSOURI

...

CHICAGO-GALESBERG-QUINCY

and intermediate stations

..."

On the schedule page,

ILLINOIS ZEPHYR and CARL SANDBERG,

I see, left to right,

Carl Sandberg California Zephyr Southwest Chief Illinois Zephyr mile

10:18A 4:38P 5:38P 8:38P 162 Galesburg, IL

Nothing on the schedule says 'GBB', not anywhere.

+++++++++++++++++++

I didn't say the codes weren't used for baggage handling. I'm reading a post, I'm not handling baggage. I have never checked baggage on my Amtrak trips.

they are in the station information pages of the system timetable, usually only in print format. There is no way that there could be a link.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/458/185/Amtrak-System-Timetable-Summer-Fall-2014.pdf

See page 12 (page 8 of the actual book)

In the pdf file, use the find (ctrl-F on PCs) and type GBB. Granted, it's hard to see the highlighted GBB, but at least it takes you to the page it's on and you'd expect the station to start with G, so go from there.

 

[keelhauled]

As a matter of fact the complete system timetable is available online as a PDF (http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/809/144/Amtrak-System-Timetable-Spring-Fall-2015.pdf). Starting on page 6, there is a list of all stations with their codes.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Another source of stations codes is to use the "Find a Station" on where you would put in the city/code. But if have the code, it's faster to just type the code in the From station text box and it will show you the station.

 

[jebr]

The codes are even used officially in the system timetable and for baggage handling.

Not true.
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/302/209/Illinois-Missouri-Schedule-011215.pdf

You can find a timetable with Galesburg online at Amtrak.com. Nowhere on the pages of Illinois services does "GBB" appear.

And I'm not handling baggage. I'm trying to read a blog post.

yes, the station codes are at the front with the station information, and they are used for baggage handling. If they are not, then prove it in the formats that I am specifically citing.

You aren't 'citing' anything.

Provide a link to your format, please, like I did to mine on Amtrak.com.

++++++++++++++++

Front of what where? I don't see it. On the 'front' page of the schedule online I see

"Amtrak Service in ILLINOIS and MISSOURI

...

CHICAGO-GALESBERG-QUINCY

and intermediate stations

..."

On the schedule page,

ILLINOIS ZEPHYR and CARL SANDBERG,

I see, left to right,

Carl Sandberg California Zephyr Southwest Chief Illinois Zephyr mile

10:18A 4:38P 5:38P 8:38P 162 Galesburg, IL

Nothing on the schedule says 'GBB', not anywhere.

+++++++++++++++++++

I didn't say the codes weren't used for baggage handling. I'm reading a post, I'm not handling baggage. I have never checked baggage on my Amtrak trips.

At the bottom of the main page for the Illinois Services:

Yes, posts sometimes go heavy on the abbreviations. At the same time, I don't think it's that much to surmise that if someone is referring to a location and it's a three letter code, that it will almost certainly be a station code. The poster also makes sure that they don't misspell the city's name, which is important to some people. They may also know them better from planning trips and such than how to spell the city's name (the station code will go to the station on Amtrak, and tickets often show the station code larger than the station name itself.)

 

[jis]

Time for a reality check. If you really expect people on a forum that is dedicated to Amtrak to not use Amtrak station codes, trust me you are whistling in the wind. At least I will continue to use station codes like I always do. If someone does not understand that they can ask and will be told, like always.

Sure. I'll ask and you'll answer. Thanks.

That's gonna be so much faster for you than typing out Galesberg instead of GBB in the first place. :giggle:

Well, I "might" answer only if you are nice to me. So ... Besides do you really still need to be told what GBB is. Afterall it is also not the end of the world if a few people do not know what GBB is either.

 

[BCL]

Yes, posts sometimes go heavy on the abbreviations. At the same time, I don't think it's that much to surmise that if someone is referring to a location and it's a three letter code, that it will almost certainly be a station code. The poster also makes sure that they don't misspell the city's name, which is important to some people. They may also know them better from planning trips and such than how to spell the city's name (the station code will go to the station on Amtrak, and tickets often show the station code larger than the station name itself.)

I haven't taken a ride in a while, but I looked at some old tickets and forgot that the standard (boarding pass style) tickets don't use station codes except for the issuing station. However, everything else does and spells them out nice and big, including the Amtrak app, Passbook, and the print yourself E-tickets. When you buy your tickets online or via the Amtrak app, the station code always comes up.

I don't see what the issue is. It should be fairly simple. If it's not then ask. I've certainly asked for clarification on an acronym.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Slow news day indeed!

This horse has been ridden to death, time to put it to rest in the barn and move on to things Amtrak!

As was said, much ado about nothing significant! YMMV

 

[JayPea]

I tend to spell out city names rather than the acronyms because it is easier for ME. I don't have to look them up that way. . Those who don't like station codes should be thankful this isn't an airline forum. It's one thing to know SPK is the station code for Spokane, for instance; but how in the world unless you live there or fly in and out of Spokane International Airport would you know its code is GEG???? Fortunately Amtrak's codes are so much easier to decipher.

 

[BCL]

I tend to spell out city names rather than the acronyms because it is easier for ME. I don't have to look them up that way. . Those who don't like station codes should be thankful this isn't an airline forum. It's one thing to know SPK is the station code for Spokane, for instance; but how in the world unless you live there or fly in and out of Spokane International Airport would you know its code is GEG???? Fortunately Amtrak's codes are so much easier to decipher.

MCO

SMF

OGG

EWR

I've actually traveled via a couple of them.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I tend to spell out city names rather than the acronyms because it is easier for ME. I don't have to look them up that way. . Those who don't like station codes should be thankful this isn't an airline forum. It's one thing to know SPK is the station code for Spokane, for instance; but how in the world unless you live there or fly in and out of Spokane International Airport would you know its code is GEG???? Fortunately Amtrak's codes are so much easier to decipher.

MCO

SMF

OGG

EWR

I've actually traveled via a couple of them.

I know two of those.

 

[andersone]

Sorry for the tempest in the teapot. For the record we drive to GBB not the Thruway to Indy. We live almost four hours east of IND but this still beats taking the Card @ 14 hrs

 

[jis]

Well for airports there are the four letter ICAO codes and the three letter IATA codes. Fortunately there is a web site or two to look them up, and as I mentioned earlier on airliners.net the codes are hyperlinked to the names in all posts.