Greetings, Everyone!
I've been lurking awhile here -- enjoying lots of the content. When I became a sustaining member earlier today, it dawned on me that I never said hello.
My name is David, I live in NJ, and I have been a railfan for longer than I can remember. My parents talk about how I would wander off from their apartment to the C&O/GTW diamond that was sort of in our back yard. This was 1967 or 1968 and I was two years old at the time.
Trains are in my blood. My great-grandfather was a GE employee working on and delivering locomotives and motorcars in the early 1900s and then worked at Electro-Motive from the beginning until the early 50s. Took my first train ride with him and my dad on the Burlington Route in 1968, I think. I've been collecting miles since -- even though they didn't call it that back then.
First Amtrak experience was watching the railbow consists on the Burlington in 1971. I didn't understand what Amtrak was at 5 or 6 years old, and I was stunned when the inbound Illinois Zephyr stopped in La Grange one day with a solid C&NW train set. So confused. I also remember the early SDP45s appearing in drag freights on the IHB. Really confused to see the Amtrak logo in a freight train.
I love riding Amtrak whenever I can -- which isn't very often. I miss the Autumn excursions. Still trying to ride every Amtrak route. I am down to the lines that touch Texas, the lines that touch Michigan, the Crescent, the Cardinal, and the new miles in MA and VT. I hope I keep riding but they add enough new routes that I never finish (when one is an Amtrak fan, it helps to be an optimist.)
If you're still reading, I guess this intro wasn't too long! Thanks!
I've been lurking awhile here -- enjoying lots of the content. When I became a sustaining member earlier today, it dawned on me that I never said hello.
My name is David, I live in NJ, and I have been a railfan for longer than I can remember. My parents talk about how I would wander off from their apartment to the C&O/GTW diamond that was sort of in our back yard. This was 1967 or 1968 and I was two years old at the time.
Trains are in my blood. My great-grandfather was a GE employee working on and delivering locomotives and motorcars in the early 1900s and then worked at Electro-Motive from the beginning until the early 50s. Took my first train ride with him and my dad on the Burlington Route in 1968, I think. I've been collecting miles since -- even though they didn't call it that back then.
First Amtrak experience was watching the railbow consists on the Burlington in 1971. I didn't understand what Amtrak was at 5 or 6 years old, and I was stunned when the inbound Illinois Zephyr stopped in La Grange one day with a solid C&NW train set. So confused. I also remember the early SDP45s appearing in drag freights on the IHB. Really confused to see the Amtrak logo in a freight train.
I love riding Amtrak whenever I can -- which isn't very often. I miss the Autumn excursions. Still trying to ride every Amtrak route. I am down to the lines that touch Texas, the lines that touch Michigan, the Crescent, the Cardinal, and the new miles in MA and VT. I hope I keep riding but they add enough new routes that I never finish (when one is an Amtrak fan, it helps to be an optimist.)
If you're still reading, I guess this intro wasn't too long! Thanks!
