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Allow me to be the first to extend a cordial WELCOME, and thanks for your little introduction spiel. We look forward to learning from your additions to the forum. :)
 
Quasimodem said:
I just wanted to say hello from Dallas, Georgia.
Glad I found y'all!

Thanks

Q
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Tell us something about yourself as a railfan. Your previous trips, your special likes (equipment, locomotives, etc, etc) , your upcomiing trip plans, etc.
 
Okay.

My train trips have been limited to my travels in Germany (where I am from) and once on a steam locomotive (whose wheel configs I cannot now recall) here in Georgia about ten years ago.

We started off at the old station in Atlanta and it was about a three hour trip.

I am afraid I cannot dazzle y'all with my knowledge of trains, but I can sure share your love of them and I am keen to learn what you are willing to share.

I love train videos, and I love books about trains, such as Agatha Christie's Murder On The Orient Express and David Baldacci's recent The Christmas Train.

I will share with y'all one exoerience I had in Frankfurt's train station:

I always thought the trains stopped right in front of your ticketed car, but this one didn't, and I wound up staggering (with luggage) through about 6 cars before I got to my reserved compartment, which was already occupied. It took forever to get this straightened out because the people who were occupying my seat were not Germans and didn't understand (or pretended not to) a word I said in my native language.

By the time the conductor arrived, they had gotten to their destination and disembarked while I was left standing in the corridor moving my luggage as best I could whenever someone needed to get by.

Anyway, I was mesmerized by The Christmas Train, and I would love to take a cross country trip such as the one described in the novel. Are there tours arranged for such a thing and are they reasonably priced?

Thanks for that very nice welcome, und ich wünsche Ihnen eine schöne Advents-Zeit!

"I wish you all a nice Advent".

Q
 
Welcome - I was in Germany for several weeks last year. Didn't get to ride any of the trains there, but saw a lot of them. Pictures here.

Someday I hope to get back and ride all over Europe.
 
Quasimodem said:
I will share with y'all one exoerience I had in Frankfurt's train station:
I always thought the trains stopped right in front of your ticketed car, but this one didn't, and I wound up staggering (with luggage) through about 6 cars before I got to my reserved compartment, which was already occupied. It took forever to get this straightened out because the people who were occupying my seat were not Germans and didn't understand (or pretended not to) a word I said in my native language.

By the time the conductor arrived, they had gotten to their destination and disembarked while I was left standing in the corridor moving my luggage as best I could whenever someone needed to get by.
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To clarify for our USA viewers:

Station platforms in Germany have letters above points on the platform, i.e., "A", "B", etc. DB puts a diagram on the platform (in the bigger stations) to show just where the first class and second class cars on the train will be spotted by the train engineer.

Sometimes (usually on Friday evenings, when it seems everyone is travelling) this doesn't happen. The only thing you can do is head up or down the platform. If your luggage is (as mine usually was) just a suitcase that fit under a typical airline seat, this was no big deal. OTOH if you have multiple suitcases...

Reservation tags on DB compartments were posted, IIRC, on the upper left window of the compartment as you faced to go into it. They were little paper tags that slid into a plastic holder. The idea is that you would see a tag reserving the seat from say, Frankfurt to Colonge, and move from that seat at Frankfurt. Reservations are cancelled 15 minutes after the train departs from the station in question.

People on German trains could be incredibly disrespectful of reservations at times, in my experience. The only solution was to attempt to reason nicely, and when that failed, find the conductor. I can recall a couple times when people were just a bit nonplussed when the conductor threw them out of seats they thought they were entitled to by virtue of having boarded the train before I did.
 
Sam, thanks for clarifying!

Question: Is it okay to discuss all trains and travel here, or are we limited to just Amtrak?

Thanks

Q
 
gswager: I highly recommend this little book if you are into trains and Christmas.

I hope it gets made into a film for television or the big screen. We are in need of another It's A Wonderful Life, and this novel is Amtrak-specific and has lots of facts about trains and train travel woven into it. It also has that necessary bit about getting to know one another in a close-in environment that creates such warmth.

It led me to you guys.

Thanks

Q
 
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