Trains encountered on my summer road trip

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Joined
Apr 5, 2011
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Baltimore. MD
I'm almost back from my annual summer road trip to Maine. Didn't ride a single train. certainly didn't ride Amtrak. But I can't take a trip without finding some railroad content.

A week ago Sunday, my wife and I were in Portland waiting to pick up our daughter at the airport. It was a soggy day, there wasn't much to do, except we sat in our car at Fort Allen Park looking out over the harbor, and I thought I heard the whistle of a steam train. Well, the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum runs trains at the bottom of the bluff, so maybe, perhaps they're finally running one of the steam locomotives they have in their collections instead of the diesels I usually see when I visit the city. I made my way down the stone steps that lead to the waterfront promenade and found the train. Alas, it was still a diesel, just with a high pitched air horn.

P1010491.JPG

After that, we went to lunch at a place off of Forest Avenue, and I was walking back to the car when I heard a train whistle (well, a P42 air horn), and on the track behind the parking lot, what do I see but a Downeaster heading towards Boston.

Then we went to the airport, where we waited for the flight to come in along with one of Maine's official greeters. By the way, Portland International Jetport has very nice comfy couches you can sit on while you wait for arrivals. You can also get garage parking right by the entrance to the arrivals area, and if your wait is under a half an hour, the parking is free! One of the least stressful airports I've ever been in.

20210718_154224.jpg

Off we went to the cabin, where it rained every day except for the day before we left. But we still had a good time. But then, a week later, again on a Sunday, it was another soggy rainy day. We got into Portland about an hour early for my daughter's flight out, and we decided to hang out by the East End Beach. I was outside in the drizzle, when I heard a definite steam whistle, and I looked out towards the tracks and quickly went to the car to pull out my camera.

P1010745-1.jpg

P1010742.JPG

Finally! I get to see a 2-foot narrow gauge steam locomotive in action.

After the airport drop-off, we toured the southern coast of Maine, seeing places I've never been to, even though I've been coming up to the place for over 50 years. But given the traffic jams, I can see why my parents never bothered to take me to places like Kennebunkport, Wells, and Ogunquit when we were kids. And by the time we were ready to head back to the highway, Google maps showed a massive traffic jam on the Maine Turnpike and the Piscataqua River Bridge, which explains why Maine was so eager to fund Downeaster service as an alternative.

Tonight, we're staying in Matamoras, PA, across the river from Port Jervis. We did a quick drive through Port Jervis where we got to see the old Erie passenger station, which was been nicely restored, but not being used for trains, the current Metro North train station, which is even less than an Amshack, and this piece of railroad history.

20210726_165334.jpg

This is the old Erie Railroad turntable, hidden back behind a McDonald's and a strip mall. Apparently, it was "restored to operating condition" in 1996 as part of plans for a city railroad park, which hasn't seemed to come to pass. In fact, the turntable doesn't look very operable to me. The signage said the the turntable was used into the 1980s to turn NJT locomotives. The roundhouse it was attached to to was also demolished some time in the 1980s. Anyway, an interesting piece of railroad history, and it had good street signage directing us to the place. If only the directions to our hotel had been marked so well. (We spent some time making a few false turns to find the access road even though we could see the place clearly from the highway.)

Well, that's it for this trip. Tomorrow a few more hours on the interstate will bring us home.
 
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I'm almost back from my annual summer road trip to Maine. Didn't ride a single train. certainly didn't ride Amtrak. But I can't take a trip without finding some railroad content.

A week ago Sunday, my wife and I were in Portland waiting to pick up our daughter at the airport. It was a soggy day, there wasn't much to do, except we sat in our car at Fort Allen Park looking out over the harbor, and I thought I heard the whistle of a steam train. Well, the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum runs trains at the bottom of the bluff, so maybe, perhaps they're finally running one of the steam locomotives they have in their collections instead of the diesels I usually see when I visit the city. I made my way down the stone steps that lead to the waterfront promenade and found the train. Alas, it was still a diesel, just with a high pitched air horn.

View attachment 23653

After that, we went to lunch at a place off of Forest Avenue, and I was walking back to the car when I heard a train whistle (well, a P42 air horn), and on the track behind the parking lot, what do I see but a Downeaster heading towards Boston.

Then we went to the airport, where we waited for the flight to come in along with one of Maine's official greeters. By the way, Portland International Jetport has very nice comfy couches you can sit on while you wait for arrivals. You can also get garage parking right by the entrance to the arrivals area, and if your wait is under a half an hour, the parking is free! One of the least stressful airports I've ever been in.

View attachment 23654

Off we went to the cabin, where it rained every day except for the day before we left. But we still had a good time. But then, a week later, again on a Sunday, it was another soggy rainy day. We got into Portland about an hour early for my daughter's flight out, and we decided to hang out by the East End Beach. I was outside in the drizzle, when I heard a definite steam whistle, and I looked out towards the tracks and quickly went to the car to pull out my camera.

View attachment 23655

View attachment 23656

Finally! I get to see a 2-foot narrow gauge steam locomotive in action.

After the airport drop-off, we toured the southern coast of Maine, seeing places I've never been to, even though I've been coming up to the place for over 50 years. But given the traffic jams, I can see why my parents never bothered to take me to places like Kennebunkport, Wells, and Ogunquit when we were kids. And by the time we were ready to head back to the highway, Google maps showed a massive traffic jam on the Maine Turnpike and the Piscataqua River Bridge, which explains why Maine was so eager to fund Downeaster service as an alternative.

Tonight, we're staying in Matamoras, PA, across the river from Port Jervis. We did a quick drive through Port Jervis where we got to see the old Erie passenger station, which was been nicely restored, but not being used for trains, the current Metro North train station, which is even less than an Amshack, and this piece of railroad history.

View attachment 23657

This is the old Erie Railroad turntable, hidden back behind a McDonald's and a strip mall. Apparently, it was "restored to operating condition" in 1996 as part of plans for a city railroad park, which hasn't seemed to come to pass. In fact, the turntable doesn't look very operable to me. The signage said the the turntable was used into the 1980s to turn NJT locomotives. The roundhouse it was attached to to was also demolished some time in the 1980s. Anyway, an interesting piece of railroad history, and it had good street signage directing us to the place. If only the directions to our hotel had been marked so well. (We spent some time making a few false turns to find the access road even though we could see the place clearly from the highway.)

Well, that's it for this trip. Tomorrow a few more hours on the interstate will bring us home.
Nice get away even if the Weather wasn't that Great! I've really enjoyed my trips to Maine ,especially to Portland on the Downeaster!

And Cool Rail finds too!😉
 
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