This exercise in naming the fest is open to
anyone with a good idea, whether you plan to attend or not. The Fests are very much a part of the regular activities that all of us members are involved with, although some just by reading the reports and traveling vacariously with us when we take our trips.
So far the leading candidate seems to be Eagle RailFest (with the word "Texas" preceeding it not necessary). We will be in a total of 12 states plus the District of Columbia, and only 4 of those 12 states will be along the route of the TEXAS EAGLE.
The Eagle is our national bird, so it symbolizes the travels we will be doing through much of the eastern half of the country. The three cities to visit along the route of the train called the TEXAS EAGLE are tied together by that train.
Mid-America RailFest sounds great too, however it really fits the St. Louis area more than the others. Chicago is condidered the Midwest, and most of Texas is considered to be in the Southwest.
But keep on submitting your suggestions. I will make a final decision on the name in mid-April.
And by the way, the web pages for this fest, still with the working but temporary name "Dallas RailFest 2005", have been greatly enhanced. Now available via the
homepage are hotel listings for Chicago and Dallas, restaurant listings for Chicago, St. Louis and Dallas, and listings of transit and commuter lines in all three cities. Soon to come are the costs pages and scanner frequencies pages for each city.