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Future Fests as of Spring & Summer 2013


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#11 KevinKorell

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 02:19 PM

How soon you forget. Santa Fe NM, where we most definitely walked around, is at elevation 6,960 feet.

I was there to enjoy lunch in between RailRunner trips. I forgot to pack my altitude monitor. :)


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#12 nashscan

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Posted 12 May 2013 - 03:04 AM

This group has survived everything from cold and windy (wind chill below zero), to hot and humid (100 degrees in Texas), so I don't think there is much worry about how comfortable it will be. Trains should have working air conditioning, so it's only getting to and from them that is a small concern.


Don't forget it was also literally 100 degrees in Chicago of all places last summer!
Preston from Nashville

Nashville needs Amtrak!

#13 KevinKorell

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Posted 21 June 2013 - 10:13 PM

Washington, DC, although we will spend a little time there in the summer, will be revisited the following Winter for a Washington, DC Area RailFest, in order to take advantage of the opening of the Silver Line as well as the first restored streetcar line. The rest of the time could be split among previously ridden rail lines, such as Metro or short trips on MARC or VRE, or even perhaps Baltimore Metro & light rail one of the days. No itinerary has yet been written since there are too many unknowns.

Given the now high possibility the Silver Line won't be open before our traditional Fest weekend in January, it's not unthinkable that we may have to find another venue and do Washington at another time. Obviously the Silver Line would be the centerpiece of any Fest solely based there. Then again perhaps we get lucky and it opens for business on "our" weekend, as happened with the Green Line at Metro Fest 2001.

Current thinking is for Minneapolis/St. Paul in Summer 2015.... as long as all comes together including the Green Line LRT and the Amtrak relocation to downtown St. Paul. There's also the original LRT now known as the Blue Line, and Northstar. Future extensions of both LRT lines beyond Target Field Station (which by then will be embellished and renamed The Interchange) are well enough further into the future that we would probably not want to wait to visit the MSP area much longer.

Now I had paired Minneapolis/St. Paul with Chicago and a St. Louis revisit via Kansas City. But now that KC should have its own streetcar line to ride by 2015, perhaps the Missouri leg should be split into its own trip and done later.


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#14 steve4031

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Posted 22 June 2013 - 01:32 PM

What would your plan b be for that weekend?

#15 KevinKorell

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Posted 22 June 2013 - 02:00 PM

What would your plan b be for that weekend?

Don't know... it's something we can all discuss in person next month.


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#16 pennyk

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Posted 22 June 2013 - 02:29 PM

SunRail will not be up and running by then. January is a nice time to visit Florida, though - maybe the next year or the year after or......

#17 KevinKorell

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Posted 19 July 2013 - 12:00 AM

Given the news posted in the Rail Transit forum regarding the 8-week delay of Phase I of the Metro Silver Line, it sounds to me as though a January 2014 Fest cannot be done in Washington, DC area as it appears as though the main reason for doing it won't happen until March. We need to begin thinking of other cities, and what to do in those cities... keeping in mind that we don't necessarily travel around as much as we do on the summer RailFests, and generally stay close to the East Coast where the majority of our participants come from. And since a Fest is currently in progress as of this writing, we can have an emergency meeting about it in person tomorrow (Friday), at least among those of us left. Where better to have it than the place we probably won't be able to go to in January? Others can offer their suggestions or requests here.


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#18 BillMagee

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Posted 19 July 2013 - 08:03 AM

Not trying to be a trouble maker, but is there a reason it has to be in January? Planning travel in January is just asking for trouble. November or March would decrease the probability of weather issues and would likely make the activities more comfortable.

#19 KevinKorell

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Posted 19 July 2013 - 09:34 AM

Tradition, for one thing. It's something we've built up over the years. Having one in the summer, despite the heat, makes it easier for those in professions like Steve's. It's always been easier for me to take off at those times as well. November might run into busier travel times related to Thanksgiving, and March can run into spring holidays if they fall early. However the minor holiday MLK weekend has provided those who travel farther the opportunity to participate at least part of Sunday and then head home Monday. The 1 time I had to hold it 2 weeks later (Philly) we didn't draw many who come from longer distances. We have been having Fests in January going back to before I began planning them, and so far this trouble we've asked for has not developed, save for some very cold and windy conditions. On the other hand, a few times we had unseasonably warm weather for January. Then between January and July, if there are to be 2 Fests per year, 6 months apart works well for those who need to plan things financially.


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#20 steve4031

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Posted 19 July 2013 - 10:13 AM

Tradition, for one thing. It's something we've built up over the years. Having one in the summer, despite the heat, makes it easier for those in professions like Steve's. It's always been easier for me to take off at those times as well. November might run into busier travel times related to Thanksgiving, and March can run into spring holidays if they fall early. However the minor holiday MLK weekend has provided those who travel farther the opportunity to participate at least part of Sunday and then head home Monday. The 1 time I had to hold it 2 weeks later (Philly) we didn't draw many who come from longer distances.

We have been having Fests in January going back to before I began planning them, and so far this trouble we've asked for has not developed, save for some very cold and windy conditions. On the other hand, a few times we had unseasonably warm weather for January.

Then between January and July, if there are to be 2 Fests per year, 6 months apart works well for those who need to plan things financially.



Well stated, Kevin. Though our school
Calendar has changed so that we have fewer holidays.




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