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#1 KevinKorell

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Posted 08 November 2010 - 01:17 AM

I have been getting many questions regarding what we may or may not be doing in January 2011. As some of you have correctly figured out, I am a little burned out from all of the work that goes into these Fests, including all the planning, the execution, and all the post-Fest activity that remains afterwards to update my web pages and then report on the event. At present there are 3 (maybe 4) yet-unpublished Fest reports from our events in 2010, in various stages of completion. You can see how there could be some hesitation in planning yet another one.

To address any concerns or assumptions, I'd like to present what is going through my mind about a potential January 2011 event.

When we last met in August of this year, we essentially "aced" not only the Long Island Railroad, but everything in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut area. Save for any new starts, such as the HBLRT extension in Bayone, we no longer have any rail transit routes to ride for the first time as a group. That does not mean we cannot repeat anything. It is realized that between 2001 and the present, some of you may have missed some of our Fests.

The New YorkCity metropolitan area is not the only location being considered. Also possible are Fests in Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh & Johnstown) and North Carolina (mainly Charlotte). Following are some pros and cons of each choice:

1. New York City area


Again keeping in mind that anything future in the New York City/New Jersey/Connecticut area would be a repeat and thus geared to those who would be new to the lines we would ride, the only way to do this would be to hold a New York Request Fest. Based on requests from potential participants, we can hopefully put together a program of rail activities to fill up two days. These requests would have to be within reason. For example, a Port Jervis round trip (as we did in 2003) is no longer possible during winter daylight hours due to schedule changes.

Such a "Request Fest" would also work in other Eastern cities, such as Philadelphia or Boston. If one in the New York area is the chosen option, then those who have made to our events every year for the last decade may find things redundant. Our goals for a fun-filled day would remain the same, but the faces might be a little different than they were last time around.

2. North Carolina


Originally a 3-day event (including rail trips to and from the Northeast), it was expanded to 4 days when it became a possible candidate for a fest in the winter. This ensures that we can ride the Piedmont and Charlotte's light rail during daylight hours.

Pro: Charlotte offers a choice of many hotels, and they appear to be reasonably priced.
Pro: The midday frequency of the Piedmont that started this past summer ensures that we would be able to ride the entire trip in daylight, don't have to arise too early, or arrive at our destination too late.
Con: The current location of the Amtrak station is about a mile north of Uptown (Charlotte's term for "Downtown"). This would necessitate a taxicab or bus trip to get between the station and your chosen hotel. The #11 bus runs along Tryon Street in front of the station driveway.
Con: The Piedmont does not have a cafe car; food service is strictly vending machines. This would be an issue as the midday trip runs during lunchtime.
Con: This past summer, CATS discontinued the Charlotte Trolley due to budget issues. While the heritage trolley used the same tracks as the light rail line, it was a novelty. Without it, the only rail activity in Charlotte would be the light rail, which takes almost half an hour each way end to end. Because of the stretched out schedule, we would be involved in an "official" ride just about one hour of the day.
Some hotels in Charlotte claim to have shuttles that serve the Amtrak station, so perhaps those could be sought out if this option is chosen. Also, Amtrak is slated to move to a new intermodal transportation center in a few years, so that could be a reason to wait until then.

3. Pittsburgh



In planning, Pittsburgh was always considered to be a 4-day event (Saturday and Tuesday are strictly trips on the Pennsylvanian from and to Northeast cities). This is due to the nature of Amtrak's schedule. Both trains coming from the east get there late at night, and both going towards the east depart early in the morning. So 2 days would be dedicated to the area. One of the two is intentionally scheduled for Sunday, when the Pennsylvanian runs eastbound later. This allows for a side trip to Johnstown to ride that city's Incline, to bolster the experience of having ridden Pittsburgh's two remaining Inclines.

Pro: One reason to visit Pittsburgh very soon is that the Brown Line (formerly the 52 Allentown) is proposed to be eliminated by March 2011.
Pro: Pittsburgh does offer a lot of hotels, many within easy walking distance of the light rail lines and the Amtrak station.
Con: Pittsburgh is a very railfan-unfriendly city. There is no DayPass instrument. The complex fare structure on the light rail lines includes zone fares and surcharges based on the time of day.
Con: A fare increase will most likely take place by the time we would have this Fest, so the financial blow will be even worse. It is possble that one end to end trip during the rush hour could cost as much as 4 or 5 bucks a pop.
Con: While the extension under construction to the North Side is a good thing, the old Gateway Center station has been permanently closed, with all trains turning at Wood Avenue. A new Gateway Center station will open as part of the extension. We would therefore miss this section of the orginal subway.

4. Do nothing


Having no Rail Fest in January 2011 is always an option. As I said at the start, I would not be heartbroken if we didn't have any Fest at that time. But perhaps some of you have come to expect them at that time. I would just as well not have to worry about standing outside in frigid or snowy weather. If not enough interest is shown, Option #4 can easily be invoked.

The above has no bearing on other plans, such as next July's Southeast RailFest, visiting Atlanta, New Orleans, and Memphis, and featuring Amtrak trips on the Crescent and City of New Orleans. Hopefully past business will be cleared up by then and we can look forward to another great summer event. Of course this is no official announcement; it is pending my vacation time being approved. More than likely it should be known for sure by mid-winter.

Meanwhile, I hope to announce something regarding January by around Thanksgiving, so you can begin making your plans to attend (or not). What happens then is up to YOU. If you favor Option #1, please state your choices for what we should do. Primarily this is up to those who have not been to every Fest or have never ridden particular rail lines. The more interest is shown, the more likely we avoid the dreaded Option #4.


Kevin Korell


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#2 steve4031

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Posted 08 November 2010 - 05:53 PM

New York or any east coast city for a request Fest would my first choice. Outside of nyc, Philly would be an interesting choice

#3 KevinKorell

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Posted 08 November 2010 - 08:36 PM

Here's another option to throw out there... an Amtrak excursion between New York (or other east coast cities south of there) and either Hartford, CT or Springfield, MA. This could be done in one day up and back, with a couple hours off for lunch in either city, and still get back at or close to nightfall. I noticed that right now if one takes a train other than the Vermonter, one can travel each way for a base coach fare of $27 (NYP-HFD) or $29 (NYP-SPG), less your 10% AAA/NARP discount. With the required change of trains at New Haven between a Northeast Regional and a Shuttle, that's a relatively cheap 200 base AGR points in either direction, 400 round trip. That assumes we stay away from the 14x-series trains, which would provide a one-seat ride and thus you would only get the 100 base AGR points each way for the same money. It could also be done by leaving later on a Saturday (1 PM from NYP gets you to either city well before dark), staying over, and then leaving SPG or HFD on Sunday mid-morning. This of course would be the only thing we do, but it's just a thought and it requires a minimum of planning (except for hotels, which are a little easier to come by in Hartford than Springfield). I don't know if anyone would consider this a worthwhile trip, but it's something that a few people haven't done yet.


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#4 KevinKorell

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Posted 08 November 2010 - 08:43 PM

New York or any east coast city for a request Fest would my first choice. Outside of nyc, Philly would be an interesting choice

If we do those "Request Fests", we could definitely switch it up each time, maybe New York this year, Philly the next, Boston or Washington the next, etc.


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#5 jacorbett70

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Posted 08 November 2010 - 09:40 PM

New York is also getting rid of its day pass at the end of this year. I do not know if previously-purchased Fun Passes could be used until their expiration date, or if they have to be turned in, or if they get converted to regular Metrocards with the value of the pass stored on them. All I could find is that the pass is being "eliminated." If they can be purchased before Dec 30 and used until their expiration date that could be a case for one last NYC subway-based fest.

#6 KevinKorell

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Posted 08 November 2010 - 09:48 PM

Nice thought, John. However I believe that the last few subway-based fests we had, the Fun Pass didn't work because the total costs of our entries into the system didn't surpass the price of the pass.


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#7 steve4031

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Posted 09 November 2010 - 02:07 AM

I like the sprinfield option. Was actually looking at the Vermonter a week or so ago. Interesting ride but a long day in amfleet coaches to the end of that line. What kind of equipment runs on those shuttle trains?

#8 jacorbett70

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Posted 09 November 2010 - 08:58 AM

I like the sprinfield option. Was actually looking at the Vermonter a week or so ago. Interesting ride but a long day in amfleet coaches to the end of that line.

What kind of equipment runs on those shuttle trains?


When I took the shuttle run to and from Hartford in May 2010, it ran with a diesel (P-42) engine and only two (or maybe three) cars. Amfleet and a 96XX cab car so it can reverse without being turned around.

Edited by jacorbett70, 09 November 2010 - 08:59 AM.


#9 KevinKorell

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Posted 09 November 2010 - 12:24 PM

The 96XX cab cars date back to the earlier Metroliner days. Inside with the refurbishments of the past several years they resemble Amfleet I coaches (except for the cab itself). A Vermonter round trip (overnight of course) was once one of my Future Fests, but I took it off the table because the pickings are very poor for hotels in St. Albans, VT. There's a La Quinta about a mile east out by the freeway, and downtown (but still requiring a taxi ride or very long walk) is an Econo Lodge and another non-chain motel. Also going to St. Albans would be more appreciated in warmer months when it may still be light when the train gets to its destination. At least with turning at HFD or SPG there is a choice of trips and it can be worked out to take advantage of the shorter daylight in winter, whether we do a one day round trip or stay overnight.


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#10 Long Train Runnin'

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Posted 09 November 2010 - 02:52 PM

If the timing worked out I would vote for a New York request fest. Obviously I am a pretty new face, so there is a lot of things I haven't covered with the group. I rode down to North Carolina in August of 2009 and its a long ride, with Amfleet I equipment. It was roughly a 9 dollar cab ride from the train station to the hotel we stayed at downtown.




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