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Future Fests as of Spring & Summer 2013


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#1 KevinKorell

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Posted 11 April 2013 - 08:06 PM

Fresh thread for Spring 2013 to discuss our future plans. The most previous thread, now closed and unpinned, is here. The reason I do this seasonally is that the older threads generally have links to pages on my site that no longer exist or have been removed or renamed. And plans change as new lines come along, schedules are made available, and their opening dates become clearer.

Planning is now well underway for Atlantic Coast RailFest 2013 (ACRF). At the time of this post, 10 people have indicated full or partial participation.

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.

For the summer of 2014, at this time I'm still almost totally sure our Rockies RailFest event will take place then. I've just updated the one day in Denver, to reflect the now-known calling times of the new W West Line, and adjusting all other light rail trips accordingly. Since it is also clear that there will NOT be any commuter rail in Denver available for another 2 more years, reference to that was deleted. For Salt Lake City, the itinerary for the light rail day will be updated once the Airport Green Line light rail schedule is published (within a couple days since it opens this weekend). Further updates will be done once the Draper Blue Line extension and Sugar House streetcar schedules are available at the end of this year.


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#2 steve4031

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Posted 12 April 2013 - 07:46 AM

Been looking forward to the Rockies one. Cool.

#3 KevinKorell

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Posted 12 April 2013 - 07:12 PM

For Salt Lake City, the itinerary for the light rail day will be updated once the Airport Green Line light rail schedule is published (within a couple days since it opens this weekend).

It's updated again with new times for the Blue & Green Lines and FrontRunner.


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#4 shanghai

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Posted 24 April 2013 - 12:09 PM

What is the length of the proposed Rockies Railfest? If you are planning one day in Denver and another in Salt Lake, coming from the East Coast, it will require eight or nine days for the complete trip. We need to develop the plan in enough time for our personal planning. It appears that it will be a lovely trip.

#5 KevinKorell

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Posted 24 April 2013 - 02:18 PM

Dick, A lot can change between now and then. As it stands now, I have 2 full days (48 hours) in Salt Lake City, and 1 full day (24 hours) in Denver. For the past several years I began writing these Fests to only include the most common trip segments when the bulk of the group will be together (for example not east of Chicago because people may take different routes from the East Coast to get there). So as it is currently, it's 8 days including the day we leave Chicago going west, until the day we arrive back in Chicago going east. Assuming you would be making same-day connections in both directions, it would then turn into 10 days with the 2 overnight trips between the East Coast and Chicago. Add yet another day if you want to play your connection safe and/or desire to spend another day & night in Chicago. By all means even if it were possible, people should not yet be making any travel or hotel plans for 2014. No official dates have been announced, most likely nobody has applied for days off from their jobs. Other factors could change the itinerary or the order in which it is followed.... or even the venue if the opening dates of some of the lines slip past that July.


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#6 pennyk

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Posted 24 April 2013 - 02:48 PM

WOW - I guess for those of us (i.e. me) from Florida, it would be a 12 day trip. It is a good thing I am self employed so I do not have to request any time off. I have been to Denver once and it was an uncomfortable 90 degrees outside. I have never been to Salt Lake City (other than the airport and passing through on the California Zephyr). It sounds like a great trip and am hoping to be able to participate.

#7 KevinKorell

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Posted 24 April 2013 - 06:11 PM

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.


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#8 steve4031

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Posted 24 April 2013 - 09:26 PM

And since Denver is a mile above sea level, this should be our highest railfest.

#9 KevinKorell

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Posted 24 April 2013 - 09:39 PM

And since Denver is a mile above sea level, this should be our highest railfest.

Technically our highest railfest walking around off Amtrak. Crossing the Rocky Mountains aboard the California Zephyr we will be much higher.

I guess our lowest railfest would be any that were near the ocean since they are at sea level. Far Rockaway and Long Beach, NY come to mind, as does the Jersey Shore back in 2005. I don't have any Fests planned for Death Valley (282 feet below sea level) since there are no trains there.


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#10 BillMagee

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 01:44 PM

Technically our highest railfest walking around off Amtrak. Crossing the Rocky Mountains aboard the California Zephyr we will be much higher.

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




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