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Relaunching OTOL Eagle RailFest 2005


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#1 KevinKorell

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Posted 19 April 2005 - 06:07 AM

I have decided that the name Eagle RailFest best fits what we are doing, for the reasons cited above. Although the train name is the TEXAS EAGLE, I won't use the word "Texas" since that is only one of the 12 states (plus DC) we will be in from start to finish including our trip to and from the East Coast.

OTOL Eagle RailFest 2005 (which will probably be referred to from time to time as "ERF") has been relaunched and it resides on a whole new website. The old site will still work for now, until I finish putting in links to the new pages and then eventually deleting the old ones.

Recent changes to the Eagle RailFest itinerary include adding some CTA riding to fill up our dwell time while in Chicago. This is contingent on our arriving in town on time on Friday on the CAPITOL LIMITED and on Wednesday on the TEXAS EAGLE. It is not a "must" that we ride these trains, but the exercise is there if we do get there on time. If we do get to ride all of the CTA routes that were added, we will "ace" the system as a group when taken with what we did at OTOL Windy City RailFest 2003. The routes added include the entire Blue Line and the entire Orange Line. In addition should time allow we can ride the Airport Transportation System and take a short ride on a METRA train on our way back into the city.

There should be plenty of time to visit one tourist attraction in both St. Louis and Dallas. In the former, this would of course be the Gateway Arch. A page of information details our visit there. We will have to agree on a time to visit, one that is "safe" where we won't miss it if we come into St. Louis late. One person can then order the tickets for the group. It would be very beneficial to order our tickets online and well ahead of time, which will save us money in the long run and ensure that we will be able to visit on the day we will be in town. As a group we don't all have to pay the National Park Service $3 fee, as there is a $6 maximum per group.

For Dallas, we will visit the Reunion Tower, located just across the tracks from Union Station. This will be our final activity in Dallas on Tuesday before we embark on our 22-hour northbound trip on the TEXAS EAGLE. It should not be a problem to obtain tickets in person the day of our visit to this attraction.

If we arrive into Dallas on time on Sunday, I am working on the best way we can visit the Age of Steam Museum (located in Fair Park), which is the primary railroad attraction in that city. Although a future extension of DART's light rail will go to Fair Park, for now one must take a bus to get there and back. We can purchase a DayPass for that day that is good on the bus as well as riding the LRT to your hotel that evening. This must be done on Sunday, since the museum is not open on Mondays or Tuesdays. If the southbound TEXAS EAGLE is too late, we can forego the museum and just go to our respective hotels.

Speaking of hotels, listings have been provided for both Chicago and Dallas. You will need to reserve one night in Chicago (Friday night), and two nights in Dallas (Sunday & Monday nights).

Also you should consider reserving your Amtrak travel as soon as possible, as both coach and sleeper space will be filling up quickly.

More updates to follow.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ





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