I just had my evaluation today and my objective for the next year is to create a railfan’s guide to South Carolina. This would be something I could give out to travelers coming throught my Welcome Center. What do you guys think I should include?
Here are some things I was thinking of:
Legal and safe public places to watch and photograph trains.
List of railroad museums in the state.
Historical information on the role railroads played in the state’s development.
List of model railroad exhibits.
Scanner Frequencies.
Model railroad exhibits.
Legal disclaimer.
Any suggestions are welcomed and appreiciated. [:)]
First and foremost a good map with at least current owner and traffic density in MGTM. If NS, CSX and Shortlines each in a separate color that would be nice.
On duty points both through and local.
“Important yards” IM, hump, flat, identified by type
Any unusual traffic or operations.
Major customers. Ports, unit train mines, power plants for example.
Abandoned lines.
Significant railroad structures still standing even if not used by RR.
For what it is worth, I am in the middle of a two month visit to South Carolina and would love such a map.
Hmmm… based on the number of aticles that appear in the various railfan-related magazines about trains in South Carolina, a person would think there were no railroads in this state. Good luck in persuing your endeavor.
Agree with the above 3 comments. Just look also at the various railfan websites, too - it’s like SC is on an island. But I’ve ridden to/ through Charleston on Amtrak a couple of times.
A couple of suggestons, some of which overlap the above:
Rail-trails, existing and planned, including directions and contact info.
Any rail facilities that are now part of public parks.
Any diners, restaurants, hotels, golf courses, ball parks, other parks, etc. that adjoin or overlook a railroad line. Maybe also any country general stores, gas stations, post offices, etc. in small towns where switching or other rail action takes place, and might observe and be knowledgable about same, etc.
Nearby significant non-railfan activities for the spouse/ significant other/ children, etc. I know - that could be ‘‘the whole rest of the state’’ - but what I’m thinking of is like the ‘Pennsylvania Dutch’ attractions around the Strasburg RR; nearby shopping malls - ‘‘Logan Valley’’ next to the Altoona, PA Amtrak station and the Railroader’s Memorial Museum, and the ‘‘Steamtown Mall’’ next to the Steamtown NPS in Scranton, PA; the Philadelphia Zoological Gardens - really, the ‘Zoo’, next to ZOO Tower; and most especially, the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, Ontario, next to Bayview Jct. and Hamilton Jct. there [that one was good for an entire afternoon about 15 years ago].
Other activities next to or along the tracks - like boating or rafting. For example, I believe the Ocoee Chattooga River in the western SC mountains is a major white-water stream - see http://www.raftinfo.com/chattooga.php - though I don’t see a railroad along it. So maybe a better approach here would be all the lakes and kayak streams in the central and eastern portions of the
The suggestions of Paul were excellent. In 2002 my wife and I decided to take a vacation to South Carolina.We enjoyed SC very much but I was not able to see many trains. Most of what I did see was NS switching the container yard in Charleston. Charleston has many things to interest tourists but where are the trains;and I don’t mean to be sarcastic. Most people either arrive by plane or the Interstate and have no clue how to get trackside.On this trip we came through Asheville NC and found a McDonalds that was right next to the tracks. These are nice things to know. Knowing where the trains are really helps.What hotels and restaurants ( even fast food ) are a short drive from the tracks and if there are train hot spots; how close are they to things that my non railfan spouse would be interested. An example of this is its lunchtime and I’m on I-26 near Orangeburg, where can I eat lunch and spend an hour or two watching trains. Good luck on your project and wish you success.
Thank you everybody for the excelent suggestions and positive feedback.[:)] I’m still debating contacting CSX and NS about the project. It’s probably a good idea to have them on board with the project, just so long as this guide warns people not to trespass and contains the railroad’s emergency numbers.
You may have implied inclusion in “List of railroad museums in the state”, but there are also steam locomotives on display that are not in museums. I went down to Hardeeville, SC earlier this year to photograph Argent Lumber Co’s 3-foot-gauge 2-8-0 on display there at the town hall. There is a web site that lists all existing steam locomotives in the US by state that seems pretty complete. We have an 0-4-0 here in North Myrtle Beach as part of a miniature golf attraction… not pretty in bright blue but it’s the only steam locomotive in town.