I’m a train buff and also appreciate maps and traveling. Where are some of the best places that you’ve train watched? I’ve been to Colorado but didn’t get a chance to chase trains at all, which was a real shame. I live in Michigan and the lines near us are not very busy. Where are some great places to go?[?][:)]
Sandpoint,Id. “the funnel”
The lower Columbia river george. BNSF on one side and UP on the other.
Stockton tower (tower is gone though)
anywhere on the overland between Winnemucca & Wells
Mojave,Ca.
Dagget,Ca.
Beaumont hill,Ca.
Williams Jct.,Az.
and of course Cajon Pass
well neighboor to the north come on down south to ohio.we have fostoria ,bellevue,walbridge stanley,marion and our favorite spot is Deshler.I have met alot of nice people from michigan here in ohio.
stay safe
joe
I’ve wanted to take a day and go to places in Chicago, but Ohio would be even easier. The problem is Michigan is too far north and you don’t get too much east/west traffic except on the line through Kalamazoo. Looking forward to travelling more as my kids get older.
I haven’t really been to a favorite hot spot yet. However, I do tend to do most of my railfaning in the areas of Conshohocken, Bridgeport, and Upper Merion in PA. These areas are all really close to each other. The line I railfan along is on NS’ Harrisburg Division, allong the porsion (spelling) of the line that runs from Philadelphia to Abrams Yard in Upper Merion, PA. Every once and a while I catch Upper Merion and Plymoth RR, and CSX action. I also get to see interesting power there too. I saw my first and only unpatched SP #164 AC44CW there at Abrams Yard.
matt is 4 years old and likes to go trainwatching. would be happy to show you around.
click on the email icon next to my profile icon and I can give you an ohio preview.
stay safe
Joe
Cresson, Pa and Phillipsburg, Nj.
I hope to take my kids soon. My daughter is 6 and have 3 boys younger than that. The boys so far like trains.
At the Air Force Academy siding on the BNSF/UP joint line. Kind of slow but great scenery and real close to the house.
North of San Luis Obispo, CA I like Cuesta with its 1.5% to 2.2% grades.
I also like Cajon Pass, Sandcut, Mojave and Beamont Hill in Califaornia.
Polo,Savanna,Rochelle,and Galesburg IL.
Galesburg has got to be the best but I like Polo because I grew up around there and I got most of my train watching experience as a young kid there.
Out here, I like chasing stuff along the Moffat Sub up to the tunnel. Blue Mountain Road is a great hangout. Close to home, yet with a mountain background. You can also find me hanging around other Moffat spots like Crescent, Pinecliff, etc. up to East Portal. Not the busiest line in the world, but scenically, it can’t be beat.
When I’m back in IL, I like traveling west from Aurora. Some of the hot spots east of there like Blue Island, Dalton, etc. are really busy, but extraordinarily boring scenery wise to me.
I like hanging out at Eola because its close to my Mom’s house, but enjoy chasing along the Aurora sub a lot more. Two of my favorite spots along that line are in White Pines State Park, near Polo, IL (and some of the surrounding areas…Hazelhust, etc.), and along the Mississippi in Savannah. The bonus for the latter is that its one of the few state parks in IL where one can rock climb and rappel at (Mississippi Palisades State Park).
I also enjoy the Geneva sub of the UP (former CNW). I used to spend a lot of time in Geneva and Elburn (relatives), and this is one of the first lines that I spent a lot of time railfanning on. Fun spots here for me were always Sterling (though I didn’t get to see the last of the last steamers…doh!), and Clinton. The industrial looking backgrounds were always fascinating to me.
Once in awhile I would venture further, and spots like Chillicothe and Edelstein, stuff up in Cheeseland, and occasionally Hoosierland were always fun changes of pace. Once in awhile I’d head to Boone, IA for the B&SV railroad, and the Kate Shelley bridge. Always two favorites of mine to get to when I’m in the area.
While traveling between my two “homes” I always enjoyed getting off of I-80, and spending time paralleling the Uncle Pete. For some reason that I really can’t put a finger on, Cozad, NE was always a favorite there.
Of course, for the absolutist, nothing beats chasing stuff around the Cumbres and Toltec. Not on
Rochelle Illinois all the way! I’ve been there about half a dozen times and I also use the web-cam.
Palmer, Mass. CSX, NECR, Mass Central, Amtrak and a nice restaurant in the old station, designed by H H Richardson.
East Deerfield Mass. NS, CSX, CP and Guildford. Not as many trains as Palmer, but a good variety.
I do most of my train watching at the Fullerton Amtrak station.Some other favorite places I have been are:
Cajon
Tehachapi
Colton tower(now gone)
Pepper St.(colton yard)
Beaumont hill
Vancouver WA. Amtrak station
Cascade Locks OR.
One of the neatest places to go in Michigan is Durand, which was the heart of the old Grand Trunk Western. The old depot has been preserved, and is worth seeing even if no trains come by (highly unlikely).
Fostoria, Ohio, is definitely worth the drive from anywhere in southern Lower Michigan. And Deshler (not too far from Fostoria) isn’t bad, either.
You’ve got to come to Chicago when you have more than a day to spend. I’m sure that you could take most of a week and barely scratch the surface in both train-watching and train-riding. More information here:
And I just got back from a great afternoon of train-watching (and people-watching!) at the Railroad Park in Rochelle. There were quite a few trains there, and it appeared as though it was going to get busier after we left (always seems that way!). Check out the Webcam on this site for more information about Rochelle.
Thanks for the info. I know about Rochelle and hope to go there soon. Thanks for the heads up on Durand. It’s nice when you don’t have to go too far and see some good action.
Anyone ever train watch in Western New York? I grew up outside of Rochester and later lived within 2 miles or so of the old NYC/Conrail/CSX lines. Not a lot of scenery, but a lot of action. I always thought Eastern New York would be great, near the Mohawk river valley or near Schnectady.
Here is my web site check it out which place looks most interesting to you
http://vgalleries.com/members/railfan1/The+Trainfan.vrg
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Originally posted by JDV5th
I think it’d be fun to go to Utah, given the history there. Wyoming looks like it has some great places too. Looks like a great trip!