The Trackside Guide to Cincinnati is wonderful. I hope to see similar guides for Denver, Montreal and Oakland.
One suggestion: show the routes of Amtrak, Via and other passenger trains
Stick to the places that count:
Anywhere east of the Delaware that was served by the Lackawanna, CNJ or Erie.
Other regions can wait. They aren’t important.
TRACKSIDE GUIDE APPEARS TO BE AN IDEA BORROWED FROM “RAILPACE” TO ME, BUT ON A BROADER, NATIONAL SCALE. I CONSIDER BOTH WASTED SPACE, UNLESS I HAPPEN TO BE GOING TO THE AREA. I FIND SUCH BORING AND OF LITTLE OR NO INTEREST. THE PICTURES ARE THE ONLY PLUS. SEEMS TO ME BETTER USE COULD BE MADE FOR THOSE SEVERAL PAGES. LIKE YOUR INCREASING (?) FOREIGN ITEMS, THEY ARE OF LITTLE INTEREST TO ME AND JEOPARDIZE A LONG TIME SUBSCRIBERS RENEWAL. GIVE ME BACK DPM!
I would appreciate having Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago and St. Louis. There are Canadian areas of interest, the corridors between Toronto and Montreal, etc. There is no shortage of place to do.
YOU LITTLE BOYS MUST PLAY WELL TOGETHER,OR GO TO YOUR ROOM,i am sure everyone think their town/city is as important,as the other…
I for one would love to see similar articles on Chicago and Milwaukee, but I suspect the Chicago article would be so big it would be enough for a book by itself (as I recall there was a book just on Chicago area hot spots, but it is probably very outdated by this time). Just my two cents worth. Jim, Aurora, IL
Any suggestions for taking kids to watch the “Big Boys” in Atlanta, GA?
I think that the “Trackside guide” series is a nice addition to the magazine, but I DO agree with you, that all the “Overseas” articles are not what the majority of the subscribers are wanting. A couple of pages now and then, on some distant land, that has “relics” is O.K., but not when it takes up almost half the feature space in a magazine that is supposed to cover American railroading. For crying out loud, half of the magazine is already comprised of advertisements, it seems that we are getting less “bang-for-the-buck”. But, every few years the subscription price goes up. I’d be curious to see what the profit margin is for Kalmbach on Trains magazine. I would assume that the cost of production is more than covered by advertising revenues, but the rates for subscribers continues to escalate.
And, yes. I sure wish Dave Morgan was still around. Alas, just as sure as the fabled 20th Century Limited left this world, so has the great cornerstone of Trains magazine. David, I’m sure that you are enjoying a front seat in the dome-car on your final journey. And yes, we will be holding Pullman tickets for the second section.
Todd C.
i think a guide to Chicago would be great…do one next
I think that any and all of the Guides for all of the cities and states in the USA is a great idea. This is all material that we don’t as a whiole know abouit. Unless you live in one particular city would you have access to this information. If you are a model inthusist, then this may be useful in recreating a particular area on your layout. And as for just general information, the Guides will certainly show us what is happening with our American railroad system. I say, go for it. Keep em’ comin[’ .
–Daiquiri stJohn
Trackside guides are outstanding. Hierarchial map breakdowns excellent, be careful on color coding, test drafts on people not familiar with article set-up to see if colors are differentiated sufficiently. I am 65, telecomm. consultant and have read Trains since the late 1940’s. The magazine is now going in the best direction I’ve seen since I’ve been reading it. Please, please don’t become a “photo/railfan” mag. There was a time when you seemed more interested in “F stops” than railroads; photos being posted in the mag and not giving location and date but long commentary on the “hues of sunlight glinting on the track…”…BAH! I can pick-up a photo junky mag anywhere or time; I can’t, now, find a railroad mag as good as Trains! Keep up the good work…and your excellent maps!!!
Ernie Pippin
CHEERS!
I would like to see one on the New York Metropolitan area or the Northeast Corridior. There are many known and unknown places that are pretty cool
There’s already a trackside guide for Chicago. Go to:
http://www.dhke.com/CRJ
I agree with the request for trackside guide to other cities. I commute to and From San Francisco on BART daily Just eastof the TransBay Tube Bart crosses the large and growing larger intermodal facilities and railyard in Oakland, CA. I would very much like to see these properties given the same excellent treatment in the magazine as was recently done for Chicago and New York.
Here’s another vote for trackside guised for greater Pittsburgh, and for the Montreal-Toronto corridor. As a Pittsburgh native who lived in Montreal for a decade, I can vouch for the potential attraction of both – particularly if photos of industrial rail service in the East Pittsburgh / Turtle Creek valley are included. To this reader and occasional traveller, ANY major metro trackside guide makes for fascinating reading!
A trackside guide for Montreal is more or less essential since it is Canada’s rail center. At Dorval, for example, you’ll see 75-100 trains per day, including: CN, CP, VIA, AMTRAK and Montreal suburban runs. 4 track mainline and absolute railwayness on all sides. And two huge yards in Montreal.
http://www.wvrail.railfan.net/westend.html Here is an excelent trackside guide to CSX’s mountain subdivision between Grafton Wv and Cumberland Md.
As a Pittsburgh-based railfan, I’d appreciate a Guide! Even though I know a few locations, I’d like to see what you all think!
I have utilized trackside guides for many years now. Having been raised in the Pacific Northwest, I used to wonder about railroading around the country. These guides are very good. I have used them for Rochelle IL and Fostoria OH, in addition to several cities. I use the “Hot Spots” along with the city guides. As I enter my latter part of my working career, I have moved to Texas, where the trains are like Nebraska, fast and furious. I have been to Amarillo a few times, and if you want sheer numbers and varieties, then that is the place to be, besides North Platte. Historically speaking, it is on Route 66, so there is plenty of nostalgia to go along with the 125+ trains per day. You get the double-track ATSF main from LA to Chicago, the Red River Sub - Ft. Worth & Denver (heavy coal train activity), the Boise City OK Sub, and UP trains running on all segments, hauling coal, grain, and various freights. You will see all the big diesels, along with an occasional Geep, but the horsepower through Amarillo is awesome.
I reckon Pittsburgh is as good a place as any to start.
Only problem is, there are so many other spots worthy of mention.
I’ll be an old man before we even get close to covering them all.
What about an entire issue devoted to this topic? Too much?
Cheers
Roscoe
Brisbane AU