Trains - Big Ones, Small Ones, Fast Ones, Slow Ones!
With the price of fuel going through the roof and with more and more concern about the environment--as well as the traffic congestion with all of the world's city streets and highways, trains are becoming a viable and attractive alternative to cars and trucks.
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Some of my first memories of train rides were the express trains, commuter trains, and bullet trains (aka "Shinkansen") of Japan. Also, when my grandparents came out from Pennsylvania to visit our family in New Mexico, they came by train (at the time, the nearest decent airport was in El Paso, Texas).
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When I returned to the U.S. after 12 years overseas, I found a job where I could use a train to commute to work--this was the ACE Train. I eventually also rode the CalTrain, Amtrak, and the Valley Transit Authority's Light Rail.
When my daughter returned from a trip to France, she mentioned that she had seen the TGV high-speed trains at the station in Paris. Those trains are HOT, fast, and sleek! And then, my wife and I just rented the movie "Mr. Bean's Holiday"--sort of a corny movie, but fun, anyway. In this movie, the French TGV train and the Paris station and the Cannes Film Festival are all featured nicely. (There are some videos below that also show these trains!)
Commuting by train is convenient in that you don't have to worry about traffic jams--and you can use your "road-time" for things other than driving: reading, visiting, sleeping, and even work.
If you want to spend more time playing with trains rather than riding them, scroll on down through this lens to find the model trains and other goodies for train lovers!
Contents at a Glance
- Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) heading into Niles Canyon, Fremont, California
- Nothing's More Fun Than To Watch 'Em Moving!
- Morning View of Altamont Pass Hills from Altamont Commuter Express Train
Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) heading into Niles Canyon, Fremont, California
Nothing's More Fun Than To Watch 'Em Moving!
Morning View of Altamont Pass Hills from Altamont Commuter Express Train
Trains--A Great Way to Travel!
One of the most interesting train trips I've enjoyed is the express train from Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan to the ski-resort town of Kutchan/Niseko-Hirafu.On a winter Christmas vacation, we left Sapporo station at about 7:30 a.m. and were impressed by the engines lined up on the side tracks with huge front-mounted snow plows. At first, we saw the standard switch-yards; then, as we got out of the city and suburbs, we started to climb into the forests of Hokkaido.
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The train was a bit older, but still had many of the amenities one would expect on a Japanese train--attendants came up and down through the passenger cars with carts of hot-cocoa, tea, coffee, and mikan-juice, bento snack boxes, chocolates and other candies, and a wide variety of newspapers and magazines. While the train gently rocked and occasionally passed through country-road crossings, we passengers visited with each other, played some card games, and practiced our Japanese language skills.
Although most of the trip was through dense pine forests, we'd occasionally pass through a tunnel or come around a turn to see a scenic snow-blanketed meadow or a rocky oceanscape. One of the highlights of the trip was when we rounded a bend to overlook the oceanside town of Otaru--a fishing village on the Sea of Japan.
When we pulled into Kutchan station, the meter-long icicles hanging off the eaves gave us a clue about what our winter vacation ski trip would include: perfectly cold-weather.
After a week of skiing at the Niseko-Hirafu ski resort, we returned to Kutchan to ride the train back to Sapporo. Again, the ride on the train was one of the enjoyable moments of the vacation.
Train Pictures... Keeping on Track, eh?
Adelante in Store
Amtrak Arrives in Cu...
Amtrak Acela
Amtrak Acela 2
Amtrak Acela 1
Older Version of the Shinkansen, Shimbashi Station, Tokyo, Japan
Info on trains that Includes more than just the schedules!
Locomotion - The Amazing World of Trains
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Inside Dining Car, Sierra Sunset Train, Leaving Oakley, California
Commuting Trains...
From 1989 and on and off through 2007, I enjoyed commuting to work on the Altamont Commuter Express train, which travels from Stockton, California every morning to San Jose, and then returns each evening from San Jose back to Stockton. The train has seats with tables at which one can work (yeah, we really want to do that!), play cards, have a party, and just plain relax and enjoy the scenery on the way to work.The train also helps you to avoid the normally 2-hour commute (which, if there's an accident on the freeway can easily become a 3-4 hour ordeal) to work... and helps you to keep stress levels nice and low.
Although the primary reason for the train is commuting to work, many families use the train for day-trips and "mini-vacations".
A ride to the San Jose main station puts you within walking distance to the San Jose Tech Museum, the Sharks Arena, and the San Jose Convention Center and other attractions of downtown San Jose. From the San Jose main station, you can also catch a Caltrain to ride up the Penninsula to San Francisco... from which you can ride the ferries to Oakland or to Marin.
The Great America Station puts you within walking distance of the Great America Amusement Park. Also, you can catch one of the Shuttle buses to other destinations around the San Jose, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View area. The red bus takes you to a light rail station from which you can ride the light rail to the end-of-the-line in Mountain View. You can walk up and down the Castro in Mountain View and enjoy the great restaurants and shops there... or, you can take the Cal Train from there and head up the Penninsula. One of the neat stops is at the Palo Alto Stanford Shopping Center.
I hope these give you some ideas for some day trips--using a commuter train as the main transportation.
View From Train Leaving Station, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
If You Want To Get On Track, Here's the Way!
- Alaska Railroad
- Beautiful Views... in the US's Biggest State!
- Japan National Railway's Shinkansen
- Japan National Railway's Shinkansen--the Bullet Trains!
- Orient-Express
- Agatha Cristie may have made this train famous, but I think the train was pretty famous even before she wrote her novel!
- Canadian Train Vacations
- Riding across Canada--from the Pacific across the Rockies on past the Great Lakes--A journey to experience!
- Trans-Siberian Railway
- From Moscow on to Novosibersk to Vladisvostok--on the way seeing the Steppes and Lake Baikal... amazing trip!
- India Rail Tours
- See the subcontinent, land of the Taj Mahal, Tigers, Elephants, and an ancient and great culture.
- Detailed Information on Japanese Trains--the Shinkansen Bullet Trains in Particular!
- This website starts a bit spare, but once you click the interior links, you'll find pictures of the amazing trains that are in the Japan National Railway System. Some of these trains can reach speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour.
- Japan National Railway
- The main page for Japan's National Railway System--ticketing and schedule information here.
- China Railway System Site
- Ticketing and schedule information here...
- Africa Train Tours
- Website with more details (and maps) about travel by train in Africa.
- Amtrak California Website
- The Amtrak along California's Scenic Coast and Central Valley.
- Amtrak Historical Society
- Website for the Amtrak Historical Society.
- Trains in South America
- South American Train Travel!
- Eurail Website
- Travel Europe with Eurail!
- The Altamont Commuter Express -- The ACE Train!
- Weekday travel from Stockton, CA, to San Jose, CA through the scenery of the California Central Valley, the Altamont Pass, the Sunol Grade, and through the Alviso, Fremont, and Milpitas salt-flats to downtown San Jose's Diridon Station (across from the Shark's Arena).
- CalTrain's Website...
- Travel up and down the San Francisco Bay Penninsula... see San Jose, Palo Alto, San Bruno, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and San Francisco by rail.
- Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
- This scenic railway in Northern New Mexico is a great experience for oldsters and youngsters alike! It's America's highest and longest narrow-gauge railroad.
- California's Skunk Train
- From Fort Bragg on the Coast to Willets in the Redwoods... another scenic train ride.
- Roaring Camp Trains
- From the Beaches to the Redwoods... these trains are scenic wonders.
- California Sierra Sunset Dinner Train
- This train has a 1800's interior atmosphere--with fine dining as one rides into the foothills of the California Sierra. During certain scheduled times, there are mystery dinners, sweetheart dinners, and other special occasion dinners while the train does a round-trip into the foothills.
- Trakkies for Kids!
- This cool website has a lot of activities for kids! If you have a kiddo who is interested in trains, this is the place to check out!
- Napa Wine Train!
- This train takes you on a leisurely ride through the vineyards of Napa... the scenery is fantastic no matter what time of year. In the spring you have the flowers. In the summer, you have the green vineyards and beautiful skies. In the fall, you have the colorful colors of the turning leaves. In the winter, you have the interesting outlines of the vines and the deciduous trees through the mists. (And the food and wine on the train is also fantastic!)
Inside View of Express Train from Sapporo to Kutchan, Hokkaido, Japan
Train Stuff at Cafe Press!
Choo Choo Train Infant/Toddler T-Shirt
Choo Choo Train tote bag, T-shirts, bodysuit, hoodie, and more for kids and toddlers who love trains and can't seem to get enough of them!
Winter Tracks Covered with Snow Outside Niseko-Hirafu, Hokkaido, Japan
Train Stuff on eBay
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Museums and Exhibits for Trains--Great Places To Learn About Trains
- California State Railroad Museum--in Sacramento
- This is the website for the California State Railroad Museum Foundation--and for their museum in Sacramento.
- Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
- The official website of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania near Strasburg, Lancaster County, PA. Lots of cool stuff here...
- National Railway Museum
- This museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin has a lot of interesting displays and interpretive exhibits.
- Colorado Railroad Museum
- This museum in Golden, Colorado features more than 100 historic narrow and standard gauge locomotives on 15 acres outside of Denver.
- Galveston Railroad Museum
- This railroad museum is in Galveston, Texas... lots of stuff to see and do here.
- Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum
- This museum is in Baltimore, Maryland.
Maybe Instead of Riding One, You'd Rather Play with One!
Here are the resources you can use to run your OWN railroad--you can be a railroad baron in your own garage or den!
I got my first model train when I was a kid in Montana--it was a large, battery-operated thing that my folks got for me from (I think) a Cambell's Soup Offer (when the coupon/offers were printed on the can label). I got it as a Christmas gift--and spent many days playing with that thing.
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A few years later, after we had moved to New Mexico, an uncle helped me get another model-train kit. This time, it was an electric train with 6 cars and lots of track sections and accessories. I had that train running around my room, under my bed, and behind my desk before going back around the room again.
Alas, when we moved to Guam, it was one of the things our family "garage-saled" to lighten our load before the trip.
When my son had his 8th birthday, I continued "tradition" and got him a train set. He also had a blast setting it up in his room and pretending that he was the engineer.
Ho Scale Model Railroading: Getting Started in the Hobby (Model Railroader Books) by Jeff Wilson
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Basic Model Railroading: Getting Started in the Hobby (Model Railroader Books)
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One Hundred and One Track Plans for Model Railroaders (Model Railroad Handbook, No. 3) by Linn Westcott
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Track Planning for Realistic Operation: Prototype Railroad Concepts for Your Model Railroad (Model Railroader)(3rd Edition) by John H. Armstrong
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Life-Like HO Scale Train Set Iron Horse
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Life Like Trains Rail Master Electric Train Set #8608
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Life-Like HO Scale Train Set Freightline USA
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Life Like Super City Elevated Rails Double Electric Train
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Features:
- GP38-2 Low Nose Santa Fe and F7 Santa Fe locomotives plus five cars
- 65" x 38" oval track layout with a 47" x 38" elevated oval track layout
- Two lighted passenger cars
- 13 snap-in piers for elevated fun
- Three building kits: police station, fire house and snap-together elevated passenger station
- Automobiles, street and highway signs, and utility poles for added realism
- No batteries required
Lionel Trains Polar Express Train Set
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Maintaining and Repairing Your Scale Model Trains (Model Railroader) by Jim Volhard
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A Passion for Trains: The Railroad Photography of Richard Steinheimer by Richard Steinheimer, Jeff Brouws
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To the true rail fan, Richard Steinheimer is an authentic hero, the best of the best. A pioneer in train photography, Steinheimer lived through and documented the railroad's heyday and its decline. He is one of very few photographers who appreciate the aesthetics of all locomotives, from steam engines to the latest diesel-powered behemoths. He has a particular fondness for the landscape of the American West, and many of his images....
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First Class: Legendary Train Journeys Around the World by Patrick Poivre d'Arvor
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