# The Alatoona, PA, baseball team name



## GaSteve (May 3, 2010)

They're called the Curve.


----------



## Long Train Runnin' (May 3, 2010)

When I was in Altoona last year I went and saw a game it was like 10 dollars for great seats. Sadly the team wasn't to good and only had 2 or 3 hits the whole game. there mascot is a steam locomotive.


----------



## Big Iron (May 3, 2010)

Long Train Runnin said:


> When I was in Altoona last year I went and saw a game it was like 10 dollars for great seats. Sadly the team wasn't to good and only had 2 or 3 hits the whole game. there mascot is a steam locomotive.



Richmond, VA just got an Eastern League affilliate and I smiled when I heard the Altoona team name. Unfortunately the name of the Richmond team is the Flying Squirrels. Needless to say our mascot is not a steam locomotive.

Double A baseball gets rather creative with thier team names, probably none better than Max Klinger's Triple A Mudhens though.


----------



## Cho Cho Charlie (May 6, 2010)

Big Iron said:


> Double A baseball gets rather creative with thier team names, probably none better than Max Klinger's Triple A Mudhens though.


Our triple A team are the Iron Pigs.


----------



## fredevad (May 6, 2010)

Syracuse, NY's minor league team is the Chiefs. The stadium is right next to the tracks and you can watch the trains go by during the game.






When we were visiting my sister-in-law last year we went to a game and we saw the WB LSL go by during the game. If I'm not mistaken, they might have even been playing the Iron Pigs.

Edit: The Baseball-Engineer cracks me up. I don't know what the other mascot is. Even seeing it in person, still couldn't figure it out.


----------



## Big Iron (May 6, 2010)

Cho Cho Charlie said:


> Big Iron said:
> 
> 
> > Double A baseball gets rather creative with thier team names, probably none better than Max Klinger's Triple A Mudhens though.
> ...


Is Iron City the beer of choice for the Iron Pigs?

By the way, the Altoona Curve are in first place in the Eastern League, they just took 2 of 3 from the Flying Squirrels. A steam engine mascot must be good joo joo.


----------



## WhoozOn1st (May 7, 2010)

fredevad said:


> Syracuse, NY's minor league team is the Chiefs. The stadium is right next to the tracks and you can watch the trains go by during the game.


Can anybody tell us about other baseball stadiums where trains can be seen? In Seattle, the Mariners' Kingdome is right next to BNSF tracks at a grade crossing, so a fair amount of horn action during games, though you have to leave the seats to actually see the trains. Angels Stadium has an Amtrak/Metrolink station at the edge of the parking lot that's visible from some right field seats; in left field, again you have to leave the stands (as I have for a cigarette in the smoking ghetto, just to watch the trains if the game is a laugher, or for a quick check during a pitching change). There's a light rail and freight yard behind the San Diego Padres' Petco Park, away from the seating, but watchable while standing in line for the concessions in right field. I believe it's the 7 train that runs by the Mets' new ballpark, but are the trains viewable? Where else?


----------



## JayPea (May 7, 2010)

I know you know this, Whooz, but the Kingdome was reduced to a pile of rubble years ago. The ballpark nowadays is Safeco Field. Safeco is right by the BNSF tracks. I understand though that there has been reconfiguring of the street near Safeco that involves an overpass over the tracks that eliminates the grade crossing and therefore the horns. The UP tracks run right by the Oakland A's/Raiders home, Oakland-Alameda County stadium. I'm not sure whether you can view trains from there, however. And the minor league park at Spokane, home of the single-A Spokane Indians, is located between two railroad yards: The BNSF on one side and the UP on the other. It's been years since I attended a game there but I know the UP yards are in full view especially in the area along the right field foul line. I can't remember how visible the tracks of the BNSF are.


----------



## AlanB (May 7, 2010)

Patrick,

I'm not sure if one can still see the #7 from the new CitiField stadium, although one certainly could do so from the old Shea. Not visible from either stadium is the LIRR, which will also bring you to/from the games.

Up in the Bronx again a similar situation, one could see the elevated #4 line from the old stadium. I haven't been in the new one so I'm not sure if that's still true or not. Also new last year, but not visible from the stadium, is a new station on the Metro North Hudson line that serves the stadium.

Rounding out things in NY are the Yankee's minor league stadium on Staten Island which is accessible from the SIRR and the Met's minor league stadium in Coney Island which is accesible from several subway lines. I pretty sure that you cannot see the trains at CI from the stadium, I'm not sure about the SIRR trains. However, the SIRR trains only run when there is a game.

There is a stadium in Bridgeport, CT. that has a nice view of the Metro North tracks and trains, as well as Amtrak too.


----------



## WhoozOn1st (May 7, 2010)

JayPea said:


> I know you know this, Whooz, but the Kingdome was reduced to a pile of rubble years ago. The ballpark nowadays is Safeco Field.


Oops, and right you are! No viewing of any kind at the old, completely enclosed, Kingdome, at which I never attended a game. At Safeco saw the Red Sox' Pedro Martinez in his prime blank the Mariners. BoSox scored in the first and it was, like, game over - time to go watch trains. BART also runs by and stops at the Oakland Coliseum, and from the upper deck in right you can see the trains.

EDIT: Amtrak's Capitol Corridor trains run on the UP tracks by the Coliseum, and stop there. The platform (nothing else, not even QuikTrak, according to Amtrak's website) is almost directly under the BART station. I don't believe those tracks are visible from inside the stadium. After an A's-Orioles game I was able to hang out in the upper deck with an eye on BART, and didn't head over to the station until the crowd of departing fans on the platform had considerably thinned out.


----------



## AAARGH! (May 7, 2010)

WhoozOn1st said:


> Can anybody tell us about other baseball stadiums where trains can be seen?


I think an obviouse one is Coors Field in Denver, right next to the station!

Perhaps seeing Chicago arriving trains from the south from US Celluar (Comisky) field.


----------



## GG-1 (May 7, 2010)

WhoozOn1st said:


> Can anybody tell us about other baseball stadiums where trains can be seen?


Aloha

I cant remember were it was filmed but a Richard Pryor film a freight train goes through the outfield. The tittle might be "None of the Above"


----------



## AlanB (May 7, 2010)

GG-1 said:


> WhoozOn1st said:
> 
> 
> > Can anybody tell us about other baseball stadiums where trains can be seen?
> ...


That movie was called Brewster's Millions. Supposedly the ball field was in Hoboken, NJ and the team was the Mudhens. I'm not sure if there actually is such a field or not though, and as you know well Eric, much magic can be accomplished in the movies.


----------



## GG-1 (May 7, 2010)

AlanB said:


> GG-1 said:
> 
> 
> > WhoozOn1st said:
> ...


Aloha

Alan Mahalo for remembering the movie tittle. It was a real ballpark somewhere. I worked with a couple of guys that were on the movie. They knew I was into trains so they filled be in on the scheduling they had to do to get the various shots to keep continuity correct. Most of the wide shots were done on the first day. The field location was used for 3 days. The crew guys I worked with were Chicago based, I met them at the union convention in Chicago, so the chances are it is near Chicago, but I don't remember, the convention was over 8 years ago.


----------



## the_traveler (May 7, 2010)

I'm not sure exactly where it is, but jimhudson told me about a minor league stadium north of AUS that has a team owned by Nolan Ryan that is called (naturally) "*the Express*"! This stadium is right near the tracks, and during the game when a train passes, they announce "There goes ____!" :lol:


----------



## Monon81 (May 14, 2010)

WhoozOn1st said:


> Can anybody tell us about other baseball stadiums where trains can be seen?


The St. Paul Saints play in Midway Stadium. BNSF tracks run just to the north of left field. My brother says that when freights go by, fans encourage batters to hit the train.

Can't forget the Purdue Boilermakers. One theory to the background of that name is that engineering students received practical training in a foundry. Another is that people suspected Purdue of hiring ringers from the nearby Monon shops.


----------



## Bob Dylan (May 14, 2010)

the_traveler said:


> I'm not sure exactly where it is, but jimhudson told me about a minor league stadium north of AUS that has a team owned by Nolan Ryan that is called (naturally) "*the Express*"! This stadium is right near the tracks, and during the game when a train passes, they announce "There goes ____!" :lol:


It's in Round Rock where Dell is located, hence Dell Diamond, a very nice park, has been picked the #1 Triple AAA stadium in the country several years in a row! One night when a player hit a homerun out of the park to rightfield while a train was running by Northbound the announcer said: "He hit it so far it's going to Chicago just like that train!" :lol: Some of yall saw my Express hat in PHL for NTD with the old time steamer as the logo!The conductors on the Eagles usually point out the stadium and mention Nolan Ryan and the Express as the train rolls by the stadium! BTW: next stop going North is Taylor where I make my Point runs for Bar-B-Q,Tex-Mex and Greezy Cheeseburgers (yuuuuum!!)to go with the triple AGR points!    

**Always thought "Highball" was a great name for a railroad connected Team name, does anyone know of such a team?**


----------



## Ozark Southern (Jun 2, 2010)

Hammons Field, home of the AA Springfield Cardinals, is located right next to a busy BNSF track. From the seats, one cannot see any trains, but all of the outfield is general admission seating on a grassy hill, and if you stand at the top of the hill, you can see both the game and the trains.


----------



## Ryan (Jun 2, 2010)

WhoozOn1st said:


> Can anybody tell us about other baseball stadiums where trains can be seen?


Oriole Park @ Camden Yards lies at the terminus of the MARC Camden Line, but the remaining warehouse prevents any line of sight to the tracks. You may be able to see any trains that approach on the Camden Line or the light rail from a seat, but it's been years since I've been in that ballpark.

If you're in the top row of Nationals Park down the 3rd base line, you can look out the back side of the stadium and see the bridge that takes CSX, Amtrak and the VRE over the Potomac River (along with the WMATA yellow line bridge, Washington National Airport, the Pentagon, Air Force Memorial, etc, etc, etc...)

Would the Empire Builder be visible from the stadium in Milwaukee?


----------



## fredevad (Jun 2, 2010)

Ryan said:


> Would the Empire Builder be visible from the stadium in Milwaukee?


Not from the seats, there are walls all around Miller Park. Although there are panels that open on the outfield side, all you can see the the P&H factory (where they build those gigantic 10 story shovels). You can see the stadium from the EB, but not the other way around:





(darn dirty windows)


----------



## WhoozOn1st (Jun 2, 2010)

Here's a clean(er) window shot of Miller Park, from the EB on 5-10-07:






Fredevad is quite right: No train viewing from this ballpark.
​


EDIT: Photo shows ballpark retractable roof in open position.


----------



## tp49 (Jun 2, 2010)

AAARGH! said:


> Perhaps seeing Chicago arriving trains from the south from US Celluar (Comisky) field.


You can also see the CTA Red Line from the upper deck at new Comiskey Park.

You can see an MBTA commuter line from the Green Monster seats at Fenway Park. The Skydome in Toronto is right on the main approach to Union Station. There is a light rail line that runs next to whatever the name of the park the Diamondbacks play in in Phoenix is now. AT&T Park in SF has the Muni streetcar lines visible from areas in the stands. The Broad Street line in Philadelphia stops at the edge of the Citizens Bank Park parking lot though it is not visible from the stadium.

Those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.


----------



## had8ley (Jun 3, 2010)

AlanB said:


> Rounding out things in NY are the Yankee's minor league stadium on Staten Island which is accessible from the SIRR and the Met's minor league stadium in Coney Island which is accesible from several subway lines. I pretty sure that you cannot see the trains at CI from the stadium, I'm not sure about the SIRR trains. However, the SIRR trains only run when there is a game.


Alan;

What town is the Staten Island team in? The only branch that I can remember not having regular service was the South Beach branch.


----------



## AlanB (Jun 3, 2010)

had8ley said:


> AlanB said:
> 
> 
> > Rounding out things in NY are the Yankee's minor league stadium on Staten Island which is accessible from the SIRR and the Met's minor league stadium in Coney Island which is accesible from several subway lines. I pretty sure that you cannot see the trains at CI from the stadium, I'm not sure about the SIRR trains. However, the SIRR trains only run when there is a game.
> ...


Jay,

Staten Island is one of the 5 boroughs of NY City. It's the southernmost and least populous borough, south of Manhattan, west of Brooklyn, and east of NJ.

Now if you meant what section of SI, then I'm not really sure. It's probably right on the border between St. George and West New Brighton. The trains only run a very short distance, probably a 1/4 mile at most, along the old North Shore tracks on SI.


----------



## WhoozOn1st (Jun 4, 2010)

The Staten Island Yankees, single A affiliate of the Bronx Bummers, play at Richmond County Bank Ballpark

The ballpark is just off to the right, and a bit up the hill, from the ferry terminal at St. George. Looks pretty nice, though I've not been to a ballgame there. When I lived on Staten Island - straight up the hill and across from a small park - in the mid-1990s, the area now occupied by the ballpark was old, overgrown railyards and decaying remnants of docks. On days off from working in Theatre on Manhattan (ferry and subway commute) me and the girlfriend at the time used to go down there to scavenge for railroad souvenirs, pick wild raspberries in season, watch fireflies at dusk in summer, and enjoy all the tugboat traffic. None of THAT anymore.

EDIT: I've Been Everywhere  (Original by Hank Snow, not TV commercial Johnny Cash version)


----------



## had8ley (Jun 4, 2010)

AlanB said:


> had8ley said:
> 
> 
> > AlanB said:
> ...


Thanks Alan...BTW, I was born on Staten Island and should have remembered the old freight line that ran towards Perth Amboy.


----------



## had8ley (Jun 4, 2010)

WhoozOn1st said:


> The Staten Island Yankees, single A affiliate of the Bronx Bummers, play at Richmond County Bank Ballpark
> The ballpark is just off to the right, and a bit up the hill, from the ferry terminal at St. George. Looks pretty nice, though I've not been to a ballgame there. When I lived on Staten Island - straight up the hill and across from a small park - in the mid-1990s, the area now occupied by the ballpark was old, overgrown railyards and decaying remnants of docks. On days off from working in Theatre on Manhattan (ferry and subway commute) me and the girlfriend at the time used to go down there to scavenge for railroad souvenirs, pick wild raspberries in season, watch fireflies at dusk in summer, and enjoy all the tugboat traffic. None of THAT anymore.
> 
> EDIT: I've Been Everywhere  (Original by Hank Snow, not TV commercial Johnny Cash version)


Well I knew we had something in common. I was born on the Island and ate quite a few "sodium bombs" (hot dogs) on the ferry. The Coast Guard used to have a large buoy tender station next to the ferry slips until they moved to Governor's Island. I think they abandoned the island some time back and the Trumps & Co. can't wait to build condos on it. The ferry tie up slips were in Tomkinsville which was right down the hill from St. George. There was a public pool right next to the SIRR tracks. Many a day I would sit and watch those old cars rock and roll past the pool. We even managed to sneak on the tied up ferries until one of NYC's finest hit each one of us with his night stick. Maybe that's why I'm brain dead today :lol: :lol: :lol:


----------



## AlanB (Jun 4, 2010)

had8ley said:


> Thanks Alan...BTW, I was born on Staten Island and should have remembered the old freight line that ran towards Perth Amboy.


Jay,

That was more than just an old freight line, although for many years that's all it was (and they are talking about putting back some freight on it once again), it also saw passenger service up until around 1952 or 53 IIRC.


----------



## had8ley (Jun 4, 2010)

AlanB said:


> had8ley said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks Alan...BTW, I was born on Staten Island and should have remembered the old freight line that ran towards Perth Amboy.
> ...


Even though my kids think I'm older than dirt I don't remember that far back! Is there anyone doing carfloat service?~ I remember every RR had their own tugs and barges. Probably some of the decaying docks on SI that my west coast pal was referring to were remnants of the carfloat biz?


----------



## AlanB (Jun 4, 2010)

had8ley said:


> AlanB said:
> 
> 
> > had8ley said:
> ...


:lol: :lol:

I wasn't trying make you date yourself though. 



had8ley said:


> Is there anyone doing carfloat service?~ I remember every RR had their own tugs and barges. Probably some of the decaying docks on SI that my west coast pal was referring to were remnants of the carfloat biz?


I don't believe that there is any carfloat service to SI, especially now that they have restored the train bridge over the Arthur Kill. So far though to my knowledge, the trains remain only on the western shore of SI. I've not heard that they've restored any part of the north shore line. But again there is talk of doing so, both for freight and for pax service, and not necessarily on the same set of tracks. They may put down multiple tracks in the old ROW.


----------

