# Train vs Plane?



## TinCan782 (Aug 4, 2015)

At the Air and Space Museum in DC today. In commercial aviation's infancy were these two displays. One comparing train to air travel; the other touting traveling cross country...fly during daylight, travel by rail ar night.


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 4, 2015)

Yep, they used to do it that way but I rather would have flown @ night and been on the train in daylight to enjoy the scenery!

The Air and Space is a fantastic place, I've visited many times and will return in Oct when in WAS for the Gathering!


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## TinCan782 (Aug 4, 2015)

Thinking the same thing...rail by day for the scenery. Night flying was still sketchy then!


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## railiner (Aug 5, 2015)

Somewhere in Penn Station, NY, is a historic marker commemorating that joint PRR-TWA-ATSF operation....

TAT became TWA later on when Transcontinental Air Transport merged with Western Air Express..

IIRC, rival United Air Lines ran a similar operation with NYC and Union Pacific on their more northern route....


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## Devil's Advocate (Aug 5, 2015)

FrensicPic said:


> Thinking the same thing...rail by day for the scenery. Night flying was still sketchy then!


Flying in general was pretty sketchy back then for many reasons. Realizing that even famous entertainers had routinely perished as a result of a sloppy disregard for basic physics and shocking indifference to adverse conditions was quite an eye opening experience for me. As safe as flying has become today it's hard to imagine what drew early travelers toward air travel.


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## jis (Aug 5, 2015)

jimhudson said:


> Yep, they used to do it that way but I rather would have flown @ night and been on the train in daylight to enjoy the scenery!
> 
> The Air and Space is a fantastic place, I've visited many times and will return in Oct when in WAS for the Gathering!


Jim, if you have not been to the Udvar Hazy Annex of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport do try to make it there. It is highly recommended, and now you can get there using the Metro Silver Line to Reston and then the Washington Flyer bus to the airport and a shuttle from there, or there is a direct bus from Reston metro, I forget the route number.


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 5, 2015)

Thanks jis, I'll try to do that in Oct during the Gathering, I usually avoid Dulles but now its easier to get too!

The Smithsonian also has warehouses in Virginia Full of thousands of items that they don't have room for in the Mall Museums. If one knows someone ( the way Washington works) you can get a tour there! ( think of the scene in "Indiana Jones" where the Ark is stored in a Warehouse!)


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## afigg (Aug 5, 2015)

jis said:


> jimhudson said:
> 
> 
> > Yep, they used to do it that way but I rather would have flown @ night and been on the train in daylight to enjoy the scenery!
> ...


The local bus from Wiehle-Reston East metro stop to Dulles to Udvar-Hazy annex is the Fairfax Connector 983. The bus is #983 when the Udvar-Hazy annex is open, but runs as #981 between Wiehle-Reston East and Dulles outside of the annex hours. The schedule shows the #983 takes about 45 minutes between Wiehle-Reston East and the Annex. The Fairfax connector bus only costs $1.75 and takes SmarTrip cards.

The Udvar-Hazy annex has a huge collection of aircraft and space hardware. Well worth seeing.


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## jis (Aug 5, 2015)

afigg said:


> The local bus from Wiehle-Reston East metro stop to Dulles to Udvar-Hazy annex is the Fairfax Connector 983. The bus is #983 when the Udvar-Hazy annex is open, but runs as #981 between Wiehle-Reston East and Dulles outside of the annex hours. The schedule shows the #983 takes about 45 minutes between Wiehle-Reston East and the Annex. The Fairfax connector bus only costs $1.75 and takes SmarTrip cards.
> 
> The Udvar-Hazy annex has a huge collection of aircraft and space hardware. Well worth seeing.


Thanks for filling in the bus route details.

Yup. Udvar Hazy among its collection has the original Dash 80 (707 prototype), a Concorde and the Enola Gay, and of course not to be left out, a Space Shuttle too.


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## Texan Eagle (Aug 5, 2015)

jis said:


> Thanks for filling in the bus route details.
> 
> Yup. Udvar Hazy among its collection has the original Dash 80 (707 prototype), a Concorde and the Enola Gay, and of course not to be left out, a Space Shuttle too.


You forgot the real highlight exhibit there- the SR-71 Blackbird! The model there holds the current world record of fastest flight ever, doing LAX to WAS in 54 minutes on its last flight!


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## Devil's Advocate (Aug 5, 2015)

Can you see inside the aircraft yet? Last time I was there I saw a lot of static "look but don't touch" exhibits. I find historic aircraft quite interesting but if all you can do is glance across the velvet rope while reading a fifth grade explanation it can get kind of dull rather quick. I've watched a lot of documentaries about all sorts of aircraft but the static displays just didn't do it for me. In the end I found myself enjoying the active tower viewing area more than anything else. I also saw a Concorde in New York but the "museum" was a derelict military ship that had a similar no-entry setup.


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## jis (Aug 5, 2015)

Texan Eagle said:


> jis said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for filling in the bus route details.
> ...


True that!


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## XHRTSP (Aug 5, 2015)

Devil's Advocate said:


> As safe as flying has become today it's hard to imagine what drew early travelers toward air travel.


Car crashes kill thousands every year, people still get in them. Probably similiar reasons.


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 5, 2015)

XHRTSP said:


> Devil said:
> 
> 
> > As safe as flying has become today it's hard to imagine what drew early travelers toward air travel.
> ...


Same thing for Guns!


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## Swadian Hardcore (Aug 5, 2015)

I think it was the thrill of flying that drew people to the skies.



jis said:


> afigg said:
> 
> 
> > The local bus from Wiehle-Reston East metro stop to Dulles to Udvar-Hazy annex is the Fairfax Connector 983. The bus is #983 when the Udvar-Hazy annex is open, but runs as #981 between Wiehle-Reston East and Dulles outside of the annex hours. The schedule shows the #983 takes about 45 minutes between Wiehle-Reston East and the Annex. The Fairfax connector bus only costs $1.75 and takes SmarTrip cards.
> ...


I wish they had a B-36!


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