# Miles Traveled on Amtrak



## sky12065 (Aug 29, 2008)

AlanB had mentioned in a post a couple of days ago how many miles he has accumulated riding Amtrak. It was around 90,000 miles. I thought it would be interesting to know how far others have traveled using Amtrak if they can figure it out without the use of a computer because of the miles being so high! :lol:

I figured out mine and it's approximately 26,750 miles over 32 years. (yes, I needed a computer, but not because my miles are that high) :blink:


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## the_traveler (Aug 29, 2008)

As you can see by my signature, I have computed over 56,000 miles since 1971. And that doesn't include the last 5 years. (The computer - and the computee :lol: - needed a rest.) And I have over 12,000 more miles planned during the next 2 months!


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## JayPea (Aug 30, 2008)

Like my signature says, 12,138 miles and counting. I will be adding another 2,482 miles in October (Champaign-Chicago and Chicago-Sacramento).

Add in two round trips from Spokane-Chicago in the pre-Amtrak days, one round trip between Chicago and Bloomington, and another pre-Amtrak Spokane-Hinkle round-trip, and my total rail miles add up to 20,000+. And by next month, I should have enough AGR points to qualify for the famous Slidell-Los Angeles loophole trip. Should I take that trip next year, that will add the miles to the total quickly!


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## OlympianHiawatha (Aug 30, 2008)

While I may only have a few thousand lifetime miles on Amtrak, I do have some classic trains under my belt, including CHI-NOR on the *Lone Star*, SAS-STL via the *InterAmerican *and a few spins CHI-STL on the *Turboliners*.


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## chertling (Aug 30, 2008)

I am at 3,107 Amtrak Miles to date... all between KC, St. Louis, Kirkwood Missouri, Chicago and Grand Rapids

(Missouri Mules, Lincoln Service, Ann Rutledge, SW Chief, Pere Marquette) After taking a one-way trip in late 1997 I was hooked... but shortly thereafter I moved to Nashville and was without access to Amtrak for several years.

But, I have two trips planned in September (KC-Chicago and KC-St. Louis) that will bring my Amtrak total to 5,047.

I am going to a conference in DC next spring and hope to take Amtrak then... that will be my first overnight experience.


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## Spokker (Aug 30, 2008)

I would never ever count miles on Amtrak. It's national public infrastructure used to get people where they need to go, not a subsidized hobby for rail nerds. Counting miles is lame.


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## jackal (Aug 30, 2008)

Spokker said:


> I would never ever count miles on Amtrak. It's national public infrastructure used to get people where they need to go, not a subsidized hobby for rail nerds. Counting miles is lame.


Heresy! Shall we vote to ban Spokker from AU? :lol:

What would you say about people who maintain a FlightMemory?


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## Spokker (Aug 30, 2008)

jackal said:


> Heresy! Shall we vote to ban Spokker from AU? :lol:
> What would you say about people who maintain a FlightMemory?


Pretty much the same. Counting miles cheapens Amtrak's mission to me. It becomes less "vital transportation infrastructure" and more, "Well, we might as well can these long haul routes because I don't want my tax dollars going to pay for some nerd's happy train fun time mile counting contest."

Do what you want, of course. But I will never count miles. Amtrak is a public good, not some insane hobby.

In other words, I like dispensing advice to new riders, reading advice from others, and keeping tabs on the future of Amtrak. I'm not interested in comparing whose is bigger and I'm creeped out that there are so many who do.


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## jackal (Aug 30, 2008)

Spokker said:


> jackal said:
> 
> 
> > Heresy! Shall we vote to ban Spokker from AU? :lol:
> ...


I understand your lack of desire to keep track of miles, and I understand that not everybody is a railfan. But to say that you're creeped out about someone's hobby is a bit extreme, if you ask me.

There are people who like all kinds of things that I can't say I enjoy. Gardening, for example. Why anyone would _want_ to kneel in the grass, get dirt under their fingernails, have slugs and snails crawl all over them, and spend hours per day tending to a tiny little flower is a foreign concept to me. I simply don't enjoy it. But I respect that some people enjoy seeing the fruits of their labor pop out of the ground.

I like driving cars, and I like feeling a nice, powerful engine under my hood. I like nice car interiors and playing with the technology in high-end luxury cars. But I can't really get excited about the old muscle cars that my dad or a couple of my coworkers are into. But I understand why they like to compare things like 454 big blocks and 327 small-blocks and all that other stuff that I have no idea about. (One thing that I will admit is just _completely_ foreign to me is the love of NASCAR...why it is riveting to watch cars drive around in circles is beyond comprehension! No offense to any southern boys out here on AU...  )

For me, I grew up literally right next to the Southern Pacific tracks that the Coast Starlight runs on just north of San Luis Obispo, CA. There was something awe-inspiring and almost magical of seeing a chain of half a dozen lumbering locomotives, each weighing several hundred thousand pounds and producing thousands of horsepower, pulling this long, heavy string of cars filled with everything from lumber to paper to cars. It was bigger than me--the same feeling I get when I look up at (or down from) a huge skyscraper.

I'm sorry that you don't enjoy it, but I get a little rush every time I see a train go by or, especially, when I get to ride one. There's just something inexplicably magical and--like I said--bigger than me when I encounter these majestic, huge hunks of metal.

To be called creepy for appreciating that actually, to be honest, sort of offends me. Yes, I may be a nerd, but what's so wrong with being one? And why must something be forbidden from being enjoyed simply because that's not its primary mission?

And it's not all about comparing who's is bigger. There are many different aspects of railfandom, and some people are really into the whole spotting-as-many-different-types-of-equipment-as-you can (the British call this, appropriately enough, "trainspotting," and it seems to be a semi-respected hobby over there). Some people like to compare stats and figures of different engines (that comparing who's bigger thing that you mentioned). Some people like to collect historic railroad information (timetables, lanterns, etc.). Others are into modeling and go to great pains to accurately represent a given railroad or location to the finest detail. Some people are only interested in steam engines, while others are more excited by high-speed electric trains. (Personally, I couldn't give two toots about blowing steam, but watching the countryside scream by at 186mph from a French TGV or even cruising along the Southern Californian beaches parallel to I-5 at 90mph on the Surfliner is, to me, an über-cool experience.)

And I don't think that counting miles cheapens Amtrak's mission any more than people who enjoy cars cheapens their usefulness for transportation. If anything, our evangelism for rail travel, even if we fail to excite others about the fun of trains and only get them to realize that it is a viable option that is more comfortable than driving and could save them money, is something that can only _help_ Amtrak.

Be careful when you criticize others' hobbies. I hope you didn't intend offense with your post, but it certainly didn't sound like you want to be a friendly member of a pleasant (if a bit enthusiastic) community.


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## AKA (Aug 30, 2008)

As long as you ride Spokker, for whatever reason you pay the fare. The fare is what counts. All of us who ride Amtrak pay the fare and that is what helps to keep Amtrak going. I ride Amtrak as a means of transportation to get to where I want to go. If I happen to be on vacation so what. If I can get to where I want to vacation on Amtrak great. I go to the west coast every year. I dont want to fly or drive. If You were driving you would keep track of the miles. [ Oil changes, MPG ect. ] These things would be very important to you for maintenance tracking. So I count miles saved on my car. So far I have saved over 62,500 miles. Thats 1/3 the life of a cars engine for me. All so the past 4 years it has cost less to travel Amtrak to visit my sons than to drive. Another reason to count miles on Amtrak. Many people are doing the math. Ridership is up. Mile counting [ As in MPG ] is big on the list of reasons.

What if a conductor was an AU member. That person would put us all to shame.

So count miles, dont count miles. Just support Amtrak.


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## sky12065 (Aug 30, 2008)

Spokker said:


> I would never ever count miles on Amtrak. It's national public infrastructure used to get people where they need to go, not a subsidized hobby for rail nerds. Counting miles is lame.


Spokker, I didn't ask for miles in terms of riding the train just as a form of recreation. I asked miles, all miles because I thought it would be just plain interesting for myself and others to see. Also don't narrow your think about rail travel. Yes Amtrak is national public infastructure as you say, but it's not there just for those who need to get from point A to point B, but it's equally there for those who are enthusists as well as those just looking for a relaxing experience and scenery that they can't enjoy by auto travel. If it weren't then you probably wouldn't see as much "infastructure" as you do today!

Also, I'm not a nerd as you are describe me and others, I don't always carry a pen holder in my shirt pocket nor do I have any tape aroung the extension of my glasses! BTW, I mentioned that I have over 26,000 mile ontrak, but there has not been a single mile that I traveled just for pleasure. Every one of them has been to get from point A to point B and next year it may be expanded to include point C and point D then back home to point E; most of them to national conventions of a fraternal organization I belong to! And they're not just because I "needed" to go, but wanted to go!

Think positive, not negative... you'll enjoy life more!


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## The Metropolitan (Aug 30, 2008)

To each their own, I always say.

My interest would not be in tabulating mileage but in riding as many segments of the national system as I could. I could in theory ride the appx. 50 miles from here to DC and back every workday for a year on Amtrak and wind up with 26,000 "Amtrak miles" a year which sounds impressive. Of course, in those 26,000 miles, the experience would be greatly limited - seeing only 4 stations (BAL-BWI-NCR-WAS), riding only Amfleet coaches and the occasional Acela, eating only the NE ®egional menu, seeing the same scenery every single day, and never really getting that "chillout" feeling train travel provides since, as scheduled, I'd never be on the train more than an hour!

To me, one of the most interesting things in train travel is to go somewhere you've never been along a route you've never travelled, making acquaintances with people you've never met, riding a variety of stock in the process, and getting the chance to experience all the various ways the same railroad offers service, from Coach Class in a Horizon coach to First Class in the Acela, to a full-bedroom in a Viewliner, and eating everything from the microwaved hot dog to the Flat Iron Steak.

Even neater can be rolling up a line you've previously ridden in an entirely different season - taking the Capitol Limited for example in the height of summer, and then returning in the dead of winter.

A couple of years ago, I did try to compute my mileage on Amtrak. However, in trying to recall every trip I'd taken in 35+ years, some things became apparent.

I couldn't remember anything about my 1973 trip aboard the Montrealer at age 2, so should it count?

I could not determine how many times I'd been to either New York, Philadelphia, or Richmond as a teen/college student over the present day Regional line, as these had semi-fused together.

Other distant memories were far more vivid: my one and only ride along the Hudson on an Albany-NY train, somehow riding the Crescent as a child between Baltimore and New York, a very nice seatmate on the ride from New York who gave me Korean coins and explained the monetary system there.

It was then that I began to realize that as a hobby, the experiences I'd encountered on Amtrak were far more rewarding than any simple mileage number would ever indicate.


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## the_traveler (Aug 30, 2008)

I won't tell you that my car now has over 168,000 miles on it - because that is just necessary transportation (going to work, going shopping, going to the train station  , etc...). It is not just because I like to drive or because I like cars! 

I suppose those Toyota commercials that mention the people's car has 178,000 or 265,000 or 350,000 miles should be banned too! And certainly the one for the truck (Chevy IIRC) that has over 2,000,000 miles!


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## Montanan (Aug 30, 2008)

The Metropolitan said:


> To each their own, I always say.
> My interest would not be in tabulating mileage but in riding as many segments of the national system as I could. I could in theory ride the appx. 50 miles from here to DC and back every workday for a year on Amtrak and wind up with 26,000 "Amtrak miles" a year which sounds impressive. Of course, in those 26,000 miles, the experience would be greatly limited - seeing only 4 stations (BAL-BWI-NCR-WAS), riding only Amfleet coaches and the occasional Acela, eating only the NE ®egional menu, seeing the same scenery every single day, and never really getting that "chillout" feeling train travel provides since, as scheduled, I'd never be on the train more than an hour!
> 
> To me, one of the most interesting things in train travel is to go somewhere you've never been along a route you've never travelled, making acquaintances with people you've never met, riding a variety of stock in the process, and getting the chance to experience all the various ways the same railroad offers service, from Coach Class in a Horizon coach to First Class in the Acela, to a full-bedroom in a Viewliner, and eating everything from the microwaved hot dog to the Flat Iron Steak.
> ...


An excellent post, and very close to how I feel. Accumulating and tabulating numerical miles seems fairly empty to me ... but yeah, to each his own.

I enjoy riding trains because they're such a fine way to experience new geography and new landscapes, and to watch how those landscapes evolve over the seasons and over the years. I rode over Donner one January, for example, and then repeated the trip in June, and the difference in visual experience was fascinating. And my Amtrak goal is simply to experience as much of its geography as possible ... I'm getting pretty close to covering the long-haul network. A round-trip to Florida and another on the _Eagle,_ and I'll be almost there.

And I'm becoming more and more interested in riding trains overseas ... for the natural and cultural landscapes, and for the fact that it allows me to escape Amtrak's relatively generic consists. I've ridden long-distance trains on five continents, now, and they've been some of the greatest experiences of my life.


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## RailFanLNK (Aug 30, 2008)

I have 13,333 miles under my belt since March 2006. Pretty much all long distance. I will take the train now instead of flying "if" or "when" I can. Just this summer I branched out on to other trains other than the CZ. I have now been on the CZ, SWC, LSL, Carolinian, Acela and the CL. So it was nice to be on some other trains other than the CZ.


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## Everydaymatters (Aug 30, 2008)

Spokker said:


> I would never ever count miles on Amtrak. It's national public infrastructure used to get people where they need to go, not a subsidized hobby for rail nerds. Counting miles is lame.


Gee, I was just about to say that beginning next Thursday I'm going to be adding another 4,412 miles to my total. But I don't want you to think I'm a nerd.


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## MrFSS (Aug 30, 2008)

Everydaymatters said:


> Spokker said:
> 
> 
> > I would never ever count miles on Amtrak. It's national public infrastructure used to get people where they need to go, not a subsidized hobby for rail nerds. Counting miles is lame.
> ...


I'll vouch for you, Betty, I know you're not a nerd!!!


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## VT Hokie (Aug 30, 2008)

I really don't know, but my guess would be more than 10,000 miles but fewer than 20,000.


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## sky12065 (Aug 30, 2008)

I STARTED THIS LITTLE BENIGN TOPIC SIMPLY OUT OF COURIOUSITY AND TO HAVE SOME HARMLESS FUN!

I NEVER INTENDED FOR IT TO INCLUDE COMMUTER RIDING, I NEVER INTENDED IT TO INCLUDE PRE-AMTRAK TRAVEL, I NEVER INTENDED IT TO INCLUDE FOREIGN TRAVEL, I NEVER INTEND IT FOR PEOPLE THAT DON'T CARE TO KNOW HOW MANY MILES THEY TRAVELED AND I CERTAINLY DIDN'T INTENDED IT FOR PEOPLE TO SPOIL THE ENJOYMENT OF OTHERS! I SIMPLY INTENDED IT FOR THOSE WHO CARED TO SHARE THEIR AMTRAK MILAGE.

IF YOU DON'T CARE FOR THE TOPIC, SIMPLY DON'T READ IT, BUT BY ALL MEANS DON'T BE NASTY AND BASH OTHERS WHO DO! :angry2:


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## Everydaymatters (Aug 30, 2008)

MrFSS said:


> Everydaymatters said:
> 
> 
> > Spokker said:
> ...


Thanks, Tom. Actually, I wouldn't mind being a nerd. I generally think of nerds as people who are very intelligent, wise, cultured, brilliant and personable.

Nothing wrong with being a nerd. Wish I was one. A nerd with 100,000 Amtrak miles!


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## the_traveler (Aug 30, 2008)

Everydaymatters said:


> Actually, I wouldn't mind being a nerd. I generally think of nerds as people who are very intelligent, wise, cultured, brilliant and personable.
> Nothing wrong with being a nerd. Wish I was one. A nerd with 100,000 Amtrak miles!


How about being a nerdess! :lol: (Then they can't call you a nerd!)


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## Spokker (Aug 30, 2008)

Montanan said:


> An excellent post, and very close to how I feel. Accumulating and tabulating numerical miles seems fairly empty to me ... but yeah, to each his own.


Very empty. It reminds me of roller coaster nuts who keep track of how many they've ridden. It's like some kind of mental illness. Instead of posting numbers that have no meaning it would be more interesting to discuss the experience of taking the train, what you expect from a national passenger rail system, and how it benefits you. I'm not sure why someone would desire having 10,000 miles. What is 10,000 miles? What did it mean to you? What did you get out of it?

When GrandLuxe Rail Journeys announced they would be going out of business I didn't really care. That there isn't a market for frivolous "luxury" trains was good to hear.

The allure of rail travel to me isn't seeing how many miles I can rack up, how many trains I can spot, how many segments I can ride on, but this sense that rail, Amtrak or otherwise, is helping people to get somewhere, to see family or friends, to get to a job, to somehow better themselves. This rings true from Amtrak serving rural areas to an inner-city metro line helping some poor kid get to school every day, a trip that he would otherwise have to take two or three buses to make.

Most of the threads on this forum are interesting in that way. The topic on using Amtrak to help evacuate New Orleans is very interesting. I think rail deserves more from people than, "lol trains r kewl".


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## sky12065 (Aug 30, 2008)

Spokker said:


> Montanan said:
> 
> 
> > An excellent post, and very close to how I feel. Accumulating and tabulating numerical miles seems fairly empty to me ... but yeah, to each his own.
> ...


Spokker, there is nothing in your discussion interests that I would disagree with, my only point is that the topics are not tailor made to just your interest. We are diversified people with diversified interests. With your interests already being (or having been) discussed in other topics and with there being a whole section (Travelogues /Trip Reports) dedicated to what you seem to indicate your interest is, why can't this forum be used by all it's participants and not just in what your interest limits are. Do we not have that right? Do we all not have a right to our opinions, or must all topics meet with your approval? You have plenty of area to enjoy yourself. Please don't impede on our right to enjoy ourselves too!


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## RailFanLNK (Aug 30, 2008)

So.....guess we should rename our "Get Together" in LA to "Revenge of The Nerds Part II!" :lol: I just like knowing that I hae gone 13,333 and not had to drive one lick of it. (I drive for a living) Its nice that you can go that far and not have to be "in control" or "getting lost" or dealing with "road rage".


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## chuljin (Aug 30, 2008)

As I told a friend once, for just about every tangible thing in the world (and many non-tangible things), there is someone whose hobby is the enjoyment of it. No one need enjoy every hobby, but neither should anyone be required to stand silent while his hobby, whatever it may be, is attacked.

People who collect coins, as I do, are called numismatists.

People who enjoy trains, whether riding them, or watching them pass by, or photographing them, etc., as I and many others here do, are called railfans, or, if we're to believe _*someone*_'s vitriolic ad-hominems, 'rail nerds' or the 'mental[lly] ill[]'.

...and so on.

And indeed, people who intrude on other people's fun or hobbies with no other reason than to ruin that fun or criticize those hobbies, as _*someone*_ does, are called bullies.

As if I need to defend myself against _*someone*_, I ride Amtrak every weekday to get from point A to point B (well, point B to point A, having ridden Metrolink to get from point A to point B ) as part of my commute, and therefore belong to the only class of people entitled to ride Amtrak, in _*someone*_'s opinion (best summarized 'you may ride Amtrak only if you need to, not if you want to'). But I also frequently ride it on the weekends for recreation, and indeed have written several trip reports about it. If, along the way, I record that I have therefore ridden just over 5000 miles on Amtrak, and can share that with others interested, I shall. If people like _*someone*_, not interested, are exposed to that information because I force myself on them, I am wrong. If they are exposed to it because they force themselves on us, then they are wrong, and I'm afraid that's just tough.

Sorry to everyone, but when people are called mentally-ill nerds only because of their hobbies, I react.

Now the good news for *sky12065*: AU has a 'stepsister' site (they're not officially associated in any way, but share administrators and many many members), with a set of fora like these. One of those fora has precisely the kind of information you seek. Admins, can I edit this post to include a link thereto?

Chris


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## jackal (Aug 30, 2008)

chuljin said:


> As I told a friend once, for just about every tangible thing in the world (and many non-tangible things), there is someone whose hobby is the enjoyment of it. No one need enjoy every hobby, but neither should anyone be required to stand silent while his hobby, whatever it may be, is attacked.
> People who collect coins, as I do, are called numismatists.
> 
> People who enjoy trains, whether riding them, or watching them pass by, or photographing them, etc., as I and many others here do, are called railfans, or, if we're to believe _*someone*_'s vitriolic ad-hominems, 'rail nerds' or the 'mental[lly] ill[]'.
> ...


If you're referring to On Track On Line, I think a link would be allowed. AlanB links to it more than occasionally! :lol:

And thanks for the pithy, poignant post.


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## chuljin (Aug 30, 2008)

jackal said:


> chuljin said:
> 
> 
> > As I told a friend once, for just about every tangible thing in the world (and many non-tangible things), there is someone whose hobby is the enjoyment of it. No one need enjoy every hobby, but neither should anyone be required to stand silent while his hobby, whatever it may be, is attacked.
> ...


Oh, OK then! Specifically, Amtrak Mileage Tally.

Poignant? Dunno. I admit I laid on the pith pretty thick though. Sorry.


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## the_traveler (Aug 30, 2008)

chuljin said:


> jackal said:
> 
> 
> > And thanks for the pithy, poignant post.
> ...


Maybe it was thick, but it is very true. Thank you! You've said what I wanted to say.


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## Guest (Aug 30, 2008)

(_One thing that I will admit is just __completely__ foreign to me is the love of NASCAR...why it is riveting to watch cars drive around in circles is beyond comprehension! No offense to any southern boys out here on AU... _  _)_

Oh, but you miss the point of NASCAR. It's not to see them going in circles. It's to see them crash and destruct. That's what men (Southern or not) are all about!


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## Rail Freak (Aug 30, 2008)

Guest said:


> (_One thing that I will admit is just __completely__ foreign to me is the love of NASCAR...why it is riveting to watch cars drive around in circles is beyond comprehension! No offense to any southern boys out here on AU... _  _)_
> Oh, but you miss the point of NASCAR. It's not to see them going in circles. It's to see them crash and destruct. That's what men (Southern or not) are all about!


What's your point???

B)


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## Guest (Aug 30, 2008)

Rail Freak said:


> Guest said:
> 
> 
> > (_One thing that I will admit is just __completely__ foreign to me is the love of NASCAR...why it is riveting to watch cars drive around in circles is beyond comprehension! No offense to any southern boys out here on AU... _  _)_
> ...


Which part don't you understand?


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## Guest (Aug 30, 2008)

There's actually a mental illness related to having an unhealthy preocupation with objects. The name escapes me but it has the word, _object_, in it IIRC.


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## JayPea (Aug 30, 2008)

Guest said:


> There's actually a mental illness related to having an unhealthy preocupation with objects. The name escapes me but it has the word, _object_, in it IIRC.



Not at all directed to the poster whom I've quoted, but is there a word for an unhealthy preoccupation with minding everyone else's business and putting down other people's things they enjoy????


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## sky12065 (Aug 30, 2008)

chuljin said:


> As I told a friend once, for just about every tangible thing in the world (and many non-tangible things), there is someone whose hobby is the enjoyment of it. No one need enjoy every hobby, but neither should anyone be required to stand silent while his hobby, whatever it may be, is attacked.
> People who collect coins, as I do, are called numismatists.
> 
> People who enjoy trains, whether riding them, or watching them pass by, or photographing them, etc., as I and many others here do, are called railfans, or, if we're to believe _*someone*_'s vitriolic ad-hominems, 'rail nerds' or the 'mental[lly] ill[]'.
> ...


Chris,

I'm not sure who "someone" is specifically. If I said anything that you took exception to please PM me and explain because I didn't read anything in your post that I would find contrary to my thinking.

As for the AU stepsister site, it is neither good news or bad news for me. It's just simply information you provided. What I found at that site is not anything that I'm really looking for and feel the site is for the railfan more serious than I.

With this topic, after Alan telling me how many miles he has traveled, all I wanted was to get a simple idea (just courious) on how many miles others have traveled on Amtrak, but only from those that cared to share. And that was only until the interest waned and the thread set sail into the sunset. I wasn't really interest in short commutes, like to and from work, but I wouldn't have been so presumptuous as to criticize someone if they did. It's ok if anyone did post short trips even if I didn't care to see it. So I say thank you for suggesting the other site anyway!


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## the_traveler (Aug 30, 2008)

sky12065 said:


> I'm not sure who "someone" is specifically. If I said anything that you took exception to please PM me and explain because I didn't read anything in your post that I would find contrary to my thinking.


I believe the "someone" refers to another poster in this thread who's name begins with an "s". It was not directed to you.

If that other "someone" is not interested in the topic, that "someone" just needs to not read it. (I admit, I don't read 33%-50% of the threads.) There is no need for "someone" to put down anyone who responds to the thread!


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## Spokker (Aug 31, 2008)

sky12065 said:


> Do we not have that right? Do we all not have a right to our opinions?


Oh, of course, 100 percent. Do I not have a right to my opinion?

If you post something on the internet, you risk someone coming along and disagreeing with you. That's the way it's always been, and that's the way it always will be.


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## jackal (Aug 31, 2008)

Spokker said:


> sky12065 said:
> 
> 
> > Do we not have that right? Do we all not have a right to our opinions?
> ...


There is a vast difference between disagreeing with someone and telling them that they are creepy and mentally ill.

You could have come along and said, "I'm not interested in counting mileage because I use Amtrak strictly as transportation and don't really have any interest in trains." I would have respected you for that choice, just as I would expect anyone else to respect my lack of enthusiasm for driving in circles (and crashing and burning) or digging in the dirt in my front yard.

Instead, you proceeded to act like a troll and make what amounts to a personal attack at those of us who enjoy the things we do.

Maybe you're just an immature college kid who doesn't know how to respect others. You can't really attack me for saying that, since I'm probably not any older than you are. Somehow I manage to treat others with respect.


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## Spokker (Aug 31, 2008)

jackal said:


> There is a vast difference between disagreeing with someone and telling them that they are creepy and mentally ill.


It's my opinion that people who count miles are creepy and mentally ill. I think there is something wrong with them. I think they make rail advocates look bad. I think there should be more people who discuss transportation policy and how Amtrak can provide a public good instead of people who argue about the numbers assigned to rail cars and memorize timetables and other weird, creepy stuff.
Now why would I say something else? I'm not interested in sparing anybody's feelings or my own. I'm not attacking anyone personally or harassing anyone.

In discussing the merits of the high speed rail line in California, I have heard the opposition accuse supporters more than a few times of simply wanting an expensive toy train to play with. That's the image I am trying to fight.

I said my peace, as you have said yours. Welcome to the Internet.


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## chuljin (Aug 31, 2008)

the_traveler said:


> sky12065 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not sure who "someone" is specifically. If I said anything that you took exception to please PM me and explain because I didn't read anything in your post that I would find contrary to my thinking.
> ...


_**nod**_, the_trav. *sky12065*: I took exception to nothing you said. The only part directed to you was the one introduced by *sky12065* (though even that wound up sowing confusion...see below).  Each instance of *someone* refers to the same person, who is not you.  Sorry if I offended or confused you; it was inadvertent. Sorry also about the confusion I caused you about On Track On Line (OTOL), specifically by my (probably unnecessary) reluctance to mention it here by name or URL. Yes, most of OTOL is above our heads, and meant for people whom even us nerds would call nerds (but in a much more friendly, playful way than *someone*  ). Where I specifically meant to send you was Amtrak Mileage Tally, which, together with the 'real' replies to this thread, should precisely satisfy your curiosity!  By coincidence, their rules for the trips that 'count' are almost identical to the criteria you mentioned in one of your replies here (the ONE IN ALL CAPS  ).

In all that, I did manage to answer your original question, but the answer was hidden under my soapbox.  As of now, I have travelled around 5000 miles on Amtrak. Pretty low among the people who even know, but I've only been riding Amtrak since 12/14/07.  My segment count, however, kicks their asses, for my own mildly perverted reasons.  About 60% of those segments, representing about 30% of the total, are those little daily 6-mile trips as part of my commute. In and of themselves, admittedly they are not interesting to sky12065, except that they are legitimately on Amtrak, and contribute to the mileage total.  But even I have started to find them mundane. That's why I break up the monotony with weekend day trips to places further afield. The next one (for the curious) will be up to SF (I live in LA) to continue my exploration of BART and MUNI.



the_traveler said:


> If that other "someone" is not interested in the topic, that "someone" just needs to not read it. (I admit, I don't read 33%-50% of the threads.) There is no need for "someone" to put down anyone who responds to the thread!


And, the_trav, I know that was not directed to me, but I admit that is exactly what I did with my own first post in this thread, and I apologize to any shocked onlookers. In my (only partial) defense, I put down someone who put down everyone who responded to the thread.


----------



## wayman (Aug 31, 2008)

Spokker said:


> jackal said:
> 
> 
> > There is a vast difference between disagreeing with someone and telling them that they are creepy and mentally ill.
> ...


Spokker, there is a huge difference between "fighting an image" for political reasons and hurling insults at forum members. You've gone way over the line. Insulting people is generally not a good way to get people to see your point. Repetitively hurling the same insult even moreso. It is, however, a great way to demonstrate that you're not actually interested in arguing your point, just in being a troll.


----------



## caravanman (Aug 31, 2008)

now now, lets get back to playing trains..


----------



## Amtrak Watcher (Aug 31, 2008)

Though I feel counting Amtrak miles is a bit odd and I wouldn't do it, nor would I save stamps, collect coins, or watch TV; I'm sure some of the things I do in habit might appear a bit weird to others. My only concern, as far as this posting goes, is that the general category of enthusiasts (mile-counters, train-watchers, etc.) gives the impression to some in power that Amtrak continues to exist primarily for its enthusiasts and has no usefulness in the general economy. I only say this because I've heard this narrow view expressed in casual conversations with powerful people. I remain perplexed as to why trains seem to attract more interest, more enthusiasts, then so many other things of human ingenuity. Perhaps it's the curious combination of being old-fashioned, quaint, and yet modern and efficient: enduing, enlivening. I ride the train, because I hate to drive, I don't like sitting in planes (too cramped), and I do not like the humiliation of the TSA lines. I ride the train, mostly the long distance ones, all the time. Since I guess I ride about 20,000 miles a year on Amtrak, and have been doing so at this high rate since 1999, that would work out to about 180,000 miles. I ride the train so that I can immerse myself in my own solitary behaviors that others might find odd, and leave the weirdness of others to themselves.

Counting miles isn't "empty." I world void of the weird, the odd and the amusing would be a very empty and distressing place indeed.


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## sky12065 (Aug 31, 2008)

caravanman said:


> now now, lets get back to playing trains..


Are you sure you didn't mean playing with trains? :unsure:


----------



## Railroad Bill (Aug 31, 2008)

Amtrak mileage since July 2007 is: 20,704 including two trips each on EB, CZ, SWC & Coast Starlight. Numerous trips on LSL and CL to Chicago. Twice on the Pennsylvanian, a northeast corridor train and the Hoosier. Next up. CONO and Crescent next month (I hope --Hurricane Gustav not withstanding). Next summer- Texas Eagle and San Joaquins. Still lovin Amtrak and retirement. 

Railroad & Mrs. Bill


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## saxman (Aug 31, 2008)

Hmm, I didn't know I wasn't suppose to count Amtrak miles as my hobby. Guess we should get rid of Trains Magazine, we should all stop taking photos, stop having a model railroad in our basement or attics. I also have counted nearly all the flights I've done. I'm back from the moon and going back again in terms of flight miles flown. Guess I'm a nerd too and should stop doing that too because its my hobby.

That said I've logged all my Amtrak miles and have over 56,000 miles to date. You can see that of course on my signature, but guess I should get rid of that, because its fun and creeps someone out.


----------



## JayPea (Aug 31, 2008)

I'm going to keep counting miles just because I know it creeps someone out!  The surest way for to keep doing something is for someone to insult it and make disparaging and nasty remarks about it. I'm a nerd and darned proud of it!!!!!!! :lol: I've driven 75 miles-one way-just to videotape trains at a crossing. I'll do that more now! This spring I was out for a drive, happened to see a CP train running through the countryside, and stopped to videotape it. I then raced, 25 miles over steep, winding roads, just to catch that same train at another crossing and videotape it again! And I'll do it more now, just because of someone else's disparaging opinion of it!!!! Oh, and I live for old timetables---could study them for hours. And as much as possible, do it more often, because now I know someone thinks it's a sign of mental illness and is creepy! And I forgot to mention driving over an hour to the entrance of a state park, not to enjoy the beauty of the waterfall within the park, but to stand on a vaduct over the mainline of the UP railroad, waiting for a train to videotape! And stood on the viaduct for 4 1/2 hours waiting! Never did see a train, but got sunburned in the process (okay, maybe that WAS mentally insane and creepy! :lol: ) Anybody else got any behaviors or hobbies you think are odd, wierd, and useless and empty??? I'll make sure to jump in with both feet, full force, just to defy those attitudes! :lol:  

Well, gotta run now! Gotta spend several hours looking over some old timetables I've found on line. Then time to load up the car with my camera equipment and go about 100 miles out of my way just to photograph trains! And all because someone thinks it's mentally sick and creepy to do so!! :lol:


----------



## PRR 60 (Aug 31, 2008)

I don't know every Amtrak mile in my life (lots of PHL-NYP trips in the 70's, 80's, and 90's that I never recorded), but I do know every Amtrak mile in the last five years or so.

My lacking in Amtrak data is made up by my air travel records. I know every mile I have flown since my first flight in 1967, subtotalled by airline, destination, and purpose (business or pleasure). I know every airport I have visited and how many times. I've kept the same data for my wife and two kids. The only thing I regret is that I did not keep records of the tail numbers of the aircraft. Knowing that you just flew on a plane that you were on ten years ago would be very cool.

I must be seriously ill.


----------



## PaulM (Aug 31, 2008)

Spokker said:


> I would never ever count miles on Amtrak. It's national public infrastructure used to get people where they need to go, not a subsidized hobby for rail nerds.


Wow! What an alzheimer prevention exercise. How could could I not rise to the challenge after _Spokker_ called me a nerd? I came up with just under *110,000* miles. They included the following defunct trains.

National Limited: NY to Columbus, OH

International: Chicago to Toronto

Gulf Breeze: Birmingham to Mobile

Houston section of the Texas Eagle: Houston to Dallas

River Cities: STL to Centralia, IL (through heritage sleeper and dome coach from KC to NO)

Pioneer: Denver - Seattle

Desert Wind: Salt Lake City to LA.

Sunset Limited: Mobile to NO

PS: for _Spokker_'s benefit, none were "hobby" miles: all were to get somewhere. My only hobby trips were on a suburban train in Montreal and on the ICE from Munich to Augsburg and return when I had an hour to kill in Munich.


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## jphjaxfl (Aug 31, 2008)

I have traveled 124,631 on Amtrak since 1971...have been on just about every route that Amtrak operated except the weekend only service to Cape Cod. I traveled on private railroads for nearly 23 years prior to Amtrak...my first trip was when I was 3 weeks old from Joliet, Illinois to Council Bluffs, Iowa on the Rocky Mountain Rocket. My Dad worked for a railroad so when I was growing up when we traveled, it was not the question of taking a train vs other mode, the question was what railroad and what train we would travel on. My most frequent traveled Amtrak route is the Empire Builder from Chicago to the Twin Cities with 46 segments and from Twin Cities to Grand Forks with 32 segments


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## Spokker (Aug 31, 2008)

saxman66 said:


> Guess we should get rid of Trains Magazine, we should all stop taking photos, stop having a model railroad in our basement or attics.


The best is when you call people's train "models" toy trains and they get angry at you. 
I saw some dudes with a toy train display at the Fullerton Railroad Days and I respected them for calling it what it is, toy trains. They were cool guys.



wayman said:


> It is, however, a great way to demonstrate that you're not actually interested in arguing your point, just in being a troll.


Troll = someone you disagree with.
There are far too many sensitive people on the Internet.


----------



## Spokker (Aug 31, 2008)

PRR 60 said:


> I must be seriously ill.


Did you bang your head on walls a lot as a kid?



> I've driven 75 miles-one way-just to videotape trains at a crossing.


So much for the superior fuel efficiency of rail transport. All the gains made by trains were unfortunately nullified by 'spergin out nerds chasing them.
The great thing about people embracing their nerdom when you tease them is that they reveal more and more stuff for you to laugh at. Please post your diary of all your railfan activities. It would prove most entertaining. And perhaps you will find out the things about me that can be ridiculed. Such is the circle of life.


----------



## the_traveler (Aug 31, 2008)

sky12065 said:


> caravanman said:
> 
> 
> > now now, lets get back to playing trains..
> ...


You mean playing *on* trains!  And of course counting the miles that we are "playing"!

Maybe I should disallow the miles I spent "getting somewhere". Should I count the miles I spent getting to my vacation spot? :huh: Should I include the miles to visit my family? :huh: Should I exclude the miles on my business trip? :huh: (Hey, I just remembered I should have driven or flown! No, that would be no good - because I would be using the public infrastructure!  )

If I do all those exclusions, let me revise my Amtrak miles to 37 miles!


----------



## sky12065 (Aug 31, 2008)

the_traveler said:


> sky12065 said:
> 
> 
> > caravanman said:
> ...


I stand corrected... "You mean playing ON trains and/or WITH trains?" Also, sharing of ALL train miles traveled in the US or Canada are welcome! Please - no miles from trains in amusement parks... except for Spokker's of course! :lol:


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## battalion51 (Aug 31, 2008)

I'm up to 63,841 now. Obviously none of us have ANYTHING on the folks that do this for a living. The one personal disappointment I still have with myself is I have yet to cover any western route. The CONO is the furthest west I've made it. One day I'll get there. One day.


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## p&sr (Aug 31, 2008)

Spokker said:


> It's my opinion that people who count miles are creepy and mentally ill. I think there is something wrong with them.


What does that say about you for deliberately seeking them out just for the sake of provoking them? Mentally ill or not, that really IS creepy, and is the true meaning of TROLL.

PS --- Lots and lots of Amtrak miles, but why should I tell you? Besides, it will probably double in the near future.


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## chuljin (Aug 31, 2008)

Spokker said:


> I'm not attacking anyone personally or harassing anyone.


You are now:



Spokker said:


> Did you bang your head on walls a lot as a kid?


With that, you will probably have lost even anyone who had been giving you their tacit support, because you were simply 'expressing your opinion', an argument you can no longer support.


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## Everydaymatters (Sep 1, 2008)

Seriously, can I count the Amtrak _bus_ miles? I mean like from Kingman, AZ to Las Vegas and from Seattle to Vancouver. I haven't counted them, but may I?

I want so badly to be a creepy nerd and if I can count those miles, it would elevate my status.


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## sky12065 (Sep 1, 2008)

Everydaymatters said:


> Seriously, can I count the Amtrak _bus_ miles? I mean like from Kingman, AZ to Las Vegas and from Seattle to Vancouver. I haven't counted them, but may I?
> I want so badly to be a creepy nerd and if I can count those miles, it would elevate my status.


Sorry but bus miles would be against rule #.......... aah, give me a second.......... err, I'm thinking, I'm thinking......... hold on....... HEY! I just remembered........ THERE AIN'T NO RULES! Bus miles are cheating but since there's no rules - GO FOR IT! After all, this topic was only started for us nerds to get our kicks and irritate the dickens out of watch dogs!


----------



## RailFanLNK (Sep 1, 2008)

Well....I think Amtrak has it all wrong now with thier "Select Status" program, should be called "Super Nerd" status and "Super, Super Nerd Select Status". According to Spokker's comments we should all be carrying the "Amtrak Nerd Rewards" card am I correct? :lol: If you count miles....you have to count points too! :lol:

Train Nerdaholics Anonymous Program:

1. Admitted we were powerless over counting rail miles and that it made others lives unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us back to unnerdiness..........................


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## the_traveler (Sep 1, 2008)

RailFanLNK said:


> According to Spokker's comments we should all be carrying the "Amtrak Nerd Rewards" card am I correct? :lol:


I want my *ANR* card!  *NOW*! 

Just one question - is it pink or yellow? :huh: I wouldn't want to be nerdy or anything!


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## chuljin (Sep 1, 2008)

the_traveler said:


> RailFanLNK said:
> 
> 
> > According to Spokker's comments we should all be carrying the "Amtrak Nerd Rewards" card am I correct? :lol:
> ...


I just *know* someone is busy photoshopping their card now, for our amusement. 

*sky12065*: I was separated from this data over the weekend, but the exact figures are *221 segments and 5054 miles*, as of this morning's commute in (I usually ride Metrolink [which doesn't count] to work, but it doesn't run on holidays, so I rode an Amtrak which would usually be too late).

Of this, though, 3 segments and 288 miles were on Amtrak Thruway (bus), which don't qualify under 'your' rules.  'Sup to you.


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## MrFSS (Sep 1, 2008)

chuljin said:


> I just *know* someone is busy photoshopping their card now, for our amusement.


Here's a blank anyone can right click on to save and Photoshop away.






Let the games begin!


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## Joel N. Weber II (Sep 1, 2008)

Everydaymatters said:


> Seriously, can I count the Amtrak _bus_ miles? I mean like from Kingman, AZ to Las Vegas and from Seattle to Vancouver. I haven't counted them, but may I?


Do you get AGR rail points for bus trips? I'm pretty sure I did for a bustituted 448. And actually, in calculating how many miles I've ridden Amtrak just now, I almost forgot to separate out that bustitution.

I do think separting out train miles vs bus miles and then listing a total isn't a bad idea.


----------



## Joel N. Weber II (Sep 1, 2008)

Spokker said:


> It's my opinion that people who count miles are creepy and mentally ill.


So do you think I'm creepy and mentally ill when I ask Google Maps for the mileage from one city to another?



Spokker said:


> I think there should be more people who discuss transportation policy and how Amtrak can provide a public good instead of people who argue about the numbers assigned to rail cars and memorize timetables and other weird, creepy stuff.


See, I figure that those mileage counts are useful for figuring out which city pairs could have fast enough high speed rail service to eliminate airplane trips by non-railfans between them, to make the transportation policy discussion more concrete.



Spokker said:


> In discussing the merits of the high speed rail line in California, I have heard the opposition accuse supporters more than a few times of simply wanting an expensive toy train to play with. That's the image I am trying to fight.


But consider that large numbers of miles ridden really is the thing that justifies Amtrak's existance at all. Amtrak converts dollars into passenger miles.

Maybe there's an argument that counting trips might make more sense for some purposes than miles, though.


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## chuljin (Sep 1, 2008)

MrFSS said:


> chuljin said:
> 
> 
> > I just *know* someone is busy photoshopping their card now, for our amusement.
> ...


Since fun poked at oneself is often the healthiest kind, here's a first stab:



 'Base' (neither Select nor Select Plus)



 Select



 Select Plus

:lol: 

And with nothing fancier than MS Paint.  There were already an 'e', an 'r', and a 'd' in the original...the fun challenge was assembling an 'n' from pieces of the 'r', 'a', and 'd'.


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## MrFSS (Sep 1, 2008)

chuljin said:


> MrFSS said:
> 
> 
> > chuljin said:
> ...



:lol: :lol: :lol:

Love it!!!


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## the_traveler (Sep 1, 2008)

chuljin said:


> 'Base' (neither Select nor Select Plus)
> 
> 
> Select
> ...


Not nerdy enough! I think I'll go count some miles!

What better to do on a day off?  (You wouldn't expect me to go outside in the sun - would you? Maybe I'll bring my laptop out there so I can count! :lol: )


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## chuljin (Sep 1, 2008)

chuljin said:


> MrFSS said:
> 
> 
> > chuljin said:
> ...


By the way:

Amtrak, Guest Rewards, and possibly Select and Select Plus are trademarks or registered trademarks of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. Their use by me is without permission, but, unless I am mistaken, allowed as parody.


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## chuljin (Sep 1, 2008)

the_traveler said:


> chuljin said:
> 
> 
> > 'Base' (neither Select nor Select Plus)
> ...


'Day...off'? What's that?  But my choice to forego the day off (as a contractor, I'd not have been paid for it) gives me an opportunity to add 2 segments and 12 miles!  (half being my usual 785 home, the other being an unusual ride *in* on Amtrak, Metrolink thoughtfully not running today  )


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## RailFanLNK (Sep 1, 2008)

That was great!!!! Guess I will go back to my beer can pull tab collection now and find some white tape for my horned rim glasses from the mid-70's. :lol:

Al

Nerdville Nebraska

NRD is our 3 letter abbreviation for our station in Nerdville.


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## Neil_M (Sep 1, 2008)

As long as it hurts no one why is Mr Grumpy Pants getting so worked up over people recording miles travelled? It is fairly pointless, as is fishing , watching a selection of overpaid idiots chase after your ball of choice or wandering around a field dressed in silly clothing hitting a small ball into a hole in the grass. If it passes your time and you get some enjoyment from it, then what's the problem?

Its dead easy to adopt a daft user name and come on a forum and wind people up, be interesting to see if Spokkkker would do it in real life..... h34r:


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## Joel N. Weber II (Sep 1, 2008)

Neil_M said:


> As long as it hurts no one why is Mr Grumpy Pants getting so worked up over people recording miles travelled? It is fairly pointless, as is fishing , watching a selection of overpaid idiots chase after your ball of choice or wandering around a field dressed in silly clothing hitting a small ball into a hole in the grass.


For all that I don't care for watching highly paid people chase a ball across a field, I think it is inaccurate to call everyone who does that an idiot.


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## Spokker (Sep 2, 2008)

Joel N. Weber II said:


> I think it is inaccurate to call everyone who does that an idiot.


Quite the contrary. 
If one could parlay their Amtrak mileage into a million dollar contract I would congratulate their ingenuity.


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## Everydaymatters (Sep 2, 2008)

sky12065 said:


> Sorry but bus miles would be against rule #.......... aah, give me a second.......... err, I'm thinking, I'm thinking......... hold on....... HEY! I just remembered........ THERE AIN'T NO RULES! Bus miles are cheating but since there's no rules - GO FOR IT! After all, this topic was only started for us nerds to get our kicks and irritate the dickens out of watch dogs!


No, I won't cheat. It goes against every ounce of nerdism in me. I'll just keep my actual Amtrak train miles and continue to be a creepy nerd of the lowest degree.


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## sky12065 (Sep 2, 2008)

Everydaymatters said:


> sky12065 said:
> 
> 
> > Sorry but bus miles would be against rule #.......... aah, give me a second.......... err, I'm thinking, I'm thinking......... hold on....... HEY! I just remembered........ THERE AIN'T NO RULES! Bus miles are cheating but since there's no rules - GO FOR IT! After all, this topic was only started for us nerds to get our kicks and irritate the dickens out of watch dogs!
> ...


Question: When you join the ATM (Amtrak Train Miles) Club, are you given a membership status of "Highest Degree" and have to earn your way down to "Lowest Degree"? My apologies to Automated Teller Machine junkies for borrowing your activities ackronym! Keep counting those bills!


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## the_traveler (Sep 2, 2008)

sky12065 said:


> Keep counting those bills!


Do you mean $1 bill, $5 bill, $10 bill, etc... or electric bill, gas bill, cable bill, etc...!


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## sky12065 (Sep 2, 2008)

the_traveler said:


> sky12065 said:
> 
> 
> > Keep counting those bills!
> ...


WELL! It ain't the Buffalo Bills!!! Your choice!


----------



## JayPea (Sep 2, 2008)

Spokker said:


> > I've driven 75 miles-one way-just to videotape trains at a crossing.
> 
> 
> So much for the superior fuel efficiency of rail transport. All the gains made by trains were unfortunately nullified by 'spergin out nerds chasing them.
> The great thing about people embracing their nerdom when you tease them is that they reveal more and more stuff for you to laugh at. Please post your diary of all your railfan activities. It would prove most entertaining. And perhaps you will find out the things about me that can be ridiculed. Such is the circle of life.



Unlike you, I don't see the point of ridiculing what others do.


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## chuljin (Sep 2, 2008)

Joel N. Weber II said:


> Neil_M said:
> 
> 
> > As long as it hurts no one why is Mr Grumpy Pants getting so worked up over people recording miles travelled? It is fairly pointless, as is fishing , watching a selection of overpaid idiots chase after your ball of choice or wandering around a field dressed in silly clothing hitting a small ball into a hole in the grass.
> ...


Indeed. Careful, that borders on SpokkerSpeak.


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## AAARGH! (Sep 3, 2008)

See my signaure below for the details of all my miles.


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## sky12065 (Sep 3, 2008)

aaargh said:


> See my signaure below for the details of all my miles.


May you run out of signature space in the near future!


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## AKA (Sep 3, 2008)

Is it to late to change the title of this topic to " How far can you take a topic ? "


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## sky12065 (Sep 4, 2008)

AKA said:


> Is it to late to change the title of this topic to " How far can you take a topic ? "


I have been a member of another non-Amtrak forum for several years now where posters take their interests as seriously as people on this forum do, and there is one current topic that has 221 posts and 5995 views. There is another current topic that has 825 posts and 85,631 views in about one week, but that one is on a special event that only occurs once a year. Would you like to break that record? :huh:


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## AKA (Sep 4, 2008)

I will do my part. This will make it # 84.  Thanks for the info about the other site. Interesting.


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## the_traveler (Sep 4, 2008)

#85 and *counting*!  (Oh Oh - that's a *BAD* word!  I may be sent to Hell (Michigan)!  )


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## MrFSS (Sep 4, 2008)

What we need to concentrate on is members on line at the same time.

Here is a snapshot of another forum I read. Just a few minutes ago here were the stats:


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## Bigval109 (Sep 12, 2008)

Everydaymatters said:


> MrFSS said:
> 
> 
> > Everydaymatters said:
> ...


let's not forget that nerds make the most money because they are smarter and highly sought after.


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## daybeers (Mar 16, 2021)

I couldn't find a more recent topic on this but wanted to have a fun conversation on where people are at with their Amtrak mileage!


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## Sidney (Mar 16, 2021)

I've been riding Amtrak for over thirty years and with the exceptions of 1993,1994,2009 2010,2011 and 2013 to the best of my memory I've taken one or two circle trips every year. Many many thousands of miles. I used to keep track with a printed timetable. One coming up in May Harrisburg-Boston,Boston-LA,LA to Portland,flying to BWI,then BWI to Harrisburg. Couldn't afford the EB this time around. I'll be on the last Eagle/Sunset with flex dining and one of the first Coast Starlights with traditional dining. That will be most welcome.


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## brianpmcdonnell17 (Mar 16, 2021)

Since 2012 when I started keeping track, I have traveled 118,839 miles. While I traveled some before then on Amtrak, it likely amounts to less than 5,000 miles. My travel has picked up a lot since March 2017, as that was soon after my 16th birthday so I was able to travel on Amtrak alone at that point and have done all of my domestic travel by train since then. Since that point, I have traveled 99,949 miles on Amtrak.


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## JayPea (Mar 16, 2021)

As of now, 111,420 miles, with one short trip booked for this year, and one short one and one long one in the planning stages.


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## Cal (Mar 16, 2021)

I haven't done a direct calculation, and I don't know if I could do an accurate direct one. However, I have travelled roughly 20,000 miles on Amtrak. Soon to be 25,000.


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## Seaboard92 (Mar 16, 2021)

I don't know my mileage on Amtrak surprisingly. But I do keep a map of all of the rail lines I have ridden on.


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## TinCan782 (Mar 16, 2021)

About 51,000 long distance miles; 7,600 miles on regional trains. 
Most of the travel in the past 15 years. Our first trip in 1974: Santa Barbara to Oakland (our honeymoon in San Francisco).
Does my daily commute on Southern California's Metrolink for six years count? About 80,000 miles 


Next trip this coming summer will add about 5,200 LD miles.


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## tim49424 (Mar 16, 2021)

88,508. Would be over 100K by now if it weren't been for the pandemic. I'll remedy that soon and probably hit that mark in 2022.


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## railiner (Mar 16, 2021)

Seaboard92 said:


> I don't know my mileage on Amtrak surprisingly. But I do keep a map of all of the rail lines I have ridden on.


Same here...I have not kept track of my mileage, but I have ridden over every single regular route that Amtrak has ever operated in its history _except for one..._
the short lived "Lake Country Limited" which ran from 2000 until 2001 from Chicago to Janesville, WI. And I keep kicking myself for that 80 mile missing bit...




__





The Museum of Railway Timetables (timetables.org)


A comprehensive digital archive of Amtrak train schedules since inception in 1971.



www.timetables.org


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## Cal (Mar 16, 2021)

railiner said:


> Same here...I have not kept track of my mileage, but I have ridden over every single regular route that Amtrak has ever operated in its history _except for one..._


 That's awesome


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## brianpmcdonnell17 (Mar 16, 2021)

railiner said:


> Same here...I have not kept track of my mileage, but I have ridden over every single regular route that Amtrak has ever operated in its history _except for one..._
> the short lived "Lake Country Limited" which ran from 2000 until 2001 from Chicago to Janesville, WI. And I keep kicking myself for that 80 mile missing bit...
> 
> 
> ...


It you ride the Metra Milwaukee District North Line to Fox Lake you're only missing 49 miles. 

I'm personally working on riding all of the existing Amtrak route miles. Right now I'm at 92.85% by my calculations. Once I do the Sunset Limited from New Orleans to San Antonio in August, I'll essentially have completed the LD system (the exceptions being the Auto Train terminals and the east leg of the Auburndale wye used by the Silver Meteor). After that I mostly just have some of the east coast corridor trains (Virginia NER branches, Adirondack/Ethan Allen north of Schenectady, and Maple Leaf west of Buffalo).


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## Cal (Mar 16, 2021)

brianpmcdonnell17 said:


> It you ride the Metra Milwaukee District North Line to Fox Lake you're only missing 49 miles.
> 
> I'm personally working on riding all of the existing Amtrak route miles. Right now I'm at 92.85% by my calculations. Once I do the Sunset Limited from New Orleans to San Antonio in August, I'll essentially have completed the LD system (the exceptions being the Auto Train terminals and the east leg of the Auburndale wye used by the Silver Meteor). After that I mostly just have some of the east coast corridor trains (Virginia NER branches, Adirondack/Ethan Allen north of Schenectady, and Maple Leaf west of Buffalo).


I'm just trying to ride all the western LD trains


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## Seaboard92 (Mar 16, 2021)

railiner said:


> Same here...I have not kept track of my mileage, but I have ridden over every single regular route that Amtrak has ever operated in its history _except for one..._
> the short lived "Lake Country Limited" which ran from 2000 until 2001 from Chicago to Janesville, WI. And I keep kicking myself for that 80 mile missing bit...
> 
> 
> ...


I actually have that route but not on Amtrak. I worked the NKP 765 Excursion to there in 2016. I was one of five people allowed off the train there. We weren't doing a layover so we were loading box lunches. That was a doozy trying to sort out the cars box lunches in the rain on the ground as the train slowly moved along the wye.


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## brianpmcdonnell17 (Mar 16, 2021)

Cal said:


> I'm just trying to ride all the western LD trains


That's a good goal; IMO the experience is better on those trains anyway. Even though they're obviously longer, the logistics are also easier since they tend to end in major cities and you can plan loop trips. In my experience the hardest ones to ride just to essentially check off the list are routes like the Blue Water that reach the endpoint late at night with an early morning return departure and few or no alternative transportation modes available.


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## Cal (Mar 16, 2021)

brianpmcdonnell17 said:


> That's a good goal; IMO the experience is better on those trains anyway. Even though they're obviously longer, the logistics are also easier since they tend to end in major cities and you can plan loop trips. In my experience the hardest ones to ride just to essentially check off the list are routes like the Blue Water that reach the endpoint late at night with an early morning return departure and few or no alternative transportation modes available.


I'm not bothering about the intercity trains too much, I couldn't possibly work those into a somewhat logical tindery for the little travel I do. Just trying to check off the LD trains out here, then the LD trains in the east.


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## daybeers (Mar 17, 2021)

brianpmcdonnell17 said:


> Since 2012 when I started keeping track, I have traveled 118,839 miles. While I traveled some before then on Amtrak, it likely amounts to less than 5,000 miles. My travel has picked up a lot since March 2017, as that was soon after my 16th birthday so I was able to travel on Amtrak alone at that point and have done all of my domestic travel by train since then. Since that point, I have traveled 99,949 miles on Amtrak.


Woah how have you been able to travel so much at a young age?!? I'm not too much older than you but have significantly less mileage under my belt.


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## railiner (Mar 17, 2021)

brianpmcdonnell17 said:


> That's a good goal; IMO the experience is better on those trains anyway. Even though they're obviously longer, the logistics are also easier since they tend to end in major cities and you can plan loop trips. In my experience the hardest ones to ride just to essentially check off the list are routes like the Blue Water that reach the endpoint late at night with an early morning return departure and few or no alternative transportation modes available.


It used to be somewhat easier. I rode the Blue Water route when covered by the International all the way to Toronto. And some of the other routes by continuing on or returning on a Greyhound or other bus, when there was a lot more service. Being an employee during much of the time, also gave me an advantage. Besides the obvious free travel, I would sometimes stay at crew hotels at employee rates, and share a ride in the crew van if necessary to get there. And in a couple of instances, the crew allowed me to stay aboard the coach overnight.
A real big advantage was when I got to know the late Jim Larson, VP of operations at the time, and got permission to ride a couple of the many Amtrak “test trains” he ran over freight only routes. One was Denver to Sidney, NE on BN, then UP/C&NW all the way to Chicago. The other was New York to New London, CT on the NEC, then P&W to Worcester, MA, and the Guilford lines all the way to Bangor, ME. Overnight there (in the coach), and then down to Boston North Station, using the future Downeaster route from Portland. 
Great memories...


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## pennyk (Mar 17, 2021)

I keep track of my Amtrak miles on an Excel spreadsheet. As of now, my Amtrak miles are over 286,000. I have not been on an overnight train since December 2019 when I traveled cross country in quite memorable trip. I have yet to travel on any Amtrak Michigan trains, but hope to sometime in the future.


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## brianpmcdonnell17 (Mar 17, 2021)

daybeers said:


> Woah how have you been able to travel so much at a young age?!? I'm not too much older than you but have significantly less mileage under my belt.


I typically do 5 LD trips a year and about as many on the midwestern corridor trains. Living in Chicago, I take an annual trip to Florida, 1-2 other trips to the east coast, 1-2 trips to the west coast, and the occasional random trip to somewhere else. I've also gotten the 15 day rail pass twice which added over 10,000 miles in each case. I'm in college so I have a lot of time available during breaks and I travel entirely in coach so it isn't as expensive as you might think. For example I just got back from a trip on the CZ (about 2,400 miles each way) which only cost $88 one way due to the Black Friday sale. I also pack food for most of the trip so I don't spend any more on that then I would at home.

Once I graduate and start working full time I'll have to cut back on my LD trips significantly, but a lot of trips are even possible on a long weekend from Chicago such as the NEC or Colorado. Obviously that doesn't allow much time at the destination but only having a day or so in a city isn't so bad when you get to visit frequently.


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## Cal (Mar 17, 2021)

I'm pretty young for this forum, and so I only take an LD trip every year, sometimes every other year. Would love to travel more, but simply can't


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## daybeers (Jul 18, 2021)

pennyk said:


> I keep track of my Amtrak miles on an Excel spreadsheet. As of now, my Amtrak miles are over 286,000. I have not been on an overnight train since December 2019 when I traveled cross country in quite memorable trip. I have yet to travel on any Amtrak Michigan trains, but hope to sometime in the future.


How many routes do you need to complete all of Amtrak's current ones? From your signature it looks like not too many


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## TinCan782 (Jul 19, 2021)

pennyk said:


> I keep track of my Amtrak miles on an Excel spreadsheet. As of now, my Amtrak miles are over 286,000. I have not been on an overnight train since December 2019 when I traveled cross country in quite memorable trip. I have yet to travel on any Amtrak Michigan trains, but hope to sometime in the future.


I do the same thing although I'm only at 63k miles for the past 15 years. More than a dozen LD routes end-to-end, most more than once.
Also on my spreadsheet is (if I make note of it) Sleeper car number and room number; SCA name; locomotive numbers and on-time performance (or lack of).
Routes remaining to travel are all eastern.


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## JayPea (Jul 19, 2021)

I keep a spreadsheet of miles traveled, plus about every other stat under the sun (total trips, total trips/route, miles/route, etc. I've ridden all the long distance trains except the Auto Train and Silver Star. I haven't ridden very many of the short state sponsored routes, though. 

I remember when this thread first came out and the brouhaha that began due to one person's rather condescending position on counting miles. I enjoyed going back to the beginning and seeing all the controversy.


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## pennyk (Jul 19, 2021)

daybeers said:


> How many routes do you need to complete all of Amtrak's current ones? From your signature it looks like not too many


I have not completed all the routes I have listed. I have only ridden on some portion of the routes. I have yet to travel on any of the Michigan trains, but hope to get 2 of them in October. I guess I need to sit down and make a list of the routes on which I have not yet traveled.


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## Cal (Jul 19, 2021)

i have an estimate of miles, but it’s probably pretty far off as j don’t remember all my trips and I estimate the miles from google. Maybe one day I’ll try to correctly calculate all mine


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## saxman (Jul 19, 2021)

Well that was an entertaining read for the first few pages. 

I posted on this thread in August 2008 with 56,000 miles at the time. Checking my spreadsheet, I was actually at 58,457 miles as of that date and shortly took the Heartland Flyer for the first time right after that. I guess I'll update my signature with 212,106 miles as of today. But here I am being a creep for keeping track of my miles.


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## pennyk (Jul 19, 2021)

saxman said:


> Well that was an entertaining read for the first few pages.
> 
> I posted on this thread in August 2008 with 56,000 miles at the time. Checking my spreadsheet, I was actually at 58,457 miles as of that date and shortly took the Heartland Flyer for the first time right after that. I guess I'll update my signature with 212,106 miles as of today. But here I am being a creep for keeping track of my miles.


In my opinion, you are not a creep, you are meticulous. 
I recall that you may have been my motivation to start my spreadsheet (and reconstruct earlier trips). Not too long ago, I believe we were at the same mileage. Then, you started flying more and I retired and was able to take more trains. I want to say that you are half my age, but, although true at one, time, it is no longer true. However, I am still a generation older than you. I know you will pass me soon.


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## tim49424 (Jul 19, 2021)

Cal said:


> I'm just trying to ride all the western LD trains



That's a good goal to start with, I agree with that earlier opinion. I started with that as well. In one of your further posts, I read you'll do one a year since you're so young. You've got a good plan in place if you carry through with that. I only started riding Amtrak in December 2007 and had my first LD trip on the Empire Builder in June, 2012, to Portland. By late 2018, I had ridden all of the western LD trains, ending with the EB to SEA. I've not ridden some of them end to end as of yet, but will someday. I've not been on the Coast Starlight south of Sacramento, the California Zephyr west of Sacramento, the Sunset Limited east of San Antonio or due to weather, the Texas Eagle between San Marcos and Fort Worth.

I also read that you're not that concerned with intercity trains. Neither am I. My aim is exclusively Amtrak.


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## DCAKen (Jul 20, 2021)

saxman said:


> Well that was an entertaining read for the first few pages.
> 
> I posted on this thread in August 2008 with 56,000 miles at the time. Checking my spreadsheet, I was actually at 58,457 miles as of that date and shortly took the Heartland Flyer for the first time right after that. I guess I'll update my signature with 212,106 miles as of today. But here I am being a creep for keeping track of my miles.



A creep is when you keep track of someone else's miles.


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## TinCan782 (Jul 20, 2021)

Cal said:


> i have an estimate of miles, but it’s probably pretty far off as j don’t remember all my trips and I estimate the miles from google. Maybe one day I’ll try to correctly calculate all mine


I use the miles listed in the various Amtrak timetables..


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## ScottR (Jul 20, 2021)

JayPea said:


> Like my signature says, 12,138 miles and counting. I will be adding another 2,482 miles in October (Champaign-Chicago and Chicago-Sacramento).
> 
> Add in two round trips from Spokane-Chicago in the pre-Amtrak days, one round trip between Chicago and Bloomington, and another pre-Amtrak Spokane-Hinkle round-trip, and my total rail miles add up to 20,000+. And by next month, I should have enough AGR points to qualify for the famous Slidell-Los Angeles loophole trip. Should I take that trip next year, that will add the miles to the total quickly!


Hmmm tell me more about this Slidell Los Angeles loophole trip.


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## JayPea (Jul 20, 2021)

ScottR said:


> Hmmm tell me more about this Slidell Los Angeles loophole trip.


Alas, the days of the Slidell Loophole trip are long gone, due to Amtrak Guest Rewards changing their point system. Note the original post is from 2008. Unlike today, where the amount of points for a trip are based on the cost of the fare, until a few years ago, the point cost was based on travel within and into different zones. There used to be three zones in the U.S. (Western, Central, and Eastern) and it cost a different amount of points whether your trip involved staying in one zone, traveling into another, or traveling into three. How the Slidell Loophole worked was you could start out in Slidell, LA, one stop east of New Orleans, and end up in Los Angeles, on just the cost of a two zone trip. Slidell was in the Central Zone, and you could take the Crescent to Washington DC, the Capital Limited to Chicago, the Empire Builder to Portland, and the Coast Starlight to Los Angeles, all for the price of a two zone trip, even though you started out in the central zone, traveled through the eastern zone, went back through the central zone, and ended in the western zone. I don't remember what the point cost was for sure; I believe it was 20,000 for a roommate for two zones. And since the cost in points was the same whether one or two people rode in the roomette, my uncle went with me on this trip. I live in eastern Washington and he lives in central Illinois so I flew out his way. The only cost concerning the train was a roomette from Champaign to New Orleans and coach fare from New Orleans to Slidell.


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## Cal (Jul 20, 2021)

FrensicPic said:


> I use the miles listed in the various Amtrak timetables..


Which timetables? And I’ve made several trips where I get off halfway as well (such as LAX-FTW)


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## daybeers (Jul 20, 2021)

Cal said:


> Which timetables? And I’ve made several trips where I get off halfway as well (such as LAX-FTW)


Use this for timetables, or look up each train on transitdocs, for instance the southbound Vermonter #55 departing 7/20/21 would be Train Details


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## TinCan782 (Jul 21, 2021)

Cal said:


> Which timetables? And I’ve made several trips where I get off halfway as well (such as LAX-FTW)


Second column from the left lists the miles. Math may be required for travel covering only part of the route. (SAS>LAX is 1995-573=1442 miles)


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## Lonestar648 (Jul 21, 2021)

I have been traveling Amtrak since the 80’s. Until I retired, most of my travel was for business, so I traveled all over the country. Fortunately, I have had the opportunity to travel on almost every current LD route plus several that have been discontinued over the years. My granddaughters who love to travel with me on extended multiple night trips on the train, helped me calculate the miles I have actually traveled on Amtrak. For some reason I still had electronic versions of my expense reports, so we used a spreadsheet to calculate. The total was over 250,000 real miles.

unfortunately, my last trip was summer 2019. My 2020 trips had to be canceled and I have not scheduled anything for 2021, but we are already planning a couple trips for 2022.


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## danasgoodstuff (Jul 23, 2021)

This is interesting. Now that I think about it, most of my train riding has been non Amtrak, although I've lived here in the States most of my life, going back to way pre-Amtrak. I certainly have ridden Amtrak - both the Coast Starlight and the Cascades between Portland and Vancouver BC, usually the whole way, both in this century and back in the '70s (which would've been inherited, old rolling stock. I may have ridden the Coast Starlight route to and/or from the SF bay area post-Amtrak. Definitely rode it on the Southern Pacific's Shasta Daylight in the '60's when I lived in southern Oregon with my parents. Since my dad's folks lived in Oakland and my mom's in Portland, there were several possible meet up with you later scenarios since my dad usually taught summer session. Since I went to College here in Portland and lived in Saskatoon with my parents, I've ridden the CN between Saskatoon and Vancouver many times, but only once on that route recently via VIA. I think I took Amtrak from Mpls/St. Paul to Chicago at least once when I lived in MN 30 years ago. What I remember best is how shabby but still busy Chicago's Union Station seemed compared to my memory of it from '59 when we went Buffalo to CA to OR and back. I remember dome cars and sleepers and stations from that trip but not what RRs we rode (I was very young). And I can't remember at all our cross Australia trip in the mid-50s before they had the same gage all the way across. I may be forgetting something. A few short excursion trains here and there. There's a certain train-ness that I like no matter where I'm going. And a bunch in Europe, including a short haul on the TGV. How many miles is that? Maybe close to 10,000 total and 1-2,000 Amtrak? I hope to be adding to that substantially soon-ish. Considering how much I like trains, by far my preferred mode of travel, I have ridden them only sporadically. My favorite station is Buffalo's magnificent but sadly neglected Central Terminal, but my memories of that may be a little rose-colored. Buffalo Central Terminal they have openings for board members and a director for the restoration effort.

this is the vision, it's a long way from this now


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