Who in the world are you?

[bluegarage]

Greetings from the poker loft of bluegarage, I'm in the upper Midwest, U.S. close to the banks of the Mississippi River. I live in the corridor of the Canadian Pacific river sub in Minnesota, on the Empire Builder route. My Youtube channel is bluegarage100, I'm sure anyone who cares can look at a couple of my armature videos and figure out where I live.

Glad to be here and look forward finding others along the Builder route.

 

[cpotisch]

Greetings from the poker loft of bluegarage, I'm in the upper Midwest, U.S. close to the banks of the Mississippi River. I live in the corridor of the Canadian Pacific river sub in Minnesota, on the Empire Builder route. My Youtube channel is bluegarage100, I'm sure anyone who cares can look at a couple of my armature videos and figure out where I live.

Glad to be here and look forward finding others along the Builder route.

Glad to have you with us!

 

[Siegmund]

I'm on the pre-1970 Builder route, anyway

Middle-of-nowhere northwest Montana, but in Kalispell often for work, and lots of chances to see the Builder as it passes through Whitefish. Occasional trips up the forest service roads alongside the tracks between Whitefish and Libby looking for good berry-picking spots.

Outside of enjoying model and full-size railroads, a statistician, bridge player, classical composer, and private pilot.

 

[cpotisch]

I'm on the pre-1970 Builder route, anyway

Middle-of-nowhere northwest Montana, but in Kalispell often for work, and lots of chances to see the Builder as it passes through Whitefish. Occasional trips up the forest service roads alongside the tracks between Whitefish and Libby looking for good berry-picking spots.

Outside of enjoying model and full-size railroads, a statistician, bridge player, classical composer, and private pilot.

Nice! Glad to have you with us!

 

[flitcraft]

I'm a professor in my late 60's who has had the blessing of doing a  lot of professional travel, mostly by air unfortunately. My first experience with trains was one summer in college where I got a month long Eurail pass and bummed around Europe by train--total spending for the month, not including the pass, was under two hundred bucks!  In the years since, I've traveled by rail sporadically in Asia and Europe, including a wild overnight ride from Ankara to Istanbul (what happens in Turkey stays in Turkey!)  My first LD Amtrak was the Empire Builder connecting to the Three Rivers, taking our daughter to college on the East Coast--we had adjoining bedrooms and had a great time. That experience made me want to check out some other Amtrak routes, but work responsibilities and caring for aging parents postponed those plans for a while. But in recent years, we've taken the Coast Starlight end to end several times, the Sunset Limited LAUS to NO,  the California Zephyr  Denver to Emeryville, the Southwest Chief Chicago to LAUS, and Via's Canadian Toronto to Vancouver.  All wonderful trips--especially the two we took with our special needs nephew before he started school.  We've booked the Zephyr again this March for spring break, Denver to LAUS and connecting to the Surfliner to San Diego.  I can't wait!

Other interests: We have a vegetable garden and raise about 80% of our yearly veggies out of it. Naturally, I do a lot of cooking--gotta use those veggies!  As a professor, I do a lot of writing and lecturing internationally, and work as a volunteer on Innocence Project cases.  If and when I retire, I hope to do more train travel. Fingers crossed for the future of passenger rail...

 

[Pere Flyer]

I’m a native of Grand Rapids, Mich., and will complete my B.A. and B.F.A. from the University of Oklahoma on December 15 after nine semesters of study. I first took Amtrak on a 2nd grade field trip between GRR and HOM to visit Windmill Island, back when the GRR station was at Market and Wealthy, and the Pere Marquette stopped traffic on two intersections when boarding. I thought waking up before dawn to catch a train was the coolest thing (still do), so I guess my destiny was to be a railfan. I bike, don’t own a car, and have grown tired of flying, so Amtrak has been my best friend in adulthood. I’m proud of my home state’s investment in passenger rail service and infrastructure (looking at you, Ohio), but there will always be a soft spot in my heart for the Heartland Flyer. All the same, I hope to find a job in New England after graduation, and I’m excited to live near the nexus of Amtrak service after years living on single-frequency corridors in two states.

Interests include dance, writing, trains/public infrastructure/urbanism, architecture, college football, and pro baseball and hockey.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Congrats on your education and good luck with your career!

Sure you want to live where Winters are Severe and its Mucho Dinero to get by? 

Hook 'em Horns! :giggle:

 

[ehbowen]

Hey, did you hear the one about the Texas Aggie who moved to Oklahoma and raised the average IQ in both states?

(My sister and BIL are Aggies. Sharp ones, too!)

 

[Bob Dylan]

Hey, did you hear the one about the Texas Aggie who moved to Oklahoma and raised the average IQ in both states?

(My sister and BIL are Aggies. Sharp ones, too!)

Do you know why there will never be a "CSI Oklahoma or College Station?"

There's no Dental Records and the DNA is all the same in Both Places! :giggle:

Hook 'em Horns!

 

[Pere Flyer]

I’ll just leave these here for those who’ve forgotten. OU owns that team in Austin and the Texas conference [emoji16]

 

[Daphne312]

Howdy! I’m in my late 60s, three years retired from teaching high school. Arts-oriented; politically independent. Catholic for the second time around; have loved train travel since the 1970s. Grew up around small airports with a private pilot dad. Love to fly, too. 

Have a ton of Amtrak miles (there’s a story there); thinking what my next trip should be. 

 

[pennyk]

Howdy! I’m in my late 60s, three years retired from teaching high school. Arts-oriented; politically independent. Catholic for the second time around; have loved train travel since the 1970s. Grew up around small airports with a private pilot dad. Love to fly, too. 

Have a ton of Amtrak miles (there’s a story there); thinking what my next trip should be. 

Welcome!

 

[Daphne312]

Thank you, Penny. I saw an article about train enthusiast sites in my local newspaper (yes, the paper version) which is where I saw this group mentioned.

 

[pennyk]

Thank you, Penny. I saw an article about train enthusiast sites in my local newspaper (yes, the paper version) which is where I saw this group mentioned.

WOW, I am glad to hear that.    A friend of mine wrote the article and I am amazed at how many print newspapers have picked up the story (even though the print edition of the Orlando Sentinel has not yet picked it up).  

 

[Daphne312]

WOW, I am glad to hear that.    A friend of mine wrote the article and I am amazed at how many print newspapers have picked up the story (even though the print edition of the Orlando Sentinel has not yet picked it up).  

It was in the San Diego Union-Tribune on December 2nd. I've clipped it to send to my daughter as well (she lives in the Midwest)

 

[cpotisch]

So that makes three (people who have joined because of that article)! Welcome aboard!

 

[Daphne312]

So that makes three (people who have joined because of that article)! Welcome aboard!

The writer made it seem as if all the cool kids were here! and he was correct.



Daphne

 

[F900ElCapitan]

Well, I finally found this post and I guess I should put something up. 

I am a late 40s corporate pilot in the DFW area. My user name reflects this as I currently fly Dassault Falcon 900 aircraft. Although I was born in Texas, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and attended the University of Washington, which is where I met my wife. After college we got married and moved to Texas where I learned to fly and fortunately have been able to make the Dallas area our home ever since. 

I grew up a railfan from the beginning and was able to occasionally ride the old Pacific International from Mount Vernon to Seattle with the family, this made for a fabulous day trip, and included some of the early Superliner runs. Then in 1981 my grandmother took me on a train trip. We went from Seattle to Chicago to Philadelphia to Kissimmee to go to Disney World. It was a trip of a lifetime. Since then I’ve rode some short distance trains mainly during high school and college, but am now finally in a spot where long distance trains are a possibility. My wife and I have a big trip planned for next September so we’ll see how it goes. 

Other interests include traveling with the wife, fishing, bird hunting, and snow skiing. 

 

[XHRTSP]

Great, another pilot weirdo.  Don't we have enough of you people?

 

[F900ElCapitan]

LOL!! Never! 

 

[cpotisch]

Well, I finally found this post and I guess I should put something up. 

I am a late 40s corporate pilot in the DFW area. My user name reflects this as I currently fly Dassault Falcon 900 aircraft. Although I was born in Texas, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and attended the University of Washington, which is where I met my wife. After college we got married and moved to Texas where I learned to fly and fortunately have been able to make the Dallas area our home ever since. 

I grew up a railfan from the beginning and was able to occasionally ride the old Pacific International from Mount Vernon to Seattle with the family, this made for a fabulous day trip, and included some of the early Superliner runs. Then in 1981 my grandmother took me on a train trip. We went from Seattle to Chicago to Philadelphia to Kissimmee to go to Disney World. It was a trip of a lifetime. Since then I’ve rode some short distance trains mainly during high school and college, but am now finally in a spot where long distance trains are a possibility. My wife and I have a big trip planned for next September so we’ll see how it goes. 

Other interests include traveling with the wife, fishing, bird hunting, and snow skiing. 

Nice! I am a huge trijet enthusiast, so prepare for the possibility that I may have some questions for you at some point.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Welcome to AU, it's great to have another Texan and  Pilot that likes Trains! :hi: ( I'm just a Commercial Pilot that flew for fun, but a Million Mile Passenger back in my working days!)

We do have several Airline and Cargo Pilots as Members on AU!

And how 'bout Them Cowboys and Longhorns!(believe it or not I'm pulling for Oklahoma against the Red Tide!)

 

[Pere Flyer]

And how 'bout Them Cowboys and Longhorns!(believe it or not I'm pulling for Oklahoma against the Red Tide!)

In Bowl Season, conference camaraderie overrides even the most bitter rivalries. Great to have you aboard the Sooner Schooner in our chase for No. 8. As am I pulling for UT to knock Georgia down a few pegs in New Orleans.

 

[cpotisch]

Welcome to AU, it's great to have another Texan and  Pilot that likes Trains! :hi: ( I'm just a Commercial Pilot that flew for fun, but a Million Mile Passenger back in my working days!)

Chris is also from Texas, right? So there literally are three former or current pilots from Texas who are also rail fans, on this forum. Wow. 

 

[F900ElCapitan]

Nice! I am a huge trijet enthusiast, so I prepare for the possibility that I may have some questions for you at some point.

No problem at all, bring’em on! 

Welcome to AU, it's great to have another Texan and  Pilot that likes Trains! :hi: ( I'm just a Commercial Pilot that flew for fun, but a Million Mile Passenger back in my working days!)

We do have several Airline and Cargo Pilots as Members on AU!

And how 'bout Them Cowboys and Longhorns!(believe it or not I'm pulling for Oklahoma against the Red Tide!)

Thanks!! Cowboys and Longhorns?  :blush:  No!! I’m still a Seahawk and Husky kinda guy!   

But as for bowl games? You bet, I am quite anti Alabama!!! Even if that means saying go Sooners. Although my Niece will be playing soccer for them in a couple years, so I’ll have to say Boomer Sooner more often.