Who in the world are you?

[oregon pioneer]

I'm really excited to bring my sketch book on the train this year, maybe if any of my drawings are half-decent I'll post them with my trip report!

I would LOVE to see your sketches! My Dad was an artist, and I loved his travel sketches and watercolors.

 

[Cina]

I plan on sketching a lot on the train, it's too bad amtrak doesn't offer artists residencies like they do for writers!

 

[Dog Rancher]

I've been on this forum about 18 months now.

I am a retired Boeing 767 Captain from Continental Airlines. During my last couple of years with the airline, I was an elected representative of the Air Line Pilots Association for whom I wrote extensively on behalf of the pilots. I retired in late 2009 at age 55 before the merger with United. I have been running my own Registered Investment Advisor firm since June 2010.

While I have been fascinated with trains for many years, because I commuted halfway across the country to go to work, it was always airplanes and nothing else. About three years ago, I traded my 100,000 Continental Airlines miles in for Amtrak points and have since taken four or five AGR sleeper trips, mostly between Houston Texas and the West Coast or NW. That means I've seen the Sunset Limited and the Coast Starlight. At some point, likely after my fiancée retires in about a year and a half, we will be doing as many of the named trains as we can.

I am mostly a lurker because I don't have the standing many of you have by your long love affairs with trains. But I'm learning.

Why Dog Rancher? I rescue.

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[Bob Dylan]

Welcome to AU, its good to have another experienced traveler and Texan as a member! As you no doubt read some of our members are anti- air but most of us love to fly, its just what you go thru to get into the air and the cattle car conditions that turn us off! Fear of flying is understood!

I would think you have lots to contribute to AU and also to the AGR Forum on Flyer talk where many of is are also members! O always liked Continental Airlines back in the day when I was a frequent flyer, now find Alaska Airlines the best when I have to fly! First choice is always Amtrak!

 

[the_traveler]

Welcome Dog Rancher! :hi:

CO was my favorite airline and IAH was my favorite connection airport. I was probably on one of your flights at some point. I too transferred many OnePass (and after the merger Mileage Plus) miles to AGR over the years - over 300K. I used to live on the west coast and had family on the east coast. Now that I live on the east coast, I prefer to fly Amtrak! :giggle:

 

[Dog Rancher]

I am originally a Californian. My hometown is South Pasadena.

I spent many years in San Luis Obispo and that remains one of my favorite travel destinations, Amtrak or not.

While I currently live in Galveston, Texas, that will change in the next couple of years with a move back to the West Coast almost a certainty. Probably not California, though, Oregon is more likely. I've found a place on the Oregon coast that appears to be paradise. My current business is portable since my clients are scattered to the winds. Just as easy to set up shop in Oregon as it is in Texas, California, or Hawaii.

In my career with Continental — which spanned about 23 years — I was based in Denver, Guam, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Manila, Cleveland, Newark, and, of course Houston. If you flew Continental between 1987 and 2009 it's likely our paths crossed at one time or another.

Thank you all for your welcomes.

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[oregon pioneer]

I've found a place on the Oregon coast that appears to be paradise.

The Oregon Coast is paradise if you like rain. Personally, I moved to a place in western WA in 1973 that got 75 iunches of rain a year, and I loved it. Just be prepared to dress up for the wet, and get out in it, or you'll spend the winter depressed.

Oh, and it's not TOO far from Amtrak! Transit opportunities from most coastal areas to Amtrak routes... see http://www.tripcheck.com/rtp-to/cityCounty/CityCountySearch.aspx# (view map under #2).

 

[Dog Rancher]

This place I've found is Brookings, Oregon—only about 10 miles or so north of the California border. Supposedly, there is a microclimate there that precludes a lot of rain and also makes the winters fairly mild. The summers, too. I've only been through there once and I thought it was very beautiful but we plan on visiting at various times throughout the year to get a better sampling of the weather.

We have friends in Renton, Washington who have done their best to convince me to move to Central or Eastern Washington. But, I have to be able to see the ocean.

Closest Amtrak is Klamath Falls which is fairly good drive but we can get air service out of Crescent City California, about 25 miles south. And they don't charge to park at the airport.

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[SarahZ]

Welcome!

I love flying.

 

[CHamilton]

Brookings, OR, does have an Amtrak Thruway bus that meets the Coast Starlight at Klamath Falls. It's not an express, as it has a three-hour lunch stop in Medford, so the whole trip takes all day...but if you want to catch the CS going south, you can. Northbound would mean an overnight stop in KFS.

The notes in the timetable are, shall we say, not encouraging for those wanting a quick connection.

NOTE—At the Medford RVTA/Greyhound station, bus 8714 lays over between
12:50 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.; bus 8711 lays over between 12:20 p.m. and 3:30
p.m. Restaurants are within walking distance.
Bus 8711 arrives at the Shuttle’s Waiting Room in Klamath Falls at 6:05 p.m.
The Shuttle takes passengers and their baggage to the Amtrak station at
8:25 p.m. Restaurants are within walking distance or short cab ride.

 

[oregon pioneer]

Brookings, OR, does have an Amtrak Thruway bus that meets the Coast Starlight at Klamath Falls. It's not an express, as it has a three-hour lunch stop in Medford, so the whole trip takes all day...but if you want to catch the CS going south, you can. Northbound would mean an overnight stop in KFS.

The notes in the timetable are, shall we say, not encouraging for those wanting a quick connection.

NOTE—At the Medford RVTA/Greyhound station, bus 8714 lays over between
12:50 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.; bus 8711 lays over between 12:20 p.m. and 3:30
p.m. Restaurants are within walking distance.
Bus 8711 arrives at the Shuttle’s Waiting Room in Klamath Falls at 6:05 p.m.
The Shuttle takes passengers and their baggage to the Amtrak station at
8:25 p.m. Restaurants are within walking distance or short cab ride.

I think while pax are waiting in Medford, the bus makes a side trip to Ashland and back.

 

[aewanabe]

Hello all, I'm 37 years old, married with 3 boys. I grew up in Kalamazoo, MI, and was hooked on riding Amtrak by occasional trips to Jackson and Ann Arbor to visit family. As an adult I've managed to knock out several sleeper trips on the EB, CS, CZ, CL and lots of trips on Acela and NE regional. I've lurked for years and finally joined the forums in hope of actually contributing some useful info occasionally. My two career dreams as a young boy were to become an Amtrak engineer or airline pilot, and I am currently an Embraer 190 Captain with JetBlue Airways. My wife and boys enjoy train travel but don't necessarily share my passion for it.

Ps I'm posting this from the F/C car in Acela, it's sadly my first trip of 2014.

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[jimhudson]

Welcome to AU! It seems like we are getting more and more airline employees on AU, the more the merrier!

Sure you have lots to contribute to this Forum about Trains, Planes and Travel in general!

 

[oldtimer]

Welcome to this crazy place (don't let that scare you)! Although I spent 38 + years working for the PC and Amtrak and was born and raised on the Railroad, I was the black sheep as I was in love with airplanes. I earned my Airframe and Powerplant mechanics license and also a BA in Management. The first three years in the aviation industry were a disaster to me, laid off three times, moved to Dallas for work and sixty days later laid off. This was thanks to nixonnomics and Frank Lorenzo, this was before your time. I was quoted in an Amtrak publication that Ïf it rolls flys or floats I can fix it."

Welcome and enjoy your stay

 

[aewanabe]

Thanks for the welcomes! And oldtimer, there surely are some similarities between the railroad and aviation career trajectories; certainly timing-wise it's better to be lucky than good, and I've narrowly avoided a couple furloughs myself...

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[Dog Rancher]

Since the JetBlue Captain posted his photo, I thought I would include one of mine. That's me in the left seat on my retirement trip from Honolulu to Newark, November 27, 2009.

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[Devil's Advocate]

When I was a young boy I wanted to be a railroad engineer. Which made sense since I grew up in a small town that was home to ATSF trains every ten or twenty minutes all day long. I even got to play around on some local switchers thanks to understanding employees who saw my enthusiasm as something worth kindling rather than snuffing out. When I finally reached the age where it was time to find a career US railroads seemed kind of old and tired and I thought about becoming an aircraft pilot instead. Although I considered many potential paths in the end I became an IT support guy. It may sound like a pretty generic job now but back in the day it was something new to try. Working in IT was just how my brain was already wired. My various employers were basically paying me to perform a task I'd probably be doing on my own anyway. Even though IT jobs can be interesting and somewhat rewarding they do not have the same sense of fundamental purpose as real-time jobs. Some days are very hectic and you almost feel like the entire company is depending on you to fix whatever is broken. Other days you end up feeling like you played only the most trivial and insignificant role in keeping things running smoothly. IT has an odd paradox where the worse things get the more you feel like you made a real difference. When everything is working as it should few people even seem notice you exist.

 

[XHRTSP]

Well I guess I'll come out of the closet too. I'm also an airline pilot. Don't everyone boo at once. I've been in the industry only since February, and am based out of and living in Chicago, ie Train Mecca. Don't have any good hero pics of me in the CRJ yet, but here's from my last employer.

 

[Dog Rancher]

My cockpit was a little more relaxed.

Thank you for your service.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I'm not an Airline Pilot, just a lowly Commercial Pilot/Single-Multi Engine Land with Instrument Rating! (My GI Bill wasn't wasted on College! LOL)

We have several Airline Pilots and Retired Military Pilots that are AU Members that also like Trains, that's very Cool!

 

[SarahZ]

Hello all, I'm 37 years old, married with 3 boys. I grew up in Kalamazoo, MI, and was hooked on riding Amtrak by occasional trips to Jackson and Ann Arbor to visit family. As an adult I've managed to knock out several sleeper trips on the EB, CS, CZ, CL and lots of trips on Acela and NE regional. I've lurked for years and finally joined the forums in hope of actually contributing some useful info occasionally. My two career dreams as a young boy were to become an Amtrak engineer or airline pilot, and I am currently an Embraer 190 Captain with JetBlue Airways. My wife and boys enjoy train travel but don't necessarily share my passion for it.

Ps I'm posting this from the F/C car in Acela, it's sadly my first trip of 2014.

ImageUploadedByAmtrak Forum1401734501.255708.jpg

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Hello! I'm also 37, and I live in Kalamazoo. I've been here on and off since 1997.

Did you graduate from WMU's Aviation school?

 

[aewanabe]

XHRTSP, thanks for your service; that's a great shot! Do the NVGs make you a rotary-wing driver, or -130s or something like that? My background is all civilian, but my (far) better half was a KC-10 driver while she was AD... and Dog Rancher, congrats on your retirement Captain; I've got a couple buddies with your previous employer on that fleet and they all seem to be having a great time.

Sarah, I should have gone to WMU, it would have been cheaper and probably more fun than the route I ended up taking, but since my folks lived a block off Howard street I just didn't want to do college that close to the parental units!

 

[aewanabe]

(D'oh, I just took a second look at your picture XHRTSP, I'm guessing the oxygen mask rules out helos... single-seat? At any rate, great shot!)

 

[XHRTSP]

(D'oh, I just took a second look at your picture XHRTSP, I'm guessing the oxygen mask rules out helos... single-seat? At any rate, great shot!)

AC-130U, so 13 seat actually. Great weapons platform, but was a horrible airplane to fly.

 

[Shortline]

I'm not an Airline Pilot, just a lowly Commercial Pilot/Single-Multi Engine Land with Instrument Rating! (My GI Bill wasn't wasted on College! LOL)

We have several Airline Pilots and Retired Military Pilots that are AU Members that also like Trains, that's very Cool!

Trains and planes-they do seem to go together. I wasn't an AF Pilot, but was a crewmember. Spent the first 8 years of my adult life flying around the world in the back of a C-130 as a Loadmaster, before leaving to go to work for the Railroad. Just retired from the Air National Guard, after many years of part timing it. Do fly some with the Civil Air Patrol, and am working on getting qualified to fly drug interdiction, Search and Rescue, and all the other fun stuff, and want to start on some additional ratings next year just for safety reasons. No desire to fly commercially, other than perhaps some part time flight instruction for fun, mostly to be able to provide the training to other CAP pilots as they come up behind me-Someone is taking the time to get me up to speed, would like to return the favor some day- and would like the Insturment rating to be more usable in the CAP than just a VFR pilot. Really don't see me getting a multi, just don't expect to ever fly anything with more than one spinny thing on the front, but would like to get my commercial, insturment, CFI, CFII, and finish my glider rating I started several years ago.

Spent my early RR career as a Conductor and Engineer, before moving into management, now I push the keyboard a whole lot more than the throttle on a plane OR a locomotive!

Many pilots seem to also be interested in railroads to one degree or another. Flying 130's from Alaska in the early 90's, I remember a pilot who would bring his narrow gauge model kits, and prop the box on his lap to work on while crossing the pond! Cant remember his name, but do remember the smell of glue and paint on the flight deck!