Tag: Amtrak

The Saddest Train

I’ve lived in Connecticut over a quarter century and no one’s ever told me they’ve ridden this train!

The Hartford Courant/FoxCT building is adjacent to a railroad track. Every day we see freight and passenger trains lumber by on their way to-and-from Hartford’s Union Station.

The saddest of the passersby is the little train that runs between New Haven and Springfield. It consists of an engine and two passenger cars. I’ve gotten to where I recognize the car and locomotive numbers. There’s probably only one of these trainsets going up-and-back every day.

It’s thinly traveled. I’ve lived in Connecticut over a quarter century and no one’s ever told me they’ve ridden this train!

Here it is going through the Flower Street crossing in Hartford. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it.

Boys And Trains

Mostly we get the regional New Haven to Springfield line. If there’s a sadder train I haven’t seen it.

When I’m not on-the-air I sit in a cubicle in the vast FoxCT/Hartford Courant newsroom. I’m about fifteen feet from the window. I am beckoned to that window a few times every day when a train rolls by. I can’t resist.

What is it with boys and trains? Why does the train’s whistle (mandatory as it passes the grade crossing adjacent to our building) irresistibly bring me to my feet?

I wish I knew!

Considering it’s a single track this is a busy line with both freight and passengers. A few times day we’ll get one of Amtrak’s long distance runs heading north to Vermont or the Northeast Regional service between Washington and Springfield, MA.

Mostly we get the regional New Haven to Springfield line. If there’s a sadder train I haven’t seen it.

The New Haven – Springfield service consists of one Amtrak engine and two cars. The engine pulls on the northbound run and pushes going south. It’s like a model train in a department store around Christmas.

I could take this train to work. I’d have to drive to Wallingford first then take the train about 35 minutes. From a practical standpoint my transit time would double. If I wanted to take the train home I’d have to stay here overnight!

In my 27 years in Connecticut I’ve never heard anyone mention they’d taken this train or were thinking about it. Not once!

The most interesting trips by our building are provided by a railroad I’d never heard of until I got here: The Connecticut Southern (CSO).

Most of their trains are short with just a few ratty hopper cars from other railroads. Not all! One night I shot a five plus minute video as a CSO freight lazily headed southbound toward the shoreline. I’ve got the video on my phone, but I’ll spare you.

Let’s get back to my original point for a moment. What is it about these trains that fascinate me? It’s not like I’m going to look down one day and see something amazing. It’s always the same. It always lures me back.

Photos From Yosemite

My friends Rick and Kathleen are taking the big Amtrak loop around America to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Yesterday Rick sent a few pictures from Yosemite in California. No wonder Ansel Adams was drawn to this place.

When Betty White performed her monologue on Saturday Night Live she joked about vacation photos. What had been torture was now an incentive to be online. Times change. Times change!

My friends Rick and Kathleen are taking the big Amtrak loop around America to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Yesterday Rick sent a few pictures from Yosemite in California. No wonder Ansel Adams was drawn to this place.

I’ve never been to Yosemite. It’s on my list.

Everyone’s Here

His train was around twenty minutes late. It lost power somewhere around Metropark. “We’re going to reboot,” said a crew member on the p.a. system.

Busy day. Short entry.

My folks are still here. Now my friend Peter is too. They’re all going with Helaine and me to the JDRF Gala tonight.

As you can see, Peter is camera shy.

I picked up Peter at the train station. His train was around twenty minutes late. It lost power somewhere around Metropark. “We’re going to reboot,” said a crew member on the p.a. system.

Who knew you could reboot a train?

At The Eagles Game in Spirit Only

I am not writing this from Lincoln Financial Field. I did not take Amtrak to Philadelphia. I assume my friend Barry is sitting home and not at the game either.

It’s a real shame, because I wanted to go to the game. But, it was not to be. Even though the snow stopped overnight, there was no reasonable expectation that my train would be able to hold to its schedule. It would originate in Springfield, MA and then move south through Hartford before getting to New Haven’s Union Station.

The Eagles game is the glamor game in the NFL today. The Eagles and Cowboys are both contenders. A win by the Eagles assures them a playoff spot with 3 more to play. An Eagle loss would give them both the same record, but put Dallas ahead by virtue of 2 head-to-head wins.

Here in Connecticut, the game wasn’t shown on TV. Instead, we got the Giants and Redskins. Even parents of players on those teams wanted the Eagles game!

Helaine and I sat and listened to the game on the PC. Three weeks ago, I subscribed to the NFL audio package, and it’s pretty good. Our feed is from WYSP with Merrill Reese (who I worked with 23 years ago) and Mike Quick.

All the commercials are removed, leaving dead air. Believe it or not, you miss the commercials. The silence spoils the flow of the game. Actually, the commercial pauses hurts the game at the stadium too.

Happily, the Eagles won big… big enough that I’ve already heard two sportscasters on two separate networks call it a rout.

Barry has invited me. again, two weeks from today. It’s tough to resist.