The Underground Brewery Stories about brewing beer and train traveling from Tom Coughlin

About half of the 29 cars bound for Chattanooga arrived over the last 24 hours, and are parked in various places all over the station. The Mount Vernon is on power and tied down for the night on track 30 along with the Cimmaron River, Pacific Sands, and Suitsme. Station is really quiet. Chef Charles is out with Owner Jack doing some last minute shopping. Beautiful night in Washington.

From Private Train to Chattanooga, posted by Tom Coughlin on 9/22/2012 (4 items)

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The Mount Vernon is parked tonight in Morristown, NJ with an Alco Century 424 on the point. Tomorrow, it makes the convoluted trip between Morristown and Sunnyside Yard, and the entry point for Amtrak. Coincidentally, The Amtrak orders to move the car were updated today: Off to Washington, DC on Friday; ten days on the special train to Chattanooga; a short layover at Washington Union Terminal; then on to New Orleans and a cross country private charter.

Some pictures from our June 2011 trip around northern Ontario. Sadly, the Northerner (the Onatrio Northland’s Toronto to Cochrane day train) is scheduled to be replaced by buses at the end of September 2012.

“June 2011 circle trip around Northern Ontario with rides on the Algoma Central and Ontario Northland Railways”

From Northern Canada trip, posted by Tom Coughlin on 7/03/2011 (47 items)

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Big trip to Niagara Falls last weekend–first time the car has been out in about 4 months, and first trip after a wheelset changeout, and a few assorted repairs/upgrades. Happy to say, the car did well and the passengers were happy. Seems like the car is ready for it’s big trip to Chattanooga in about two weeks.

While folks were out having a great time around Niagara Falls (passengers went to Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Lewiston), the Amtrak crew spent a few hours with Owner Jack fixing a sewage dump valve that had gotten stuck, and servicing the batteries. We slept on the car at the station and gave the whole plumbing system a workout every morning.

One of the weekend’s big highlights was visiting Niagara College’s student run restaurant, winery and brewery.

It’s slightly out of town from Niagara-on-the-Lake, but certainly worth the visit.

 

Niagara Falls, NY (NFL) is the last station in NY before the Amtrak/VIARail Maple Leaf crosses the border into Canada, and it’s the starting point for two Amtrak Empire service trains to NYC, which makes it a convenient and flexible private car destination. Beside the TSA border crossing facility for train passengers, there’s a small car shop and a busy freight yard. The station facilities include HEP power hookup, switching, water and septic pumping. The station is a couple of miles out of town, but cabs are plentiful and cheap, and most cab drivers will take you to the Canadian side of the falls. Nearest car rental, Budget Car Rental–a few miles away close to the airport, is open Sunday. Before you go: 1) make a car reservation,  and it saves a lot of traveling locally; 2) don’t forget your passport.

The Railroad Tourist’s Top Five list for NFL:

1. The Falls
The falls area is approximately 3 miles from the train station–while the destination is considered a safe neighborhood, the walk-through  neighborhood is a concern at night. The Falls are surrounded by large landscaped walking parks dating back to the 19th century on both sides, and connected by an international footbridge. Words do no justice to the sights and sounds of standing next to a lot of rushing water.

2. The Shaw Festival and Niagara on the Lake, ON
Located in Niagara on the Lake (20 miles north of Niagara Falls, and served from the falls by numerous shuttle bus connections), the Shaw Fest is the second largest repertory theater company in North America with a cultural mandate to present plays written the post-Edwardian era (musicals, dramas but no Shakespeare here). Two shows daily every day except Monday on each of four stages located in various theaters around a highly walkable Victorian-era downtown. As these shows are rotated in each theater, repertory style (each member of the cast has a role in at least two shows), It’s possible to stay for a week, go to the theater twice a day and not see the same show twice.

3. Lewiston, NY
Located on the Niagara River 20 minutes north of the Niagara Falls area, Lewiston offers visitors a restored historic downtown area, shops and restaurants, and a summer schedule of outdoor concerts by prominent musicians in the towns Art Park. Rail fans can visit the site of the first railroad to be constructed in North America–an inclined railway with wooden rails built in the 1700s to move goods to the docks.

3. Ride the Train to Toronto.
GO Transit runs special weekend service between Niagara Falls, Ontario and Toronto for summertime three-day weekends. A great way to get to town for a low price, and check out the bi-level cars. Trains depart 11:30 am, 7:30 and 10:30 pm for Toronto. Return trains depart 9 am 4:15 and 8:15 pm from Toronto. Trip takes 2 hours each way. One way fare $19.50.

4. Niagara College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute.
(135 Taylor Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario)– Ontario’s preeminent technical college. Home to the Canadian Food and Wine Institute, the student-run Benchmark Restaurant, a student-run teaching brewery with an 8.5 barrel production system, and their teaching winery. Reservations are recommended. Winery–Tours 10:30 am every day. $15 tasting and education fee. Call 905-641-2252 Ext: 4079 for reservations. Restaurant–Lunch Tues-Sat 11:30 to 2 pm. Dinner Wednesday through Saturday 5 to 9 pm. 905-641-2252 ext. 4619 for reservations. Directions–In Niagara on the Lake– on Taylor Road SE of Glendale. http://www.canadianfoodandwineinstitute.ca/content/

5. Ontario’s Wine Country.
The Niagara Region of Ontario is home to more than 27 wineries. Cold climate white wines and ice wines dominate the local vinecultural scene. Most wineries offer tours and tastings, and many attractions feature food and entertainment. See: http://winecountryontario.ca/niagara-on-the-lake

 

 

 

 

Two new wheelsets get installed next week, and after that, the car is pretty much ready for the road. The fall schedule is the busiest in the PV Mount Vernon’s 10-year operating history: a Labor Day deep-discount weekend trip, the AAPRCO convention in Tennessee and North Carolina, a public trip over Columbus Day weekend, followed by two cross-country charters. I’m going to be working crew on the AAPRCO trip, and I’ll be teaching four class sessions online while the trip is running. Ironically, one of the classes is a graduate division class on new media teaching and learning, and we’ll be covering blogging and social media in class.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2180156/Spectacular-photographs-abandoned-railway-stations-left-fall-pieces-world.html

 

A photo album of abandoned railway stations from the UK Daily mail. Wonderful shots, no commentary though.

Here’s the backstory on the North American photos:

The (Detroit) Michigan Central station was built in 1915 (designed by the same team who did Grand Central Terminal, who sold the Michigan Central on the idea of the *tallest* strain station. It never achieved anything close 100% tenant occupation (due both to it’s huge size, and it’s remote suburban location–a good site in terms of the rail junction of lines to Ontario and Pontiac, but far from downtown).

The UP Station (Oakland, CA), is also in the suburbs–it was situated on the trolley line leading over the Oakland Bay Bridge to provide for a convenient connection to downtown San Francisco. With the demise of East Bay trolley lines, it was completely in the wrong place, but Amtrak continued to use this station for the California Zephyr well into the 2000s, when an earthquake mortally wounded it. I’ve photoed this building several times through a tall cyclone fence-too beautiful to tear down, too costly to restore.

The Redlands, CA ATSF railway station is situated on a downtown trackage loop that was abandoned in the 1950s. The train stops nearby, in San Bernardino–which has lots of commuter service to LA these days. The old Redlands station is preserved.

Not the case for the moldering Gary, Indiana Union Station and Jersey City Jersey Central stations–in both cases, lots of passenger trains and/or light rail in the immediate area, but those rail lines that go to other stations.

My apologies to train station devotees at The Mail–the old IRT City Hall Station is not abandoned, just closed. It was built on a turn-around loop which is still in service, so you can ride through it, and it sometimes gets opened for tour groups.

 

 

Train travel and photography–natural compliments. Both introduced in the mid 19th century. The developing western rail lines, and the places along side them, were extensively photographed during their construction, for the benefit of investors and promoters.

These photos, popularized as postcard images and in the popular press, led to America’s fascination with the Old West, Native American culture, and places of natural splendor. Conversely, photographing trains led to the development of a number of photographic techniques–panorama cameras, long exposures using multiple flashbulbs. wide-angle lenses, twilight photography, etc. Apexart is at 291 Church St., and the show is free. Unfortunately, the shows turn over quickly there. Exhibit info.