The Great Big Railroad A2k Reunion Festival - Fall 2007

if this traintrip is going to be anything like jackie gleason's traintrip across the united states , it should be a lot of fun !
his personal railcar might still be available .
hbg



...JACKIE GLEASON RIDES THE TRAIN TO FLORIDA...

"While making a film in California, CBS approached him regarding a contract for the variety show. He agreed on one condition---that a luxury train completed with two Dixieland bands transport his guests from California to Florida where Gleason wanted to do the show. "When you are 1, 2 or 3 in the ratings," said Gleason, "there is nothing that you little heart desires that the networks won't provide."


that's what i call "living it up" ! ...and away we go !...

A lttle traveling music, Ray!

Pretty nice train car. Not quite as nice as the one I am working on.
By the way, none of those chairs could support the less than svelte Gleason.

Cool idea Johnboy!

Barcelona faded away...

Bummer about Barcelona. Sorry it didn't work out. I was on the site long enough to see that the logistics were tough. Would anyone like to propose a meet in the US for 2007?

My train thing had a Fall 2007 scheduling simply because I had to pick some sort of time frame. It is still flexible.

I so far have gotten the schedules from Amtrak for DC to NY and NY to Boston and Boston to Albany (not sure why) and Albany to Chicago.

The Amtrak website is a bit cumbersome and I am a computer idiot which doesn't help. But I am starting to find my way around. I did note that the senior citizen discounts don't kick in until age 62. I will be underage by a year. Reminds me of when I was a kid and wanted to buy beer.

Walter is going to Chicago and New York and Boston, probably not in that order, in April of 2007, I think... and there's a movement afoot that people can meet him in those spots.

Well, at least I'll meet the Chicagogians, stay in NY later for a week with even some going there .... and take the Amtrak from NY to Boston and back, staying there two days. (That's from May 31 - June 13).

Avoid last week of May/first week of June in Boston.
A gazillion graduations.

Thanks - but since the flights are already booked ... June 6-8 it will be, most certainly.

I'm sure you'll blend right in with the Harvard kids.
Try to appear upwardly mobile.

I prefer the outwardly nubile.

I did not give up on this idea. I logged onto Amtrak's website and requested complete route maps and schedules. That was around Dec 1st. The packet arrived today, two months later. A bad sign.
But I have started to lay this sucker out for the Fall of 2007. A lot of things to consider such as NE during the foliage season; Glacier Park before winter sets in etc.
In 2006-2007, Amtrak offered unlimited travel for 30 days (coach) for $1000 and there is 10% off for being old. Unlimited boarding and detraining along the way. Upgrades to roomettes etc available at an extra cost, of course. With a lot of pre-planning in regards to where I might get off to stay in a hotel, this is very doable. But I might not be able to do it in 30 days.

John, this site may be of some interest to you, and hopefully prove quite useful.

This is the page for the USA.....

Thank you, your Lordship, for the links.
When I looked at the route map for Amtrak, I was surprised to see a number of pretty significant cities not served: Phoenix AZ, Las Vegas NM, Nashville TN, Louisville KY and so on.
The US is likely to sing more disappearing railroad blues, which is why I want to do this.
The slick brochures show everybody smiling and the trains as being clean and comfortable. I am knowledgeable enough to realize that that isn't likely to be the case. But I am looking forward to it.

I'm only taking Amtrak from New York to Boston and back again in June.
I was quite surprised that I only can reserve the ticket but don't get a choice for car/seat.

I'm still interested, RJB. I used to ride these trains as a kid, but I'm not a kid anymore. I have conflicting opinions on the train from LA to ABQ, both of which I take seriously, so I ascribe them to different times.

I have rather low expectations about AMTRAK. But I am not a fussy traveler. I hitched around a goodly part of the world as a lad. I don't think I would get upset about a missing pillow.

Right now I have Cville to Chicago, then to Milwaukee, and on to Glacier Park in Montana. Hitting the west coast in Seattle. Up to Vancouver and then down to Portland. From there on down to San Francisco and then along the coast to Los Angeles. Head next to the east, hitting Albuquerque. From there, across the plains to St Louis. Then down the Mississippi to New Orleans. East again along the Gulf coast to Jacksonville and then a bit of southern Florida before heading north along the Atlantic seaboard to DC and Philly and NYC and Boston.

So I have spent hours the last day or so poring over the route map and time schedule for Amtrak. I was doing pretty darn well in getting around the country--although I was up to 26 days of my 30 used up--when I came down from Chicago through Memphis to New Orleans and discovered I couldn't easily get to FL due to damage from Katrina. I may have to fly from NO to, say, Miami or Orlando. Tinkering.
The cost? I don't know yet. I am thinking $7000.

Hard to believe I've posted at lenghth twice...

well, maybe not so hard.

At this point I'll just say, please talk with Dys and Diane.