After a considerable period of not traveling a whole lot, things changed for this writer in March with visits to both the east and west coasts of the United States. As always, a little time was taken from planned activities to check out the rail scene, and in both cases the efforts to see what was happening was rewarding with a variety of activity.

Tuesday, March 14 - I'm at Vancouver airport en route New York City, and run into WCRA member Dave Shore. Dave is with Canadian Airlines and is working in the gate area today, we get a chance to chat a bit before I board my plane. We talk about railfanning the Northeast Corridor, and Dave suggests a place called Elizabeth, New Jersey. My flight on an American Airlines 757 is non stop, with a late arrival (2330 hours) at JFK airport - no rails today.

Wednesday, March 15 - a pleasant day in New York, sunny and 17 degrees Celcius. Business is the agenda all morning, but concludes on time at 1130hours - I have the afternoon and tomorrow free before flying home in the evening. Let's make the most of it!

After changing, its off to the southern tip of Manhattan on the Subway - what visit to New York would be complete without a subway ride. The NY subway system is busy and nothing like the old graffiti covered days, now quite clean and certainly efficient. My ride to Battery Park is on the N line, a local that gets me there in about 15 minutes. Now for some New York sightseeing, a must is the free ride on the Staten Island ferry - out past the Statue of Liberty and back, a nice one hour cruise. Back at Battery Park, its back on the subway and up the #9 line to Penn Station. I arrive there around 1430 hours.

So, can we get out to Elizabeth? No problem, New Jersey Transit has a departure every 15 minutes (51 trains daily in each each direction stop there!), so for $6 round trip I board the 1508 departure (an electric MU consist of six cars) and away we go. This is the Northeast Corridor, North America's busiest and fastest rail corridor, and the four track main bustles with activity. We exit Penn Station by tunneling under the Hudson River, and then follow the corridor through Newark, NJ and a couple of other stops. Disembarking at Elizabeth, the platform is the place to be, so I wander to the quiet north end and await the action.

It doesn't take long to start. The next hour and fifteen minutes is a plethora of action, with Amtrak Metroliners behind AEM-7 power, Harrisburg trains and a variety of New Jersey Transit stuff. The Amtrak traffic shows transition to the new Acela, with one trainset that passed all in the new paint scheme and many of the AEM-7's now in solid gray with red stripe in preparation for the new service. NJT shows off everything it has - with MU consists, AEM-7 push pull operations, and diesel powered push pull with F40PH and GP 40 power. Its evening rush as we get past 1600 hours, and three tracks have southbound traffic with one track northbound for a while. The real surprise of the afternoon is at 1545, when a ballast train powered by two Conrail units (one in Operation Lifesaver paint) rushes past! At 1700, its time to return to Penn Station and prepare for a business related dinner - but not a bad afternoon!

Thursday, March 16 - Time for an Amtrak ride, and the decision is to go to Albany, NY. In past visits I have ridden the Northeast corridor, and decide to save my next corridor ride for a future Acela train, so the Empire corridor is chosen. The ride to Albany is a scenic one, having had a glimpse a couple of years ago en route Cleveland on the Lakeshore Ltd. - but with dusk and dark due the late departure. So, off to Penn Station this morning and purchase a coach class ticket for $39. Next departure (there are 14 trains daily in each direction) is train #63 at 0715 hours. Breakfast will be on the train.

Ticket in hand, I am ready when the train is announced - turns out that Train #63 is the Maple Leaf bound for Toronto! Down the escalator and up to the front of the train, settle into a window coach seat on the Hudson River side. Our GE P42 dual mode power (electric third rail and then diesel) has us underway right on time and we head out of Penn Station. Our consist is five Amfleet coaches with an Amdinette table car on the rear of the train.

Soon we are gliding along the Empire Corridor, shared for the first miles with Metro North commuter trains which are in the height of the morning rush into New York. As we clip along we are passed by a constant parade of electric MU and push pull trains, most powered by sister units to our Amtrak one. For the first miles this is a four track mainline as well, with three tracks being used inbound - local commuters, express commuters, Amtrak inbound with us on the fourth track outbound. Harmon diesel shop is passed, several FL-9 units are in evidence there along with a major facility for Metro North equipment.

It is always a pleasure going for a train ride, and this is no exception. Even with basic Amfleet, it feels good to look out the window, enjoy coffee and a bagel, and watch the scenery and other railroad action pass by. The ride up the Hudson River to Albany is scenic all the way and most enjoyable. I wonder why I haven't done it before? We arrive Albany / Rensselear on time at 0940 - 2 1/2 hours out of NYC.

This is a bustling place, but the station is across the river from Albany, NY. After scouting the options, I decide to stay on the Rensselear side, there is no easy walk access across the river and my time here will be short. Besides, the rail activity looks good. A new station building is under construction and this is the place where Amtrak swaps the dual mode GE power for conventional diesel power on trains that continue on beyond Albany. The large shop is home to the dual mode fleet - there's even an Amtrak FL-9 sitting in the yard.

The Maple Leaf power changes to an F40PH-2 unit (and these are getting rare these days) and heads out of town just after 1000 for Toronto. Southbound Empire corridor train #284 departs at the same time with a P42 and five Amfleet cars. I go for a walk along the Hudson River and around the town of Rensselear. Returning to the station, my target is for the 1200 departure back to New York. The next arrival from NY was due at 1045, but has still not arrived at 1115. Train #69 pulls in, turning out to be the Adirondack for Montreal - a P42 and six heritage fleet cars. The baggage car boldly proclaims "Amtrak's Adirondack" in a mural painting on the carside, then there are four heritage coaches separated in the middle with a heritage diner / lounge car. The power swap puts an F40 on the point - and Amtrak's era of the 1970's and 1980's is suddenly returned - F40PH-2 and rebuilt heritage stainless steel equipment in a matching set. The Adirondack leaves and then the eastbound Lakeshore Ltd. arrives behind a P42 / F40 power combination. It has been quite a 2 hours at Albany, but where is my noon departure?

The loudspeakers announce that passengers should await the arrival of the equipment for train #256 from the shop and stand clear while the power from the Lakeshore is uncoupled in preparation for its power swap. The Lakeshore's power pulls away from the train and in front of us waiting passengers. In the clear now, its 1155, and in pulls - a Rohr Turboliner! I thought these were all gone, but this built-under-license (to Rohr of France) trainset is still in service, we board and depart just five minutes late. The five car set has Custom Class and coach, with standard Amtrak food counter service in the middle. The windows are large (especially compared to Amfleet), but the left side ones are very scratched and almost opaque. For some reason, the right side windows - also the river side - are nice and clear! You know where I am.

The ride back to New York is pleasant again, although the food service is very basic. Sandwich at my seat suffices and the Hudson River glides by. We have no time making schedule and arrive right on time at Penn station at 1430 hours.

My New York trip is almost over, claim my luggage back at my hotel and take a rush hour cab ride to JFK airport (an experience in itself!). Then a great flight home aboard Cathay Pacific in a new Boeing 747-400.

2) BAY AREA FOR WESTERN ARM MEETING

I've just been back a week, but its time to head off again, this time its railway related. In my new role as a Board Member for the Association of Railway Museums, there is a Western Regional meeting planned for the Western Railway Museum in the Bay Area of California. The California State Railroad Museum has added an extra on the front end, so we are off - driving this time - down I 5 to Sacramento. Its a fast trip, departure from Vancouver at 0600, straight through on Interstate 5 to Sacramento, arriving 2000 hours. Occasional glimpses of railway action are observed en route, but no time for stopping on this drive.

Friday, March 24 - Its a beautiful morning in Sacramento, so time to get up. I walk over to the Amtrak (former Southern Pacific) station just in time to catch the southbound Coast Starlight arrive at 0640. Two big GE P42 (#114/117) locomotives have the Superliner train in tow, with baggage car, 11 Superliners and one material handling car (box car) on the rear. The station is bustling, as terminus for the Capitol Corridor trains there are now nine trains each day in each direction through Sacramento! After breakfast, we wander around the town a bit - over at Old Sacramento the railway museum crews have Sacramento Northern SW1 #402 busy assembling a morning education group train.

At 0930 we head for the California State Railway Museum, where a special pre ARM session is planned. the focus is the new Railroad Technology Museum project, a mega project that involves turning the old Southern Pacific locomotive shops into a museum complex. The 44 acre site will be converted into a dynamic cultural attraction, complementing the current Museum of Railroad History in Old Sacramento, and create an urban museum megaplex for the area. The targeted date for opening is 2006.

Our group had time to explore the current Sacramento museum, then received a slide presentation about the plans for the new complex in one of the theatres. After lunch, we were issued hard hats and were off for a comprehensive tour of the Sacramento Locomotive Works as they are today - the highlight of this day for sure! The ships complex dates back to 1863 when the Central Pacific Railroad first began construction of the transcontinental line across the United States. A comprehensive tour through the buildings awed us with the sheer

mmensity of the complex and the opportunities to create something truly unique. This writer can't wait to see the completed product when the new facility opens later this decade.

We head west on I 80 later in the afternoon, our destination is Fairfield, California where we will be based for the next two days to attend the ARM sessions at Rio Vista Junction. Along the way a great photo spot can't be resisted on the paralleling Union Pacific mainline - we pause and catch a meet between the westbound California Zephyr (with three Virginia Railway Express former RDC coaches on the front) and an eastbound Capitol train with five bi level "California" cars and F59PHI pushing.

Saturday, March 25 - Another beautiful California morning, we start with some railfanning at the Fairfield station, catching the Coast Starlight southbound and Capitol trains in both directions. Then its off to Rio Vista Junction and the Western Railway Museum, the facility of the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association. Arriving there is a little bit of deja vu for this writer, as we pull up to a railway station building under construction, with operating entry to the current facility elsewhere. Conceptually, its the same thing that we are doing at our Heritage Park - a new entry facility for the Western Railway Museum which will house entry, gift shop, food service and archives / library facility. In style, though, its quite different as this station is designed to typify the California station, with grand hall and stucco exterior. Its an impressive facility and will serve them well. We are the first group to meet in the grand hall, still unfinished inside but very accommodating on this bright sunny day.

Following a formal welcome from ARM organizer Peter Gagnon and BAERA's Bill Kluver, we begin our day long tour of the museum. We are royally treated with lunch and car barn and equipment tours of just about every nook and cranny there is. The Western Railway Museum's focus is electric railways of the area, and their operating piece is a stretch of restored Sacramento Northern electric line.

At 1500 hours, we board our ARM special train for a ride, our conveyance is Salt Lake & Utah parlour car #751. Motor #7 provides the motive power as the parlour car is a trailer. It is a great ride and we are treated royally, with wine and snacks provided as we roll along. Comfortable parlour seating and an open platform observation deck are perfect! Along the way we also stop and tour some of the non electric railway equipment, which includes a Western Pacific F7A and two Pullman cars.

Sunday, March 26 - Back to Rio Vista for a day of sessions for the actual meeting component of the trip. The topic is "Mission statements and how they guide an organization". We listen to keynote speaker John Blum and then participate in four round table discussion groups, with a topic for each related to Mission. The WCRA's mission is one of several used as examples in this day, with useful discussions and learning for everyone. The meeting concludes and we head for home at 1530 hours.

The return trip takes Sunday afternoon and Monday, as we decide to route up the coast. Not a lot of railroading spotted, a couple of units at Willits, CA in the old SP "Black Widow" scheme, but the rails all along the way are well rusted and not showing much evidence of recent operation. Central Oregon & Pacific is spotted working the docks at Coos Bay with a GP 38 and a long cut of cars. Back home Monday evening,, it has been quite a couple of weeks. Time now to settle down, catch up at home and get a newsletter out!