Author Archives: Oren

Oren’s Reading List: What Makes Train Travel Such an Antedote to Life’s Stresses?

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Amtrak Genesis P40 823 at Sacramento, CA, July 24, 2014

Even if this is the first time you’ve visited this site, it probably didn’t take you very long to realize I like traveling by train.  A lot.  To the point I’ve gone from Washington, DC to Seattle entirely by Amtrak.  To the point that I’ve never been in any of the airports in either Paris or Los Angeles, despite the fact most people traverse them when visiting those major cities.  To the point I’d rather spend a day on the Acela going from DC to Boston as opposed to taking a 90 minute flight between ends of the Northeast Corridor.  And I assume that chances are if you’re still reading this paragraph, you might enjoy traveling by train, too.

So what makes train travel so appealing?  After reading this article by Margarita Gokun Silver that was posted to the CityLab Facebook page recently, I thought I’d try explaining why I enjoy it so much.  For one thing, I’m six feet tall, and let’s just say whoever designed the economy class seats that you find on airlines these days must be at least six inches shorter than I am.  And I’ll save my rants about the TSA security theater for my close friends and family.  But even if flying was a more pleasant experience, there are still some things the airlines can’t offer you.

TGV Paris Sud-Est Power Car 112 at Martigny, Switzerland, March 15, 2008

First off, trains often go on routes that cars and planes simply cannot access.  For example, Amtrak’s California Zephyr traverses parts of the Rockies that are only visible from the train, unless you want to go by raft along the Colorado River.  While it is true you might be able to drive on routes that parallel a railroad route, taking your eyes off the road while crossing the Susquehanna River on I-95 is not recommended.  On the Amtrak route adjacent to the highway, it is encouraged.  Finally, on long distance trains, you aren’t just crammed in to a metal tube with a bunch of strangers all hoping your misery ends as soon as possible.  The train is a rolling community on wheels.  On an Amtrak long distance train, the lounge car is the social hub of the train, where starting up conversations with total strangers is the norm.  In Europe, unless you book an entire sleeping compartment, you’ll be sharing your accommodations with other passengers, so provided you share a language or two in common you can converse among your travel companions and make new friends.  Since when did the person in the middle seat next to you on an airplane talk to you except to ask for a share of the armrest?

Do you find train travel to be an antidote to the stresses of traveling?  And if so, why?  Share your reasons in the comments below!

Oren’s Reading List is an occasional feature on The Travelogue in which I share articles that I’ve read that might also be of interest to the readers of this website.

 

Oren’s Reading List: NYC Subway Record

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34th Street-Hudson Yards Station, December 27, 2015

I enjoy riding trains, perhaps more than most.  That said, I don’t think Matthew Ahn needs to worry about my breaking his record for fastest trip through the entire New York City Subway.  He had the Guinness World Record for the feat, but then the new 34th Street-Hudson Yards station opened on the 7 last year.  Not only did Ahn set out to make sure he would still have the record for the expanded system, he beat his original record by about 21 minutes!  Read about his 21 hour 28 minute 14 second odyssey through all 469 New York City subway stations in this article from the New York Daily News.

While I don’t have any aspirations to challenge this record, I have been to every station on the subways in Washington, DC, Toronto, Rome, Haifa, as well as the entire Jerusalem Light Rail, in a single day (and some of those were on a single fare, too).  What about you?

Oren’s Reading List is an occasional feature on The Travelogue in which I share articles that I’ve read that might also be of interest to the readers of this website.

System Review: San Juan, PR

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Siemens 25 at Sagrado Corazon, March 20, 2016

I was in Puerto Rico for a week of vacation back in March.  The reality of public transit in Puerto Rico is that outside of San Juan, whether you are a tourist or resident of the island, you really need to drive to get to where you are going.  Formal, organized public transportation is pretty much nonexistent outside of San Juan, and even intercity public transportation is often limited to “publicos”, shared vans that operate on an ad-hoc basis.  However, within San Juan itself, the transit system can be relied upon and is a less harrowing experience than trying to navigate the city streets by car.

The bus system, Autoridad Metropolitana de Autobuses de Puerto Rico, operates a mix of Orion Vs, Orion VIIs, and Gillig Advantages, equipment that you’d find pretty much anywhere else in the continental United States.  The fleet itself has about 200 buses and there are about 30 routes criscrossing the city.  Unfortunately, despite the picture you might make based on reading those statistics, the utility of the system is a bit more limited.  Service ceases to operate by 9 PM on weekdays and 8 PM on Saturdays, and only two routes have any Sunday service to speak of.  Also, bus stops have no information about what routes stop there, there are no posted schedules, and there is no real time information available for passengers, one really needs to know where he or she is going ahead of time.

Artwork at the Sagrado Corazon Station, March 20, 2016

There is one rapid transit service on the island, the Tren Urbano that serves San Juan and some of the surrounding area.  However, the line is practically useless to anyone other than people living or traveling along its single route, and I know people who are from Puerto Rico who have never set foot on it.  Unlike the bus system, Tren Urbano operates 7 days a week.  However, service is quite limited outside of rush hours.  I rode on a Sunday when the trains ran every 15 minutes, though with a slight decrease in frequency, the line could be operated with only two trainsets instead of the three that I saw in operation.  Most of the line is elevated, but there are sections with stations in open cuts as well as s short underground segment.  The trains didn’t feel especially fast, especially considering the age of the system (it opened in 2004) and how straight much of the track was.  As is often the case with new stations, each one featured artwork, and I liked some of what I saw quite a bit.  Unfortunately, the 15 minute headways deterred me from exploring any stations other than the two end of the line stations (I parked at Bayamon, rode to Sagrado Corazon, and rode back to Bayamon to return to the rental car).  The trains themselves were comfortable.  The system is operated automatically, but each train has an operator on board to control door operation and make announcements despite the presence of automated announcements as well.

Invalid Displayed Gallery

Perhaps most noteworthy in the entire Puerto Rican transit experience is that both the buses and Tren Urbano use fare media identical to New York City’s.  Same fareboxes on the buses (they don’t accept bills in Puerto Rico either) and same vending machines on the Tren Urbano, down to the graphics on the touchscreens!  I didn’t try using my Metrocard as payment, but it sure felt likely that they would have worked had I tried!

I hope to see an expansion of the Tren Urbano to make it more useful to more people in the traffic choked San Juan area and expansion of the bus system hours to make it more useful in the evenings and on Sundays.  Additional information for wayfinding would also be helpful for tourists and residents alike.  However, the system could be relied upon within San Juan itself for most of my needs while I was there..  Outside of San Juan, I was glad to have a car.

Check out all of my photos from my trip in the Puerto Rico section!

Oren’s Reading List: Subway Train or Temperature Converter?

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It’s been hot and sticky in the northeast US in the past few days.  Need to convert the temperature in Fahrenheit to Celsius?  (After all, those smaller numbers on the Celsius scale ought to be cooler, or is that just wishful thinking?)  Just take a look at the NYC Subway map!

I’m not kidding either!  A friend recently shared this article with me on Facebook, explaining how the 6 train stops on the East Side of Manhattan can also serve as a nifty Farenheit to Celsius conversion table.  Don’t believe me?  Check it out below!

Subway map or temperature conversion table? Take your pick! Image from https://twitter.com/gabor.

Oren’s Reading List is an occasional feature on The Travelogue in which I share articles that I’ve read that might also be of interest to the readers of this website.

Silverliner Sunset

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Silverliner II 9007 at North Broad, April 19, 2012

In 2012, SEPTA finally had enough of its Silverliner V cars to be able to withdraw the last of the Silverliner II and Silverliner III cars from its Regional Rail fleet.  I happened to be in Philadelphia in April and had some time in the afternoon to meet up with a local railfan who I know to chase the remaining cars at that time.  After riding a set from Center City out to Fox Chase, we came back to Temple University to photograph the start of the evening rush hour.  However, knowing where the Silverliner II and Silverliner III trainsets were and glancing through the timetables, I suggested we move up to the North Broad station to get something different.  In the Philly railfan community, North Broad is usually thought of as a morning photo spot, due to its layout relative to where the sun would be positioned.  However, being from out of town, I suggested we give it a shot.  It worked out pretty well.  Not only was the afternoon light conducive to getting decent photos, we had four Silverliner II/Silverliner III sets pass through the station in the span of about 3 minutes, probably representing the entire active fleet at that time.  This is my favorite photo of the set, if you look closely you’ll see not one but two of the four trainsets in this single photo.  Want to see more?  Check out the SEPTA Regional Rail Rolling Stock page and look for photos from April 19, 2012.

 

Oren’s Reading List: The 11 Most Beautiful Train Stations Across America

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Even if the golden age of train travel in the US is more of a memory than anything else today, its remnants are still visible to anyone who still travels by rail.  Thrillist.com has put together a list of the 11 most beautiful train stations in the United States.  I’ve been to 7 of the 11.  How many have you been to?  Which is your favorite?  Was something left off the list that you think should have been included?  Check out the list here and then answer any or all of these questions in the comments below!

Transit Map Water Bottles

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I suspect many of the people reading this are interested in finding transit related memorabilia either to buy themselves or to put on wish lists for friends and family to consider purchasing as a gift.  Here’s one potential purchase idea that was brought to my attention recently: a transit map water bottle.  The online store at Planetizen has water bottles with transit maps from several different cities on them, including DC, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Austin. Check them out here. 

Rail Photo of the Month: August 2016

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Silverliner V 720

Silverliner V 720

Location: Temple University Station, Phiadelphia, PA
Operator of Vehicle: Southeastern Pennsylvania Area Transit Authority
Date of Photo: April 19, 2012

Philadelphia has been in the news a lot in the past week, having just hosted the Democratic National Convention.  Philadelphia has also been in the news in the transit world as its Silverliner V fleet was sidelined due to structural issues discovered in the cars.  The Silverliner Vs were ordered in order to replace railcars dating back to before SEPTA operated the Philadelphia area commuter rail lines.  Upon their arrival and the retirement of this older equipment, the average age of the Regional Rail fleet decreased significantly.  These cars featured LED destination signs and automated announcements, as well as a railfan seat (albeit now modified) rarely found on commuter rail trains.  While SEPTA continues to operate as much Regional Rail service as it can with its Silverliner IV fleet, as well as equipment leased from Amtrak and other commuter rail systems, Philadelphia area commuters will be glad to see the full fleet back in service.

For more photos of SEPTA’s Regional Rail Rolling Stock, please click here.

Bus Photo of the Month: August 2016

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Ciao Apache 37579

Ciao Apache 37579

Location: Avenida João Luíz Alves, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Date of Photo: July 29, 2010

The world will be turning its attention to Rio de Janeiro at the end of this week as the 2016 Summer Olympics get underway. Considering the size of the city’s population and area, you would think that athletes and visitors would travel via trains and modern subways.  However, this isn’t the case, Rio de Janeiro or any other Brazilian city.  Many large cities do not have subway systems, and those the systems that do exist are quite small considering the size of the cities they serve.  Therefore, buses form the backbone of the public transit infrastructure in most Brazilian cities, including Rio.  The city is building a new subway line to serve Olympic venues, but it is only scheduled to open today, just five days before the opening ceremony for the games.  With the strong possibility that Line 4 will not be at the starting line so to speak when the challenge to transport the crowds for the Olympics, the buses of Rio de Janeiro will be expected a gold medal as spectators travel around the metropolis over the next few weeks.

For more photos of Rio de Janeiro’s bus system, please click here.

Oren’s Reading List: Stories Behind CTA ‘L’ Lines’ Strange Curves, Dips and Twists

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CTA 2600 Series: 2726
The L in Chicago is one of my favorite transit systems to ride in the US.  The system is mostly elevated and at times it feels like you can just reach in to the apartment buildings you pass by because they are that close to the right of way.  But another highlight of the system are the many sharp twists and turns the trains take as they snake their way through the city.  How did some of these, such as the two 90 degree curves on either side of the Red Line’s Sheridan station (pictured here), come to be?  Chicago radio station WBEZ looked in to this question and offers the answer in this article on their website, accompanied by an audio report as well.

Oren’s Reading List is an occasional feature on The Travelogue in which I share articles that I’ve read that might also be of interest to the readers of this website.