Train Ride

[Edwin]

Trains I guess have past their hayday, and some of the train tracks have even been removed. But, we still see trains hauling freight across the United States, so there is still some interest and some need for trains. I took an unintended ride on a train once as they did not realize I was on top of one of the chip cars putting a net over the chips so that they would not blow out going down the tracks. They stopped to do some switching, and I only had to walk less than a mile back to my work at the saw mill. Last fall we took a ride on an old obsolete passenger train from Ione, Washington to Medaline Falls, Washington on the US, Canadian border which was fun. This short scenic train ride is sponsored by the Lion's Club, and it was I think only $7.00 to ride that train, and it was fun! Carol and one of our twins is planning to ride a train across the USA to visit our grandson on the East Coast. It will be fun for them. It is not terrible expensive; about half the cost of flying to the Philippines, but I am holding out for my next trip flying to the Philippines, whenever that might be, I don't know for sure, but I am dreaming of the time when I can do that again. From now on I will not have the hindrance that I had the last time my friends wanted me to fly with them to the Philippines, as I now have great people renting the house I had problems with before. I had a renter moving out right when I wanted to fly to the Philippines, and I just could not leave, so it will be fun the next time I am able to fly to the Philippines!

[Smiley]

Once again we seem to be in agreement Edwin.Trains are a superior way to travel. I`ve gone coast to coast by rail and loved it.I worked several years for a small Railway as the signal maintainer.My friend in Bukindon is a retired railway man from Canada as well.Rail is the most fuel efficient way to move freight overland,one train can take close to a thousand trucks off the road.
We also seem to agree about returning to the Philippines. I`m hoping to head back over this fall for at least a month,mainly to help decide if I should retire there.I`ve put it off way too long.I hope to spend most of my time on Mindanao. I have even talked to my kids about the possibility of it turning into a looooooong stay. They seem to be thinking I should do it.
Not sure exactly when yet,probably either late Oct or shortly after the New Year. Time will tell.I have to get my finances in order first.I`m not a rich guy.

[Edwin]

You are right, Smiley, some things we must just do. If we wait for a convinient time, it will never happen. Carol, my wife, went over there in 2006 to visit with her brother and his filipina wife. She wanted me to go at that time, but the guy I worked for was quiting business and I felt like I needed to stay and help him finish out. I was also moving out of our house, and I felt like I needed to stay with that until I got everything taken care of. Carol had a wonderful time all except the plane trip. She was uncomfortable she told me. They had the airplane drop about a 1000 feet at one point, and it scared everyone to death. She decided she did not want to fly again. I went over there in 2010, but I didn't get to hook up with her brother as he was busy installing a solar electric system. He tried to get my wife to come to, even offering to pay her flight, and a lot of the rest of us tried to get her to go, but she did not want to fly. Now that he has died she wished that she would have taken him up on his offer, but it is too late now. Maybe the Philippines is not for everyone, but I think it would be a great place to retire. I like the people, the culture, and your money would go further there. I think the Philippines is a great place to be.

[Chas]

Trains are also the future Look at the growth of high speed train tracks in Europe and China. As oil becomes ever scarcer the trains will become ever more important. The US should be investing in some high speed train infrastructure as a stimulation for the economy. Washington/New York and Los Angeles/San Francisco are two routes that spring to mind as possibles (they may be doing it already as my knowledge of US Railroads is minimal). It is so much cleaner than planes, especially if the electricity is hydro electricity.

There are three things I would like to see before I die

1. Ankor Wat
2. The rice terraces in Northern Luzon (Banaue)
3. A Shay locomotive actually working. Google it - they are amazing machines and I think there is a preserved one working in North East USA somewhere.

[Edwin]

Your input was interesting Chas! I don't know too much about the trains. I used to load wood chips in railway cars, then cover the top with a net so that the chips would not blow off going down the rails at higher speeds. We have friends who take a train ride periodically from Seattle, Washington, to Portland, Oregon, and they enjoy it. My wife is really looking forward to her train ride to the East Coast. It is expensive, so I am saving my pennies for my next flight to the Philippines, whenever that might be, and I enjoyed my last trip, one and only trip in 2010 to the Philippines!

[Smiley]

I think that all the Shays still working are in the us.Might be one still hauling logs in Columbia. They were in use all over the world pretty much once upon a time. I know that there were several in the Philippines and a couple in Indonesia. Quite a few in Australia in the day as well but I think most of them were scrapped during WW2. They were about as tough as a hammer.
Here is a pic of one of our older Locomotives that came home for the 100th anniversary of the company back in 2002
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=37340
and also the old 101,which is the oldest diesel locomotive still in regular commercial service
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1412944 , she was built in 1941,has been working non stop for 71 years.

[Chas]

Thanks for the links. I did not know of that site.

Here are a couple of pictures of a Shay on display outside the Lopez Sugar Corporation on Negros. At least I think its a Shay

DSC01681.JPG

DSC01683.JPG

[Edwin]

That is a beautiful old engine, Chas! Well, our daughter from out of town is here, and she and my wife ordered their tickets online for their train ride from Spokane, Washington, USA to the East Coast. They will leave I think June 22nd, and they will return July 7th, and they will have fun. The seats recline a quite a little bit, and they can walk to the dining car. They were both really excited about that. I am holding out for my next trip on the airlines to the Philippines whenever that might be. I will just dream about that until it happens!

[Edwin]

Well, Carol's and our daughter's train ride is getting close now! She is going to the place where we used to live for 10 years, for a knitting/spinning outing on Tuesday. I will take her down to get on the boat. Then on Thursday our youngest daughter, her daughter and I will got down to get her off the boat, and then we will go to take her to Spokane where Carol and our other daughter will get on the train for Pennsylvania. They will change trains in Chicago, Illinois, and then on to Hamlin, Pennsylvania, and they will stay with our grandson for a few days afterwhich they will return. Then Carol will have gotten to go on the train ride that she always wanted. I am looking forward to my next trip to the Philippines. I have no plans, just dreaming/day dreaming, but one day again I will do it; the Lord willing!

[Edwin]

Well, I took Carol for about an hour and a half ride from here and put her on a boat to where we lived for 10 years. She is attending a spinning, knitting outing there. Thursday I will be picking up our daughter and granddaughter, and driving to this place to get her off the boat on her return. Then we will drive to Spokane, Washington, where she will get on the train bound for the East Coast with our other daughter, one of the twins, the one that does not live here close by us. They are going to spend time with our grandson, almost 2 weeks. He is a Worship Leader, and Youth Pastor in an Assembly of God church there. It will be fun for them, and I will be lonesome, but not too bad, and I am glad that they get to go. Our other daughter is going with us to help drive, as I have been falling asleep while driving lately. I think I am working too hard in my cellar, but I should be finished by August 1st, and that is something to look forward to!