I'm planning a trip to the USA and Canada for May/June. The main object is to visit relatives in Vancouver but since I'll be flying in to LAX I'll spend some time going up the coast. Tentative ideas are: - LA Metro Rail. Any suggestions on the best way to see as much as possible in a day? - Metrolink to San Bernardino and Oceanside. Sprinter. Coaster to San Diego. Trolley. Return on the Surfliner. - Coast Starlight to San Jose. (Is there any advantage to leaving LA earlier on the Surfliner and spending a few hours in San Luis Obispo?) - VTA light rail, Catrain, BART, Muni, cable car. (Maybe 2 days) - Capitol Corridor to Sacramento. California State Railroad Museum. Light rail. Coast Starlight to Portland. (Any suggestions of how to fill in a couple of hours at night before the Coast Starlight departs?) - MAX, Streetcar and WES. - Cascades to Seattle. Various light rail/streetcars in the city. - Cascades to Vancouver. - SkyTrain, West Coast Express. - Vancouver - Jasper - Prince Rupert. (Or since the first bit is overnight and VIA sleeping berths are very expensive, maybe fly Vancouver to Kamloops and pick up the train there.) - Fly back to YVR. That's just a brain dump of ideas at the moment. I'll probably have to eliminate some due to time constraints. I'd welcome any other suggestions for museums, model shops, train shows, model railroad clubs open to visitors, etc. I would also welcome recommendations of good places to eat near any of the above transit hubs. Cheers David
David, I recommend a meal at Phillipe's, about two blocks from the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal. Other than that I can't help you, except to say that I hope you have a wonderful trip.
Looks as though you have a great interest in Passenger operations. The should be plenty of opportunities to also catch some freight moves. Probably not enough time for venues such as railroad museums?
Once in Portland, don't miss the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, home of some super locomotives, SP 4-8-4 4449, undergoing her 15 year FRA form 4 work, SP&S 4-8-4 700, and Doyle McCormack's Nickel Plate ALCO PA 190 (formerly ATSF, D&H). Also Oregon Rail and Navigation 4-6-2 197. Open to the public and FREE Thursday through Sunday 1-5 PM.
Hi David I live in Vancouver and it sounds like you have done your homework. The West Coast Express is a good trip but it runs from Mission BC to downtown Vancouver in the morning rush hour and doesn't return until 4 pm when the first train leaves downtown. May not be to bad for you depending on where you are staying. If you are interested in freight operations there are endless opportunities available to you here. There are 3 major railways in the Vancouver area, Canadian Pacific, Canadian National, and BNSF. Everything from coal, wheat, auto-racks, and sulfur to mention a few can be seen in various locations. There is a fantastic rail museum in Squamish BC (just north of Vancouver) where you can see restored CP passenger cars, several diesel and steam locomotives in running condition. Feel free to drop me a PM if you want to discuss more. Rob
In Sac. Hang out at the old town bars till the midnight departure. Sent from my BNTV400 using Tapatalk
Thanks for all the suggestions. CA, OR and WA will be a bit of a whirlwind and I'm already having to cut a few things, but I have allowed an extra day in Portland so I can include ORHC. I'll have more time in BC so I'll ask about photo spots around Vancouver and freight schedules closer to the time. Cheers David
