To Shiny Rails

AJ told me about this guy a couple of days ago, and today I finished the last 3 episodes of his trip across America from the southernmost rail station in the country to the northernmost rail station in the country. It was a 10-week odyssey that he documented in 10 episodes on his channel (15 to 25 minutes in length each, roughly). Though I’ve never met him, I’m convinced Michael Downie is a kindred spirit! I highly recommend this series to any rail fan, particularly those of you who like traveling by rail, any kind of rail. He started at Dadeland Station in Miami and ended up at the Fairbanks, Alaska train station ten weeks later (or so). And he hit several iconic, historic, and unique trains along the way. It turns out he hit a few I’ve had the pleasure to ride: the California Zephyr, the Cog Railway at Pikes Peak, the Grand Canyon Railway, and the Alaska Railroad. My next-up bucket list items that Mike’s trip covers are the Rocky Mountaineer Denver to Moab and the Durango and Silverton, both within “easy” reach of Colorado Springs. Mike’s trip starts here on YouTube.

“All Aboard!” Just so I’d have a photo on this post, I threw in the image above of my Dad on our Zephyr trip from Chicago, IL to Emeryville, CA in 2005. This was shot at the Glenwood Springs, CO station. It is pretty hard to beat a train trip across the Rockies in a snow storm!

To Shiny Rails sponsored last year’s San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum’s first annual (hopefully) Photo Contest. Below is the 1st Place photo. The rest of the winners and honorable mentions can be seen here.

First Place
Photo by ERIC PETERSON
Taken March 20, 2022 Location: Gaviota, CA. “Put the Coast in Starlight”: Amtrak 14(20) skirts along bluffs above the Pacific Ocean. Seen in the background are the Gaviota pier, the Gaviota trestle, and the semi-green rolling hills of the Coast Range. Running along the ocean and the coastal areas, in general, gives the train its name: the Coast Starlight.

I had the good fortune today to visit two depots in Castle Rock, CO. The first (pictured last in the gallery below) was from a distance. It’s the dark green building, a 1911 AT&SF Railroad Depot building that today sits as pictured along the southbound Joint Line route. That’s as close as I could get. The other was a total surprise. I did not know that the Castle Rock Historical Society and Museum was an old Denver & Rio Grande Railroad depot built in 1875. They’re not normally open on Tuesdays, but I just happened to meet some of the staff and board members at a meeting in town and voila, they invited us over! The two depots are basically across the highway (I-25) from each other on the south end of town (“Old Castle Rock”).