Hello from VA

[Thomos]

I keep getting this thing popping up saying to introduce myself so I thought I would. It been lurking around here for a while now and decided to sign up. I love to travel but have only ever done so in more traditional ways. Travelling without a schedule, destination or itinerary is something that has been appealing to me for quite some time. When I was a teen I had a friend who used to ride freight (in the mid to late 90's) and was always fascinated by his stories... If I remember correctly he'd go to Dubuque Iowa a lot. I hadn't thought of it in years until 5-6 years ago when I met some other folks who rode trains fairly regularly and became fascinated by it all over again. Most of my lurking here has just been reading stories. While I don't think I'll ever do it, I am the kind of person who must know everything I can about things that interest me. I just think that it's an amazing thing... The freedom, the views of the country that one would normally never see, the power and unforgiving nature of the trains, the culture, the history, the community... It all just blows my mind. I don't really know what else to say right now but thanks for having me, stay safe out there, and I look forward to reading more! If anyone has any stories or experience of riding trains in Virginia I'd love to hear about it!

 

[Raging Bird]

Virginia's a really great place to learn. I lived in Richmond for about 10 years and cut my teeth getting drunk late at night and waking up on the CSX line to Baltimore a couple times a year. I've only ever seen two cabooses in operation before, and one of them gets pulled once a day on a 50 mile turn out of the Norfolk Southern line in Southside. Never thought I'd get to ride in one of those, but they keep the door unlocked and you can post up and enjoy the scenery. The mountains and hills are beautiful too, when you ride out to Clifton Forge, or hop from Manassas down to Charlottesville through the Piedmont. Nothing beats the feeling of coming back into town after a long time away from home, and crossing the tressels over the James River, starting to see landmarks you recognize getting closer and closer. I have a lot of really fond memories of Richmond and they're tied up prety closely with a time in life when I was riding a lot of trains, so I could go on about it forever. I'd definitely recommend finding someone with a bit of experience and going out for a ride sometime, just for the hell of it.

 

[Thomos]

I lived in Richmond for a few years in college and go back to visit as often as I can. I love it there. Lots of good times and memories.

 

[Julnel]

Welcome!