My wife is taking me to see some of her OLD friends in Dallas, Texas the last week of August. I would like to know what's there to do and see, railroad wise. Can any of you helpe out? Thanks Mike Patrylo
Mike, yes there are at least a few of us from Dallas on Trainboard, and certainly willing to point you in the right direction. What are you most interested in....history, railfanning, model railroads, hobby shops? Off the top of my head there's the Museum of American Railroads in far north suburb Frisco, DART and TRE can take you all over the area by rail. (And McKinney Ave Trolley, too). Discount Model Trains is kinda THE shop to hit. To add a little more... If you are in Dallas *proper* then your options are limited especially if you don't have a car. If you can get to DART or TRE, going downtown is good...Union Station gives you plenty of action....DART, TRE, Amtrak, UP, BNSF, DGNO. You can take TRE west and see DGNO's Mockingbird Yard, the wye in Irving, TRE's Rock Island yard which is their big maintenance facility, and then finally Fort Worth near Tower 55. That's a commitment for time though, to be sure. I've also recommended some folks to ride Amtrak from Dallas Union Station across the UP through Arlington to Fort Worth, then ride the TRE back to Dallas....again a full day but lots to see...you can catch an early dinner at Sundance Square in Fort Worth (3-4 blocks from the FW IMC Station) before heading back east. Back to railfanning, KCS's yard in Wiley is worth checking out, or the Zacha Jct Area with intermodal facility in NE Dallas. UP has a huge Intermodal facility in South Dallas off of I-45. Downtown Carrollton (NW Suburb) has a nice little interchange (DGNO/BNSF) and small DGNO yard. There's the A-Train that runs from Carrollton/Lewisville area to Denton. (if your an adventuresome type that likes to walk, you can go to Silver Spike Hobbies from the Downtown Denton station...maybe a 2 mile walk. Owner, Chuck, is a nice guy and decent shop. Closed on Mondays though, FYI.) The better railfanning is on the Fort Worth side for sure, but again depends on how much time you have and so forth. Might be able to swing some layout visits if that's something you're interested in but let me know soon and I'll see what I can do. Mine isn't worth seeing but there are plenty of good layouts around.
They are actually moving it this Sunday (Aug 4th) to Frisco (http://www.museumoftheamericanrailroad.org/)
No, it has been postponed once again. That's why I made my first post. It seems as it may never move.
WELLLLLLLLLLLL. . . . . . Since you are going with your wife to see her "OLD friends", I guess looking up a girl named Debbie is not on the to do list. ....................... Sorry, old joke there about a movie I once saw about 50 years ago. But it gets worse. The last full weekend in August (Aug 24 & 25) is the annual Bedford N Scale Weekend in Bedford, PA which is a long way from Dallas to be sure. Always a great time but probably not to your wife and her friends' thinking.
You're about 2 - 2.5 hours north of the Texas State Railroad in Palestine, TX, depending on where you start from. 4-6-0 #316 and 2-8-0 #300 are active, 400 is still in the shop on the 1472 (getting there) 500 is in pieces, "Brookville Alco" RS3 is running as well as the MRS1, usually those are parked in Rusk. Yes, that's Brookville PA (repowered with a Cummins/Kato package) Yes it's hot in August in Texas, and that's why they have air-conditioned cars now! https://www.texasstaterr.com/ Don't let the miles fool you, this is Texas and they have 75mph speed limits on the NON-INTERSTATES. Only tourists and truckers take those! Take 275 in from Corsicana or take 175 in toward the Rusk end. Don't go through Tyler! Palestine is also host to a Union Pacific junction and car repair facility, but do not trespass on UP property, you can see all you need to from the public highways. Lots of UP action down there, almost exclusively directional running north toward Little Rock.
Oh yeah....similar to Texas State RR is the Grapevine Vintage RR, just NW of Dallas. Can't believe I forgot about that. You definitely want A/C though!
I'm reminded of the remark that the only thing I want to do in Dallas is to get out of Dallas. Same for Philadelphia or Milpitas, etc. As long as you realize that the metro area is absolutely huge, you can find just about anything but skiing or other Arctic sports.
Pete, I married a woman from Fort Worth and she would agree with you. :teeth: Actually, come to think of it so would I (after living in west of DFW Airport for 24 years)! I have read through this post and do not think I've seen a reference to Discount Model Trains in Addison (north Dallas off 635/Dallas Parkway/tollway near Addison Airport). It's one of those places that "if they don't got it or can't get it, y'all don't need it!"
After you've lived in (name city here), Dallas ain't bad at all, although it is as endless as Los Angeles. Recently I have visited friends three times in the area and, for the life of me, never knew where I was on any of the occasions. I think Dallas is not a walking city, unlike my hometown Boston.
Their web page still says: "Please note Vinny the diesel engine is running while Puffy the steam engine is currently under repair." http://akronrrclub.wordpress.com/tr...ng-break-in-texas/grapevine-vintage-railroad/ But the facebook page has a shot in operation as of May 13: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3479943 So if steam matters to you, better check.
If you're referring to the unusually cool summer then yes, except that in the past week it has officially turned hot, so no...it can turn hot in a hurry around here.
Have to second, third, or whatever the mention of Discount Model Trains in Addison. Great shop, great selection and great people. Definitely worth your trip if you can make it over there. If you can get free to FtWorth for some railfanning, Saginaw is the place.
It's been about 30 years since I was in Dallas, but I have fond memories of an Aquarium we went to- on the west side of town, if I remember. I like tropical fish, so I loved it. Others may think it boring. Have no idea if it is still there.
What to do in Dallas? Get the next flight out or watch Dallas disappear from your rear view mirror. And yes, I "live" here. Woodie
Ron, yes the Dallas World Aquarium is probably what you are referring to. It's a great place to go, especially when it's hot outside. And two blocks away is the Perot musuem...more of a kid's destination but still very cool. (literally and figuratively) Not sure why all the hate toward Dallas, but I think you'll enjoy it and there is plenty to do and see. Mike, if you want to railfan the Fort Worth/Saginaw area I'm always up for that and will be the tour guide if you're interested. I live in NE Dallas now (apparently fairly close to Woodie) but I head over toward Saginaw pretty often.
