Tom J’s Rail Travels

 

Hello and welcome to my website. This website deals with various train trips I have taken since 2004. These trips were on Amtrak, VIA Rail Canada, and Ontario Northland. The occasional subway charter also shows up here. Newer trip reports are towards the bottom of the page.

Note that this page is BEST viewed with text Encoding set to “Western”.

 

Click here to read about my 2004 trip to Ottawa: Ottawa trip

My report on the Kingston Transit 7975 charter is here: Kingston Charter trip.htm

Click here to read my trip report titled: Farewell to Amtrak's Three Rivers trip.htm

My trip on VIA train 69 with the Glenfraser Lounge car is here: May 15th trip report

This link details my 2005 trip to Timmins, Ontario: Timmins trip report.htm

Shortly after my trip to Timmins, I took another trip. Click here to see that trip report: Breeze trip.htm

I took this trip after I found out about another train that was going to be discontinued: Farewell to VIA's Enterprise trip.htm

After riding the Enterprise, I managed to get one more train trip in 2005: Washago trip report.htm

This trip was a huge one so I broke it up into five sections: Arizona trip

After what happened on my Arizona trip, you may think I’d be off trains, well you’re wrong. I took a train trip in April, but I flew there! Click here to read: Halifax trip.htm

My next train trip was to Brantford to see the oldest bus in service in Ontario. Check it our here: Brantford trip.htm

One good trip to Timmins deserves another! Click here to see what happened when I revisited Timmins in 2006: Return to Timmins trip report.htm

For a four day trip, I took a lot of photos, so I divided it into sections. Click here for my trip to Montreal: Montreal trip report

I took a trip to Niagara Falls with two of my friends. Click here to see what happened: Niagara Falls trip.htm

My return to the U.S. aboard Amtrak! Click here to see what happened on my Arizona Make up trip

My first train trip of 2007! I ended up flying there and part way back. Click here to read: Western Canada trip part 1.htm

The Budds came back! (Temporally). Click here to read what happened on my Moncton trip: Moncton trip.htm

My first Amtrak trip of 2007, though I flew to and from New York. Click here to read: New York trip part 1.htm

A trip three years in the making! Click here to read about my Washington-Cleveland trip part 1.htm

Click to read about my first ride on an RDC: Sudbury trip.htm

My Cleveland trip left me with some unfinished business so I took a Cleveland make-up trip

I managed to squeeze in one last trip in 2007. Click to read: Adirondack trip.htm

My first trip of 2008! Click to read what happened on my Parry Sound trip

Carnival! Click to read about when I went to Carnival de Quebec

My 25^th trip since 2004 and the biggest to date! Click to read what happened on my Boston trip

A “weird” trip so to speak. Click to read about my Orillia trip

Click to read of my second biggest trip of the year: Chicago trip 2008 part 1

The dome returned to the Adirondack! Click to read what happened on this trip: Adirondack trip 2008

My first trip of 2009 with a bit of local taste! Click to read about my Surprise Niagara Falls trip

The end of a quest! Click to read about the end of a 13 year quest on my Dallas trip part 1.htm

Click to read about what happened on my trip on VIA’s Chaleur: Chaleur trip report part 1

My report on the STO 7901 charter is here:  STO 7901 charter part 1

This trip was the silver lining from what happened when I rode the Chaleur! Click to read about my Return to Halifax

Another trip to Montreal! Click to read what happened on my Montreal 2009/Westjet trip part 1

I’m not dead yet! I just haven’t traveled for awhile, but click to read about when happened when I went on the Chaleur again: Chaleur trip 2010.

A once in a lifetime event! Click to read my report on the Dayton BBC trolleybus charter:       Dayton/North Carolina trip

My second U.S. trip in 2010 in a row! Click to read what happened on this trip:          Washington-Lancaster trip.

My report on the Toronto Transportation Society’s 2010 Transportation Weekend is here:      TTS Transportation weekend part 1

I took one last trip in 2010. Click to read about my Cardinal dome trip.

My first trip of 2011! Click to read about my trip to see the “Good old Boys” here:       Niagara Falls trip 2011

Another year, another Budd Ocean comes and goes. Click to read about my ride on the last Budd Ocean during the 2010-2011 period:         Last Budd Ocean.

Click to read what happened on my 2011 Montreal trip.

Years after I visited Boston and Seashore, I had to go back! Click to read what happened here:       Boston 2011

My trip to attend the charter weekend in Sudbury and North Bay is here:        Sudbury-North Bay trip

Happy 40^th birthday Amtrak! Click to read how Amtrak’s 40^th birthday was celebrated by me:  Amtrak 40th Anniversary trip

My report on the Toronto Transportation Society’s Niagara Falls Transit Classic #8937 charter is here:          Niagara Falls Classic Charter

Click to read my report on Toronto Transportation Society’s Fall Colours charter in London, Ontario:  London Classic Charter part 1

My first trip of 2012 and which was a farewell trip as well! Click to read my Farewell to VIA trains 68 and 69.

This may be considered my most controversial trip to date. You have been warned. If you’re still interested, click to read about my Michigan trip.

My report on the Halifax articulated Classic charter is here:        Halifax charter part 1.

Less than a week after the Halifax charter, I was off on another bus charter! Click to read what happened on the Woodstock fishbowl charter.

This is the mother of all trips to Chicago:   Chicago trip 2012 part 1

Click to read about my trip to Sarnia on trains 85 and 88 before they were cut back to London:       Sarnia-London trip

This report has a bit of British taste, though I never left Ontario. Click to read about the Niagara Double Decker charter.

A week after the Niagara charter, I was on another charter! Click to read about the Cornwall Classic Charter.

Click to read my farewell trip on a train I’ve used a few times over the years:   Farewell to the Northlander

After 10 trips, this was my last trip of 2012! Click to read about my Boston trip 2012.

This is my first trip of 2013: Washington DC trip 2013 part 1.

This is the end of something I almost always did whenever I visited Chicago. Click to read my report on the last CTA 2200 charter.

Shortly after my Chicago trip, I was off on another trip! Click to read about the 2013 Bus History Association convention in Montreal.

For the first time since 2004, I did not travel during the month of July. However, I took a trip in early August. Click to read about my London St Thomas trip.

This was my biggest trip of 2013! Click here to read about what happened on the Calgary fishbowl farewell charter.

I managed to get one last trip in 2013 late in the year. Click to read about my VIA rare mileage trip

After an ice storm and a very cold winter, I have taken my first trip on 2014 during spring. Click to read about my Windsor trip.

My first U.S. trip of the year! Click to read about what happened when I went to Streamliners at Spencer.

My biggest trip to date! Click to read what I did “across the pond” on my Britain Trip.

Here’s my attempt at doing something I was unable to do last time I was in New York:          Six Flags make up trip

My last trip of 2014:  TTS Christmas Lights Charter 2014

My first trip of 2015 was to the same place my first trip of 2004 was to. Click to read about my 2015 Ottawa trip.

My first U.S. steam excursion! Click to read what happened when I attended the Norfolk and Western 611 excursion.

Now this is my biggest trip. Click to read about my 2015 Europe trip.

This was a short but somewhat interesting trip. Click here to read about the reasoning behind my Kingston day trip.

Would lightning strike twice 60 years later? That’s something I pondered when I headed down to Alabama.

My first trip of 2016! Click to read about what happened on the TTS’s Sarnia Orion 1 charter.

A Make-up trip almost a year in the making! Click to read when I rode behind N&W 611 in 2016!

This was my big trip of 2016! Although I didn’t go to Europe this year, click to read about what happened on my San Francisco trip.

My first trip of 2017 was a short one. But if you’re interested, click to read about when I visited Comic Con in Niagara Falls.

Happy 150^th birthday Canada! See how I marked this anniversary on my 2017 Ottawa trip.

My first trip to the U.S. since Trump became president. Click to read what happened on my Virginia trip.

Click to read about fan trip that was in two countries here: Transit Windsor Orion 6 charter

My first trip of 2018! Click to read when I went to bid Farewell to STM's MR-63s.

Deja-Vu! I returned to Montreal to ride the MR-63s again. This time, I witnessed their final runs: End of the Line for STM's MR-63s

This was my third trip to Montreal in a row! Click to see what I did again on my Montreal photo retake trip.

My biggest trip of the year and the first trip this year that I did NOT visit Montreal! Click to what happened when I returned to San Francisco.

Click to read about what may very well be my last ride on Amtrak’s last dome car:      Adirondack Trip 2018

As of 2019, Toronto is no longer the only city in Ontario with electric transit. Click to read about my first experience with ION in Kitchener

This was my first trip to the United States this year and it covered many cities with light rail/streetcars:          Electric Railroaders Association trip 2019

Both previous trips in 2019 involved some sort of light rail. Now it’s going to be three for three. Click to read about my 2019 trip to Ottawa.

All three of my trips in 2019 involved riding light rail. The first trip of 2020 continues this while taking care of some unfinished business. Click to read about what happened on my Dallas Make up trip.

Click to read about the first trip I took after the COVID-19 Pandemic and the only trip of 2021:        Sudbury-Sault Ste Marie trip

My first trip of 2022 was a Carnival; literally! Click to ready about the Quebec City 2022 Winter Carnival

Click to read about the first TTS charter in almost three years:  Niagara Falls Orion 7 charter

I began planning this Make-Up Trip before the original trip happened. Click to read how on my Sault Ste Marie Make up trip.

My big trip of 2022! Click to read about what happened on my Montreal-Gander Trip.

As with 2022, my first trip of 2023 was also a Carnival. Click to read about the Quebec Winter Carnival 2023

My return to the U.S. since the Pandemic! Click to read about what happened on my Syracuse trip.

I joined my family for my mom’s own make up trip: Chateau Montebello trip

Since my trip to Syracuse was a success, my big trip of 2023 was to the U.S.:          St Louis-Chicago trip

My first trip of 2024! Click to read about when I visited Great Wolf Lodge

Click to read about my first ride on VIA’s brand new trains:        Kingston trip

Click to read about my big trip of 2024 which helped with a new streetcar quest:       Kenosha Make-Up trip

This was my last trip of 2024:        Farewell to Amtrak's Capitol Limited

 

My reports on Toronto subway charters are here: TTC subway charters.

Some Miscellaneous stuff: misc.htm

Site last updated: December 20, 2024.

If you have any questions or comments, or want to use any pictures from my site, please email me at tom.jankowski@rogers.com. Include “Trainweb site” as part of the subject header.