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here we go, putting all kidding aside. First, let me introduce myself,
my name is Geno Dailey. I'm 28 years
old and
I live just outside Buffalo, New York. I have been a railfan practically
my entire life and have been photographing trains regularly since 1994.
Train travel has always fascinated me. In the early 1990's, I had the
chance to ride 3 Norfolk Southern Steam Excursions, and since 1996,
I
have taken 30 Amtrak Trips to other areas across New York State as well
as several to other parts of the country.
Outside of Train Travel, I enjoy photographing
trains on the CSX Chicago Line in the Buffalo and Western New York area.
I guess I got my knack for photography from my parents who have been
Professional Wedding Photographers for nearly 30 years. On the rest of
this page, you'll find out more about why I run this site, some of my
train travel tips as well as yes, my life outside of railroading, so
lets get started with that one...
Does This Guy Have A Life?
Yes actually, for
starters, I am a Graduate of both Erie
Community College, as well as Medaille
College, both in Buffalo, NY. I earned my Associate's Degree at
ECC in Communication/Media Arts in 1998. I earned my Bachelor's
at Medaille in Media/Communications, graduating in 2001. I now work
for a major Auto Insurance Company as a Customer Service Counselor.
Outside of work, I also enjoy DJ'ing, as well as building
web pages, of course!!! Computers are amazing, I look back at the days
before we had Windows, when you needed to know a different DOS command
for literally everything! It's amazing how computers, and in just the
last 10 years or so, the internet, has completely transformed our everyday
lives! Aside from computers, I also love to take really long bikerides,
60 miles in a day isn't out of the question, so I guess I live for the
nice weather! I'm also a huge fan of the Sony MiniDisc. In fitting
with living in Buffalo, I'm a big fan of Pizza and Chicken Wings, Buffalo
Bills Football, an occasional Canadian Beer (Molson or Labatt's) as well
as Diet Pepsi! Two things I can't stand are Winter Weather and coffee!
Why Do I Run This Site?
Well that's easy. Being
the railroad buff that I am, I wanted to run a site that would give you,
the prospective
train traveler or railfan, a chance to see based on a rider's perspective,
how much fun train travel can be! For the railfan, I've designed this
site so you can see pictures of Amtrak's equipment that you may or may
not get a chance to see depending on where you live. For Model Railroaders,
I hope that if you plan to do a modeling project on a specific Amtrak
Unit, that you may find a prototype photo here that may assist you
in
your project. For train travelers, this site provides you with my experiences
of riding these trains, so you can see what happened during my trips.
Geno's Travel Tips
Over the years, I've
taken several trips of varying length on Amtrak. Some of the things
I've learned about trip planning and what to do while riding are listed
here, for Amtrak's Official Travel Tips, check Amtrak's Web Site, these
listed here are based on my experiences as an Amtrak passenger...
-
MAKE RESERVATIONS, most of Amtrak's
Trains require reservations anyways. There are several ways to
do this, either call 1-800-USA-RAIL and make reservations over
the phone, go to www.amtrak.com
or contact a travel agent. Making Reservations ahead of time is a
basic requirement on Amtrak for all trains that require them. If
you don't live near a staffed Amtrak Station, you can contact a
travel agent or have Amtrak mail your tickets to you.
-
ARRIVE EARLY, especially if you
plan to check any baggage. At least 1/2 hour before your train
is scheduled to arrive is usually sufficient, but if you plan
on boarding at a really busy station, then you might want to arrive
a little earlier than that.
-
Make sure to have luggage tags
on both the outside AND inside of your bags, you want to arrive
with all the bags you left with, so make sure they're double-identified!
-
Make sure to have your ticket
and a valid ID such as a Driver's License ready, as you may be
asked for it before you board the train.
-
If you're not checking baggage,
be sure to place it in the overhead rack above your seat as soon
as you board so as to keep the walkway clear. In some coaches,
there is a space also at one end of the coach for additional luggage
if it all doesn't fit above your seat area.
-
Once the conductor takes your
ticket, he'll put a small seat check tag above your seat with a
3 letter code stating where you get
off (Example: BUF for Buffalo) so if you want to sleep on the train,
its OK, you won't miss your stop! A member of the crew will kindly
wake
you up when it gets close to your stop.
-
For Railfans, if you bring a scanner
onboard, be sure to bring headphones, you don't want to disturb
other passengers while your listening to that Hot Box Detector!
-
For anyone with a computer, you
can bring a laptop computer or small electronic device (PDA, Cell
Phone, etc.)
onboard as most coaches have electrical outlets at each seat. Just
make sure
to bring a small surge protector with you to protect your computer
agains
a power surge, something you should also do at home. When using a
cell phone, be considerate of the passengers sitting near you and
try not to talk too loud. Also, if you are in a "Quiet Car", be
sure to not use your phone in that car...
-
For your own entertainment, you
can bring a portable radio or CD Player onboard with no problems.
Keep in mind that if you're
listening to the radio, you are in a coach that is made almost entirely
out of metal and that does weaken an FM Radio Signal, so you might
not
keep that station your listening to for very long but oh well, the
nice thing about train travel is you pass through different cities
along
the way so there's an abundance of stations waiting to be listened
to!
-
And last but not least, HAVE FUN!
Your experiencing one of the nicest ways to travel across America,
enjoy it. Stop in the cafe car for a quick snack, or if your on
a train with a dining car, the Steak is great!!!
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