🤓erm actually the sheriff is elected based on county voting, and can serve a small town if they don't want their own police dpt. Same with firedpts EMS, court systems, postal work, smaller cities contract county services.
19:55 Miles I was at Thurmond Station today. There is a newly constructed concrete boarding platform for Amtrak now. You no longer have to step off into a pile of gravel!
Honestly, good freaking job for accessibility wins that the platform has been added to a station that most countries would not even think to upgrade. Amtrak and the Americans with Disabilities Act wins again!
You stopped in Indianapolis on that cross-country Greyhound trip, right? Well, that dungeon of a station is also the Amtrak station - it was right below you when you were taking that fresh air break off the train.
Dallas is an interesting place for rail expansion right now. I always forget just how decently connected by rail it actually is. With a region so sprawling I'd really like to see TexRail expand into an actually Regional Rail system of some kind. The expansion plans for DART are pretty ambitious as well
You may not have noticed but just before you pull into the Dallas station, you pass by the infamous Texas Book Depository. On one trip I made it a point to be playing 'JFK: Reloaded' on my laptop as we passed by the building.
Dallas and Fort Worth get too much hate. They actually have an expansive public transportation system with some of the most modern vehicles ever seen in the US, like Stadler multiple unit trainsets. A good example of what other transit agencies could be doing right.
Actually, I rode on the Cardinal in 2019, and the myth that it has no dining service is not true, the cardinal still had a pretty full dining service onboard, and much of the same stuff you would find on the Silver Star or Meteor (pre covid). The only difference was that it didn't have a dining car, just an amfleet II cafe car, but the Amfleet II was still used as a dining car in the same way.
21:31 - What's funny, is all that glass, the windows sign and such are all very recent additions due to a block grant given. It was all broken glass, unpainted wood etc... While it is a ghost town, it was on purpose glorified with the federal block grant. Believe it or not, parking can be at a premium there due to all the trails.
The population is five they say / but when mass'chusetts comes t'play / it goes up by two. / Though Miles said coal not coaling, / zounds the town with a free museum, / West Virginia, almost heaven, / now has a population of seven.
Just found your channel Miles. Reminds me of some of my misspent youth. Excellent. Fun fact, in the 1940s Thurmond, WV generated more freight traffic (aka coal) than any other station on the Chesapeake And Ohio system.
Is it really rough? I recall quickly running into that station house, when I just wanted to use a vending machine while riding the Cardinal going east. I had no issues. It's also super close to a White Castle, besides a bar as I remember. I didn't go to WC, since I kinda worried placing a food order there would take a little too long, before the Cardinal departed. Only reason I didn't go there, and I used a vending machine within the Indy station.
My family and I stayed in a house just up the river from Thurmond and the most people I ever saw at the station/town was 2 or 3 cars. Usually empty. Maybe now that it’s a national park it’s drawing more people
Yeah, looks like the famous bridge (seen from below in the video) is halfway between stations, and this station is the one in the heart of the park. Lots of sexy bicyclers and fans here and people at the train visitor center. It had a display of hobo signs, also seen in the video.
4:02-4:42 the sum total of my Amtrak train experience. Also at 6:11 can confirm that riding every local rail line in DFW takes a while, had to spread it into 2 days.
Transportation options are limited, but you might be able to get a private company to drive you somewhere. ACE is the closest place to stay where you can be self-sustaining without needing to bring much, but there are also some campgrounds nearby, or you could walk the roughly 5 miles to Oak Hill and find accommodation there.
Amtrak is phasing out the "toilet in the room" arrangement with its roomettes, but we did use the toilet! Not for Number 2 though - there are other bathrooms in the car.
This is kind of the reason why people don’t view Amtrak as anything more than a burden. There’s no reason for that station to exist. Maintaining it is just a money pit.
What is there to maintain? The National Parks Service maintains the station as a visitors center and it lets people visit the National park! What's wrong with that?
In a town with a population of 5 the mayor is also the sheriff, postman, fireman, paramedic, judge, etc.
Probably also the guy that’s being arrested/rescued/sentenced
🤓erm actually the sheriff is elected based on county voting, and can serve a small town if they don't want their own police dpt. Same with firedpts EMS, court systems, postal work, smaller cities contract county services.
19:55 Miles I was at Thurmond Station today. There is a newly constructed concrete boarding platform for Amtrak now. You no longer have to step off into a pile of gravel!
That's great to hear!
Honestly, good freaking job for accessibility wins that the platform has been added to a station that most countries would not even think to upgrade. Amtrak and the Americans with Disabilities Act wins again!
You stopped in Indianapolis on that cross-country Greyhound trip, right? Well, that dungeon of a station is also the Amtrak station - it was right below you when you were taking that fresh air break off the train.
Dallas is an interesting place for rail expansion right now. I always forget just how decently connected by rail it actually is. With a region so sprawling I'd really like to see TexRail expand into an actually Regional Rail system of some kind. The expansion plans for DART are pretty ambitious as well
Really digging the mail truck representation here.
You may not have noticed but just before you pull into the Dallas station, you pass by the infamous Texas Book Depository. On one trip I made it a point to be playing 'JFK: Reloaded' on my laptop as we passed by the building.
Awesome and entertaining vid as usual! I did all of DART light rail a few years ago... it took 8½ hours doing each segment both directions, lol.
It's strange that Dallas, one of the most car-centric cities in the world, has the most extensive light rail network in North America
Dallas and Fort Worth get too much hate. They actually have an expansive public transportation system with some of the most modern vehicles ever seen in the US, like Stadler multiple unit trainsets. A good example of what other transit agencies could be doing right.
Actually, I rode on the Cardinal in 2019, and the myth that it has no dining service is not true, the cardinal still had a pretty full dining service onboard, and much of the same stuff you would find on the Silver Star or Meteor (pre covid). The only difference was that it didn't have a dining car, just an amfleet II cafe car, but the Amfleet II was still used as a dining car in the same way.
21:31 - What's funny, is all that glass, the windows sign and such are all very recent additions due to a block grant given. It was all broken glass, unpainted wood etc... While it is a ghost town, it was on purpose glorified with the federal block grant. Believe it or not, parking can be at a premium there due to all the trails.
The population is five they say / but when mass'chusetts comes t'play / it goes up by two. / Though Miles said coal not coaling, / zounds the town with a free museum, / West Virginia, almost heaven, / now has a population of seven.
Incredible!
Massive two shits
Dang
Loved this video! What a cool little town! Thanks for sharing
Another epic adventure! Well done as always!
Thanks!
Just found your channel Miles. Reminds me of some of my misspent youth. Excellent.
Fun fact, in the 1940s Thurmond, WV generated more freight traffic (aka coal) than any other station on the Chesapeake And Ohio system.
Thanks so much!
Indianapolis is a rough station. But there's a cool bar across the street. Good pulled pork sandwiches.
Is it really rough? I recall quickly running into that station house, when I just wanted to use a vending machine while riding the Cardinal going east. I had no issues.
It's also super close to a White Castle, besides a bar as I remember. I didn't go to WC, since I kinda worried placing a food order there would take a little too long, before the Cardinal departed. Only reason I didn't go there, and I used a vending machine within the Indy station.
Old-school blade semaphores at 20:34! They are nowhere near as rare as wigwags but still quite cool to see
Texas Eagle was my first long distance amtrak too. Did it all the way from Chicago to San Antonio
just 2 dudes having fun on a train
A bright spot for the week! Thank you!
highly recommend checking out Matewan (1987), a great film about the Coal Wars in the area which used that station as a major location!
you have missed an important aspect of sleeper car train travel if you didn't take a dump while your traveling partner stayed in the compartment.
My family and I stayed in a house just up the river from Thurmond and the most people I ever saw at the station/town was 2 or 3 cars. Usually empty.
Maybe now that it’s a national park it’s drawing more people
Yeah, looks like the famous bridge (seen from below in the video) is halfway between stations, and this station is the one in the heart of the park. Lots of sexy bicyclers and fans here and people at the train visitor center. It had a display of hobo signs, also seen in the video.
Yeah, I think its ridership will be a lot higher now that the New River Gorge is a national park.
Who knew there's an Amtrak station in s town with 5 residents?!
P.S. Nathan 😍😘
I'm a fan of Miles just because he wears a The Cure shirt, nuff sed...
I'm a fake fan, though - I only really listen to their pop songs :(
"It would take so long to ride the whole thing, it is so big"
- That's what she said
Ooh Sibelius 2, Nathan has good music taste!
Thurmond didn’t actually die with the decline of railroads, it was that the coal mines went empty.
Did you try using the SEPTA Key to get you one free ride in Chicago?
I think that only works if you have debit enabled, sadly! (although granted I didn't try...)
4:02-4:42 the sum total of my Amtrak train experience. Also at 6:11 can confirm that riding every local rail line in DFW takes a while, had to spread it into 2 days.
Looks amazing! Besides the ACE adventure hotel, what are accommodation or transportation options like once you get off in Thurmond?
Transportation options are limited, but you might be able to get a private company to drive you somewhere. ACE is the closest place to stay where you can be self-sustaining without needing to bring much, but there are also some campgrounds nearby, or you could walk the roughly 5 miles to Oak Hill and find accommodation there.
16:55 "what would make you say something so preposterous i am NANA NANA NAKAGAWA"
Setsuna Yuki, 2022
This is the most unexpected place to find a Love Live fan let alone a Nana Nakagawa joke
@@vista3790 Oh cool another Love live fan
@@vista3790 Also I like your Yohane PFP
I heard after my trip that the Texas Eagle gets the dining and observation car from San Antonio west due to logistics challenges
Enjoyed your adventure.
11:33 THE Gloucester shoutout
Good foamer shot from up here 4:12
My mom nearly died when we were whitewater rafting the New River out of Ace Adventure Resort. She fell out of the raft and got sucked into a vortex.
That's really scary!
shoutout Jeb for the meatballs!!
Miles, would you consider trying the Amtrak autotrain?
As part of my quest to ride Amtrak route I think it absolutely counts!
11:35 thank you for the CATA representation
the other guy looks like he is dressed as the Williams back up driver
My beautiful electric DART trains! Nothing like those ugly TEXRail DMUs!
Wait… there was a toilet in your room? Did it just smell the whole time? Was there another bathroom option?
Amtrak is phasing out the "toilet in the room" arrangement with its roomettes, but we did use the toilet! Not for Number 2 though - there are other bathrooms in the car.
So I missed how you got to San Antonio in the first place... Will we get to see you on the Sunset or Crescent?
Sorry I missed this! We flew to Houston and took the Sunset over, which you can see in this video: ruclips.net/video/rA-_gyVSWpE/видео.html
why is the train moving so slowly?
Welcome to Amtrak!
@@MilesinTransit Slow yes but i really enjoyed this vid, its just so off the beaten track that a tourist like me would never see
Why didn't you go to Sanderson?
Nathan got sick!
Wow that station doesn’t even have a platform 😮
Miles has done more to damage Amtrak's reputation than anyone on earth!
Dorene's out there in San Antonio keeping the whole operation together, clearly an invaluable employee
18:33 - So... any update on that least used station in West Virginia visit?
It will be out very soon!
@@MilesinTransit Oh damn, didn’t expect that!
Any chance we’ll get “least used station in California” in the next year or two?
@@repulser93 Planning on filming it in October, so with any luck!
In one moment a moronic 2 coach engine driven train and a FLIRT. It's a lucky dip of rail experience.
If you are going to put text on the screen - leave enough time to read it!!
This is kind of the reason why people don’t view Amtrak as anything more than a burden. There’s no reason for that station to exist. Maintaining it is just a money pit.
What is there to maintain? The National Parks Service maintains the station as a visitors center and it lets people visit the National park! What's wrong with that?
You guys need to eat more protein and start lifting weights!..😅
I'm okay, thanks
Lmao
What a strange thing to comment
@@Communistgun what a strange RUclips channel you have 💩 lmao......
The meatballs weren’t enough?