Lets Talk Trains

Happy 10th Anniversary!!! It all began ten years ago with our late friend, and creator of "the Let's Talk Trains Show," Richard Hamilton, in July 2002. After ten years, we are still here, though we have lost a great friend, his spirit continues to grace us with every show. This week, Kansas City Nathan hosts, welcoming back our friends who have been on the show, throughout the years and recall the past ten years. During the second half of the show, we will present a pre-recorded interview with our special guest, who many of you may have heard his voice, but do not know his name or what he looks like---a transportation announcement/voice professional, Bernie Wagenblast. Bernie has been featured in the New York Times and theWashington Post, as well as being heard in the terminals of Newark and JFK airports, the New York Subway system, NJ Transit, and many other projects involving transportation. It should be a great show!!! ALL ABOARD!!! www.letstalktrains.com www.letstalktrains.com/chat www.aprhf.org  

The Amazing Chris Guenzler will give you a recap of the NRHS 2012 Convention in Cedar Rapids. We started with the trip on Amtrak on the Southwest Chief and Metra out to Hanover Park. Dave Smetko and I went East Troy to ride the trolley then we went to ride the Rockford Park District Trolley Car 36 and then did the  Silver Creek and Stephenson Railroad, The next day Metra into Chicago  for the the inbound train from Chicago train to Cedar Rapids.We went to the Midwest Treashers  and Midwest Electric Railway. Then we did  diesel to Rock Island  and Steam west . The next day we took the steam train to Newton. The next day we went  the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad and did the steam train and trolley. The rare mileage Crandic Line was the next trip was the Iowa Northern Railway Cedar Rapids to Waterloo and the final trip was the Northern Railway Cedar Falls to Manly.The next day  NRHS Special Train Cedar Rapids to Chicago and Metra out to Dave's house then the next day Metra into Chicago and the Southwest Chief to La Plata for a rest. Back on the Southwest I passed my 1,350,000 on the way home.

Elizabeth Alkire will be hosting Saturday's Let's Talk Trains and presenting news, information and upcoming events. Please join us at (646) 716-7106 at 10:00 AM Pacific Time.

Bob and Elizabeth host this week's Let's Talk Trains.  It will be an open forum.  Please join us with your questions, comments or plans for railfan plans for the rest of the summer.  The telephone number is 646-716-7106, on the web at http://letstalktrains.com or in the chat room at http://www.letstalktrains.com/chat

Join us this week for another exciting live on location show. This time we travel to Jackson, Missouri. Jackson is the home of the St. Louis & Iron Mountain Railway excursion trains. We will talk with the engineers, the conductors and the M.O.W. folks and maybe even a train robber may make a visit. The show will be Podcasting from the station area as the train gets ready to depart on it's Saturday adventure. You will be able to talk to these folks when you call in at 646-716-7106. They will even be in the chat rooms talking to our listeners.  The Missouri Department of Transportation will even be with us to explain what;s happening with Missouri's railroads.  All this and our regular cast of characters: the Amazing Chris Guenzler, Official caller Ken. So join us won't you?

Norm Orfall joins Bob and Elizabeth to talk about his private car Tioga Pass.  The Tioga Pass has travelled all over the US and Canada and Norm will be sharing some of his experiences with us. To join in the conversation please call 1-646-716-7106 or on the web at www.letstalktrains.com or in the chat room at www.letstalktrains.com/chat

Join us this week as the Amazing Chris Guenzler hosts this weeks show. We will have two special guests Bart Jennings Chairman of the 2012 NRHS Convention, Bob Alkire joined us and Chris ran through the Norfolk Southern 2012 trips before he talked about Chat Room, Dave Mangold called Chris went to Plan talking about Private Cars. Shuttletrain Ted called joined the conversation and Chris talks about the Pony Express his favorite private cars. Listen to a wide range of varied topics.

Your host this week is Skip Waters. organizer of the 7th Annual "24 Hours @ Saginaw" 2012, an amazing railwatching event.  Joining us will be local guests attending "24 Hours @ Saginaw" today sharing the fun activities going on at the Saginaw Chamber depot.  For the past 6 years the North Texas Chapter, NRHS has had the privilege of hosting a 24 hour railwatching event at the Saginaw Depot in Saginaw, Texas over Memorial Day weekend starting on Friday evening and ending Saturday evening for a full 24 hours.  We have 100 or more Railfans attend this event each year to watch trains day and night.  Join us and our regular callers at 10:00 AM Pacific, 12:00 Noon Central Time. The call in telephone number is 646-716-7106

May is typically the month that we all start to think about our summer plans to railfan. This week our host, ShuttletrainTED, asks you, the railfans, where is the best place to do your summer train watching from. What makes it such a great place? Do you just plan to watch? Do take pictures or shoot  videos. The Route 66 Railfan Visitors Center and Mainline Viewing Area which sits next to the UP Jeffferson City Subdivision mainline and the BNSF Cuba Subdivision, is our host site this week. The Route 66 is just getting started on it's plans on making it a destination to enjoy railfanning. We will find out aabout their current setup, and what they have planned for the future. Please join in the conversation, Saturday, May 19, 2012 from 1200pm CDT to 200pm CDT by calling 1-646-716-7106. The Let's Talk Trains Chatroom will be open as well. The website of course is: www.letstalktrain.com , that will link you to both the live show and the chatroom.

Bob and Elizabeth will be hosting again on National Train Day and taking calls from events all over the country.  Be sure to call with your organizations events at 646-716-7106.

Join the Amazing Chris Guenzler as he hosts this weeks show from Fullerton Railroad Days 2012 Live.

Elizabeth and Bob return to the airwaves with Iowa Pacific Holdings' President Ed Ellis as their guest.  Iowa Pacific owns freight railroads in six states and operates passenger excursions in four of them.  They also have four companies in England. Please  join us at 10:00 am Pacific, noon Central, 1:00 Eastern.  You can call us at (646) 716-7106, join us in the chat room at www.letstalktrains.com/chat or listen live at www.letstalktrains.com

Join ShuttletrainTED, from the Washington, Missouri train station as he talks to the President of the PassengerRailKS/OK/TX Association, Evan Stair. The Oklahoma Department of Transpotation Railroad Division, gives us an update on that States's Passenger rail extension. The Midwest Regional National Model Railroad Assn. convention director, David Roeder checks in with an update about the Midwest Convention. We will listen to comments made by FRA Director Joe Szabo at the 2012 Passenger Rail Symposium. Were still no done, we will introduce everyone to the Let's Talk Train Model Railroad Club of the Month. So call-in at 646-716-7106, join us in the chat room at www.letstalktrain.com/chat. 

Let's Talk Trains - Special Edition:  This is an experiment show.  I will attempt to chase Union Pacific 844 steam locomotive across Texas while bringing it to you live on Let's Talk Trains.  This may be fun or a flop.  If you happen to be listening live....please call in to help make the show more lively!  If the show goes dead... hang on... I'll try to get back on the air asap.

This weeks show will explain to you not only what we did during the La Plata Spring Railfan Event but how it was planned and what it took to pull it off. You can see all the photo locations we used and all the fun we had together during this event. Follow along on Chris" web page as we discussed this fun filled event  that he hosted. Go to http://www.trainweb.org/chris/index.html to see all the stories about this great event we did!