Paddington Station, London England

 

In 2022, The Paddington Bear statue was on Platform 1 but it has moved in the recent past so ask information if you don't see it.

Paddington Station is in the London borough called the City of Westminster. It is a central London location on Praed Street.

Here's an aerial view I created in Bing.

The station code is PAD.

The official name is London Paddington

Paddington is a convenient station for travel to Heathrow airport via the Heathrow Express train service.

I often go in and out of Paddington thinking of my grandfather who worked for the Great Western Railway before World War I.

The station dates to the mid 1800s and has connections throughout London via the underground (Tube) and busses. There are also over ground services.

Check out the story boards if you are interested in historic railways--especially in the UK.

Paddington 1864

Paddington 1866

Paddington 1866

Paddington

Paddington 1952

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Oklahoma Railway Museum USA

 

The Oklahoma Railway Museum is a working museum.

Getting an old loco in shape

You can buy tickets for a ride but it was closed when I visited.

There are signs providing educational information about America's railroads.

For example, a sample of tools used by the crew.

And information about the tracks

I wandered about the yard and took these photos.

Link to the museum website

The museum is free

Purchase a ticket for a train ride

See the website for hours and days of operation

Link to a Google Map

Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

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Grand Canyon Railway Arizona

All aboard for the trip from Williams Arizona to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Our photos are from 30 August 1997.

Looking above the cars as we cross the high desert.

And a look out the window on a curve.

A wild west show is part of the entertainment. 

A final look at a classic locomotive.

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Notes

The history of the Grand Canyon Railway dates to 17 September 1901.

The 65 mile route cost $3.95

Supplies for building Grand Canyon Village were delivered by train.

The popularity of automobiles ended train service in 1968.

But, passenger service resumed 17 September 1989.

Link to train website

Pike's Peak Colorado

Pike's Peak is situated on land previously inhabited by the Ute tribe.  It's height at 14,115 feet makes it simply outstanding. The Ute people called it Tava (Sun Mountain).

A European named Zebulon Pike headed up the mountain some 200 years ago thus the current name, Pike's Peak.

I began my recent drive up the mountain from the Magnuson hotel in Manitou Springs, which I can easily recommend as a good place to stay.

I paid a $15 fee to use the highway to the top. I was warned to turn off my air conditioning by a ranger who pointed to an unhappy group waiting on the steam to subside from their SUV.

It's a winding road to the top and many turns have no guard rails so, good to keep your eyes on the road. There are turnouts for people who want a break. I decided to stop later and headed for a spot at the top.

There is a new visitor center and portable toilets nearby.

The parking area is dirt surrounded by rocks and boulders but there's a path from one side to the other.

Some arrive by way of the Cog railroad. I was going to take that trip but after walking around the top, I decided against another trip up the mountain. The first cog railway was completed in 1891. You can board this in Manitou Springs.

Although there were a lot of cars in the parking area, it seems someone was always leaving. I did not see backed up traffic when I was there 22 August, 2021.

After walking about and taking a few photos, I headed back down the mountain. The good advice was to use low gear to avoid burning out your breaks. After a few thousand feet, there's a mandatory break check. I pulled over for about 20 minutes and drove mostly in first or second gear.

I pulled over a few times to let the speeders zip ahead in their sports cars. For the most part, the drivers were cautious and there were no hassles with my nine-year-old car.

Learn more at the Pike's Peak website

Here's a brief  YouTube video of the Cog Railway cars descending the mountain.

Monongahela National Forest and Seneca Rocks

 We spent most of the day, 1 October 2020, in Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia after staying in nearby Elkins.

The Sites' family homestead is near Seneca Rocks and worth a look at the building and gardens.

The view of Seneca Rocks is simply awesome.

We couldn't resist climbing up for a better view and some much needed exercise.

After crossing a stream, we hiked a tree-covered trail, which was steep in parts.

We were rewarded with great views at the lookout point.

At the end of the day, we logged over 7.5 miles. We headed for Charlottesville Virginia to see Monticello on Friday. Our final destination was Virginia Beach.

Following are a few videos of this day from my YouTube Channel

The Sites Homestead

Seneca Rocks

Deer along the Seneca Rock's Trail

And, before leaving Monongahela, we stopped at Cass to see the scenic railway.

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