Thursday Doors

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Judy@NewEnglandGardenAndThread

The Amtrak Downeaster travels between Massachusetts and Maine

Depending upon the day of the week there are either five or seven trains running in both directions.

I like knowing I live in a town with a train station. I even like hearing the distant whistle.

I was at the University of New Hampshire, Durham, last Monday and was taking a break with friends at The Dairy Bar which is housed in the restored train depot when I heard the whistle. I was able to grab these shots as people headed for the platform.

This Saturday, May 12, is National Train Day. How do I know that? Well, our good friend, Dan, over at No Facilities really likes trains, and he made sure to let us know.

I haven’t ridden on a train in a couple of years. I think I’m due to at least think about a trip because there is something about standing on the siding and hearing the conductor shout all aboard.

Where would I like to go on a train – Maine. I’d ask a Dover and South Carolina friend to join me because she is always up for a fun adventure.

There are three Maine bloggers I’d love to have lunch with – Denise at Fernwood Nursery, Laurie at Notes from the Hinterland, and Brenda at Old Dogs New Truck. Then we’d head farther north to visit two South Carolina friends at the Maine and Nova Scotia border. Perfect train trip – guaranteed to result in a lot of smiles, laughter, and great conversation.

When’s the last time you rode on a train?

Our head train conductor for Thursday Doors is Norm Frampton. Check out doors from around the globe on his Thursday Doors for May 10, 2018.

 

About Judy@NewEnglandGardenAndThread

Master Gardener who enjoys gardening, quilting, photography, and traveling.
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66 Responses to Thursday Doors

  1. Oddment says:
    May 10, 2018 at 7:07 am

    What nostalgia! I grew up in what is fondly called Da Region: northwest Indiana, just outside Chicago, at the southern tip of Lake Michigan, crowded with oil refineries and steel foundries and crisscrossed with trains. No one ever went anywhere without being stopped by one — or three. The Monon ran half a block from our house, and we’d skip the shadows of the cars as we waited for the school bus. I like your word “adventure.” There always was that with trains — and I loved that train whistle in the middle of the night. I hope you take that trip! And thanks for this memory trip!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Wandering Dawgs says:
    May 10, 2018 at 7:22 am

    When you are on that train trip continue on down to Savannah. I’ll pick you up at the station and we can have lunch! Last time I was on a train was in Alaska. We took a day trip on the Hurricane Turn. So much fun and such beautiful scenery. Here’s a link to my post about it https://wanderingdawgs.com/2013/07/16/day-59-blondie-takes-a-ride-on-the-alaska-railroad/

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Judy @ NewEnglandGardenAndThread says:
    May 10, 2018 at 7:27 am

    Okay, now you’re talking. A couple of SC friends mentioned last winter visiting Savannah next year while we are down south. I will definitely keep you in mind for lunch. 🙂 That is a great post. The whole family got to ride the rails, and those pancakes sounded amazing. A good adventure always includes good food, right? 🙂

    Like

  4. Susi Lovell says:
    May 10, 2018 at 7:30 am

    I love train trips! My most recent one was Montreal-Niagara on the Lake-Montreal. Only about 10 hours door to door including wait time in Toronto! The cross-Canada train is wonderful too. I recommend going east to west because then you end up with the Rockies and go through the Fraser Valley into Vancouver. Nothing like a train whistle to get one dreaming…

    Liked by 2 people

  5. quilt32 says:
    May 10, 2018 at 7:36 am

    In 1952, I was a new bride making 16-hour each-way trips on a train to Portsmouth, Virginia, to visit my Navy husband. My last train trip was when he was discharged and we were able to take the train back home on Thanksgiving Day in 1952. I had had enough 16-hour trips to last me a lifetime.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Marian St.Clair says:
    May 10, 2018 at 7:45 am

    A long time ago when I was just a young girl, but I remember it vividly, We even dressed up for the trip!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Murphy's Law says:
    May 10, 2018 at 8:07 am

    Sadly no train trips for me, but I’ve always thought it would be a terrific adventure. Where we used to live we too could hear the train whistle in the distance. Loved it. Always made my mind wander to some far-off place that I wanted to visit.

    Hope you get to take your dream train trip.
    🔹 Ginger 🔹

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Laurie Graves says:
    May 10, 2018 at 9:17 am

    Just give a whistle, and I’ll join you for lunch! The train goes all the way to Brunswick, which might be fun if you want a longer train trip. Also plenty of good places to eat within walking distance of the train station. But the train also goes to Freeport and, of course, Portland. I’ll be waiting to hear…

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Ally Bean says:
    May 10, 2018 at 9:29 am

    The last time I rode on a train was in England in the early ’90s. Went from London to Exeter and it was a delightful experience. I do, however, hear train whistles every night where I live now, so I’m kind of in touch with my train-ness. Nice doors.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Relax... says:
    May 10, 2018 at 9:43 am

    We took it to Old Orchard Beach — wonderful not to have to drive/park a car! We also took the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad train one rainy day with a friend visiting from California. I recall best, though, the train to Boston for the St. Patrick’s Day parade when I was a child. Every inch and every second was magical! I hope trains will always be around. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Dan Antion says:
    May 10, 2018 at 10:32 am

    Thanks Judy! Thanks for the shout and thanks for sharing a train post. I would love to take this train. I have been on AMTRAK a few times a year during the past several years, but heading south from Hartford. I’m looking forward to a time when I might be able to head north. I hope you make that trip, see those sights, meet those people and hear that whistle from inside the train.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Claudette says:
    May 10, 2018 at 11:33 am

    Last time I rode a train I jumped on in Salem to Boston. Then I jumped on the Downeaster to Wells, ME to see my sister in Kennebunk. Taking advantage of the senior discount. I will be thinking of you when you go Maine to see your friend with my other sister.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Almost Iowa says:
    May 10, 2018 at 11:33 am

    The last train I rode on was The Ghan, a rail line that runs north and south through the middle of Australia. It was named after the Afghan camel drivers to pioneered the route.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Annie says:
    May 10, 2018 at 11:39 am

    Oh wow, what fun! I was a teen when I took a train from Williamsburg VA all the way to Lincoln and U. of Nebraska to visit my sister, a student there. I changed trains in Chicago. I can’t believe my parents allowed me to make that trip. It was a little iffy at times! With a station in Exeter, why haven’t I taken advantage it? I think this will be the summer to do so. PS: I’ve enjoyed ice cream at The Dairy Bar. Yummy!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Judy @ NewEnglandGardenAndThread says:
      May 11, 2018 at 6:54 am

      Those were the days when a teen could safely go on an adventure like that alone. 🙂 Several years ago, a friend and I rode the Downeaster from Dover to Exeter, shopped and had lunch, and came back. Ice cream at the Dairy Bar? Isn’t that funny because I’ve only been there for breakfast or lunch and never had ice cream. I think I need another excuse to go to Durham. 🙂

      Like

  15. Eliza Waters says:
    May 10, 2018 at 12:11 pm

    I do like to travel by train because you can get up and move around easily, but it has been years since I’ve done so.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. jesh stg says:
    May 10, 2018 at 2:31 pm

    Love the whole atmosphere and sounds of trains and train stations! They remind me on my preteen years, where I went to school in another city by train. Thanks for the memory!

    Liked by 1 person

  17. the eternal traveller says:
    May 10, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    Judy, I knew we were kindred spirits and this post confirms it! We love train travel too. There’s an Amtrak trip starting in LA and ending in Chicago that we would like to do. We’ve booked two train trips in Canada, only short day trips but it will give us a chance to see some more of the country. We thought about doing the cross country trip from Vancouver to Toronto but it used up too much of our limited time, so we’ll save that for another day. I like the sound of your adventure, with friends to meet up with on the way.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. RetirementallyChallenged.com says:
    May 10, 2018 at 3:54 pm

    I love trains too! I guess a few of us wrote a salute to trains for our Thursday Doors posts today. When I was working and had to travel to Los Angeles for business, I always took the train if I could get away with it (I also always brought work to do while sitting on the train but I usually spent most of my time looking out the window 🙂 ).

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Jean Reinhardt says:
    May 10, 2018 at 4:54 pm

    I love trainrides, too, although I haven’t been on one in a couple of years now. You are so lucky to have such a big country for really long journeys. I’d love to sleep in one of those bunks on an overnight train trip. We don’t have them here as Ireland is too small. Maybe I should think about going on the Orient Express…………. hmmm, that’s one for the bucket list.

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Tina Schell says:
    May 10, 2018 at 6:20 pm

    I used to travel NYC/NJ/Phila/DC quite often on the metro liner. It was a great service and your photo reminds me of those days. Nicely captured!

    Liked by 1 person

  21. joey says:
    May 10, 2018 at 7:22 pm

    More than 20 years since I went on a proper train. Several times in the last 20 years, I’ve been on a train for short distances — 20-30 minutes north. We’re long overdue for a train trip and do think that’s yet another thing we’ll do more often when it’s just us two. Here in Indianapolis, trains are everywhere.They’re practically part of the local wildlife. We don’t even hear them, but when we’re not here, we notice the absence of them. Make sense?
    My first place was like: townhouse, patio fence, ditch, and train tracks. It ran day and night, whistles and all 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Penny Mason Publications says:
    May 10, 2018 at 7:49 pm

    I’ve always thought of taking the downeaster when I was staying in New England. Have been at a station but never did. Maybe next trip.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. sustainabilitea says:
    May 10, 2018 at 8:17 pm

    I grew up in Omaha, which was on the route of the San Francisco Zephyr, which we took a time or two to visit my grandparents in California. I’ve ridden the Metra trains in to Chicago most recently and the TGV from Frankfurt to Belfort, France most recently.

    janet

    Liked by 1 person

  24. pommepal says:
    May 10, 2018 at 11:41 pm

    I adore train travel Judy and have travelled on some of the worlds icon journeys including the trans Mongolian express and trains in India and of course a number of our Australian outback trains. I would love to visit Brenda too, say G’day from me if you get there

    Liked by 2 people

  25. Photography Journal Blog says:
    May 11, 2018 at 1:47 am

    Nice take on the door theme 🙂

    Like

  26. KerryCan says:
    May 11, 2018 at 6:19 am

    Take me with you! I’d love to meet those three other women, as well as you–we could have a grand time!

    Liked by 1 person

  27. roughwighting says:
    May 11, 2018 at 7:34 am

    I prefer trains to airplanes, that’s for sure. When I visit my mom in DE, or sometimes my brother near DC, I take the Amtrak train from Boston to Wilmington station. I’ve also stopped at Penn Station and visited NYC. It’s a great way to travel (although, sigh, I get motion sick on the train, so I can’t read). But the windows are big on a train – lots of sightseeing.

    Liked by 2 people

  28. germac4 says:
    May 11, 2018 at 10:42 pm

    I love train travel because it takes you right into the heart of the city… So much less drama than driving into any big city! I would prefer to be near a train than an airport. When we were first married we lived under the flight path in Sydney … Dreadful! When we moved in I thought the neighbours were joking when they said we would get used to lip reading the TV!

    Liked by 2 people

  29. Joanne Sisco says:
    May 12, 2018 at 8:17 am

    Happy National Train Day, Judy!

    Not counting the subway train, it’s been a very long time since I’ve been on a train trip. I’d say probably 20 years ago in Europe. It’s sad really. I like trains, I like riding on trains and did it quite a bit in university going back and forth from home.

    Thanks to movies and books, I think of train travel as an adventure, but sadly my husband doesn’t share my enthusiasm.

    Liked by 2 people

  30. Norm 2.0 says:
    May 12, 2018 at 9:34 am

    Happy train day! I recently rediscovered the relaxing pace of train travel.
    For years here Via Rail used “A More Civilized Way to Travel” as their advertising slogan. After our train trip to Toronto last month I have to agree with them 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Nancy says:
    May 12, 2018 at 10:20 am

    Oh how fun!! A Train ride is fun! I think an adventure awaits you!

    The last time I was on a train was when we had to take a two hour train trip into London, England! We enjoyed a bottle of wine as we saw the England landscape go by. ❤️

    Liked by 2 people

  32. gardeninacity says:
    May 12, 2018 at 11:08 pm

    I used to take a commuter train into Chicago on most days. The last time we rode on an inter-city train was in Japan, last September. I wish we had a comparable train system here. I would love to hop on a train to visit our son in Minnesota.

    Liked by 2 people

  33. Brenda says:
    May 13, 2018 at 6:58 am

    I’m on board!!! For lunch, not the train. Although I’d be tempted to hop on the train with you, too. Seriously, if you do get up this way, I would love to get together. Any time, just let me know.

    Liked by 1 person

  34. Song of the heart says:
    May 13, 2018 at 10:13 am

    Train travel is just cool!

    Liked by 1 person

  35. Suzanne says:
    May 21, 2018 at 8:25 am

    Judy, we took Amtrak from San Francisco to Chicago a few years ago. It is just a four day ride, but we turned it into 15, by hopping off and visiting a few locations along the route. It was my husband’s dream vacation, and I have to admit, it changed my idea of train travel. Now, I have absolutely no hesitation. Sounds like you have a solid plan. I hope you will make it happen.

    Liked by 1 person

  36. Joyce says:
    May 22, 2018 at 5:41 pm

    My fondest train whistle memory brings me back to grandma’s house on hot, humid summer days, playing in a window seat while that sound broke the sullen silence of the neighborhood. At 5 or 6 blocks away, I could even hear the rumbling on the tracks. I have thought of those moments during times of stress when I needed to “chill out” over something! I felt so secure and totally at peace with those comforting background sounds.
    My last train ride was a short trip on a decommissioned engine that’s used now for families with kids . There’s pumpkin and Santa versions, too – something the grandkids would probably enjoy as much as the kids did. I’ve also ridden to Quebec, Canada from Lansing, Michigan with high school French students as a guest of their teacher, my colleague at my first job. That was one heck of a long ride!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Judy @ NewEnglandGardenAndThread says:
      May 22, 2018 at 9:02 pm

      I love that memory, and the fact that it still provides solace years later is amazing. We go to a local pizza place that is literally right off the tracks. So, if we happen to be there at 6 we can hear and watch the Downeaster come through and stop. Trains are part of our more simple past, and I like them. 🙂

      Like

  37. gardeninacity says:
    June 3, 2018 at 2:43 pm

    Today I’ve been mostly weeding, pruning,and edging. It’s a beautiful day, and I’m about to have lunch on the patio. I got in the heavy work yesterday – mostly mowing, planting, and staking.

    Liked by 1 person

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