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Just learned that the upscale riverboat 'American Queen' is back in service after a 3-year hiatus for cruises on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.
I was browsing the on-line Louisville Courier-Journal and spotted photos of the refurbished 'American Queen' racing the daytrip steamer 'Belle of Louisville' in a Derby Week event.
What this topic has to do with railroad transportation, I know not; but around here "who cares".
Henry Kisor Member # 4776
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I care, I care! That Wikipedia article says the Queen will call at the following ports: New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Memphis. That means we can take the train there to catch the boat! Yay!
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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First, allow me to make an apparently necessary clarification to my "who cares" reference. My intent was simply to convey that no one in the administration ranks of this site is too worried whether or not a topic is directly passenger rail related or not.
So with that having been said, there are of course overlapping interests between rail and inland waterway transportation. In fact, I met just such a lady from Gutenberg IA during my 2010 "joyride". This "fiftysomething" lady, still in the workforce, was traveling on the City to NO, from where she was taking a chartered bus to Mobile. There she was going to board a small cruise vessel and was going to travel up the Alabama and Tombigbee to the Tennessee to the Ohio, to Old Man River, thence the Illinois to Chicago. She resides in Guttenberg IA - on the Miss.
A 3.7KGRT "steamboat", I guess it the "ultimate' for inland waterway transport. even if it is simply a Diesel powered replica.
Oh and finally, many an inland towboat (pushboat) has a Diesel electric locomotive propulsion system.
palmland Member # 4344
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Good info, David. A trip on a steamboat is on our bucket list. A trip from NOL and then down the Cumberland to Nashville would be the ultimate. Too bad the Delta Queen was considered no longer 'safe'. So what if it's all wood. I wouldn't mind going out in a blaze of glory on that landmark vessel.
RRRICH Member # 1418
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Well, GBN -- apparently the administrators of this site DO care whether or not a topic is rail-related. I noticed yesterday that, all of a sudden, the thread entitled "Sanford, FL" disappeared from the forum!! No complaints here -- we were getting WAY far away from trains and rail on that one!!
Trains and boats, fine -- no problem! Even AMTRAK and VIA both on this forum -- no problem!
Even ponies and bagpipes are fine for this forum!!
notelvis Member # 3071
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I posted the American Queen information in a rush yesterday and am just now back onsite....
My experience here has shown that there is an interest on this forum in 'cruise' type travel be it trains, ships, or in this case, riverboats.
There had also been a flurry of activity when the American Queen's original owner went belly up in 2008.
I knew that there would be interest here so I ran with it. A riverboat cruise would be a thing to do someday BUT even being fortunate to catch sight of this beauty at a port-of-call would be something. Given family connections and old friends, we have been known to visit both Louisville and Memphis.
And staying related to previous response - Guttenberg, IA....... been there during my drum corps experience. One of many overlooked river towns in this country. Enjoyed my visit there a great deal.
Henry Kisor Member # 4776
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It was I, the original poster, who killed the Sanford thread. I enjoy political byplay, but the ad hominem boxcar generalizations began to get offensive, and so it was time to lay the thread to rest.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Mr. Kisor, while some here will likely disagree with your decision immediately noted, I heartily commend it.
HopefulRailUser Member # 4513
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Several of my LD trips, including the first one, LAX to SEA, were train/cruise combos. Uncommon Journeys is a company that specifically sets up such trips as the owner is an enthusiast of both.
Now that the Queen is back I hope the American Barge trips recover. They ceased two years ago. We took the Sunset Limited to NOL, traveled along the intracoastal waterway via barge to Galveston, then Ambus to Houston and home on the SL. Great combination to use for travel.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Lead article in the Travel Section of Today's New York Times:
FEW who survived it — and, in truth, we all survived it — will soon forget the Great Yazoo Steamboat Wreck of 2012. For one thing, it seemed briefly as if it might disrupt our 5 p.m. dinner seating, which would have raised a howl loud enough to send a hog to church. For another, it was the most exciting thing that happened during our pleasantly lazy six days on the American Queen, a grand steamboat that made a much anticipated return to river cruising this spring after several years at rest
Overall; even if it sounds to me like another varietal of Love Tub contrived merriment, favorable.
Henry Kisor Member # 4776
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"A howl loud enough to send a hog to church" isn't the only beamish phraseology in that fine piece. There's also "a runt of a pool (not filled on my trip) that in another century might have been mistaken for a spittoon."
notelvis Member # 3071
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The verbal imagery is almost like being there myself!
smitty195 Member # 5102
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Shoot, sounds like I missed a good thread! The Sanford thread didn't even appear on my radar for some reason.
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