1 RAHWAY, N.J. Google Image search Six tracks abreast proclaim speed and intensity on the Northeast Corridor.
2 THURMOND, W.VA. Trip Advisor entry Classic 20th century coal and railroad town deep in the New River Gorge.
3 HELL GATE BRIDGE Google search Opposite of its name, this 1,017-foot span in New York City is a beauty.
4 CASS, W.VA. Shay-powered logging railroad turned tourist line exudes cinders and sawdust.
5 RICHMOND, VA. Two over one isn’t fair. First triple crossing in the U.S.; second is in Kansas City.
6 LAMBERTS POINT, VA. NS’s Pier 6 is the biggest and most efficient coal loading dock.
7 ORBISONIA, PA. Legendary East Broad Top narrow gauge is dormant but intact.
8 HUEY P. LONG BRIDGE Massive, 7,000-foot-long structure over the Mississippi at New Orleans.
9 GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL New York City masterpiece that survives thanks to the 1963 demise of Pennsylvania Station. 750,000 folks rush through each day.
10 STRASBURG, PA. Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and Strasburg Rail Road tourist line are an unbeatable combination.
12 SALUDA GRADE Silent since 2001, the North Carolina roller coaster drop was the steepest main line grade at 4.7 percent.
13 ANDREWS GEYSER NS has 13 miles of loops, tunnels, and bridges to travel 3 air miles to cross the North Carolina Blue Ridge.
14 LONGEST STRAIGHT STRETCH IN THE U.S. 78.9 miles on CSX’s former Seaboard route between Hamlet, N.C., and Wilmington, N.C.
15 THE RAT HOLE NS’s busy route through Kentucky and Tennessee the hard way.
16 DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. Upstart regional Florida East Coast bucks the trends in classic colors.
17 WHITEFIELD, N.H. Home of the last ball signals that prompted the phrase, “Highball!”
18 ALTOONA, PA. Pennsylvania Railroad’s Juniata Shop complex thrives under NS. Railroaders’ Memorial Museum tells the workers’ story.
19 BALTIMORE, MD. Birthplace of the Baltimore & Ohio as well as home of the world-class B&O Railroad Museum.
20 EDDYSTONE, PA. All that is left of the sprawling Baldwin Locomotive Works plant is the headquarters building south of Philly.
22 HELMSTETTER’S CURVE Google search Classic location on the former Western Maryland, now on the tourist railroad of the same name.
23 SCRANTON, PA. A twofer: The National Park Service museum in the former Lackawanna shop complex and the Alcos of the Delaware-Lackawanna short line.
24 30TH STREET STATION Philadelphia landmark. Arguably America’s best big city railroad station. Look for the angel.
25 KENNESAW, GA. Where the Great Locomotive Chase began; home of the 4-4-0 General.
26 BEREA, OHIO Site of the famous Conrail X, center of the system. Now a CSX and NS junction and busy train-watching site.
27 ERIE, PA. Wabtec plant turns out six-axle units for domestic and worldwide use.
28 BEAR MOUNTAIN BRIDGE, N.Y. Classic Hudson River location. It’s easy to imagine the Century at speed here.
29 CHRISTIANSBURG GRADE Google Image search Classic Norfolk & Western grade leading out of Roanoke, Va.
30 NATURAL TUNNEL In southwest Virginia. Only location where a Class I railroad, NS, uses a non-manmade passage.
31 HARPERS FERRY, W.VA. Historic and scenic location on CSX’s former Baltimore & Ohio main line. Watch westbounds exiting the tunnel.
32 SPENCER, N.C. Largest preserved roundhouse, 37 stalls, at classic Southern Railway shop complex turned museum.
33 KEY WEST EXTENSION Henry Flagler’s dream to extend his Florida East Coast south of Florida mainland. Abandoned in 1935.
So what is the problem with Southern sites, they are if my geography is correct east of the Mississippi River and having been to all the Southern sites plus a good manner of the rest all the ones list for the South are great locations, it would not be much to include Chattanooga on the list for certain. Now how about posting some for west of Chicago?
How sad that New England gets a single mention, and of all places just Whitefield, NH….
As a congentinal easterner (living in the Midwest now) I’d question New Orleans or Ohio being “east”.
John Bradley (below) is correct – any place on NEC is great! Just as here in the Midwest any place on BNSF Chicago to Auirora is great. On the BNSF commuter zone I pick my spot on the basis of where I want to have lunch and coffee and, an hour later, find the bathroom. Traffic is the same at all points.
Have been to 20+ of the places listed here. Would also include almost any where on the NEC from Trenton to New Haven for shear traffic volume.
C’mon guys, more than half of this list is the South. Most Americans know the East as the eastern seaboard of the USA. It’s also known as the Acela Corridor: everything north of the Potomac and east of the Alleghenies. One of you locations (Berea Ohio) is actually in the Midwest. Who would think that Trains magazine would be geographically challenged.
Scranton’s actually a threefer: you forgot the Electric City Trolley Museum, which features a long excursion to the local baseball stadium.
Sandpatch. Savannah NY (middle of Water Level Route across New York). Hoosic Tunnel east entrance. Starucca and then Gulf Summit (few trains now but historic and ultra-scenic). Scranton area.
Have seen some of these and will see more on our annual railfan trip to PA in June. Great list.
Tough. Do you mean trackside or on track? 16 trackside and 19 on track.
We used to have a triple crossing in Baltimore. North Ave Bridge. PRR on the bottom, B&O in the middle, and BTC on top. Ended when the 13 streetcar was discontinued in 1954.
What No Pokey!…Double track and superior engineering, tunnels every where, manned pushers. And you call yourselves railfans…
I’m shocked that Chattanooga is not on this list
Been to 18 out of the 33! One place I might have added to your list is the former Clinchfield.