Matt Van Hattem’s top 10 railfan spots

Every region has fascinating places to watch trains, and working at Trains brought me to locations I had always longed to visit as well as great spots I might not have otherwise come across. For this top 10 list, I have selected places that offer good scenery and traffic levels, and safe public access.

BEAR MOUNTAIN, N.Y. Railroads follow both sides of the Hudson River here, and the Bear Mountain suspension bridge not only provides convenient access to each riverbank, but makes a fantastic photo op at this scenic location where the river squeezes through the Appalachian Mountains. Metro-North commuter trains to New York follow the east bank, a line also used by Amtrak trains and nighttime CSX Transportation freights. CSX’s busy northern New Jersey-Chicago freight line follows the west bank. Bear Mountain State Park has many great vantage points from which to photograph CSX freights (and east shore passenger trains with a long zoom lens). The Bear Mountain Bridge has walkways that offer fantastic views of both lines.

ELIZABETH/RAHWAY, N.J. For variety and volume on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, it’s hard to beat Elizabeth and Rahway, two stations about 20 miles from New York City. NJ Transit runs twice as many trains as Amtrak, with a diverse fleet that includes electric locomotives; electric multiple-unit trainsets; diesels from Alstom, EMD, General Electric, and Morrison Knudsen; and dual-mode locomotives equipped with a diesel engine and a pantograph. Elizabeth station sits at the end of an S-curve and provides a great summertime spot to view the evening rush hour. Rahway is at the end of a six-track section where overtakes can occur, and has a flying junction where NJ Transit’s North Jersey Coast Line diverges.

CISCO, BRITISH COLUMBIA At this mountainous location, two main lines that follow the Fraser River from suburban Vancouver change sides, with a magnificent steel cantilever arch bridge carrying Canadian National’s tracks over the river and Canadian Pacific’s lower river crossing. Both roads operate bidirectionally through both the Fraser and Thompson river canyons. Westbounds, primarily heavy unit trains, take CN’s gentler route, while eastbounds cycle back on CP’s original hand-carved transcontinental line.

NEW YORK CITY SUBWAY If you visit New York City and only do one thing, make sure it’s ride the subway. And one of the best rides in the city is the 7 line to Flushing. After scurrying beneath 42nd Street and the East River, the 7 train emerges into daylight by Long Island Rail Road’s Hunterspoint Avenue station in Queens. Soon afterward, the 7 train soars over Amtrak’s Sunnyside Yard, and a few stops later, calls at Woodside, where Long Island trains can be shot early-morning against the New York City skyline. Nearer to Manhattan, the Lowery or Bliss Street stations will yield great views of subway trains and the Empire State Building. When you’re finished, return to Manhattan, disembark at Grand Central, and spend some time in America’s most famous railroad terminal.

BILL, WYO. To see one of the most efficient displays of modern freight railroading, head to Bill, Wyo., in the Powder River Basin coal fields. There, BNSF Railway and Union Pacific coal trains roll by on headways more typical of transit systems. Bill is at the south end of a 21-mile stretch of four-track main line where coal trains fight their way up and down the 1-percent grades of Logan Hill. It is also a crew change point for UP and has a motel and 24-hour diner.

DOWNERS GROVE, ILL. Passenger and freight trains coexist on BNSF’s triple-track main line through Downers Grove in a way that you won’t find in many other places in the U.S. The former Chicago, Burlington & Quincy “Racetrack” sees more than 90 weekday Metra commuter trains and eight daily Amtrak trains, sharing space with freights. The city is a classic Chicago railroad suburb, with a picturesque train station and a vibrant downtown. It also boasts coffee shops on both sides of the tracks, so you’ll never have to go thirsty waiting for a train to pass.

ASHLAND, VA. Trains on CSX’s RF&P Subdivision stroll through Ashland’s quaint downtown, right in the middle of Center Street. The depot is a stop for Amtrak’s Northeast Regional trains, but others sail right through, including the Auto Train, Tropicana “Juice Train,” and CSX freights. Seven miles north at Doswell, the Buckingham Branch Railroad has a yard adjacent to the CSX crossing.

FOSTORIA, OHIO The opening of a railroad park last year further cemented Fostoria’s reputation as one of the best places in the Great Lakes region to catch mainline freight action. Three routes cross on diamonds a few blocks apart, all controlled from an active tower. CSX’s Chicago-Northeast main line fields the most traffic, crossing Norfolk Southern’s Buffalo, N.Y.-Chicago line and CSX’s Toledo, Ohio-Virginia coal route.

HARPERS FERRY, W.VA. This well-known railroad town provides several scenic vantage points for watching trains. Hike up the Maryland Heights trail for a sweeping view of the Potomac River valley and the railroad bridges that feed into the tunnel below. Weekday MARC commuter trains and Amtrak’s daily Capitol Limited use CSX’s double-track main line through town, while local freights to Strasburg, Va., and hikers on the Appalachian Trail use the single-track bridge. The historic train station provides the ideal vantage point for capturing timeless afternoon views of a westbound train popping out of the tunnel and crossing the river.

SAN CLEMENTE, CALIF. San Clemente has beaches, a fishing pier, trails, and seaside cliffs that provide a host of stunning locations from which to view the Pacific Ocean and beach-combing trains on the former Santa Fe “Surf Line” – now the domain of Amtrak Pacific Surfliners to San Diego, Metrolink commuter trains, and a handful of BNSF freights. Four Amtrak trains a day call at San Clemente Pier. On weekdays, Metrolink trains call at a station 1.1 miles north of the pier, but on weekends they use the Amtrak stop.

Matt Van Hattem, who lives in Omaha, Neb., is a former Trains senior editor.

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