The Rail Travel Meetup Group no longer has a schedule of regular gatherings.
When there is a gathering it will be posted here and an email sent to all members.
When we do meet, the purpose is to share stories of rail travel including local and nationwide travel on Amtrak, excursion trains, tourist railways, Canada VIA rail and foreign rail travel. Everyone is encouraged to share recommendations or even find a new friend to travel with.
In one form or another, this group has been getting together every month for about 30 years. Starting around 1996 it was originally called The San Diegan Club and would meet at various stations up and down the Amtrak San Diegan line, now called the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner. At its peak, some of our Meetups would have almost 100 members attending, especially at our annual Christmas Parties.
But over the last year, attendees at our monthly gatherings has dwindled down to zero sometimes. Many people have moved out of the area, some are unable to drive, and some have passed on.
Thus, the regular monthly meetings as of January 2025 are being discontinued. From time to time we will have gatherings, and maybe even some local group rail excursions. When we have them, I'll post the events to this Meetup page and send out an email well in advance to all members of this group so that you can plan accordingly if you would like to attend.
The prior decades of the Rail Travel Group have been a great rail travel learning experience and have brought many rail travel enthusiasts together to share our adventures. I hope we can continue getting together to share our rail travel interests, but just not as frequently as we have in the past.
CLICK HERE for more information or to RSVP for the next Meetup or Rail Outing.
The Rail Travel Meetup Group is not a passenger rail advocacy group nor a nuts & bolts railfan group. We are just a bunch of people that like to get together and discuss our rail travel experiences in a relaxed atmosphere over some food and drinks! If you like to travel by rail, or are interested in getting started in rail travel, then you should come to our Meetup! If you have questions about travel on Amtrak, VIA Rail Canada, or on most other excursion and tourist railways, bring your questions to the Meetup. Someone will probably have answers to your questions!
There are no application forms and no dues. This is a "no pressure" Meetup without speakers or any set agenda. We'll just be talking about wherever the conversations take us, though we will try our best to keep the topic on rail travel!
If you would like to find out more about the Rail Travel Meetup Group and some of its members, click here to go to the Rail Travel Meetup Group website. Although not required in order to attend the Meetups, you can "officially" join the "Rail Travel Meetup Group" at the above link and will then be able to let the rest of the group know more about yourself and will be kept informed about group activities and members.
Photos are still being posted of our Meetups and Rail Outings, but now those photos are being posted directly to the Rail Travel Meetup Group Photo Albums. Click here to view those albums.
Photos by Cathy & Mary Stanfill: 12/22/08 Christmas Party / 11/24/08 Meetup
Photos & Stores From More Prior Meetups and Rail Outings:
After the October 24, 2005, Meetup, we all went to the Fullerton Santa Fe Depot to greet Amtrak President David Gunn as he arrived in the Amtrak corporate car on the tail of the eastbound Amtrak Southwest Chief. People at the event included: Ken Ruben, Chris Parker, Harold Penensen, Dan Dalke, William Puhl, Mary Pearl Puhl, Stephen Grande, Ray Burns, Margaret Monroe, Daniel Monroe, Pat Moran, L.R. Smithline, Chris Guenzler, Winston W. Walker, Art Tomlin, and Ross Moore, Jr.
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Visit Our Meetup.com Website. Just a bunch of people that like to get together and discuss our rail travel experiences in a relaxed atmosphere over some food and drinks at the Santa Fe Express Cafe, right on the platform of the Fullerton Amtrak / Metrolink Station. Meet your fellow rail travel enthusiasts... Read More>> |
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1949 - 2009: Richard Hamilton. Richard was founder of the Let's Talk Trains internet radio show in 2002 and founder of The San Diegan Club in the 1990's, the precursor group to this Rail Travel Meetup Group. Richard had a wonderful passion for the railroading hobby which he shared with others as a volunteer at the Poway-Midland Railroad and as a member of both the San Diego Electric Railway Association and the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum. Read More>> |
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Oct 7, 1942 - Jul 22, 2014: Ray Burns. Ray was one of the three original founders of TrainWeb in 1996 and of TrainParty.com. Ray was an avid rail traveler with many of his photos and reports posted at TrainWeb, including Amtrak, the American Orient Express, the Rocky Mountaineer, the entire Canada Via Rail system, and even on the AAPRCO train. Ray Burns served multiple tours of duty as a Marine in Viet Nam in the 1960's... Read More>> |
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1943 - Mar 12, 2015: Ken Ruben. Ken was a long time railfan and a member of many rail and transit organizations. He was very involved promoting rail and other transit at civic meetings. Ken was one of the earliest members of our Rail Travel Meetup Group and attended just about every monthly gathering and rail outing religiously... Read More>> |
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Mar 26, 2015: Winston Walker. Read More>> |
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2020: Arnold James (AJ). Read More>> |
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Oct 15, 1956 - Jun 26, 2021: Chris Parker. Larry Boerio: "Chris was a man with a heart as big as the ocean. He never hesitated to help anyone in need even when he was in need. Nothing speaks higher of a man and his values than..." Read More>> Slide Show>> |
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Dec 13, 1951 - Dec 3, 2024: Don Roe. Don Roe was an avid rail traveler and active member of the Rail Travel Meetup Group. As a minister, he married Chris & Elizabeth Guenzler, both significant members of our travel group... Read More>> |
