Part One

It all began back in 1959, at the age of 4½. My family and I were heading up to Cape Cod and somewhere along the way I saw this railroad bridge with these huge boxcars on top of it, wondering what they were. A few years later I was at my Nana and Nunu’s summer cottage in Niantic, Connecticut and come to find out that the New Haven Railroad was right down the street. In fact, there was this green house with a back yard that was near the tracks and it made the perfect place to watch the trains as they rolled by. From that year on, I was hooked.

Fast forward to present day and I am back on the road doing what I do best: chasing trains with the beautiful backdrop of Fall.

With that being said, welcome to my blog. To those of you who followed me on my journeys back in October of 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014 out in Nebraska, it’s good to see you again. For those of you following me on Facebook, nice to have you back. If you are a newcomer, Welcome Aboard!! And I have asked you all to come along with me and see what makes this railfan tick.

Usually at this time and with this being an even year, I would be writing to you from Nebraska. But I have a much more important thing to do. And that is to provide for my daughter Caty's wedding next Memorial Day Weekend as she ties the knot with the love of her life, her fiancee Will, who I might add will make a great son-in-law. Plus, I am hoping to retire from News 8 come next July. And instead of two and a half weeks next Fall, we'll be doing three weeks if not more. So, I'll take the delay and very much look forward to Caty's wedding next year and walking her down the isle.

With that being said, where am I going this year? Well, I am going back to my train chasing roots; where it all began back in the spring of 1989. That was the first time I went to Altoona, Pennsylvania and the Horseshoe Curve.

From our friends at Wikipedia.Org:

"Horseshoe Curve is a three-track railroad curve on Norfolk Southern Railway's Pittsburgh Line in Blair County, Pennsylvania. The curve itself is about 2,375-foot (724 m) long and 1,300 feet (400 m) in diameter; it was completed in 1854 by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a way to lessen the grade to the summit of the Allegheny Mountains. It eventually replaced the time-consuming Allegheny Portage Railroad, the only other route across the mountains for large vehicles.

The rail line has been important since its opening, and during World War II the Curve was targeted by Nazi Germany in 1942 as part of Operation Pastorius. The Curve was later owned and used by Pennsylvania Railroad successors Penn Central, Conrail, and Norfolk Southern. Horseshoe Curve was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966, and became a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2004.

Horseshoe Curve has long been a tourist attraction with a trackside observation park being completed in 1879. In the early 1990s, the park was renovated and a visitor center built; the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona manages the center, which has exhibits pertaining to the curve."

We'll tell you more as the days roll on. And I will also be visiting the railroad community of Ashland, Virgina, about 20 miles north of Richmond. That will be on Thursday and Friday.

And along with this blog will be some great pictures and hopefully the possibility of going Facebook Live from both locations. And it seems the weather man will be providing some great weather.

A note on Facebook will be posted each morning letting you know that the next blog chapter is available. In fact, here is the link:

http://ontheroad-PAVAMD2016.blogspot.com

Anyway, it's been a long day of driving and it's time to sit back and relax and watch Game 2 of the NLCS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs. GO CUBS!!!!

And before I forget, this blog is again dedicated to the memory of my mom, Mary Bolinsky Zocco. She always said that I took great pictures. Pure luck if you ask me. But she was a fan and I hope to make her proud one more time.

Thanks to my youngest brother Jay for helping to check in on our Dad while I am away. Thanks to my kids Chris and Caty for help in setting up the blog way back when. And thanks to my younger brother Paul for the title. I'm sure Charles Karault would approve.

I’m Philip J Zocco. On The Road. In Ledgewood, New Jersey.