Comments by "Bill Pruitt" (@pruittiii) on "DownieLive" channel.

  1. What a great series. The only drawback: Not enough episodes! I am itching to take a train trip... and a boat trip!
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  2. I am usually disappointed when there is no train involved! Not this time! The boats look like a great way to see the real UK. So often trains run through industrial areas. This looks like pure countryside. Nicole looks like a keeper. She is the ying to your yang. If you haven't already, get a ring on her finger!
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  3. There is an old saying about "...losing sight of the forest for the trees." Thankfully, Vancouver had the foresight to keep great sightlines of nature.
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  4. 911's were sweet cars. I drove from Atlanta to Chattanooga with a buddy in his 911. It was after an all nighter after exams. Talk about a sweet and smooth ride. I caught myself going 140 mph. Felt like I was hardly moving. Happy times! Great video, buddy
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  5. Sweet. You lived every man's fantasy... To be James Bond!
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  6. Another great video. I just watched Seb's, too. Food looks excellent. Amtrak needs to do a case study. Was this Seb's longest train trip? PS: You need to do an Orient Express video!
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  7. We sometimes forget the great things in our own backyard. Perhaps that is one thing beneficial from Covid. We are discovering the great things in our own backyards. There are some thermal springs near me at Warm Springs, GA. They are inaccessible to the public. A pool was built atop them when Warm Springs was a resort community in the late 1800's. After President Roosevelt acquired them and the Georgia-Warm Springs Institute was built, the water was diverted there. Though the pools no longer are structurally capable of holding water, you can walk down in the pool and feel the warm water. President Roosevelt was at Warm Springs when he died. Warm Springs, nestled at the foot of Pine Mountain, would be a great place for you to tour. Thanks for another great video. I am traveling vicariously through you.
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  8. Amazing. I've never seen them being harvested. Thanks for an educational experience.
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  9. Looks like a great trip. Pullman would be pleased to see how overnight trains have evolved! As for Nicole... You are one lucky dude!
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  10. Have to love the covered bridge. Our town recently acquired one built by the famed bridge builder Horace King. It's being moved back to our county and will be on the running / biking trail.
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  11. I'm so glad you are having (and seizing) the opportunity to do these things with your Daddy. I had many plans to do things with mine once he retired. Due to a career change for me and failing health for him, only a few came to fruition - two coming to mind are a behind the scenes tour of a power plant and a visit to Atlanta's Cyclorama. The one we never able to work out was a passenger excursion up the railroad for which his father helped build the first automatic signals. Seize the moment and relish the time with your Daddy.
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  12. Great video. Originally the caboose allowed the conductor and brakeman were able to look ahead and see the half of the train which could not be seen looking back from the locomotive. The advent of much longer trains, along with electronic devices to detect failures mid train did away the need for them. Trains have not looked the same since there demise. I think some may still be in use in Alaska. The compartment atop the caboose is a cupola. On some railroads, bay windows were used instead of cupolas (Southern Railways in the southeastern U.S. was one). They were originally heated with coal-fired, then later, oil-fired heaters. The University of South Carolina has a number of cabooses behind the stadium. They are sold for game day party headquarters! condominiums. Each caboose has two units. They are cool. A nearby town has purchased one for their historical society headquarters (one of the Southern Railways bay window units). Thanks for teaching me about the overhead bars. I did not know about them. It makes perfect sense.
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  13. It is so amazing these have been preserved and are still in working condition. Sadly, most of our streetcars (Atlanta) were either scrapped or sent to Seoul just after World War Two when trackless trolleys were installed. A few have been returned but are static displays. Some gentlemen known by my dad, while serving in the Korean Campaign and in Seoul for R and R, saw the old Atlanta routes still visible on the streetcars. Thanks for reminding us of a bit of our mobil history!
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  14. Mike and Jess, This video is proof that it's not just about the destination but also the journey. Great job!
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  15. Another great video. I am hyped for a trip to the railroad hotel.
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  16. Great video. We appear to have the same golf game!
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  17. Those are some monster size fish. Another great video.
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  18. Great idea for travel... and it does reduce the carbon footprint.. Great mullet, man. Business in the front... party in the back.
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  19. @downielive: Recently, on Facebook, I saw a narrow gauge railroad for sale. It consisted of two steam engines, a number of passenger cars, and seven or so miles of rail. (The catch is relocating it from Hawaii!) I thought of snagging a business partner (you) and opening a short-line! Are you game? Ha!
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  20. Glad to see you again posting. Withdrawals have been, for the last few weekends, rough! Probably as rough as your headache after the train ride! Seriously, I need to order a Wirth hat. Not only is it a great cause but they look sharp, too. Your sales approach is to be commended. Though you are above reproach, it clarifies where the monies are going.
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  21. Great video. Missed my @downielive fix last week.
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  22. Sweet. When I was a kid, my daddy's company provided electricity to the local racetrack. The owners would throw him tickets on occasion and he would take me. It was mostly stock car racing. Stock car racing had its roots from Prohibition and moonshine running (the transportation of unlicensed whiskey from stills in rural areas to metropolitan communities). It was racing at its finest. The cars were 1956ish Fords and Chevrolets. The rear ends were jacked up so when the trunk was was loaded the car set normally. The races were a result of Prohibition being lifted and the runners needing a use for their high powered cars - which were designed to outrun law enforcement. It was racing at its finest; good old boys racing dirt tracks, stands built from old power poles and scrap lumber, Budweiser and untaxed hooch flowing, the backfire of the V-8's as they circled the track... Precious memories. Your experience was pretty darn awesome. It was a bit more polished but looked fun as hell. I am jealous! Thanks for sharing.
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  23. The Zed Hotel... Awesome. Should have filmed a spoof of "That 70's Show" while there. And that vintage station wagon! I remember when every other person's Mom had one like it. Great video!
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  24. Trains once had signs in all restrooms: Do not flush while train is stopped or standing in station.
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  25. Great train. Were the seat dividers present prior to Covid?
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  26. Another great video. The Canadian government should make you ambassador of tourism!
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  27. Great stuff. Most don't realize that nature can create the ultimate artwork. I've got to get to Vancouver when the"Great Captivity" is over.
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  28. Ashland's crossing and Webcam are quite entertaining
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  29. Great, @Downielive, that you gave Mrs. Downie the trip of a lifetime. Mama's are special people. You, like me, must be a "Mama's Boy" (I mean that in a positive way) and think all ladies must be of the same standards as the one who raised them! Just before the Pandemic, I carried Mama on a trip to the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. It was a place she always wanted to visit but never went. We thoroughly enjoyed it (and especially me when I found her flirting with the wine steward at the tasting). Continue creating those precious memories with your Mama.
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  30. @DownieLive .... It's haircut time!
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  31. Another great video. You have traveled both VIA Rail and AMTRAK. In terms of offerings, comfort, service, and destination, which offers more / is better to travel?
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  32. A number of years ago, I had the pleasure of dining at Dante's Down The Hatch in Atlanta. The owner was was railroad enthusiast, Dante Stephenson. He lived in his private railcar, The Wanderer. It was located on a lot adjacent to the the Norfolk Southern mainline. Finding out I was a train enthusiast, Mr. Stephenson regaled me with many stories of his train car. It was originally the private car of E. F. Hutton. His daughter, Barbara, and Cary Grant quite frequently traveled on it. Stephenson was about to depart on a train trip of the Northeast. It was a private trip of private car owners and would be "one gigantic house party." All of his traveling was done via train. Norfolk Southern would pick up his car and attach it to the Crescent. He joked that he never packed for a trip. He carried his home with him! After his death, the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer acquired the car and have or are restoring it. Fascinating man and fascinating stories. This is one of your best videos. Like me, you have the awe of a child when around trains. Keep the camera rolling.
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  33. Monorail... Monorail... Monorail...
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  34. YouTube some clips of comedian Jeff Foxworthy. Include "mullet" in the search.
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  35. Happy Birthday. What a way to celebrate... aboard a train!
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  36. Great video. Unreal how the bears are so inquisitive and will come up to the bus. They appear to be almost tame.
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  37. Another great video. Just for curiosity, how many languages do you speak?
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  38. Hey Mike, you need to get to Georgia. We have the SAM Shortline Excursion Train, which is a combination short line and state park (in the Plains area), the tram going to the top of Stone Mountain near Atlanta, the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway in North Georgia and Tennessee, and the funicular to the top of Lookout Mountain in the Chattanooga/St. Elmo area. You would enjoy it all. Need a tour guide? Great video this week.
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  39. WOW. What a great way to spend a day. Excellent video.
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  40. Great video. Those vines are wisteria. They grow non-stop. Never plant one! They take over. Another great video. The biggest adventures can be in our own backyard.
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  41. Great video. Another Canadian bucket list.
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  42. Cool. How does the range of distance and power compare with a traditionally fueled snowmobile? The only drawback I see is running out of fuel. On a traditional unit, a buddy can haul up a gallon or two of gas. Of course, with responsible planning that would not occur.
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  43. My grandparents, in the 1920's, lived in St. Elmo across from the station. The Incline is cool.
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  44. Great video. Sometimes the greatest (and most fun) adventures are at your backdoor.
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  45. Another great video. It has been years since I've ridden. It looks so relaxing and fun.
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  46. DC's Station is so cool. On a trip from Upstate NY to Atlanta, I had a full day layover in DC (by choice). Had an excellent breakfast in the terminal, a straight razor shave at the barbershop (something every man should experience once), toured the city, and caught the Crescent on to Atlanta. This was back in the era when the Crescent was still partially staffed by former Southern Railways employees. A bit of the polish and grace of the Southern Railways was still on the train. What an awesome experience. I can't wait to "go" with you on this latest adventure.
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  47. So glad you were able to ride the NOLA cars - and during Mardi Gras. We went down a number of years ago to celebrate it. Our friend invited us; she lived in the heart of downtown. One night we went to the BLT (Black Tie, Lingerie, and Toga) Formal... and via streetcar! What a wild night. NOLA is another world. You should have taken Amtrak’s Sunset Limited from CA to NOLA. That would have been a heck of a trip. Have fun. I cannot wait for the next installment.
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  48. @DownieLive, Another great train video. They are definitely your forte! Sorry about having to order pizza (with the dining car being closed). How is the food on Via Rail when the world is normal? Back in heyday of train travel, the railroad which employed my grandfather (the N. C. & St. L. - a subsidiary of the L & N) owned farms in Tennessee to raise all the meats (and in season, vegetables) for their trains. Anyway, I digress. Another great train video. Thank you for keeping alive and spurring an interest in travel by rail.
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  49. Awesome video, @downielive. Imagine having a combinatio murder mystery / wine tasting on a vintage train... with the piano music thrown in as a mood setter. (Will a baby grand piano work on a train?) Talk about awesome!! Oh, as for the mullet... I have a good barber!
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  50. Deep thoughts and observations in today's video. It takes a big man to admit his errors. Kudos.
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