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Dolly Parton's Dollywood Express

thetransitguy.substack.com

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Re: Dolly Parton's Dollywood Express

#41

Post by jandrese »

benterix wrote: post #24
flippyhead wrote: post #3

> Dollywood Express, the heritage steam train that operates within Dollywood, has a higher rail ridership than 27 states. I don't now if it's useful, but this way of putting quanties in context, would be neat to see about all kinds of things. Like how they seem to always do rare things compared to your chance of getting hit by lightning.

I believe the point of the whole article is that the public transportation is broken if a train in a theme park has more users than regular trains in many states.

More riders than the commuter trains in over half of the states.

Re: Dolly Parton's Dollywood Express

#42

Post by [deleted] »

chrisco255 wrote: post #20

Dollywood is great, but unfortunately the article gradually shifts into bashing Tennessee and America for not using enough passenger rail. That train left the station a long time ago. Car ownership is very high, sprawl is very high. We do not have urban cores with the same density or concentration of business districts as European or Asian cities. Most of the time buses make more sense for public transportation in Am…

[deleted]

Re: Dolly Parton's Dollywood Express

#43

Post by pizzathyme »

conception wrote: post #21
chrisco255 wrote: post #20

Dollywood is great, but unfortunately the article gradually shifts into bashing Tennessee and America for not using enough passenger rail. That train left the station a long time ago. Car ownership is very high, sprawl is very high. We do not have urban cores with the same density or concentration of business districts as European or Asian cities. Most of the time buses make more sense for public transportation in Am…

Best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, etc etc.

Is the suggestion here to build more subways/rails? The problem is that more rails would not be useful because there is lower density in the US. Denmark is 141 persons/km^2, whereas the U.S. is about 36 person(census data).

Even if you built train lines everywhere outside urban areas, any stop you step off at would still require a 20 minute drive to get to where you are going.

Re: Dolly Parton's Dollywood Express

#44

Post by bell-cot »

jancsika wrote: post #35

In real life freight trains have the right of way in the U.S. In other words, the Dollywood Express would be a lot less fun if it spent half the day waiting while trolls unload corndogs from two-person handcars randomly distributed along the track.

Back in the day, America's RR's ran their own passenger services (no Amtrak), on their own track, and generally gave right-of-way to the passengers.

They got out of that business because it was losing ridership and money.

Re: Dolly Parton's Dollywood Express

#45

Post by BizarroLand »

johng wrote: post #16

I still believe that if Dolly ran for President, she would win. She's probably one of the most liked people in the country, percentage wise. I've actually asked quite a few random people what they think of her and I've never met someone that had anything bad to say.

I think if we elected people for their general track record of good deeds, then Dolly would win and be a good candidate, but I also think what we need is someone to come in and be a total jerk to the total jerks that are ruining the world for everyone else right now, someone who would ruthlessly focus on making the world as decent as it can be for as many people as possible even if it inconveniences a handful of people.

Re: Dolly Parton's Dollywood Express

#46

Post by omegaworks »

NoblePublius wrote: post #25

“ I love Disney and I love Dolly Parton, but it says something deeply broken about our national priorities when their theme park trains outclass public infrastructure in billion-dollar economies. Be serious.” Europe has lots of train infrastructure because it was very poor after WW2, and its people could afford nothing but train fare. America has lots of car infrastructure because it was very rich after WS2, and its…

>its people have the freedom to choose personal transportation.

A lot of American choice is an illusion. The national expressway network was created to serve national security purposes. Beloved trolley systems in medium density cities were unceremoniously ripped out. Car and tire companies pushed the bus-ification of public transport in order to kill any notion that it should offer comfort and reliability.

The American government refuses to invest in density because its sees sprawl as a deterrant against nuclear threat. (A threat that it takes an active role in escalating, mind you.)

>It’s because Americans, even poor Americans, overwhelmingly choose personal transportation.

If you take notice, much of the most expensive and valuable property in this country is in dense regions where it is possible to live without a car. If Americans truly had a choice, they'd pick the kinds of walkable communities they can only experience now on university campuses and in theme parks.

Re: Dolly Parton's Dollywood Express

#47

Post by jdironman »

strictnein wrote: post #31
deelowe wrote: post #15

Took the family to Dollywood this year and it was by far the best run theme park I've been to. I was amazed at the cleanliness, friendliness of the staff, and how well maintained everything was. The train was really cool too. One of only two times I've been able to see a real coal fired steam engine functioning.

It's a great park with some surprisingly enjoyable rides. Lightning Rod is one of the most intense coasters I've been on. Definitely a little rough at times, but man it does not hold back at all. And it's kind of hidden in the layout of the park, with a lot of the track over the top of a hill. A visit to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area and the Smoky Mountains is great trip, especially with kids. Lots of quirky nonse…

Also some fair dining. Local Goat, The Trout House, the apple orchards for sweets. it makes for a nice weekend / week getaway. clingmans dome (Now called Kuwohi Observation Tower) is a not so strenuous hike with 360 degree views. Highly recommend the drive up to it in the fall when the trees are golden and the sun is shining.

Re: Dolly Parton's Dollywood Express

#48

Post by jandrese »

johng wrote: post #16

I still believe that if Dolly ran for President, she would win. She's probably one of the most liked people in the country, percentage wise. I've actually asked quite a few random people what they think of her and I've never met someone that had anything bad to say.

Many political pundits are still convinced that it's not possible to elect a woman as US president. Thus far the two that have tried have both managed to lose to Donald Trump.

Re: Dolly Parton's Dollywood Express

#49

Post by pizzathyme »

shortformblog wrote: post #39

The irony being, of course, that it is surrounded by an area where it is basically impossible to get by without a car. My wife and I once left Gatlinburg after a week there and our tire blew out on the way out of town. It was a Sunday morning. Literally our only option to get it replaced that day was a Walmart location 15 miles away. So we had to wait for AAA for an hour and a half to tell us we were stuck using a do…

Exactly, more rails would not be useful because there is lower density in the US. Denmark is 141 persons/km^2, whereas the U.S. is about 36 persons/km^2 (census data).

Even if you built train lines everywhere outside urban areas, any stop you step off at would still require a 20 minute drive to get to where you are going. (Or in your case 15!)

Re: Dolly Parton's Dollywood Express

#50

Post by Valien »

Riding the train at Dollywood is one of life's best experiences. Highly recommend it for sure!

Also, if you're ever in Pennsylvania and go to the train museum in Strasburg you can ride that steam train as well and it is also a blast.

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