View Full Version : Back when companies still got it
N2CHX
11-28-2012, 01:24 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9gGu97lcbc
Neat video. Listen to the intro. They understood who and what made their railroad successful.
N2CHX
11-28-2012, 01:40 PM
BTW, sorry, I really wasn't meaning to make this political. It's a really cool video I've never seen before. It just struck me, what was said at the beginning about people making the railroad. I wish companies still thought this way, that's all.
Anyone can pull a train. Building a railroad empire, on the other hand, requires sharp business acumen.
KC2UGV
11-28-2012, 02:25 PM
Anyone can pull a train. Building a railroad empire, on the other hand, requires sharp business acumen.
... and tons of government subsidies, along with military power.
... and tons of government subsidies, along with military power.
You forgot the free land thingy. :-D
... and tons of government subsidies, along with military power.
You forgot the free land thingy. :-D
You mean they took (*gasp*) government handouts? Damned takers...... ;)
WØTKX
11-28-2012, 03:47 PM
Railroads were cool then, and very important. There was a big dark side to them. Very messy business.
Welfare for the wealthy developers, the servant class with rampant racism, among other things.
But it was the main way to travel, and helped develop the USA. Oh, and helped the North win the War.
You are right Kelli. That's my favorite Railroad, the New Haven, but sadly they weren't successful as a railroad and by the 60s were merged into PennCentral (Pennsylvania, New York Central and New Haven RRs). But Railroads had a customer base to serve and they had to keep them happy. Especially back then as there were other railroads they could use to get the shipment where they wanted it to go.
Warren Buffet agrees with you on this. He has been buying into railroads lately...
Warren Buffett's purchase of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. was a "brilliant" move as the U.S. rail industry rebounds, the chief executive officer of CSX Corp. said.
"We've been talking about the rail renaissance for a number of years," CSX's Michael Ward said Wednesday in an interview. "I think Mr. Buffett, after we talked about it for three or four years, finally agreed with us."
Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in February completed its $26 billion purchase of Burlington Northern, which was the biggest U.S. railroad by revenue in 2008. In March, the industry reported its highest weekly freight volume since that year, according to the Association of American Railroads. Shipments are rising after more than two years of declines.
"We think he was brilliant," said Ward, whose Jacksonville, Florida-based railroad operates mainly in the eastern U.S. while Burlington Northern is focused on the western half. Buffett's acquisition is "a Good Housekeeping seal of approval" for the industry, the CEO said.
Good call and I'm enjoying the video (and will continue after it buffers here). (LINK) (http://staugustine.com/national-news/2010-04-17/csx-ceo-buffets-rail-purchase-was-brilliant)
N2CHX
11-28-2012, 03:55 PM
If a mod wishes to move this to the politics section, please do so.
N2CHX
11-28-2012, 03:56 PM
You are right Kelli. That's my favorite Railroad, the New Haven, but sadly they weren't successful as a railroad and by the 60s were merged into PennCentral (Pennsylvania, New York Central and New Haven RRs). But Railroads had a customer base to serve and they had to keep them happy. Especially back then as there were other railroads they could use to get the shipment where they wanted it to go.
Warren Buffet agrees with you on this. He has been buying into railroads lately...
Good call and I'm enjoying the video (and will continue after it buffers here). (LINK) (http://staugustine.com/national-news/2010-04-17/csx-ceo-buffets-rail-purchase-was-brilliant)
Cool. There are a few other videos like it. I get chills when I hear a steam whistle :)
Cool. There are a few other videos like it. I get chills when I hear a steam whistle :)
Me too. I grew up a block from the New York Central Hudson Line and we can hear the horn of the Metro North Hudson Line trains from where I live despite be a ways from it. My girl and you would have a ball. She likes railroads too and used to commute on the ex-New York Central to Grand Central Terminal.
:yes:
I get chills when I hear a steam whistle :)
Me too.
Kinkyyyyyyy. Sign here.
http://www.pinempire.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/maxresdefault68-640x360.jpg
I hope you brought enough gum for everybody. :lol:
"I can see the railroads from my front door!"
Seriously.
When we first moved to the area there were 6 (count 'em) active tracks not 200yds from my doorstep:
East-West Erie-Lackawanna mains;
Northbound PRR-B&O-C&O (the Washington Division) main;
Southbound PRR-B&O-C&O shared trackage (diverged at Warwick, the interlocking tower in Clinton and became dual-track);
Two interchange tracks located between the other Class 1 pairs which allowed the Akron-Barberton Belt Rwy to switch cars into its yard, to traverse the E-L/B&O trackage and reach into downtown Akron to service several industries.
About 150yds from that setup is the other set of ABB (now ABC Rwy) tracks.
I've found evidence (both mapped and real) of a passing spur on the northbound B&O main from just south of my area into the the downtown portions of the right-of-way; roughly 6000ft total. I've also found what I think is photographic evidence of a cutover/interchange track between the northbound B&O main to the second set of ABB tracks. A bridge across the Ohio-Erie Canal and the Tuscarawas River look to be involved but I can find no traces of their concrete support structures.
Most trains I ever saw at once was 5: Two each on the E-L and B&O/PRR subdivisions and one on the ABB interchange. Model railroaders would likely scream "It ain't prototype!" at the sight...
WØTKX
11-28-2012, 05:13 PM
I remember riding the Soo Line as a kid to visit Grandma and Grandpa.
Had an Uncle who worked as an engineer for Soo. Visiting him was cool.
The last train I rode was the Ski Train (now defunct) from Denver to Winter Park.
http://www.skitrain.com/images/STGCCV.jpg
No need to move the thread. Railroads are political, always have been.
kb2vxa
11-28-2012, 05:34 PM
Great video, that one got downloaded and archived... thanks Kel.
N2CHX
11-28-2012, 05:46 PM
I've just always had a love for trains. I didn't grow up near tracks, but I could hear them across the river on both sides; the tracks snaking through Tonawanda between Buffalo and Niagara Falls on one side and the tracks in Fort Erie Ontario on the other. I always wished we had a track on Grand Island because I wanted to watch them. I've always had a passion for the romance and nostalgia of the late 1800's through the 1940's, mostly for radio and trains from that era. Why? No clue. I am a bit of a spiritual mystic and I think I may have lived a very strong past life or lives during that era. Sounds stupid to some, I'm sure, but I don't care. Now I live quite close to tracks and I have for a while. Diesel engines don't do much for me but when I hear the sound of a rail steam whistle, it makes the hair on my neck prickle. Same thing when I see or smell vintage radio equipment from 1930's and 40's or hear old radio shows from that era.
I've just always had a love for trains. I didn't grow up near tracks, but I could hear them across the river on both sides; the tracks snaking through Tonawanda between Buffalo and Niagara Falls on one side and the tracks in Fort Erie Ontario on the other. I always wished we had a track on Grand Island because I wanted to watch them. I've always had a passion for the romance and nostalgia of the late 1800's through the 1940's, mostly for radio and trains from that era. Why? No clue. I am a bit of a spiritual mystic and I think I may have lived a very strong past life or lives during that era. Sounds stupid to some, I'm sure, but I don't care. Now I live quite close to tracks and I have for a while. Diesel engines don't do much for me but when I hear the sound of a rail steam whistle, it makes the hair on my neck prickle. Same thing when I see or smell vintage radio equipment from 1930's and 40's or hear old radio shows from that era.
We have a station that plays old detective stories on Sundays. The action is packed into the 25 minute format and there is rarely a moment that something isn't happening. As far as railroads, I used to scan them from my Brooklyn apartment. With an indoor antenna, I could get the NE corridor Amtrak/NJ Central, LIRR's Brooklyn line, the B Division of the NY Subway, the New York Dock Railway and the South Brooklyn Railway.
Here, we have the West Shore Line (ex-NYC) and the Metro-North Hudson Division (ex-NYC). The New Haven Maybrook Line has been turned into a trail, with the bridge over the Hudson River a walkway. I'm still trying to determine what happened to the other NH and D&H lines in the area. We also have the Metro-North/NJ Transit Port Jervis service in the area and they DO sometimes run steam. A 4-8-4 to be exact. I like steam, especially streamliners, but the NYC/NH Traction Engines are my favorites. Used to see them on the Park Ave. Viaduct on the way to Grand Central. I'm not so big on the newer MN electrics. Too much like subways.
Oh, and my friend Tom Kneitel's favorite line the Ontario and Western (the Old and Weary) also used to be in the area. I know that they're gone, but the tracks might still be in operation. We do get CSX and BNSF trains here all the time.
N2CHX
11-28-2012, 06:38 PM
We have a station that plays old detective stories on Sundays. The action is packed into the 25 minute format and there is rarely a moment that something isn't happening. As far as railroads, I used to scan them from my Brooklyn apartment. With an indoor antenna, I could get the NE corridor Amtrak NJ Central, LIRR's Brooklyn line, the B Division of the NY Subway, the New York Dock Railway and the South Brooklyn Railway.
Here, we have the West Shore Line (ex-NYC) and the Metro-North Hudson Division (ex-NYC). The New Haven Maybrook Line has been turned into a trail, with the bridge over the Hudson River a walkway. I'm still trying to determine what happened to the other NH and D&H lines in the area. We also have the Metro-North/NJ Transit Port Jervis service in the area and they DO sometimes run steam. A 4-8-4 to be exact. I like steam, especially streamliners, but the NYC/NH Traction Engines are my favorites. Used to see them on the Park Ave. Viaduct on the way to Grand Central. I'm not so big on the newer MN electrics. Too much like subways.
Oh, and my friend Tom Kneitel's favorite line the Ontario and Western (the Old and Weary) also used to be in the area. I know that they're gone, but the tracks might still be in operation. We do get CSX and BNSF trains here all the time.
Tom Kneitel... Boy does his name ever sound familiar. Did he write a book or write articles or something?
Here's a map showing where my house is in relation to railroads, three of which are still in use (The old DL&W now ends about a mile from me, but it is still used). I hear trains constantly. The old Erie RR I can walk to in less than a couple of minutes.
http://storage.kellimcmillan.com/kmcmillan/lancaster-map-1892-marked.png
WØTKX
11-28-2012, 07:12 PM
http://static.flickr.com/3242/2372956010_61ce7dbf92.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xiNDL9L6lxs/TuK3vbUdxQI/AAAAAAAACbQ/2R7Rlf3SI6A/s1600/Ski%2Btrain%2B4.JPG
http://youtu.be/8bglQEaxxlQ (http://youtu.be/8bglQEaxxlQ)
http://youtu.be/8bglQEaxxlQ
Tom Kneitel... Boy does his name ever sound familiar. Did he write a book or write articles or something?
Tom was a CB'er who became a Ham. He started Popular Communications magazine and was a serious scanning enthusiast. He wrote quite a few books with scanning freqs and one on his favorite scanning, railroad scanning.
Here's a map showing where my house is in relation to railroads, three of which are still in use (The old DL&W now ends about a mile from me, but it is still used). I hear trains constantly. The old Erie RR I can walk to in less than a couple of minutes.
http://storage.kellimcmillan.com/kmcmillan/lancaster-map-1892-marked.png
That's a lot of railroads for anyplace. LV? Lehigh Valley goes/went that far up? Didn't know that.
Here's a few pics of the area and the lines that come up here.
LINK #1 Metro North train headed Northbound, New York skyline in the background. (http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/9/0/9/1909.1347469362.jpg)
LINK #2 The Hudson River, Metro North Southbound Hudson Line train headed to Grand Central Terminal, NYC, West Shore Line Freight train across the river. (http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/0/1/8/2018.1325823456.jpg)
KC2UGV
11-28-2012, 08:25 PM
I've just always had a love for trains. I didn't grow up near tracks, but I could hear them across the river on both sides; the tracks snaking through Tonawanda between Buffalo and Niagara Falls on one side and the tracks in Fort Erie Ontario on the other. I always wished we had a track on Grand Island because I wanted to watch them. I've always had a passion for the romance and nostalgia of the late 1800's through the 1940's, mostly for radio and trains from that era. Why? No clue. I am a bit of a spiritual mystic and I think I may have lived a very strong past life or lives during that era. Sounds stupid to some, I'm sure, but I don't care. Now I live quite close to tracks and I have for a while. Diesel engines don't do much for me but when I hear the sound of a rail steam whistle, it makes the hair on my neck prickle. Same thing when I see or smell vintage radio equipment from 1930's and 40's or hear old radio shows from that era.
You should come hang out in my hood more. We've got Iron Island right near us :)
AE1PT
11-28-2012, 08:33 PM
If you have never seen the work of Winston Link, you are in for a treat. The last of the steam engines--and spectacular nighttime photography using literally dozens of flashbulbs...
https://www.google.com/search?q=winston+link&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=zvE&tbo=u&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=hLq2UKieNsiU0QHP3YCIAw&ved=0CC8QsAQ&biw=1053&bih=772#hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=cIu&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&channel=fflb&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=winston+link&oq=winston+link&gs_l=img.12...0.0.0.29374.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0.cps ugrpq1..0.0...1.Di9XNtACc9M&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=c76f585ea96333c4&bpcl=38897761&biw=1053&bih=772
If the link does not work, google Winston Link and click on Images.
I've always had a passion for the romance and nostalgia of the late 1800's through the 1940's, mostly for radio and trains from that era. Why? No clue.
I wish I had kept my old Model Railroader issues. A frequent contributor from the mid to late 70s - Brian Hegge, if memory serves correctly - did a display for a photo contest which featured a street car set against 1935-era New York City surroundings, wet street and all. He captured the essence of the city like nothing else I've seen since.
Tom Kneitel... Boy does his name ever sound familiar. Did he write a book or write articles or something?
"Tomcat" - used to write for S9 Magazine and became K2AES. In certain circles he was as infamous as Lou Franklin, another scanner/CB hacker from the period.
As far as railroads, I used to scan them from my Brooklyn apartment. With an indoor antenna, I could get the NE corridor Amtrak/NJ Central, LIRR's Brooklyn line, the B Division of the NY Subway, the New York Dock Railway and the South Brooklyn Railway.
I currently have two of my three R7000s tasked solely to railroad scanning. Antenna is a preamplified discone at 30ft; another set of inline preamps at each multicoupler point. One receiver is set on the CSX Road Channel (160.230). The other I set up to do a range sweep/store operation and let it run during the course of a busy workday. The receiver copied every active railroad channel it found into memory. I removed the main CSX Road Channel from the bank and set it to do a Program Scan operation. This way, the CSX MUX/Yard channels aren't missed - nor are the ABC, W&LE, NS, RJ Corman and any other in-range railroad.
CSX's locomotive radios are noted to be weak but I have no problem hearing their trains from MP 110 through MP 148 - I live very near MP 132.
AE1PT
11-28-2012, 09:34 PM
RJ Corman! I used to drive past their corporate headquarters every day in Nicholasville KY when I worked at UK. They have their own airstrip, and keep a jet there...
N2CHX
11-28-2012, 09:41 PM
Tom was a CB'er who became a Ham. He started Popular Communications magazine and was a serious scanning enthusiast. He wrote quite a few books with scanning freqs and one on his favorite scanning, railroad scanning.
That's a lot of railroads for anyplace. LV? Lehigh Valley goes/went that far up? Didn't know that.
Here's a few pics of the area and the lines that come up here.
LINK #1 Metro North train headed Northbound, New York skyline in the background. (http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/9/0/9/1909.1347469362.jpg)
LINK #2 The Hudson River, Metro North Southbound Hudson Line train headed to Grand Central Terminal, NYC, West Shore Line Freight train across the river. (http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/0/1/8/2018.1325823456.jpg)
Yep, Lehigh Valley. A few of you may remember a couple of years ago when I discovered that weird old foundation near the LV tracks the size of a football field that I rode my mountain bike to and took pics of, and someone here figured out that it was a 100,000 ton coal storage facility built somewhere around 1910.
Yep, Lehigh Valley. A few of you may remember a couple of years ago when I discovered that weird old foundation near the LV tracks the size of a football field that I rode my mountain bike to and took pics of, and someone here figured out that it was a 100,000 ton coal storage facility built somewhere around 1910.
When you see the infrastructure that was required for railroads, it dwarfs anything we have today. The NYC used to run it's crack trains on the mainline with more coal and less water. They could do that because they had water pans between the rails. Somehow they figured out how to synchronize the scoop under the tender and replenish it at speed without slowing down. It also meant that the tenders had to be designed to take the water at speeds over 50 mph - and water can not be compressed. That's why the 20th Century Limited with steam engines, could go from NYC to Chicago in 16 hours. Something that Amtrak can't do today with diesels and modern technology.
Me too. I grew up a block from the New York Central Hudson Line and we can hear the horn of the Metro North Hudson Line trains from where I live despite be a ways from it. My girl and you would have a ball. She likes railroads too and used to commute on the ex-New York Central to Grand Central Terminal.
:yes:We lived in New Hope PA my last 2 years of High School. I spent a short time a few blocks down the hill as a volunteer with the New Hope & Ivyland (it didn't stick, but my younger brother worked as a volunteer there for a couple of years, and was then across the river at the Black River & Western)
I not only got to watch those steam engines roll... I spent time on them (usually in the coal tender of the NH&I 1533, shoveling coal down to the fireman)
There's nothing quite like it.
kb2vxa
11-29-2012, 12:00 AM
R. J. Corman is remarkable, Chinese steam lives in Kentucky. Here's Corman 2008 Quijong (Progress) 2-10-2 saved from scrap pulling the Kentucky Derby train in 2010 at Frankfort, KY. When not in use it's on display at corporate headquarters in Nicholasville.
Yep, Lehigh Valley. A few of you may remember a couple of years ago when I discovered that weird old foundation near the LV tracks the size of a football field that I rode my mountain bike to and took pics of, and someone here figured out that it was a 100,000 ton coal storage facility built somewhere around 1910.
That was me. Ironically, I found the info in book that's in a library here in San Diego using Google Books. The coal storage thing was owned by the railroad but it wasn't specifically for the railroad. They sold coal wholesale from there.
Yep, Lehigh Valley. A few of you may remember a couple of years ago when I discovered that weird old foundation near the LV tracks the size of a football field that I rode my mountain bike to and took pics of, and someone here figured out that it was a 100,000 ton coal storage facility built somewhere around 1910.
Give me a nearby landmark - I want to check this out on Google Earth.
AE1PT
11-29-2012, 04:48 PM
Give me a nearby landmark - I want to check this out on Google Earth.
Fred, it's just down the road in Hickory Hollow past where Johnson's barn used to be before it was hit by lightning in 72...
Figured as much.
:lol:
A quick check of the 'Net reveals an article stating that such a facility existed in South Plainfield, NJ - but as far as I can tell from Google Earth there are no bike trails nearby. Maybe Kelli will chime back in...
N2CHX
11-29-2012, 07:53 PM
Give me a nearby landmark - I want to check this out on Google Earth.
http://goo.gl/maps/c19Ns
N2CHX
11-29-2012, 07:56 PM
http://storage.kellimcmillan.com/kmcmillan/kel/42.55.17.58_-78.36.5.43/
That's a link to pics of the site I took a couple of years ago.
We lived in New Hope PA my last 2 years of High School. I spent a short time a few blocks down the hill as a volunteer with the New Hope & Ivyland (it didn't stick, but my younger brother worked as a volunteer there for a couple of years, and was then across the river at the Black River & Western)
I not only got to watch those steam engines roll... I spent time on them (usually in the coal tender of the NH&I 1533, shoveling coal down to the fireman)
There's nothing quite like it.
I got to ride an old Pennsy decapod in Strasbourg a few years back. A different feel from the way trains ride today. They had the old coaches too.
We have the Catskill Mountain Railway and the Delaware & Ulster RR. The state trolley museum is in Kingston not too far from here.
Shoveling coal? Wouldn't that be a fireman?
Majorly cool, Kelli. Made it through about half of those but need to get ready for work. Will check the rest out later.
Shoveling coal? Wouldn't that be a fireman?
In deference to Mad Magazine:
"You shovel up the coal which gives the railroad trains their power;
For that the union sees to it you get 15 bucks an hour.
So why does everyone say you're a featherbedding weasel?
Because you know as well as we the whole damn railroad's diesel!"
:whistle:
I got to ride an old Pennsy decapod in Strasbourg a few years back. A different feel from the way trains ride today. They had the old coaches too.
We have the Catskill Mountain Railway and the Delaware & Ulster RR. The state trolley museum is in Kingston not too far from here.
Shoveling coal? Wouldn't that be a fireman?Yes. But he's down in the engine with the engineer. They put us teenage schmucks with strong backs up in the tender, to shovel the coal down to the fireman.
I think it was a type of hazing ritual. I didn't put up with it for long (it's hard, dirty work). My younger brother did, and stayed with the NH&I Volunteers after they moved en masse to the Black River & Western, up until he graduated from High School.
Just checked the aerial view out. Kelli, did you notice those foundation pits which run parallel to each other? Those were where hopper cars were spotted and dumped. If that facility was anything like the one near the LVRR's South Plainfield, NJ coal yard the pits had steam-powered conveyor belts to move the coal into mounds either side of the dump tracks.
Notice also that the pits are perpendicular to what looks like the abandoned road bed, which is what I presume to be your bike trail. There would have to be at least two switched spur tracks into the facility off that line, and if I was designing it the trackage would resemble a couple upside-down Ys so as to allow spotting cars from either direction.
Did you find any evidence whatsoever of a roadbed into and out of the facility - and if so, what was the layout of it?
Plug these coordinates into Maps:
41.033435,-81.609354
It's about a mile and a half from me and is along the old ABB RR's Barberton to Copley line, where it interchanged with the Norfolk and Western. A fella can dream but that clearing would make an ideal trailhead for the Barberton to Copley Bike Trail.
W8XLR
11-30-2012, 08:50 PM
Locomotives/railroads are a passion of mine. We have one "stuffed and mounted" nearby, the Nickel Plate #755 located in Conneaut Ohio. My youngest son, Wesley, in the shot...8151 It will never run again, but has donated un-obtanium parts to her sister, NKP #765 which is currently fully operational... An identical 2-8-4, Lima Locomotive Works "Berkshire"...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjEzExukNMs
W8XLR
11-30-2012, 09:37 PM
Plug these coordinates into Maps:
41.033435,-81.609354
It's about a mile and a half from me and is along the old ABB RR's Barberton to Copley line, where it interchanged with the Norfolk and Western. A fella can dream but that clearing would make an ideal trailhead for the Barberton to Copley Bike Trail.
Here in Lake County, the B & O had a rather long branch line that linked Fairport Harbor (Diamond-Shamrock Chemical Co.) to the main line. It has become a bike/walking trail, a nice one actually... There are still a few industrial operations left, and are serviced by CSX from the old Penn-Central/Conrail trackage...
Like most places here in the "rust belt", there are alot of abandon right of ways... Like the lines to the "Rayon" (The Painesville Industrial Rayon Corporation). The plant is still there, rusting in peace, but the rail spurs which will never be used again should be re-purposed. It's a shame those rails will never have product on them again...
W8XLR
11-30-2012, 10:06 PM
On a lighter note:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlIQWu5qYpM
W8XLR
11-30-2012, 10:31 PM
Also this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2woV2_25SU
Phil,
A fellow ham/former co-worker helped to restore #765. I actually got thisclose to the engine coming northbound through town one evening. Alas, CSX isn't too keen about running those locomotives on their mainline - something about rail hammer.
Speaking of B&O trails - here's one in Richland County:
http://www.gormannaturecenter.org/GNC_Bike.html
http://ohiobikeways.net/bno.htm
I half-wish they would have left the old roadbed and ties in place. My full-suspension all-mountain rig would handle that surface easily, as would the Surly Pugsley which I'm going to build.
kb2vxa
12-01-2012, 05:00 PM
Actually I like the original by Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmBKHSZ1pcU
Another original.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ0JgqoF2W4
For what it's worth an engine I know up close and personal, Ross Rowland's C&O 614 got sidetracked by CSX and their aversion to rail hammer, the drivers of a heavy steamer pound the hell out of the rails increasing maintenance. He planned to use it to pull the Green Brier Presidential Express carrying well moneyed passengers between Union Station Washington and the posh Green Brier Resort in White Sulfur Springs, WV and even had it painted green. After hauling it down there and new livery it all went for naught, now it sits in Clifton Forge, VA with nowhere to go.
N2CHX
12-01-2012, 06:48 PM
Wow. Beautiful engine. I love the streamliners too. I used to call them "cat-nosed engines".
W8XLR
12-01-2012, 07:30 PM
Wow. Beautiful engine. I love the streamliners too. I used to call them "cat-nosed engines".
Speaking of streamliners, I had an up close and personal view of this beauty when it came through here around '91 or so. The Norfolk & Western J611...
8157
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ijmkNd-BPU
I was standing maybe 3' from the tracks when it went by... I swear it brushed my nose! Anyway, The "J" class locomotives were designed and built entirely by N & W employes. I've read that the units were so well balanced, and with the "new" Timken roller bearings, one man could push the beast on level track. Also, that the engines speed was only limited by engineers courage. The 611 is in a museum today, but with new flues and the required inspections, can be made "roadable" if the funds were expended.
I hope it is returned to service... Locomotives, especially this one give me wood...:cool2:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_%26_Western_611
Wish I could find any of the hundreds of pix I've shot of SP 4449 over the years. This one isn't mine, but it's a beauty:
http://www.brian894x4.com/images/4449Loco026.jpg
N2CHX
12-01-2012, 07:55 PM
Squeeee! Keep them coming and thanks for sharing. That video was fantastic. That low whistle gave me chills.
W8XLR
12-01-2012, 07:59 PM
WOW! How cool is this to find other "Railfans" here on "The Island"...:-D
Boxcar Willie, anyone? 8)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPnciunYwHg
There's just something about a steam locomotive that talks to you if you are inclined to listen. I spent an entire weekend working as the fireman on an oil-fired loco at the rail museum in Portola, California, on the old Western Pacific Feather Canyon line. Talk about wood...
N2CHX
12-01-2012, 08:08 PM
WOW! How cool is this to find other "Railfans" here on "The Island"...:-D
There are always ways to find common ground :)
I actually wrote a children's book about railfanning, believe it or not. It didn't sell a lot and hasn't been in print in a LONG time, but it was based on a real experience I had with one of my boys about 15 years ago. We were watching trains in Little Falls, NY and a CN rolled by and stopped on the siding. My son wanted to meet a "real train engineer" so when they came off from their lunch break at the corner store we met up with them outside. They invited us to see the train up close and personal. As we walked toward the lead engine I thought all we were going to do was see the outside. Next thing I know, one of the guys was beckoning me to hand my son up to him on the engine and we got to sit in the cab and explore the whole thing. Then they let him blow the horn and he even got to drive it (with some help) through the crossing gate up to where our car was. Those guys were a couple of the friendliest, nicest people I'd ever met. They really made an impression on my son, who BTW is now in the Air Force, but he still loves trains.
One of the games we still play to this day is "Guess how many engines there are." We'd see a train and everyone would try to guess how many engines would be at the front. Around here there are anywhere between 2 and 6, although on the Erie which is practically next door, it is usually only two.
N2CHX
12-01-2012, 08:14 PM
There's just something about a steam locomotive that talks to you if you are inclined to listen. I spent an entire weekend working as the fireman on an oil-fired loco at the rail museum in Portola, California, on the old Western Pacific Feather Canyon line. Talk about wood...
Yes, I agree. That's why I get chills. I'm not kidding when I say I believe I lived a past life in which I was closely connected to the rails during the steam era. >sigh<
Neat opportunity!
W8XLR
12-01-2012, 09:02 PM
There are always ways to find common ground :)
I actually wrote a children's book about railfanning, believe it or not. It didn't sell a lot and hasn't been in print in a LONG time, but it was based on a real experience I had with one of my boys about 15 years ago. We were watching trains in Little Falls, NY and a CN rolled by and stopped on the siding. My son wanted to meet a "real train engineer" so when they came off from their lunch break at the corner store we met up with them outside. They invited us to see the train up close and personal. As we walked toward the lead engine I thought all we were going to do was see the outside. Next thing I know, one of the guys was beckoning me to hand my son up to him on the engine and we got to sit in the cab and explore the whole thing. Then they let him blow the horn and he even got to drive it (with some help) through the crossing gate up to where our car was. Those guys were a couple of the friendliest, nicest people I'd ever met. They really made an impression on my son, who BTW is now in the Air Force, but he still loves trains.
One of the games we still play to this day is "Guess how many engines there are." We'd see a train and everyone would try to guess how many engines would be at the front. Around here there are anywhere between 2 and 6, although on the Erie which is practically next door, it is usually only two.
Thats awesome, Kelli! I never got to do anything like that, but when I was a little boy my Grampa used to take me to the Collinwood switch yard, and we would watch operations all day. Even now, when most folks try to speed up to miss the train at a crossing, I slow down so I can catch it, and have to wait! I like to spot the cars that have flat spots on their wheels - their the ones that have a hammering sound as they roll by.
Back in the day, If an Engineer "flattened the tires", or jerked the coaches, he would have lots of "splainin" to do.
Railroad workers get HUGE compensation for what they do, but IMHO deserve EVERY CENT. It has to rank up in the top 5 most dangerous jobs there are. Yard/Maintenence workers have a rough duty also. As an example, suicide by train is quite common... A former employer of mine checked out that way, so, how much did the poor slob that had to hose his remains off the lead engine get paid... NOT ENOUGH!
Thanks for starting this thread... And your right, companies don't have a clue what customer service is anymore, and since employees ( union AND non-union ) are treated like pieces of disposable crap, the favor is passed along to the customer. The black Pullman porter diden't have that big wide smile on his face because he liked our rich white asses... He was smiling because his paycheck was GREAT, and he knew the Pullman company would take care of him.
Times have changed...
8161
Speaking of streamliners, I had an up close and personal view of this beauty when it came through here around '91 or so. The Norfolk & Western J611...
One of the motorcycles I've built/am in the process of building takes its styling cues from that engine. When I drag it out come spring I'll get a few current pictures.
And like 611, the bike's top speed is limited solely by your courage.
kb2vxa
12-01-2012, 09:21 PM
SP 4449 looks great in Daylight livery and the same in its brief time in 1976 Freedom Train livery. Since it couldn't negotiate curves in the Northeast a relic from the Iron Horse Rambles was used, Reading 2101 temporarily renumbered AFT 1. It wasn't the first "Freedom Train", in 1947-48 the Spirit of 1776 was pulled by a white Alco PA-1 numbered 1776. It was a great promo for Alco being white, the idea was promoting clean Diesel over dirty steam.
Dirty steam? Maybe they never heard of the DL&W Phoebe Snow of the same name as the fictional NY socialite traveling in a white dress.
Says Phoebe Snow
about to go
upon a trip to Buffalo
"My gown stays white
from morn till night
Upon the Road of Anthracite"
Now Phoebe may
by night or day
enjoy her book upon the way
Electric light
dispels the night
Upon the Road of Anthracite
There's a good reason why there were no White Pullman porters, theirs was an all Black union.
W8XLR
12-01-2012, 09:25 PM
One of the motorcycles I've built/am in the process of building takes its styling cues from that engine. When I drag it out come spring I'll get a few current pictures.
And like 611, the bike's top speed is limited solely by your courage.
COOL! Im not a motor cycle guy to much, but can't wait to see it. Hey, you got a bigger pair than me OM!
W8XLR
12-01-2012, 09:34 PM
Yes, Phoebe Snow...
81638164
"Clean and pure as snow is white, along the road of Anthricite"...
W8XLR
12-01-2012, 09:52 PM
For your viewing pleasure, The Southern Pacific "Daylight" #4449...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_PMaWK-4ng
For your viewing pleasure, The Southern Pacific "Daylight" #4449...
Cool video, thanks.
I've chased that locomotive through the Sacramento Valley a couple of times and, on that level terrain, she can flat out fly. I've clocked her in excess of 75 on the East Valley Line.
W8XLR
12-01-2012, 10:44 PM
Cool video, thanks. 3751
I've chased that locomotive through the Sacramento Valley a couple of times and, on that level terrain, she can flat out fly. I've clocked her in excess of 75 on the East Valley Line.
Have you had a chance to see the freshly restored AT&SF #3751?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD40cBwA0AI
N2CHX
12-01-2012, 10:49 PM
Too cool! Thanks for all the great stuff you guys are posting.
This video about signaling shows scenes outside and in, of Buffalo Central Terminal from about 9:26 to 12:00. Seeing it gave me chills. I drive by it all the time and I have been in it. So sad how it sits dormant and for the most part trashed now, most of the trackage gone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2jbS0cpq8s
W8XLR
12-01-2012, 11:09 PM
Hey, Where's our Bar keep?! "Highballs" for the house on me...
Have you had a chance to see the freshly restored AT&SF #3751?
Nice. I've driven that stretch of I-10 many times and never saw anything but soulless GE commuter diesel drones. Sure wish I'd seen that one. Hell, I'd have been happy to see an old GP-9, for that matter.
N2CHX
12-02-2012, 06:41 AM
Have you had a chance to see the freshly restored AT&SF #3751?
I hadn't seen that. Where is that and when was that taken? Very cool.
Semi-hijack:
Plug these coordinates into Maps:
41.033435,-81.609354
It's about a mile and a half from me and is along the old ABB RR's Barberton to Copley line, where it interchanged with the Norfolk and Western. A fella can dream but that clearing would make an ideal trailhead for the Barberton to Copley Bike Trail.
They're gonna build it! Woohoo!
http://www.ohio.com/news/local-news/eight-new-regional-trails-costing-46-million-on-map-for-summit-county-1.345184
It'll be called the Pigeon Creek/Wolf Creek Trail, and I'm not sure of the endpoints...but another abandoned right-of-way will eventually see two-wheeled traffic.
N2CHX
12-02-2012, 08:44 AM
Semi-hijack:
They're gonna build it! Woohoo!
http://www.ohio.com/news/local-news/eight-new-regional-trails-costing-46-million-on-map-for-summit-county-1.345184
It'll be called the Pigeon Creek/Wolf Creek Trail, and I'm not sure of the endpoints...but another abandoned right-of-way will eventually see two-wheeled traffic.
Hojack away! That's cool, although I'm always a bit sad to hear about yet one more abandoned rail line. They are put to good use though!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYN4alqIgEM
Enjoyed the clips, I've put some coal on the stove to replicate the smell. Now it's a matter of finding a clip that's not too long and has no adverts.
This one is "Foxcote Manor", a light weight, general purpose engine designed for rural lines with weight restrictions. I was lucky enough to drive & fire it on the Llangollen to Carrog line with a maximum gradient of 1 in 80. It normally pulls up to 8 cars and hardly ever needs a full regulator.
This clip shows Foxcote Manor on the north Yorkshire Moors Railway where the maximum gradient is 1 in 50. It's running with the small tender, 14 tons I think, the larger one is a b****r to see round driving bunker first.
Possibly the best performing engine here is 5043, "Earl of Mount Edgcumbe". There are several clips of this one.
She's a beaut, Hugh. I like the way the British always put the exterior boiler piping under the lagging sheath. Makes for some nice, clean lines on the loco. Of course, I wasn't the one who had to maintain the things :lol:
N2CHX
12-02-2012, 02:09 PM
That's a pretty little engine. I love how British engines are kinda smaller and cute looking, and the rolling stock is shorter and has a distinct curved shape as well. Nice sound to them, although you'll have to forgive me for liking the deeper sound of a NY Central type whistle better than the high-pitched European ones.
Well, I've mentioned before being involved with this gorgeous engine, back in the days of my mis-spent youth:
8168
(That's a scan of a Spring 1974 photo, by the way)
Glad to see that she's still up & running:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4P4EPqnY7k&feature=fvst
Now if only the 1533 could be brought back to life, though I fear she's too far gone by now to be salvaged... 1972 video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEygKTqyFJA
N2CHX
12-02-2012, 05:49 PM
Well, I've mentioned before being involved with this gorgeous engine, back in the days of my mis-spent youth:
8168
(That's a scan of a Spring 1974 photo, by the way)
Glad to see that she's still up & running:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4P4EPqnY7k&feature=fvst
Now if only the 1533 could be brought back to life, though I fear she's too far gone by now to be salvaged... 1972 video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEygKTqyFJA
Oooh, another pretty one. Very nice.
< snip >
Alas, CSX isn't too keen about running those locomotives on their mainline - something about rail hammer.
< snip >That may explain something.
Once or twice a year, you used to see an "excursion" steam engine on the old P&LE mainline, down by Station Square (the old P&LE Hq & yard). Hasn't happened since the P&LE disappeared into CSX.
It's been quite a few years, but somehow it just doesn't seem "right" to see CSX on the old P&LE mainline, and Norfolk Southern on the old NYC & PRR mainlines...
Incidentally, the old B&O station (at the end of the line, along the Mon river downtown) got torn down to make way for PNC Bank's new HQ & a parking garage. The garage feeds directly into the Port Authority "T" LRT, which uses the old Panhandle RR bridge, and the right-of-way that used to connect to the PRR mainline by way of the downtown post office/courthouse building. (The LRT spur that goes up to the old PRR station, now luxury apartments & the AMTRAK station, is currently inactive. But at least the rails are still there).
The old B&O right of way is now a bike/hike trail, starting at the garage & heading upriver.
Before it was torn up, that B&O right of way was a communter line ("PAT Train") that ran into a park-n-ride in McKeesport. The Park-n-ride is still there, but it's only served by buses now. At the time that the LRT was built, there was talk of using that right-of-way for LRT service as well, but the Port Authority & CSX never worked anything out (and I don't know why)...
N2CHX
12-02-2012, 06:44 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer_blow
Interesting lesson in steam-era physics :)
W8XLR
12-02-2012, 06:56 PM
For those that are interested, here are a couple "railfan" sites that I am a member of, and frequent very often...
http://www.railpictures.net/
http://abpr2.railfan.net/
Just about anything railroad (pictures, video, info, etc.) can be had at either. Beware, these sites are highly adictive!
n2ize
12-02-2012, 07:00 PM
Well, we have a great and nostalgic railroad history. That is quite good and noble,. Now, if only we could continue onward and build a 21st century compliant railroad as has been done overseas.
W8XLR
12-02-2012, 07:16 PM
I hadn't seen that. Where is that and when was that taken? Very cool.
Mid April of last year, in SoCal, some where between Los Angeles and San Bernardino.
Details on ATSF #3751... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe_3751
Also, I really liked the 20th Century Limited video you accidentaly posted in the latest "Rip on Burt" thread... The girl you mentioned was infact cute! LOL...
W8XLR
12-02-2012, 07:35 PM
Check this out... 1950's rail service at it's finest!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl_LoQ4vHDc
N2CHX
12-02-2012, 07:38 PM
Mid April of last year, in SoCal, some where between Los Angeles and San Bernardino.
Details on ATSF #3751... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe_3751
Also, I really liked the 20th Century Limited video you accidentaly posted in the latest "Rip on Burt" thread... The girl you mentioned was infact cute! LOL...
That's really cool. Dang if I could go back in time I'd plunk myself right in the middle of the steam era. Of course, I'd have to be a bit more discreet about liking women then. Yeah she was darling. I gotta admit, there are certain women who have a look that really tickles my fancy and she's one of them. Probably dead now, or at least about 90-100 years old, but hey.
Anyway, back to the train vids. That wasn't an accident :snicker:
I've spent half this weekend watching train videos. These are the strange things that happen on the rare occasions that I have no kids. I read books and watch old videos.
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