Diesel Trains - A New Experience for Me

[n2ize]

Growing up in and around New York City all my life I have rode many trains but always of the electric variety, from electric subway trains to electric commuter trains. This Thanksgiving all that changed as I got to ride on a diesel train for the very first time in my life. I was heading upstate a little ways to my brothers house for the holiday. I boarded an electric commuter train at my usual local stop heading north. A few stops later I had to change trains to a train that heads all the way up to where my brother lives. A few minutes later a train pulled by a diesel locomotive pulls in and the conductor tells me its my connecting train. Even though the line is electrified all the way up to my brothers stop the line further north is not electrified and runs on diesel. As I rode I got to thinking... this is a first time experience for me. For the first time in my entire life I was actually riding on a train pulled by a real diesel locomotive.

[K4PIH]

Try steam next if you haven't already. Amazing!

[WZ7U]

Oh my John. A whole different experience. Steam is a whole 'nuther world truly. As a child I rode the steam train on the Georgetown Loop up in the mountains of Colorado. What a blast!!

I've never ridden a full size, modern passenger train although I did get to putt around in a diesel/electric locomotive a little, around on the property of my last major employer. As a control room operator I was expected to know how to operate the locomotive but the solo opportunity never came up.

Glad you got to try something new.

[KG4CGC]

Hope you wore a mechanical watch.

[n2ize]

Try steam next if you haven't already. Amazing!Yeah, that would be awesome.In the old days the old New York Central ran a lot of steamers on my local line. But that was before my time. One of these days in my travels I['ll get to ride a steam train. I am sure there must be railroads that offer "nostalgia" rides.

[n2ize]

Hope you wore a mechanical watch.
I wasn't wearing one but I did have a mechanical watch on me.

[N8YX]

If you want to experience diesel railroading up close and personal, go hop a cab ride in a Roots-blown EMD 567 loco.

A GP7, GP9 and an ML2 are three I'm familiar with. They're also probably the reason that the FRA and OSHA enacted noise limits for motive power cabs.

[K4PIH]

Yeah, that would be awesome.In the old days the old New York Central ran a lot of steamers on my local line. But that was before my time. One of these days in my travels I['ll get to ride a steam train. I am sure there must be railroads that offer "nostalgia" rides.

There are several nostalgia train rides in my area. Most are old logging trains running through the mountains on the Virginia/West Virginia border.

[KG4CGC]

My avatar was taken when I was riding this train. Some kind of diesel. Nantahala Forest run out of Bryson City NC.

https://i.imgur.com/4gTAMCn.png

[kb2crk]

Yeah, that would be awesome.In the old days the old New York Central ran a lot of steamers on my local line. But that was before my time. One of these days in my travels I['ll get to ride a steam train. I am sure there must be railroads that offer "nostalgia" rides.

There used to be a Steam nostalgia train running in NJ. I got to ride it a couple times as a kid.
http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/new-jersey/nj-train-rides/

Looks like there still is

[PA5COR]

Main lines here all electric, but the secondary line that runs through Sneek is diesel/electric, and in summer we have in July and August steam train service next to the diesel electric for the people loving it and tourists.

Been on all of them, each is an experience on it's own.
We have a lively steam train community here owning a few steam locs and cars maintaining them and driving them in summer.
Theu bought a few large old train workplaces when the state owned train company sold them off for a song, so they have the workplace and stalling places under the roof to work on them and store them.

[KG4CGC]

https://i.imgur.com/Viymo5d.jpg

[WZ7U]

Nice

[KG4CGC]

Didn't get to ride that deezul.

[WZ7U]

Looks like the one used at the ethanol plant to move the tank and grain cars around. Gawd, that's almost 9 years ago....... where does the time go??

I have an aerial picture of the facility and surrounding utilities but I think the image is too large for me to upload. Photo credit to Sam Beebe. Guy has a lot of regional pics worth looking at if you have some spare time. It's still around on the web, but for not too much longer here

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/10400169 (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/10400169)

[N8YX]

What's the name of the firm which owns the ethanol plant, and a location? Might make it easier to ID their motive power.

[N2CHX]

https://www.aarailroad.com/

They run steam and diesel. My Mom took me on this when I was little, and I took my kids on it, too. Back in 2011 I worked right next door. They'd fire the steam loco up right outside the window where I was working. That was by far the best perk of that job.

[WZ7U]

Fred, Cascade Grain LLC, Clatskanie, Oregon - went bankrupt in '09. Some energy firm back east bought it and uses it now as an oil transloading facility. It has the best deep water dock on the whole Columbia River. Somewhere, buried in amongst the stuff is an old picture of the entire crew on and along side of the locomotive but I can't find it. For some reason GP9 sticks to mind. It's a GP something for sure.

[N8YX]

Try this link. That engine is a rarity, as most GP9s were built with a high short hood. The ones which have a low short hood are usually GP10 conversions.


http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locopicture.aspx?id=98729 (http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locopicture.aspx?id=98729)

[WZ7U]

Couldn't get link to open, but found a pic of similar locomotive on web. Like this only yellow15561I seem to remember a door up front in the nose which I don't see there.

Maybe GP20?

[KG4CGC]

So anyway, I like to look at breakdowns of diagrams and schematics. Naturally this leads me into combining that in art and photo graph ery.
While this thread is about John exhilarating train ride, naturally, I must share my pictures.



https://i.imgur.com/OKigNzA.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/gpIdOBp.jpg