You are welcome. I would like to say that I took them all........but I can't. Especially the very old ones. Of those that I did not take, I can say that I collected them. I have my dad to thank for sharing his passion for railroads and making it fun. We spent a lot of time searching out nooks and crannies where interesting equipment could be found. Here he is in front of the Colorado & Southern 641. This locomotive spent most of its life and ended its carrier running out of Leadville, Colorado up and over Fremont Pass.
In Rosenberg today. A train load of crushed limestone from the Texas Hill Country on its way to become concrete in Houston. It came east on the old MKT line to Sealy, Texas where it switched over to the old Santa Fe line to come south. Then it was switched over to the old Southern Pacific Sunset Route to finish its journey into Houston. The motive power at the 3rd Street crossing. The rest of the train as it comes around the curve off of the BNSF Galveston Sub and onto the UP Sunset Route. The BNSF tracks are in the foreground.
Looked everywhere and this is the only train I have seen on vacation. Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk
Dang, we have a train just like that at the Museum in Rosenberg. Here is the museum board of directors trying it out. I am second from the right.
Got a exciting bit of news (at least for me), for those of you that read The Prospector, you will be seeing a cropped version of the following photo in an upcoming issue. D&RGW GP30 3014, GP40 3086 & 3053 lined up in North Yard, Denver, CO, June 1973 (Bob Jordan)
Taken today in Hendersonville, NC, on the former SOU main between Asheville, NC and Spartanburg, SC. The line from Asheville to a point just south of here is operated today by the Blue Ridge Southern, but sadly, rail traffic is all but gone here. Hendersonville was also the origin of a storied 42 Mile branch line that ran deep into the Blue Ridge to Lake Toxaway, NC. The mainline south of here through Saluda, NC (home of the steepest mainline railroad grade in the U.S., averaging 4-1/4%) was shut in 2001 and the branch was last served in 2002, but both survive with rails intact. The depot houses a very fine HO railroad as built by the Apple Valley Model Railroad Club.
The branch is heavily overgrown just beyond the range of my photos, but the nearby main is indeed kept in decent shape so that the BLU can shove stored cars just down the line. Local hikers have been lobbying NS, BLU and supporting media to tear up the branchline for a hiking trail and now recently to tear out the mainline through Saluda. Western NC has many hundreds of miles of hiking trails, but the mania to rip up rail lines is always at a fever pitch.
That infrastructure never comes back either. What a shame too. Looks like heavy rail and a well built roadbed. I believe this country will regret taking up the rail lines we have someday. Just like hear we ran 15+ trains a day over Tennessee Pass, now they want hike bike trails there too. And it was a major crossing of the divide at one time doublestacks and all. And they are still shoveling coal to a steam engine in Durango on a isolated RR. You can't make this stuff up. Great images everyone!!
Well said Tom. Yes, try to re-lay crossties and rail on a hiking trail that was once a roadbed and all will head to the courthouse for years of expensive litigation, sure to douse any remaining interest by the railroad. I greatly admire NS's long term reluctance to tear out moribund lines.
Some of us old steam guys got out today. Ironhorseman and I had been planning a trip to the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad to ride behind and pay our respects once again to McCloud River Railway 2-6-2 number 25. Bill drove from Yreka, CA to Waldport, OR and picked me up. We drove the other 90+ miles to Garibaldi, OR. Once we arrived, the first train of the day had left, and we saw 25 sitting there at the engine house. Not a good omen. Looked in the engine house and Heisler number 2 was sitting there cold. We talked to the crew and found that they were doing the monthly boiler wash on 25 and she would not run today nor tomorrow. Bummer. Diseasal F unit 274 would be pulling the trains today. The best laid plans............. We decided to ride the train, and engineer Dennis took pity on us at our disappointment of no steam and invited us to ride back from Rockaway Beach in the cab of 274. He saw my "Daylight" hat and identified us as steam fans. It was an entertaining day despite our lack of steam, very good to get together with Bill after a long absence, and we did get out on the rails again. It was a beautiful day in Oregon and a lot of fun. Photos taken by a CORP engineer who was also a paying passenger.
All too true. Some companies tear out tracks too swiftly for a thoughtful, thorough look ahead. The amount of miles railroads have shrunk in this USA is stunning, tragic and in some instances will prove to be a huge loss, some day ahead....
Saw these parked in town the other day. Only 1 of the 3 was running at the time. Heard 4 warning beeps, then the idling 9740 shut itself down! Shortly after, the GE's returned from cement plant in Lyons. With a slightly under powered train!
