I guess I am down to railfanning from my bed. This morning I decided to sleep in. it's saturday. i'm dead asleep when I wake up because of a strange sound. A train is hitting the crossings a couple blocks away and it's blowing it's grade crossing warning. Only the horn is all wrong, or right as the case may be, it's full of overtones and it drags out like a wail. So I was lying in bed thinking to myself holy crap what is that, when it dawned on me that someone had posted a thread about the Frontier Days train rolling south on the joint line. I must assume today was the day the UP passenger train rolled south. what a sound. It took me back to.... errr... sometime before I was born. LOL too cool. Actually cool doesn't describe the sound. Beautiful lonely Majestic, maybe those words hint at it. I feel lucky to have heard it. ok so I seem to be on the wrong day fro the frontierdays train. i'm about a month late according to what I found online. Could a steam engine be sitting in Burnham yard today? what did I hear?
according to the GPS, 844 is in Pueblo now, and will head back to Denver tonite, possibe oppertunity for some night shots, and then north to home on sunday. http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/excurs/trace.cfm schedule http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/excurs/schedule.shtml Thursday, August 23 - Position move to Denver Depart 2:00 p.m. MDT Cheyenne, WY UP Yard 200 West UP Ave. Arrive 5:00 p.m. Denver, CO Union Station 1701 Wynkoop St. Friday, August 24 Layover and Display - 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Union Station – 1701 Wynkoop St. Saturday, August 25 "Colorado State Fair Mountaineer " Special Depart 8:00 a.m. Denver, CO Union Station 1701 Wynkoop St. Arrive 12:00 p.m.Pueblo, CO Union Depot 200 West B. St Depart 6:00 p.m. Pueblo, CO Union Depot 200 West B. St Arrive 10:00 p.m. Denver, CO Union Station 1701 Wynkoop St. Sunday, August 26 Depart 11:00 a.m. Denver, CO Union Station 1701 Wynkoop St. Arrive 2:30 p.m. Cheyenne, WY UP Yard 200 West UP Ave.
Yeah, no kidding!!! The only thing better would be the sound of the 3751's whistle. In my opinion that is by far the sweetest whistle of any surviving steam.
Wow! so it really was a steam whistle. normally I hear the diesels on the coal drags do two hoots per crossing, but this thing just howled and howled. After looking up the dates I started thinking maybe I was just crazy. Maybe I just dreamed it. Good to know i'm not completely nuts.
I've only heard it on YouTube. It is difficult to get permission to run the 3751 so old videos are all I have to go by. Even on YouTube I can tell that she can really do some talking! Check it out when you get a chance:teeth:.
If you were awakened by a steam whistle, it would probably have sounded like the end of the world now days! It should have been one long blast, followed by another long blast, then a short toot, followed by a long blast continued until the engine had crossed all the way over the road. That has been the correct signal any steam engine is supposed to give when approaching a road crossing ever since Adam kissed Eve the first time.
I guess it just sounded like Blasssssstttt.... ease off a lil bit... BlAAAAASSSSSSTTTTT..... barely ease off......... BLASSSSSTTTT. etc. It was crossing two wide one way streets about a block apart. So it was just a continuos sound. Pretty amazing.
I love how many engineers would have their own "signature whistle blowing" for crossings by varying the pitch depending on how hard they would pull. You can't do that with the horn on modern wide cab locos. It is either all or nothing.
The most beautiful steam whistle I ever heard was the C&O-type whistle atop Western Maryland Shay #6 at Cass Scenic Railroad.....earth shattering!
Well, I'll have to say that hearing ANY steam whistle nowadays (especially around where I live) is music to my ears.
