I was a total RR geek (still am), when I hired out for the SP in Denver working at Burnham, then it was a major rebuild center for the D&RGW/SP. I didn't know enough to know, that you should not carry a camera with you on property, I dont know if there was an official policy, at the time or not. Didn't matter to me, I still had a bag with an old 35mm Chinon camera. Now, I never took any pictures on company time, but when I punched out, sometimes I stayed in my work overalls, and wandered the dead lines at Burnham. Attached is just a few images of that time. These are images of D&RGW 3144 (ex-Conrail) GP40-2. I always enjoyed the under sill details, as they were the least produced and detailed models of the time (1990's). Below you can see many details of a GP unit. Like that light blue vent valve, prolly replaced on a 3 year air. TM cables, speed recorder axle generator, Ground light shroud, brake Cyl piping, chalk markings. Note the Turquoise colored pedestal liners, as well as the black colored Hyatt journal boxes. Composition brake shoes (kinda thin) and brake rigging details. All kinds of details here to be modeled and most are still available in HO. Pretty simple below. This is the E side fuel tank/air res image. Right to left we see fuel filler, a couple sight gauges, some piping details. We also see spitter valve and some more piping on the aft air res. Then at the rear of the fuel tank we can see the air box drain pipe (thats a whole story on its own). Below we can see some more under sill details, note the color of the pedestal liners, and the brackets for re-rail frogs. F/S Front. Details, colors. That glad hand is for raw water for the toilet. Ground light shroud. Note that all the Hyatt journal boxes are a more black color, indicating that there had been traction motors replaced. Looks like all the steps have been replaced too (primer yellow). Below we see more details, F/S fuel tank, air res. Fuel filler, sight gauges, fuel tank vent, and some dents and scratches on the bottom of the fuel tank. More details, we see the Kunkle valve for the air res. That big rubber hose hanging is for the sump drain, thats for all the fluids that leaked off the components inside, these old EMDs used to leak fluids commonly. Nowadays all that goes into a retention tank. Just under the frame, on the left side of that rubber hose, you can make out a 90 degree pipe fitting, with a plug in it. That is the oil drain for the air compressor, interesting that air compressors used Castor bean oil. Not only is it a world class organic lube, it was less deadly for the crew to breathe the fumes from air brake and other applications vented inside the cab. Another view of those Turquoise pedestal liners. Hope I was able to explain some of this for you.
Wow, thanks Tom. So much of the time I model things and have no idea what they are called or what they do.
It's been a busy morning! This unit was setting on the Stockyard track facing west, then a little over an hour later, it is facing east on the point of these grain cars. The crew must have taken it to the wye on the west end and turned it. Neat!
Well, I finally have something to contribute. These are some pictures I took in May of 1998 in Rochester, MN. First is a shot of DM&E GP38 #3802, City of Volga, right near the depot which is off to the lower left, out of view. It is facing east. This is ex C&NW track: And, here is 3802 headed north with some cars on the old CGW right-of-way. This segment had been recently renewed with heavier rail and new ties. They didn't do much to the ballast, however. The AMPI dairy, once the largest in the world, is in the background: This old plug door boxcar was spotted on a siding not too far from where the first picture of 3802 was taken. If you look long enough, you may be able to make out that it says "ROCK ISLAND" under the paint to the left of the door: Here is the old CGW (Actually Winona and Western, at the time) depot built in 1899 and moved closer to downtown just two years later. In the summer of 1997, it was moved back almost to its original location (it had to be put on the other side of the track as there wasn't enough room on the original side) and restored to its original appearance. It has been several different restaurants since then: This is the remains of the C&NW turntable which was removed in 1941: And finally, some rail south of where the second shot of 3802 was taken, near the AMPI dairy. It's hard to see but the date is 1898, the year my grandfather was born The date is just to the right of my shadow: Doug
Saw word on a social media page that the former SOU passenger depot at Kannapolis, NC has been demolished, though there's nothing in the news about it. The colonial-style station built in 1939 was no longer needed by Amtrak when a new one was opened nearby in 2005. Its eventual demolition had been expected. I took this photo of it on 08/10/1991:
A Santa Fe and two Milwaukee Road box cars in grain service outside of Amarillo, Texas in March of 1943. Jack Delano photo.
Did someone mention waffles earlier this week? I found this Conrail survivor, in pretty good shape, all things considered, a couple back from the DPU on 10K. Annville, PA, NS Harrisburg Line, 02/16/2021
Thanks. As we have alluded to before, we find things like that fascinating, especially that rail that has been in that area, at least (maybe not in the same exact location) since then and was there during the many floods there through the years, pictures of which I have seen many times. The track alignment was/is (I don't know if it's still the same) very interesting in that location with one spur going south and one going north from the main branch and they had to cross each other after the two switches because there wasn't enough room from south to north. One went to the dairy and the other to another business farther south. In later years the track was removed except for short pieces and\ the switch points were spiked. I have seen diagrams of the track in that area in old issues of the C&NW Historical Society magazine and it was that way back to at least the thirties and, I'm sure, before then. And, the turntable pit wall still being there after 57 (and now, 80 years, if it is still there) years is amazing to me, too. It is a real shame if a neat building like the NC station has been demolished. Ton think nobody could find a use for it... Doug
The old depot does - or did - have a facebook page: The Old Kannapolis Train Station - Home | Facebook
KCS 4803 leading a westbound grain train by the depot and searchlight signals at Grinnell. This is where the Iowa Interstate crosses the UP Oskaloosa Sub. February 17, 2021 Most people get drunk, others want sex but as for me, I go Railfanning.
Dashing Through The Snow. The westbound grain train dashing through the snow in Colfax, IA. Iowa Interstate Newton Sub February 17, 2021 Most people get drunk, others want sex but as for me, I go Railfanning.
I didn't know there were such huge silo structures back then. Thanks for more great color shots from the days of black and white. Doug
Probably much quicker than the work required to use the turntable, and then get them all back together again.
