There's an interesting threadon [shudder]Trains.com[/shudder] About the general issues that lead up to what happened in the 60s and 70s. Penn Central was briefly talked about. There was some good info there from some knowledgeable people. The upshot being that a lot of the common wisdom about rail management history isn't so wise.
I have some of the bound report books, which the Milwaukee Road had to file annually. Quite interesting reading. Eye opening stuff! Boxcab E50
The usual story, I grew up a couple miles from the Santa Fe tracks through central Phoenix, could hear the horns every morning and often saw the giant blue locos with the huge yellow lettering rumbling through intersections when mom took us shopping. I always wondered even then why some engines were running "backwards". My dad said it was so the train could "back up", as if they only had a forward gear . I still hear the horns every morning, even heard them just a few minutes ago.
D&RGW Utah Division, 1965-1975 This is really an interesting thread. My choice might seem a bit strange considering that (1) I grew up in southern California and (2) have lived in Virginia for 20 years - the logical choices would be AT&SF, SP, UP, C&O, N&W, etc. In part, I chose the Rio Grande based on my sense that, during the time frame I'm modeling, the Grande may well have been one of the best US railroads -- innovative, profitable, exceptionally well run & managed -- a class act in every respect. During the 1960s, while in high school, I and some railfan friends made a trip to Colorado; the target was the Durango & Silverton line, which we rode and of course I loved it, but what really knocked me out was D&RGW standard gauge mountain railroading. I mean, once you've seen it, you're hooked forever. Now for the Utah part - years ago, I was driving alone cross-country and decided to take a back-country approach, following US 50 with side trips... and discovered the incredible beauty of south-central Utah. It's not just beautiful; it's also intriguing. It's one of the few places on earth where you can see much of the geological history of our planet by just driving around. It seems that there isn't a cliff in Utah that doesn't tell an incredibly interesting story. The Grande's run from Helper to Soldier Summit cuts through the Castlegate Sandstone, which formed because that area was, very long ago, at or near the shore of an immense ocean. So I thought I'd try to capture some of the beauty of this area along with the Grande - and also, to model the scenery with the same kind of commitment to the prototype that we bring to our trains. This means studying the botany & geology of the area and trying to build this into the presentation. Turns out that the scenery part has been challenging, to say the least. There have been times that I thought I'd tear everything out and start over with, say, the UP through Nebraska. But I'm finally making progress. I'm planning to post some pics this week. Bryan Pfaffenberger Charlottesville, VA
This is relevant to what I was saying about PC. I am a railfan. I am also a proponent of rail transport. The two are largely unrelated for me. As a modeller, I am not concerned with, for example, whether or not a railroad was profitable. I'm not sure I'm qualified to say whether a railroad was well-run or not.
I grew up north of Denver, my grandfather would take me to the tracks across the street, to watch the Rio Grande over 25 years ago. It was a UP line as well, so he would put me on his shoulders and watch the train while telling me (over the incredibly loud roaring) of the events he'd watched, like UP sending the turbine up the hill and hearing it coming from miles away. Watching DRGW send a rotary up the hill to rescue the rails. I'd wake up to the locomotives struggling up the hill and look out the window to watch it and wait for the smell. He'd take me to the DRGW yards to look around (when security wasn't such an issue and you could just roam), and talk to the guys in the shops, they'd let us look around and climb on the locomotives in repair. When the MOW would come down the line to repair the lines, we'd go down and talk with them. My grandfather was the staff artist for the Denver Post newspaper for years, and has always drawn trains, steam locomotives, and things he remembers seeing.
Anytime my family went on vacation we drove. I would travel from Plano (north of Dallas) to Hobbs New Mexico, Carrizo Springs TX, Browning Montana, and Chicago quite a bit. In Hobbs, my grandmother lived across the street from a scrap metal yard on the outskirts of town. I remember seeing the trains roll up and drop off gondolas. I have always been fascinated by sounds. I remember hearing those engines and I'd get excited. I'd run out on her porch and listen to them. I don't recall what line it was but in the early 80s I could see 2 to 3 a day on that line. Last time I went out there they said it had been a week or so since the last train. In Carrizo Springs my aunt lived close to a line also, again dont recall which one. But from her back porch I could catch a glimpse. I remember seeing a lot of ATSF, SP, Cotton Belt, and Rio Grande when traveling in TX and NM. I always got excited when we drove to Montana cause then I'd get to see UP and BN. Never got to get close enough to fulfill my desires but then one day it happened. In Plano TX (what is now the DART rail)...... my parents were shopping at a lumber store. I think it was a Cotton Belt came up and stopped next to it. I ran up to that engine and just stared and listened. My mom came up and was making sure I didn't do anything I shouldn't. Someone from the train came walking up and asked if I wanted to see the engine. I of course said yes and he took me and my mom on it and gave us a tour. That was probably the greatest day of my childhood. We even got to tour the caboose. I remember him saying that it was probably one of the last runs that caboose would have cause they werent going to use them anymore. I thought that was crazy at the time. Every train had a caboose... how could they get rid of it! Moving ahead about 20 years I am still fascinated by trains and the sound. In Plano we have 3 lines running thru here and I've always lived somewhat close to one. Before I moved out to the country, my wife boarded our horses at a facility in Carrolton, next to Plano, that has the BNSF line on the other side of the fence. My wife would always laugh cause everytime a train would pass, me, our 6 month old Percheron and our 13 year old Thoroughbred would all stop and watch it pass, sometimes I would run to the fence to get a closer look, usually the horses followed and watched too. I guess I can't name a favorite. ATSF, UP, BN, Cotton Belt, SP, Rio Grande all have memories for me. But usually what I see today is all BNSF and KCS. I usually go with whats current so I just got a BNSF GP38-2 and I suppose my next will be a KCS of some sort.
Well my introduction to trains was around 74 near Fredericksburg, VA, hard to remember since I was THREE years old. But I do remember my dad would take me to this overpass where we'd get to the see the Auto-Train whiz beneath our feet. But the fascination didn't really take off until the summer of '76 when I spent a few months with my Grandmother in Mounds, OK (just south of Tulsa) while my dad was transferring to Hickam AFB, HI. He was getting housing and everything situated for the family, getting our house in Virginia sold, etc. My grandmother would take me for walks every day or so. Part of our trip would have us travel from one side of town to the other along the Frisco tracks. I learned to keep my eye on the relay shed down the way, and discovered that when the little light went out a train would appear within a few minutes. I loved the rumble of those diesels and the smell of those tracks! The Frisco crews were always nice and waved - I must have had the biggest Kool-Aid grin as they rolled by. My Great-Grandmother would babysit while my Grandmother was at work, and her house was situated across the street from the tracks. When I could hear the low "rrrRRrruummm rrrrrRRruumm Rrruuum" of those engines in the distance, I'd go out on the porch and wait for them to come. They really shook that old rickety house!!! I couldn't ask for better childhood train memories. In 1980, my dad got stationed at Scott, AFB near St. Louis so I had the opportunity to see the Frisco one last time before we transferred to Europe. When we got back to the states in 85, the Frisco was gone, then my obsession really took off! (ya know, the adage that you don't miss something until it's gone?) Best Regards, -Mike
Although Conrail is my favorite railroad, I will always have a place in my heart for the GTW (Grand Trunk Western, now CN), which is where it all began. We lived maybe a mile from Pontiac Yard and my dad and I used to always go down and see if any trains were moving in the yard. He also had a layout in the spare bedroom which also helped fuel the fire. After that I was hooked! All I really ever got to see were trains on GTW until I was old enough to drive. The first out of state railfanning trip was to Ohio and that's when I saw Big Blue up close and personal. Not sure what hooked me on to Conrail, must be that paint scheme or something. When I found out CSX and NS were going to split it up, that was a sad day, but I know it will always live on in 1/87 scale.
Successful or not, it's a railroad! It's just part of my admiration for the D&RGW. Even if the road had been losing money hand over fist I'd still love it. I hasten to add that I also love the SP and have thought on and off about modeling the Roseville Division (CA) and Donner Pass. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, when I discovered railfanning, we used to call it the "Suffering Pathetic," which was, I think, quite accurate. I also greatly admired the Pacific Electric, which by the time I was old enough to ride (1954) was but a shell of its former grandeur and had doom written all over it. Of late, thanks to my research into the Grande's connections, I have developed an appreciation and affection for the poor Rock Island, which not only went broke but seems to have been dismembered to boot. So I agree with you completely. Actually, I've been thinking lately that if you went looking for something successful, you'd have to pick the Grande narrow gauge! Everything I'm modeling in the Grande standard gauge -- F units, the Zephyr, the Prospector, the Grande as a bridge line, and more -- is gone, with few traces left behind. But, between the Durango & Silverton and Cumbres & Toltec, a small but significant portion of the former Grande narrow gauge system is still in operation. Now that's success for you. --Bryan
When I was younger, my parents used to take our family up to Banff National Park and we would stay for a couple of days. Lying awake in our chalet I would listen to the train come through the town and blow his horn which would then echo throughout the mountains. To this day I still love that sound... ahh... the memories. Cheers,
Green Mountain Railroad I got into the green mountain by finding out about the flyer in 96 an visiting visiting almost yearly for over 10 years
GMRC Guy, Welcome to Trainboard!. Is the Green Mountain Flyer still around? Where is it. I'm thinking a fall weekend would be nice. _________ Paint schemes - That's it. I love the Great Northern Empire Builder, the bright red of the Canadian Pacific, the red / grey of the BAR, and occasionally the "bonnets" of the Santa Fe. Oooo, and the black and pink of the Pink Fox Lines.
Favourite Railroad As a kid we lived in Astoria on the Spokane Portland & Seattle. FA's and RS-3's there. My favourite is the late SP. On a trip to visit my aunt & uncle in Roseburg in 1957 I saw the Shasta Dalight and some black widow SD-9's and it has been SP for years albeit in the last Red & Grey. Black widow tunnel motors would be quite a sight. The Green Machine BN is also a favourite since seeing the first units just after merger day in 1970.
Though I've worked for NS,Conrail and PC around Pittsburgh and east on the former PRR, the choice seems to have been made in the early '50s. When I went to visit my Grandparents in Bellview, Pa. Grandad and I would walk down to the PRR Ft Wayne main at Jack's Run tower, and watch the STEAM engines go by, slow and fast and sometimes sitting still, waiting for railroad. I didn't differentiate the company until years later, sometime before I traded off my Lionels, and got Athern cars and F-7s and a Penn-Line L-1. Have been doin' Pennsy on and off ever since. Thanks for bringing all that back !!! Bob C
Green Mountain The Green Mountain Flyer is still Around At bellows Falls. You can check the times at www.rails-vt.com
Growing up in Georgia I saw Seaboard Air Lines/Seaboard Coast Lines/Family Lines/Seaboard Systems/CSX, and Southern/Norfolk Southern trains. The locomotives that really caught my eye were from the Chessie System that would run through in the mid '70's so when I decided to become a modeler I wanted to model a road that was colorful. Hence the Central of Georgia. I've stuck with the acquisition theme and have some Southern and Norfolk Southern diesels on my roster. It's great to be able to railfan what you model and I've been able to film some NS action as well as get the rare CofG still shots. I just recently took some stills of a CofG "crummie" in Summerville, GA.
