When I used to only use 35 mm film... I took a lot of pictures. I had a lot of pics of the Abandon Grafton RR line in Grafton Ma (which as been recently brought back on line believe it or not...) including a pair of beautiful American MOW locomotive cranes that have since been scrapped... And a bone yard is some guys back yard in Milford MA that was full of cable front shovels and other historical heavy equipment. It too has since been hauled off and melted down.... But unfortunately about 20 years ago a crazy girlfriend decided to burn ALL my photographs when I broke up with her.... I did not take any photos of anything for a long time after that... Since then, I've only documented historical construction equipment rusting on the side of the road and at equipment shows... Something I'm equally haunted by....
On a trip visiting relatives in Philadelphia in 2011, 2 blocks from relatives' house, and immediately in back of the Rodin Museum, an abandoned railroad tunnel. Traced it afterwards and determined it helped to connect line along the Schuyllkill River that runs almost UNDER the "Rocky Steps" at Philadelphia Museum of Art, with former site of Baldwin Loco Works.
Reminds me of a quote from the TV show "Big Bang Theory": "******* be crazy!" Something I have failed to do. Old construction equipment, old logging machinery, sawmill remnants and such. Haunting is a very good word. "Sad" I believe would be another useful descriptive.
Check out groups like HCEA and ACMOC and see when and where they have there big once a year show. If its near by, I highly recommend you check it out and I promise you want be sad but very happy. Operators and collectors bring their historical equipment from all over the country. You get to see stuff that is old and rusty to pieces of equipment that are fully restored to OEM new condition and everything in between. And the best part is they always have a huge sandbox that you get to watch a lot of the equipment at the show digging in the dirt.... I'd also suggest seeing if there are any local groups in your area. I'm lucky enough to have the Long Island Antique Power Association about 20 minutes away... They have shows in the summer and some interesting equipment in their collection... Last show, a member let me ride on the deck of a huge 1949 Bucyrus Erie B51 cable front shovel while he did a bit of digging... I've operated my share of hydraulic excavators and backhoes but this thing would wear you down in a matter of no time... I have a video of it but not sure I could post it since it has absolutely nothing to do with trains...
You always can post your video(s) in the Cattle Car. That forum takes any almost topic. If the Admins (Ken, etc.) think that it has RR merit, they'll move it to a more appropriate forum....with your permission, of course. I sense you may be living out on "The Island". I was born in Mt Kisco, about 40 miles north of "The City". Sorry, I can't help being a little parochial at times.
Every few years, I go to a tractor show,. There is usually also some smaller equipment there. A portable saw mill and so on. Traction engines. And usually also a live steam railroad set up for the kids to ride. Can't think of the scale right now. *Sigh* Wish I still had my grandfather's 1947 Gibson Late "A" model tractor. But I had no place to keep it here.
Since you like heavy equipment, I posted this on the Cattle Car. [video]http://dwss.us/Post_4_Canteen/Video_Album/008.htm[/video]
It's a small world Hank (and never any apologizes needed)... I do a lot of design work for (Curtis Instruments) who is right in Mt Kisco... Have visited many times. But yup, I'm out on the Island, way out by Riverhead... Back in the late 90's to early 2000's I lived on the other side of the river (and over the mountains) from Mt Kisco in Warwick, NY on top of Mt Peter... That's how I got to explore all the abandon rail lines in that area. I do miss that part of the world... This island is real pain to get off of.... Unless its 2 AM in the norning when there is no traffic...
That was one of the first original "compact" tractors, right? Didn't it have tiller steering control (single lever) that hooked up to the steering rack on the front axle? Very neat little tractor.
I don't know where it might have been in the progression of more compact duty tractors, but yes to both size and steering. It could spin on almost a dime, with the dual brake pedals. It had a blade up front, with five teeth which could bolt on. A plow, dual disks, and more. It had been modified with a gear reduction (WWII Army surplus) winch under the seat, running off a second seperate three speed Chevy truck transmission. Using 3/8 inch or 1/2 cable, we used it to pull stumps and pull out trees. That little Wisconsin motor would sit down and LUG. Wow. We might break a cable, but it would never stall. Pretty soon there'd be a bunch of cracking and crunching, then out came what we were yanking on! As a souvenir, I still have one of the snatch blocks. That tractor paid for itself over and over and over. And it even spent some time on those old RR grades on the mountain!
Here are maps and descriptions of all mainline, shortline, and logging railroads in Mississippi, both past and present. For those in and around Mississippi, this might be a good tool for planning hikes and camping expeditions. For Ken (BoxcabE50), this might be helpful identifying many locations for your order collection. This a map of Dantzler Lumber's railroads that includes the Tuxachanie Trail I mentioned earlier. (click on the map to enlarge) The rail (trail) line starts at Howison, far left on the map, about halfway down. It then goes east and slightly south to Airey. The US Forestry Service maintains the trail, ensuring the trail is clear, branches cut back, and the few bridges in good repair.
I plotted the old Sugar Land Railroad that ran near where I live. It was began as a part of the Imperial Sugar Company but sold to the Missouri Pacific in the 1920s. Much of it on the north west end was abandoned in 1973 and the remainder about a decade later. In 1973 the Mop obtained trackage rights over the Southern Pacific to run into Houston to and from the sugar refinery because they did not want to pay for an overpass for the new Southwest Freeway being build out of Houston. They still served a feed mill outside Dewalt until it was bought out and closed by the developers of a planed residential community. At that time the rest was torn up. Years ago, I explored much of the old right-of-way but most of it has since been built over.
Cant say I'll be in Mississippi any time soon but I too will be busy checking this out... Cant pass up studying maps of old railroads... Unfortunately out on Long Island were I am, there very few abandon lines... Only a connector from the North shore line to the South shore line in Mannerville that's now a road and a continuation of the North shore line from Port Jefferson to Wadding River which is a right of way for power lines. You have to go to Nassau County to find a good number of abandon rail lines....
Very interesting how it can grab hold of a person. I get lost for hours on railroads which aren't even on my interest radar.
That bed is located about 40 miles of where I grew up, in Washington County, MN. It ran between St. Paul and somewhere along the Wisconsin border. These originally were used in logging but if a different industry sprang up they would keep them going as long as there was some traffic to justify maintenance. Early timbering meant cut all the trees, then move on. You can see there was almost no rail bed, that is how the rural railroads looked around here even as late as the early 60's.
