Yeah, but it kind of makes sense that they were hyper sensitive at that time-I don’t know for sure because I’d only been in the Army four months in October 2002, but looking back I bet they were concerned because those vehicles were probably headed from Ft Hood to the port to get loaded up in time for the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I kinda wonder about these moves too. In this Facebook era, every facet of a military move is reported and photographed on the fan sites.
Chicago's Grand Central Station stood at the corner of Wells and Harrison streets and was the least used of the city's six major terminals. Built in 1889 by the Wisconsin Central, it was best known for its service to the B&O (who purchased the station in 1910), but also included the CGW and Pere Marquette amongst its tenants. The station was demolished in 1971. Platforms of LaSalle Street station are seen a block away to the left. [not my photo]
Work took me to Minneapolis/St Paul last week. Speaking of grand old stations, here's St Paul Union Depot. Exterior, trackside, but only ticketed passengers beyond the doors, so it's a window view. Interior of the main hall. Private Empire Builder first class lounge. Historical information in a side room. Street side.
Looks like the Empire Builder reflection in the lounge pic, or a mural on the wall? I can't tell. Cool there is a GE in the center of the loco consist though!
The St. Paul Union Depot will be 100 years old in 2026. I was in there a few times as a kid in the sixties. They had some of those vacuum molding machines in the main waiting room that, for a quarter, made a model of the Wm. Crooks locomotive (the first locomotive to run in Minnesota in 1861) My dad let me get one and I still remember the unique smell of the molten plastic. I also still wonder how I ever lost track of that. Here is a picture of the front facade of the building (photo from the St. Paul Pioneer Press): Doug
Wow! What a beautiful place! Compared to CN's Central Station in Montreal, whose main concourse looks more like a school gym , SPUD looks like a royal palace with a giant ball room! That's real railroad architecture at its finest.
That's neat that Amtrak provides a first class waiting lounge for Builder passengers holding the right tickets. I've never heard of such. That's the sort of thing Amtrak should be doing more of to make a journey something special.
Correct. At one time, 18 tracks served SPUD. Airlines have been doing this for years, it's about time Amtrak catches up, especially since its CEO is a former airline exec!! The lounge had other historic signs , but I couldn't get a clean shot of them.
From what I remember (I was 7 or 8 at the time), the machine had a bubble-like glass top so you could watch your loco being made. The two halves of the mold started at the sides, moved together after you inserted your quarter, the plastic was injected into the mold, there was a cooling off period, the mold halves separated, and the finished loco came down a chute to the outside front. The plastic was a variegated copper with black swirls. Doug
I remember using one of those machines to make a bust of Abraham Lincoln during a school field trip to the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago in the late '60s. The machine had a lighted display indicating each step of the process. I also remember seeing a Soo Line freight from the school bus window as we made our way into the city. We were in grade school and in innocent times, so friends were shouting my name and pointing to the train to be sure I saw it. Fun memories.
Saw an interesting sight on my way through Medora, ND, some coal gon's leaking coal! They were parked on a single ended spur, with piles of coal under them. I drove west along the tracks and didn't find anything that may have caused it, but will keep asking around.
