Never mind snow, what about mind sapping frost? I can still remember being at Beighton station signalbox in December 1992 as the winter sun rose. As the sun got higher my Camera battery went down and down! So life pans out in strange ways. In my 'most watched' Videos on my youtube channel right near the top is a sequence of Trains at Clay Cross Junction on the second of January 1977. Me and Merv Alcock ( Main man at the Barrow Hill Engine Shed society, the last working Roundhouse in England) and the wives had a pleasant New Years day that did involve quite a bit of sociable drinking. The following morning I said to Merv " Come on, Let's go and get some fresh air" It had been snowing, and in 97 I think I was still driving around in my Jaguar 3.6 Sovereign which was not the smartest auto to take out in the white stuff Anyway, Freezing our rocks off we spent a couple of pleasant hours watching all sorts of strange train moves. This video has now clocked up 67K views. Why? I don't know And, yes, all that fresh air certainly cleared our hangovers. The wives however..... Kev
The loco on the second train (at 0:20 in the video) seems to be doing its best to impersonate an Alco... impressive plume of black smoke! Great video.
Sulzer powered Class 47 on a Cross country service to Bournemouth. Hard to believe it was 28 years ago Kev
Frost is fun to shoot. It is also time-sensitive. It doesn't last long once the sun starts to break through, or any amount of wind arises. On a freezing fog afternoon, H-MINPAS (high priority manifest, Minot, ND-Pasco, WA) digs into the slick .62% grade west of MP 7, BNSF Glasgow Sub. Photo from private property, with permission. The H-MINPAS we see above would have taken Latah Jct south in Spokane, WA, as viewed with this grain train taking the south leg. Latah Jct is literally on a bridge. The north leg leads to the ex-GN transcon across Stevens Pass to Seattle, while the south leg leads to both the ex-SP&S Columbia River Gorge route to Portland, and the ex-NP route over Stampede Pass to Tacoma. Latah Jct, seen with a long lens; the objects behind the sign are signals governing movement through the junction:
The last time we had over a few inches of snow in these parts was Christmas Eve 2004. So I was unable to go out and chase trains due to other obligations. So about all that I can offer is train cars in the snow. In February of 2017, some shots from Breckenridge, Colorado and Boreas Pass east of there.
Another bitterly cold morning in December 1991. Regional Railways 156 421 sets out to Sheffield from Worksop on the old Great Central railway When I used to get new starters at the depot one of the things I drummed into them on their depot induction was to never, ever walk on the wooden ties but walk on the ballast. Particularly when the weather is like this. I've seen countless people suddenly slip and slide and end up on their ass! Kev
I've saved my favourite snow photo for last. Direct Rail Services 37 401 'Mary Queen of Scots' in retro British rail large logo colour scheme when the loco hauled Cumbrian Coast passenger trains were still running. 28th February 2018 at Askam in Furness The loco is on the rear and was being driven from a DBSO Driving car at the front but was still getting the full force of the snow. Setting off from Platform 1 at Askam it had to contend with the climb to Park North from a standing start. The train was 2C32 Carlisle to Barrow in Furness The day before DRS Control had rung me to tell me that the same train had failed in Sellafield station and could I go and have a look. when I asked what the fault was they said "something with the brakes?" Most helpful. Getting to it meant coming out of the huge Sellafield nuclear plant through all the security gates but I already knew what the issue was even before I got to it. A couple of years earlier the Elf and Safety department banned us from using 'Kilfrost' an antifreeze mix we used to put down the main train pipe to stop the moisture in the airbrake systems freezingon the grounds that it might giving a few Lab rats cancer. Sure enough the air brake system Distributors were frozen. Once the train had stopped running and was stood in the Sellafield sidings in tne morning sun it righted itself in about 20 minutes. Hang on. That has just reminded me of another one! Everbody likes to take dramatic pictures of trains with snow all over the front but.. When I was still on the wrenches as a team leader I got a call from Site rail. The guys who run the internal rail system in the plant. " we have got an FNA Flask wagon and we can't get the handbrake on" It had just come in on an overnight Crewe Coal sidings to Sellafield nuclear service . At 60 mph the slipstream had sucked a load of snow onto the back of the wagon. The handbrakes work on a cross shaft and a bell crank to put the back pair of calipers on. Frozen solid The air brakes were on and I told them " put a pair of wheels scotches under it and wait for the sun to come out" Kev
What looks like a CPKC 146 eastbound manifest and intermodal (long block of stacks on the rear) at Minot East.
Slightly off topic. I was watching a PBS show this afternoon. "Epic Train Journeys" featuring both freight and VIA, operating from Winnipeg to Hudson Bay. Snow and cold! Very interesting and well worth viewing.
I came up on one on Télé-Québec on yesterday around 6 pm, La Terre Vue Du Train (The Earth Seen From The Train), following the Rocky Mountaineer, pulled by two UP SD70Ms, through the US Rocky Mountains, including through the 10-km Moffat Tunnel. There was a fantastic historical recap of the construction of the tunnel, and of rail pioneer David Moffat. Plus some unbelievable scenery seen from a train that's way above any Amtrak shiny stock cars. Loved every minute!
I don't think the Mountaineer cars are much higher than the Amtrak Superliner cars. Although the only Superliner cars that have windows that wrap around into the roofs are the lounges. The Mountaineer cars have a lot more glass too.
Nothing to do with height, but creature comforts. Beautiful, spacious interiors, with great views. The only way to travel! Better than any shiny stock car with people piled in like cattle...
Looking down from US Highway 24 at a tiny portion of the Rio Grande Tennessee Pass line. You can barely make out the roadbed along a bit of the Eagle River just left of center at the bottom of the canyon. Some of the structures of the abandoned Gilman mine complex can be seen on the right.
