The mystery deepens!!! The crews got a report of a blockage on one of the spurs which connect the JACALAR to the other roads. This was very strange, because, just last week, we know the line was open, as it was used to move the JACALAR's newest acquisition, Western Pacific RDC "Zephyrette" # 376 (rescued from the wilds of Las Cruces, NM), as seen here But, when an inspection team was first sent out to find out what was going on, they found an amazing site. In a small section of track, there was a car, with what looked like more than 50 years of underbrush and other plant growth on it. And, the animals were all over it. But on either side, the tracks looked as well maintained as always
Nature photos Our inspector couldn't help but take a couple "nature" shots, waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive. Bear and deer together. It is clearly as if this has been there for quite a while.
Identified - it is TBX 3401! Once the rest of the team arrived, the animals all took off. We were able to get up close, and identified the car as TBX-3401. But, we had just seen that car, a couple days ago, up near Donner, and then in all those old photos! We got the crews to work, clearing the brush. Wow, this car was filthy - as if there were 50 years of dirt collected on it. And the load was scrap metal, just like in those oldest photos, but which were mysteriously marked "last photos of TBX 3401".
Cleared, but how did this get here? Cleared the car, and it was in surprisingly good shape. In fact, excellent. Everything was in working order, just needed to be cleaned off they got some of the mud and grime off It looks ready to roll!
On its way Finally, UP #1291, an RS-2, showed up to tow this car back for a full inspection At the shop, nothing could be found wrong with it, except that no one knows how it got there in the first place, and what happened to the load of ties it was carrying earlier? Checked with all the locals, and no one has any record of the car ever arriving or being unloaded, nor being reloaded with scrap. Maybe it was some end-of-summer prank, we'll never know (but how could they have induced 50+ years of plant growth). Any way, we gave the car back to the UP, and understand they're putting it back in service right away. I hear it is heading back north, out of California. Personally, I'm not going to try and capture any more pictures of it, as I can't stop thinking about what could have happened.... Hang on a sec, someone's at the door.... Wow, a cute federal agent, said her name was Scuddy, or Scoley...oh hear it is.. Scully.
Just received this car card... TBX 3401 appears to be arriving with a load of rail ties. Upon closer inspection of the card I noticed that it looks like the type of cargo has been doctored. Hmmmm.
Well, records indicate that the car is being switched in Roseville, and so it ought to be heading here soon enough.
Wow, guess I'm not the only one dealing with out-of-this-world railfanning......when that car came this way, I would up going back in time (take THAT, Albert Einstein!) 35 years or so. Who built this car- Rod Serling?????:tb-shocked:
I was out railfanning in the cut near town yesterday when I caught sight of this: With a load of rail ties, TBX 3401 comes into view in a light switching move... TBX 3401 heads for the tunnel near Dairyville. Time to get back on my motorcycle and follow it...
Funny you should bring that up, Mark. I was just looking over my photos from Tuesday and, oh, well, I will let you just see. It started out innocently enough. The scanner picked up some chatter so I ran to the bridge over the river near Dairyville, expecting to see SP 1313 coming back from the scene of a wrecker clean-up further up the canyon. Sure enough, it pulled into sight: Pulling a short freight consist, I noticed TBX 3401: A closer look revealed a scrap load, perhaps a bunch of axles and some trucks left from the rock-slide a few days back:
... something caught my eye in the first boxcar... ...a little photo enhancement later you can see what I saw. A hobo? Or??????? Hey, there's a knocking at my door. Wait a second. [bright flash] Just two guys in suits. Maybe missionaries, or the Blues Brothers. Anyway, what was I writing?
Thanks to all of the many contributors of this most interesting Thread. It's like reading a Sunday Comic strip back in the day. Can't wait till the next Sunday to read what else happened.:thumbs_up: Leave it to the folks on Trainboard to find a way to spur our interest in our beloved hobby.
Comic strip? Story??? Don't you realize, these things are really happening! And, it started out so innocently; a freight car going about its business. :we2-jimlad:
Yes I do realize these things are really happening, that is what makes it so interesting to follow. Didn't you ever look forward to following the Sunday Comic Strips?? I do find it neat how it started and has continued. As one of my earlier post in this thread stated; one of the most interesting threads i've ever read ........... :mwink:
