I went to Dairyville again today hoping to catch up with TBX 3401 one more time. I guess you could say I am obsessed with cataloguing its various movements around town. Anyway, I didn't see it, and so I made my way to the dispatcher's office and was told that it was bound for points south.
Actually, possibly the last known sighting was on a train pulling out of the yard leading up to Thunder Ridge (about 30 seconds into this video). That was unreported, and doesn't show in any RR logs. I wonder if its presence has anything to do with the choppy cuts in that video?
Hmm. Last I heard 3401 was on its way home to be overhauled, disinfected, debriefed, and quite possibly locked away in Area 51. Or perhaps behind Hoover Dam along with an oversized Rubiks cube, But you know how railroads are about "I need one of those for the SouthBound train". Who knows.
We might need to put out a message just like real Class 1 companies when they lose something.... Boxcab E50
Like, "Whoops!"? I still find it amazing a broken loco managed to get sent across international broders because someone lost the paperwork.
Fear not! I'm 98% certain I just spotted our good ol' 3401 entering the town of McKibben! Give me about...oh, 52 minutes to review the video I shot then we'll know for sure!
Why yes indeed! 3401 is currently located in the town of McKibben near Thunder Ridge! Here's our favorite gon spotted about mid-train approaching the McKibben yard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2eQEDCdPcg Yikes! Anyone else notice that nasty bruise above the reporting numbers? I'm going to have to look in to that.
Awesome photography and great work crew.... heck it even has a site foreman... he's standing on the wire spool the whole time. And it wouldn't be a site if you didn't have someone leaning against a shovel, pic 1,4,5,6.... ha ha... Fantastic car building and great story... your an inspiration to us all.
Delaware and Hudson w/ TBX#3401 Now wait a dog berm minute, I just saw a photo of a "clean" TBX#3401 operating somewhere in the Appellation Mountains on the D&H mainline.
Today I was notified of yet another strange event connected to TBX 3401! The reporting marks were picked up by another one of those car side readers that track shipments. The only problem.. this scanner is located along a mainline in Germany!? I sent back a reply saying this has to be a read error. How could a 50' gondola suddenly cross the over half the continent AND the Atlantic Ocean?! Wasn't it's last spotting somewhere near Denver? Looks like we need to get our railfans together and go scouting again and see if we can have someone spot TBX 3401 where it should be.
I remember seeing a Popular Mechanics article on building a pipeline and bridge across the Bering Strait. Maybe that already happened? :tb-wink:
Germany?!? I heard rumors about a special military load in this car. Something highly experimental, not sure of its intended use, purpose or anything. A big cloud of secrecy surrounds this one. I'm headed to the Tunnel District this weekend to see what I can scare up.
