Well, at least in the real world it looks like these units will not be scrapped or have their blocks removed - Modesto & Empire Traction Company According to their website, there is nothing about having to pull the blocks and more importantly, they are keeping the 600 around, so there will at least be one unit still on M&ET property. Either way, there are engines for the 70 tonners out there so even if the blocks had to be "disabled" the new owners could just replace the "disabled" ones with a replacement since the program is for the replacement of an engine, not a locomotive.
Despite a severe lack of time for any railfanning or photography, I had a hot tip recently and heard that the Modesto & Empire Traction GE 70-tonner #608 would be making her way east, on a local Santa Fe freight out of Kingman, heading into Crozier Canyon. The local was on a siding, and I was able to grab a couple before she left town.
I hi-tailed it for the Canyon, and got lucky, I got couple of shots coming and going: That M&ET GE 70-tonner was a beautiful sight. Sad to see her go. Took me a long time to process these photos, and just got them posted here tonight. Enjoy.
I got a quick movie clip hanging from the lip of the canyon, way up in the air, and put it here into a YouTube: YouTube of the Modesto & Empire Traction GE 70-tonner being shipped on the Santa Fe I hope someone was able to catch the GE 70-tonner on her next leg of her trip?! Hope to find out soon.
How did I miss this one! Five star thread! Truly inspiring seeing beautiful work visit multiple beautiful layouts!! :thumbs_up::thumbs_up: I'm subscribing just so I don't miss the next catch.
This would make a dandy little engine to kitbash for a small tightly constrained layout. It could go around curves tighter than HO's 18" standard. I saw a latout at a show that was 2'x3' and had 5 switches, twi were on a siding the rest were on yard spurs. His tightest curve looked to be about 6" radius, and switches were #3's. He was pulling box cars around the layout, and setting them off on the spurs at times. When the show was over, he put the power supply, engine and cars in a brief case, pickef up the layout and walked out to his car. I thought that was pretty neat. If it had been 'N' Scale, he could have had a one x two foot layout amd operated on a train or plane for a past time. The whole thing would fit in a music case.
John - Looking Great!! Outstanding photography! She's making her way east through Arizona, I hope someone is able to catch her up around Flagstaff....
Funny you should mention that. Seems that N Scale Norm and Sue have been parked out by Nelson Tunnel for what seems to them, at least "Weeks!"! Yeah, there's been plenty of traffic, but rumors of some special locomotive flatcar move have been pretty much reduced to this: The scanner's been crackling all day that some 'special move' is coming. Norm and Sue are setup and ready..... Hey, here comes something..! Rats. Shoot it anyway...
They pull over to inspect us - it's not every day that you see antique pickups out here either! "Yeah, we're told by the Super to proceed this thing. It's been nothing but trouble. It's a dimensional load, it's had to be remeasured several times, it keeps rocking, and at Barstow they put a 30mph restricted speed on it, so coming uphill from Needles it's been behind us all day." "Oh, and stay off the track. We have your license number".....
Sue's off to the high view....and Norm finally yells... "HEADLIGHT!!!" Wow, could this thing be getting here any slower? They're wide open and hardly moving! Huh, it's a 'real train' .. running as what appears to be a 823 (Barstow-Argentine - low priority). That U36C on the point is wide open and there's only two units, which is actually pretty unusual. An 823 normally draws at least three. Barstow must have figured they'd make it with the speed restriction on the locomotive load. Just shaking as it passes... sure no special train!
Finally! Sue, up on the hill, is a little less impressed... "It's not like its PULLING the train! We've been out here since 6AM for this?" Gripe or not, as usual, she gets the better shot - the classic view of the San Francisco Peaks, as the train creeps by headed uphill to the Arizona Divide:
Outstanding thread folks!! You guys do simply amazing work. I can't wait to see where this goes. Mark
I think you spoke too soon. The usual 823 consist - tanks, grain cars, empties headed back east - crept by...... and then..... This can't be good. Scanner crackles to life "8714 We're stalled. Calling out flagman".... "roger that 8714".... "8714 - 823 East calling Winslow dispatcher...over...."
