Midweek Photos 12/21/2016

Well Tim since you added your 0-6-0 pictures here are some of my 0-6-0 pics! Merry Christmas everyone!

Dec 1980 #4 at strasburg

1982 Los Angeles. Took this photo out of the window of a moving car looking into the sun.  #2543 is an SW1500

Scan of a photo I got at a flea market.  SP SD45 # 8874

Scan of a photo I got at a flea market.  Assorted WM helpers run light back down the grade for their next assignment.  Note on back of photo says "W. Mon Curve".

The WM helper engines are at Thomas,WVA.

I helped dissemble #26 during my week at Steamtown for Railcamp 2000. It would be nice if Steamtown could restore a locomotive faster than once every 15 years. I know that isn't realistic however. Sigh. 

New Hope & Ivyland - a few years ago in much milder weather

This past Saturday I chased the Pere Marquette 1225.  I have posted a few photos on here earlier in the week but here is a few more!

To see all the photos visit www.3rdcoastphotography.net 

Three different North Shore Railroad locomotives in two days on their Berwick line. No. 1948 on Monday and Nos. 1940 & 1944 on Tuesday. No. 1948 has been the regular power on this line lately.

On Friday I drove down to Kansas City to pick up my 92 yr. old dad to give him a ride back to South Dakota to spend Christmas with us.  We headed north on I-29 about 10 AM Saturday morning.  My wife wasn't along so I was in no hurry.  At Mound City, MO I pulled off the interstate and headed west.  There is a sliver of land in extreme northwest Missouri between I-29 and the Missouri River that's one of those forgotten odd corners that I love to poke around in.  There's a very active BNSF line through there, running between Pacific Junction to the north and Kansas City to the south. The land is very flat river plain, and it floods every few decades.  The few towns left are very run down and barely hanging on.  You can easily see the line the muddy water left on the abandoned buildings from the last major flood a couple of years ago.  I like this area but it's a little difficult to chase trains because it's dark territory and there's a confusing maze of dirt and gravel roads, many of which dead end in either large corn fields or the river.  

It was a very foggy day, to the point visibility up and down the tracks was limited.  I finally did spot a train heading north and attempted to intercept it twice.  Twice I was foiled by the maze of roads.  I broke off the chase and headed back to the interstate, just a few miles from the Iowa border.  At Hamburg IA the tracks parallel the highway, and I spotted the same train, an empty coal train, still rolling north.  I sped up to 80 mph and easily outran it.  I exited at another nearly abandoned town, Bartlett.  I quickly found a nice spot on the south edge of town along an old elevator siding.  My dad & I got out; I set up my tripod.  We heard the train long before we saw it in the thick fog.  The train came, I clicked off a few shots, the crew waved, we waved back.  The rest of the trip home was uneventful.  

It was probably my dad that got me interested in trains some 55 years ago.  He was traffic manager at the Kansas City General Motors plant, and would bring home fantastic railroad calendars, little PR gifts, and score rides for us on different railroads customer appreciation specials.  I've often thought my dad was a secret foamer himself.  We had a great time, anyway!

Merry Christmas to all!

Kent in SD

Two23 posted:

On Friday I drove down to Kansas City to pick up my 92 yr. old dad to give him a ride back to South Dakota to spend Christmas with us.  We headed north on I-29 about 10 AM Saturday morning.  My wife wasn't along so I was in no hurry.  At Mound City, MO I pulled off the interstate and headed west.  There is a sliver of land in extreme northwest Missouri between I-29 and the Missouri River that's one of those forgotten odd corners that I love to poke around in.  There's a very active BNSF line through there, running between Pacific Junction to the north and Kansas City to the south. . . I like this area but it's a little difficult to chase trains because it's dark territory and there's a confusing maze of dirt and gravel roads, many of which dead end in either large corn fields or the river.  

 It was probably my dad that got me interested in trains some 55 years ago. . . I've often thought my dad was a secret foamer himself.  We had a great time, anyway!

 Merry Christmas to all!

Kent in SD

 

 

What a great post, Kent!  I wish I could still go pick up my own Dad and bring him to my home for Christmas.  I'm sure this will be one of the things that you'll always be glad that you did.

Your post reminded me of an interesting ride on that part of the Burlington.  I rode a train that left in late afternoon from Kansas City Union Station, with 3 heavyweight head-end cars and 2 heavyweight and 1 Budd lightweight chair cars.  We scooted along at 59 MPH on Burlington's non-block main line as darkness fell.  The track was not the smoothest I ever rode, but not like the Rock Island, either.  We stopped at several small towns, which were in better days then.  All was going as planned until we hit an automobile on a crossing north of St. Joseph.  In those days, as soon as the police arrived, they got the vehicle off the track, the Engineer inspected the locomotive and the train left.  Apparently, our Engineer was satisfied with the condition of his E9, and we were off to the races, making up time, really flying on the straight track, braking hard to slow for speed restrictions and station stops, and then in Run-8 again.  The emergency braking when we struck the auto had made a flat spot on one wheel on the heavyweight coach I was riding.  By the sound of things, I'd say we hit 90 MPH for several stretches. I remember looking out the window as we curved through Pacific Jct., and seeing the Mars oscillating headlight waving figure-8's as the engine entered the route for Omaha, where we arrived only 5 minutes late.  I stepped off the train into a 6-degrees below zero night, and realized that I was way underdressed for Omaha.  From the overhead covered walkway between the Burlington and Union Pacific stations, I saw the City of Los Angeles arrive behind a Milwaukee Road FP45 (with its Mars light wagging figure-8's) and hustled downstairs to board one of UP's very warm and comfortable long-distance chair cars for the trip to Los Angeles and another connection with a San Diegan.