Any Train Enthusiasts Out There?

[1967redrider]

Some more pictures, included are the old Queen City Station in Cumberland, the Baltimore Roundhouse (now the B&O Museum) and AMTRAK with the Alexandria Masonic Temple (Alexandria Union Station, one of my own pics). The bottom picture was taken where the Queen City Station used to be. It was torn down in the early 70s due to advanced state of deterioration.

[Old Folder]

Some great historical pictures and information being posted here.
Below is my "Railroad" Spike knife. (Maker unknown)

Dan

[1967redrider]

That's cool, Dan!

I have Case commemoratives for CSX Blue Ridge Division 1993 and Baltimore and Ohio RR, America's First Railroad 2015. I also have a Boker Promontory Summit Golden Spike commemorative around here somewhere.

[1967redrider]

I love steam engines, probably because my Mom did.

Southern Railways Norris Yard is just on the other side of Ruffner Mountain from our home and we can hear the goings on there, especially at night. They used to have a steam shop there, but no longer. So, we were treated to the sound of steam engines and their iconic whistles for a good many years.

In the mid-80’s, Mom footed the costs for herself and the four of us to ride the Norfolk and Western 611 and Powhatan Arrow from Birmingham to Chattanooga and back. She wanted all of us to experience steam rail travel while it still existed.

I will never forget that trip. Still have and wear the 611 tee shirt I bought. I bought an HO scale model of the 611 and the six Powhatan Arrow passenger cars and it runs around our Christmas tree.

That Class J 611 is still doing excursions from Roanoke, Charlie. https://fireup611.org/steam-revolution/

[edge213]

I find train engines fascinating. But I hate to be railroaded. Here in Terre Haute we have something like 100 trains a day going through town.
So, if you leave your house there is a good change you will be railroaded it is quite frustrating.
We are somewhat famous for getting railroaded. John Dillinger was supposed to have said that he would never rob a bank in Terre Haute because he was afraid of getting railroaded during his getaway. John Dillinger did have a hideout on Fenwood St. In Terre Haute.

[1967redrider]

I'm not a train enthusiast, but I do have a
UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD menu from November 1980.

Cool U.P. ephemera, Skip.

[1967redrider]

Found the Boker East Meets West commemorative set.

[Old Folder]

In Sept 2017 my wife and I had an appointment at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center to obtain the required paperwork for adding "Veteran" status on my Ca. DL. We were only a short way from downtown Los Angeles. (Which I try my hardest to stay away from.) I asked my wife if she wanted to go on a short train trip, she said "Sure, lets go."
We parked our car and had lunch at the Grand Central Market which has over a dozen restaurants of numerous nationality menus. We chose Italian.
As we walked across S. Olive and W. 4th st. "Angels Flight" came into view. Anna started laughing hysterically.
Having recently read about "Angels Flight" I was able to advised her that Angels Flight is the shortest railway in the world, being 298 feet in its entirety. If you are afraid of this intimidating steep train ride you have the option of walking up 181 steps from the bottom to the top. Anna is very athletic, however, she choose to ride the train.
No, this was not a grand train trip through the Grand Teton Mountain Range, however, it was still fun and a very memorable day.
I asked Anna what she thought of her train adventure, she said it would have been better if the conductor would have shouted out..."All Aboard."
Perhaps the next time we go with a couple family members or friends, I'll secretly hand the conductor a couple dollars for the "All Aboard" command.

The 120-year-old funicular takes passengers on a short ride between Hill Street and Grand Avenue on Bunker Hill. Originally opened in 1901, Angels Flight, the world’s shortest railway — has given more than 100 million rides on its hillside track.
Angels Flight Railway is one of Los Angeles' most enduring landmarks. Constructed and opened in 1901, it carried passengers up and down the steep slope between downtown and the top of Bunker Hill, then a fashionable residential district. Back in the early 1900s this was a major way to commute to work in downtown Los Angeles from the socialites that lived above the hill.
Many movies have been filmed here over the years, back to the silent film era.

Billed as the "shortest railway in the world," the funicular has two cars, The cars are named: Olivet and Sinai, connected to the same cable and counterbalancing one another. The fare is $1.00 each way. I must say that it was quite exciting to be in the same location as prior Angelinos were in 120 years prior and with the same initiative, to get to the top of the hill.

In the first picture below you can see how the landscape has changed over the years.

Dan

[Waukonda]

This thread is moving right along! Nice funicular history and photos, Dan.

John, those last couple of sets of pictures were absolutely awesome, particularly like that Chessie coming down the track.

[1967redrider]

Thanks, Ike.

I agree, lots of great posts already. Thanks for the idea too!

[DM11]

I like trains. I grew up close to the Santa Fe Moline Sub in South Central Kansas. When I was young the Depot was still there. It still had the old telegraph key in it. Course it wasn't used then but it was still there. Do a little rail fanning these days.

[DM11]

Beaumont, Kansas museum

[Waukonda]

I like trains. I grew up close to the Santa Fe Moline Sub in South Central Kansas. When I was young the Depot was still there. It still had the old telegraph key in it. Course it wasn't used then but it was still there. Do a little rail fanning these days.

BNSF!

[cudgee]

We gotta keep this thread going.

Here is a Victorian Railways sheep wagon. These were very common when i was growing up, still around till about 30 years ago. Road transportation was the start of their demise as was the case with many goods train carriages. Not only here, but around the globe. In the fifties and sixties when wool was our biggest industry and export commodity, these were seen in huge rakes all around where my family came from.

[doglegg]

Back when I was a little fellow I used to ride the train from Garland, Tx to Whitewright Tx with my Grandmother, about 40 miles. Then after I was married my wife and I lived in Peru for a while. We rode the train from Lima to Huancayo. It was the highest standard gauge railroad in the world. It went over 14,000 feet elevation. The conductor had a large rubber bladder filled with oxygen and would go up and down the aisle and release a little in the face of the passengers if they started turning blue. Our 1 year old son had to have some as did I. Our lips were a deep blue but my wife made it just fine. The GMC diesel engines were a marvel as they would run at both sea level and 14,000 feet with out adjustment. A lot of the cars and trucks had to have their timing adjusted to make it over the top. If I remember right there were several switchbacks to make it up the sides of some of the mountains and about 14 tunnels.

[cudgee]

Back when I was a little fellow I used to ride the train from Garland, Tx to Whitewright Tx with my Grandmother, about 40 miles. Then after I was married my wife and I lived in Peru for a while. We rode the train from Lima to Huancayo. It was the highest standard gauge railroad in the world. It went over 14,000 feet elevation. The conductor had a large rubber bladder filled with oxygen and would go up and down the aisle and release a little in the face of the passengers if they started turning blue. Our 1 year old son had to have some as did I. Our lips were a deep blue but my wife made it just fine. The GMC diesel engines were a marvel as they would run at both sea level and 14,000 feet with out adjustment. A lot of the cars and trucks had to have their timing adjusted to make it over the top. If I remember right there were several switchbacks to make it up the sides of some of the mountains and about 14 tunnels.

Nice bit of history there.

[WillyCamaro]

Good stuff mates, loving it all

[cudgee]

Good stuff mates, loving it all

My friend i think you deserve a lot of the credit here. Since you started the Die-Cast thread there have been a few very interesting threads pop up. This is one of them, so don't under estimate your contribution.

[1967redrider]

cudgee, when I was a kid they still had livestock (cattle and maybe pigs) cars. I can remember their distinct look, like a wooden crate on wheels. My dad said they would sometimes water the cows because they usually didn't have water. On a long haul, it's a wonder any survived.

[RobesonsRme.com]

The Norfolk and Western Class J 4-8-4 611 is the only surviving engine of the fourteen built.

It is one of the most beautiful and impressive steam engines ever built.

Charlie

[youtube] https://youtu.be/vC57gPY79IU[/youtube]

[Waukonda]

It is a beauty, Charlie, what a great trip that must have been for your family!

We gotta keep this thread going.

I think this thread will be self sustaining and reach 25 pages before Winter is over......er, summer for you!

[Waukonda]

We rode the train from Lima to Huancayo.

That is an awesome sounding trip, what an experience! Thanks for sharing that.

Here is a Victorian Railways sheep wagon.

VR sheep wagon.jpg

Love that photo and info, Cudgee

[royal0014]

The Norfolk and Western Class J 4-8-4 611 is the only surviving engine of the fourteen built.

Thanks for sharing that Charlie.
That deep, almost tugboat-like whistle is awesome, Seems I read somewhere that the old-timer's
could tell which train was rolling through just by the sound of its whistle. Each was unique.

[1967redrider]

Awesome pictures of the 611, Ike!


Here's some of me at the Depot in Oakland, MD and the Cumberland Yards from up on Irons Mountain.

[RobesonsRme.com]

There is a rather long YouTube video of the 611 making multiple passes in multiple locations and in one of them, it is coming up out of an Appalachian valley and the humidity was just right, because that iconic whistle echos down the valley and back.

It’s the first Villamont, Virginia segment. That’s how the steam whistles sounded from over Ruffner Mountain at Norris Yard. We used to hear that while we were still in bed, early of a morning. Gone now.

If I could isolate that one segment, I could watch and listen to it all day.

Beautifully nostalgic.

[youtube] https://youtu.be/TKU5F6DcefY[/youtube]

Charlie