All About Pocket Knives

Nice KCS & BNSF shot, David.

Saw this on today's Great Allegheny Passage/WMSR Railbed hike. Pretty sure the "W" sign is/was to alert the engineer that a crossing is coming up and he needs to blow the whistle. Have you guys seen this signage?

Also snapped a shot of a rail mileage sign where we parked.

1967redrider wrote: ↑Sat May 28, 2022 2:50 pm Nice KCS & BNSF shot, David.

Saw this on today's Great Allegheny Passage/WMSR Railbed hike. Pretty sure the "W" sign is/was to alert the engineer that a crossing is coming up and he needs to blow the whistle. Have you guys seen this signage?

Also snapped a shot of a rail mileage sign where we parked.

Yes and it means the same thing here.

Had an amazing day today on the WMSR! Conductor Bill actually owns the lounge car and another Southern Pacific car.

The last 3 photos posted in reverse order. There's more vids on my YouTube channel if you're interested.

That sure had to be a lot of fun! It's like going back in time. Thanks for sharing your pics!

There have been some nice photos posted here over the last couple of weeks! Thanks, David, John, and Mrwatch

Thanks, guys.

1967redrider wrote: ↑Sat May 28, 2022 11:57 pm Had an amazing day today on the WMSR! Conductor Bill actually owns the lounge car and another Southern Pacific car.

Great stuff John!

A Grand Trunk and a CN loco pulling some local freight, and from a recent trip to Boston.....the iconic South Station.

Great photos redrider and Ike. Redrider you must have had a blast, i.e. great fun.

Ike, that architecture was meant to last.

It was a bucket list day, Tom & QS. The opportunity of being able to ride on a Mallet steam engine doesn't happen very often.

Cool shots, Ike. I have a coffee table book on past rail companies and Grand Trunk isn't mentioned. Guess it was affiliated with Canadian National and Vermont?

An IC heritage loco and an old CN sd40 in the diagonal paint scheme. This scheme was used in the 1970s and 80s, not seeing the paint shop in 40 or 50 years, makes the shabby look understandable.

Good pics Ike. Good to see a Grand Trunk still out there running around.

Local switching out some grain cars at the grain elevator. This use to be the old Santa Fe Moline Sub. It was raining so didn't get any up close pics. I was under moms porch out of the rain

Cool pictures Ike & David! Thanks for sharing!

Great shots, Ike and David.


Still thinking about this past weekend's railfanning . . .

Cool pics John!

Very fine photos redrider.

1967redrider wrote: ↑Wed Jun 01, 2022 10:07 pm Great shots, Ike and David.


Still thinking about this past weekend's railfanning . . .

Those are some really nice shots, John!

DM11 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 01, 2022 1:43 pm Local switching out some grain cars at the grain elevator. This use to be the old Santa Fe Moline Sub. It was raining so didn't get any up close pics. I was under moms porch out of the rain

Interesting pics, David, the rain added to them. Those are a couple of short lines that I wasn't aware of.....thanks for showing them. There is a short line (Evansville and Western)that handles grain from the mills in some of the small towns in my area, but I haven't yet been at the right place and time for a photo.

Thanks, gents.

Boy could you feel the heat coming off of that engine.

1967redrider wrote: ↑Thu Jun 02, 2022 12:06 pm Thanks, gents.

Boy could you feel the heat coming off of that engine.

Just curious, John......is it still burning coal? I ask because of the smoke. When I went to see the Big Boy as it went through Illinois last summer, it had been converted to oil and there was little black smoke. It kinda took a little away from the experience IMO. Great pic of you with it and I really like that 1st pic too.

Waukonda wrote: ↑Thu Jun 02, 2022 1:37 pm

1967redrider wrote: ↑Thu Jun 02, 2022 12:06 pm Thanks, gents.

Boy could you feel the heat coming off of that engine.

Just curious, John......is it still burning coal? I ask because of the smoke. When I went to see the Big Boy as it went through Illinois last summer, it had been converted to oil and there was little black smoke. It kinda took a little away from the experience IMO. Great pic of you with it and I really like that 1st pic too.

Yes, Sir, still coal. Could smell it in the air immediately upon arriving at the station. Check out this vid-



But it didn't seem to be throwing up a lot of cinders, will have to check out a night video. I've seen videos of some steam engines throwing up cinders to the point you'd wonder how they didn't catch the whole world on fire. WMSR 1309 does a nighttime dinner excursion too, on weekends.

The included Lounge Car hor'dourves were delicious (seafood salad and a spinach ball). All the food is prepared on a dining car at the WMSR Ridgeley yards, according to the Lounge Car bartender (Don, a really nice guy). He also said the Chief mechanic lives in an old Ringling Bros. & Barnum Bailey Circus car stationed in the yards for up to 3 weeks at a time.

A long UP coal train just rumbled by......

Sweet U.P. EMDs, Ike!

I guess my next trip will need to be to Cass, WV to check out the Shays-



Those guys really know how to toot their own horns.