Prototype Railroading
Would you see a doodlebug in Chicago pre-war?
I know doolebugs ran on branchlines in the 30s and 40s, but would they have ever run into the middle of Chicago from anywhere, or was that kind of traffic handled by the city commuter lines?
Hump yard closures
I'm curious as to why PSR leads to the idling of hump yards. I suppose that by doing more pre-blocking less switching needs to be done, and maybe the overhead of humping a whole train becomes less interesting. But that's just my speculation - I'm curious as to the real rationale.
A 2' gauge steam railroad in Myanmar (Burma) videos shot in 2013
friend of mine who has done some work in Myanmar sent me links to some videos shot in Myanmar of a 2' narrow gauge railroad.
This video is of a mining railroad. The operating practices would cause an OSHA inspector here in the USA to pass out from shock. I especially liked the way they sanded the rails! This is the first of a four part series.
Mumbai Railway
there is a web site called "curiosity stream" that has a 4 part program ( 4 hours total ) on the passenger terminal in mumbai, india.
they move 80 million people a day in and out of mumbai, on a 97% on time record. it's amazing.
the video service is 15 dollars a year, and the shows are varied and interesting.
Boxcar spotted in rural Kansas...
So I was out exploring in Montgomery County, outside Coffeyville spotted this derelict old boxcar on the side of the road. Would love to know what railroad, but no markings other than yellow paint....about 40 feet long, double-sheathed. Would guess Frisco as there was a line near here, but that's just a guess. Any ideas?
west coast traffic imbalance
Some might find this news article interesting. Although I suspect it will trigger a righteous rant or two about PSR, that's not really the point of posting it. It's interesting news, to me, and interesting that UP and BNSF reacted differently. And it's indicative of a V-shaped recovery, too.
Shippers Using West Coast Ports Can't Book Rail On BNSF And Union Pacific
Peeling autoracks
Bit of an oopsie with auto racks. Note the end doors getting pushed out by the cars inside.
The comments suggest it happened near Riverport Road in Memphis, TN.
https://goo.gl/maps/nC1MWHqpbPHy8XPS9
Eagle Ford Job
Back in the summer of 1979 as a management trainee on the MP, I was assigned to ride the Eagle Ford Job, which served industries west of the Trinity River near Dallas, TX on the MP, former TP.
While rooting around in a box of old paper, I found the notes I took on that trip. Thought the group might be interested in a minute by minute account of a real switching job from 1979.
The job had engine MP 1210, an SW9 and originated at Browder Yard, west of Dallas.
As soon as I can find a ZTS map of the area, I will post that too.
A Hypothetical: EMC's FT
The EMC FT locomotive is well-known for being the locomotive that killed steam. A four-unit demonstrator set toured the country, starting in November of 1939. It ran for 11 months, through 35 states, and racked up 84,000 miles. This was really the first diesel-electric locomotive that demonstrated to railroads that diesels could haul freight more effectively than steam locomotives (in general cases).
>> Posts index
Navigation
Journals/Blogs
Recent Blog posts: