I'm sure you thought I meant something else, but what I'm refering to is a steam locomotive. I spent a wonderful weekend with my wife and two grandsons riding the steam train which runs from Sunol to Niles, California. The boys were beside themselves with awe for the steaming beast. They only run the locomotive three times a year and when they do it creats traffic jambs on the highway next to the tracks. This train is a thing of beauty as it chugs slowly from Niles to Sunol, the return trip because it has to climb up hill which forces it to work and display the beauty of steam. After, we had dinner with a two friends that attended the same high school as I did and we just had our fiftieth reunion. Henry is the president of the train club and one of the founders that completely rebuilt the line. If you're ever in the SF bay area and are able to ride the train, it is well worth the effort, Arecee
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Comments
Environment?
Do they buy carbon offsets to pay for running that great filthy beast? JK! MY nephew, who lives in the PRC (near Sacramento I think) has two boys who are absolute trainaholics, so I'll have to be sure he knows about this. There's a hugmongous train museum in the St. Louis area, worth the visit if you should get that way.
M
They know they can survive
Sacramento too
Has a wonderful train museum. Carbon offsets? Hah, who needs stinking carbon offsets? Arecee
Carbon Offsets
Did you happen to read the Rolling Stones story about Goldman - Sachs that suggested carbon offsets are just one more ploy by these wonderful bankers to fleece the public?
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
I remember carbon offsets
You used to have to collate them and uncollate them when you were done. And then there were the ones you used in the spirit duplicator. :) They smelled funny and made everything turn purple very slowly so after a year or so the closet in the teacher's lounge was this lovely periwinkle color.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Under 30
I suspect there are darn few under the age of 30 that would even have a clue what you are talking about. :-)
I went outside once. The graphics weren' that great.
Sniffing the dittos
I remember the kids sniffing the fresh dittos because they liked the faint smell of solvent. I have to wonder how many carcinogens they were inhaling.
I also remember the lazy teachers reusing the old masters so much that you could barely read them.
How Long Have They Been Running the Train?
We lived in and around Fremont from 1973-1989 and quite close to the Niles district the last 8 years of that period. I don't recall the train running. Niles Canyon was quite scenic and very natural (at the time) for being so close to a major population area. I haven't been back to the area since 1993. The ride on the train sounds like a lot of fun.
I don't know
But I think they were still laying tracks during that time. This is a volunteer group and everything they've done has been over a period of almost fifty years. The only thing left when they started restoration were the two bridges from the original railroad. Arecee
Sounds Great
It is a very neat thing to ride any steam train. We have visited Strasburg Raiway located at Strasburg, PA which is near Lancaster, PA. While there, we toured the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvannia which shouldn't be confused with the Pennsylvannia Railroad Museum that is in Altoona, PA and only has displays about that one railroad. We are about forty five miles from Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, PA. It has some interesting exhibits and there is a trolley museum right next door, haven't visited it yet but maybe in near future. Truthfully, Strasburg didn't impress me as much as the ride out of Steamtown. ***sigh*** I wish they would arrange a run up to the Starrucca Viaduct, the oldest longest stone railroad bridge still in daily use. It is over one hundred fifty years old.
Oh well, enough of my rambling.
Saw UP 3985 Challenger hauling a 19 car train at 50 to 60 mph
Back in 2002.
It was doing roundtrips from Chicago to Milwaukee the weekend around June 17th or so.
The engine alone is well over 600000lbs, the three tenders -- two only water, converted jet fuel tankers from the retired UP Gas-turbine Electrics, the other one bunker oil and water -- each weighing 400000lbs plus. And they had two vintage bagage cars that are a machine shop on wheels and spare parts storage. They stopped in the Butler WI yards to turn around and grease the connecting gear. See the UP Steam Program site for info. I chased it towards Racine on the Interstate, I saw it cross over a state highway bridge at 50 to 60 MPH pulling that long passenger train and it was hardly ticking over. But then it was built to pull long freight trains at 50 MPH plus and passenger trains at higher speeds over the mountains or Great Plains.
Seeing the huge 4-6-6-4 running was a treat, it's the largest operating steam engine in existence currently. Though I once was in the cab of a UP Bigboy 4-8-8-4 in the early 1960s at the Green Bay National Railway Museum but it's in static display. That was on a bullet nose diesel-electric excursion on the Milwaukee Road with dad and a neighbor kid. We hit 80 much of the way. Those same tracks are barely 10 mph now though finally they are being rebuilt.
Here's a link to the UP Steam Program.
Was on a CNW Mikado pulled train at North Freedom near Baraboo and numerous electric street cars and Interurban on the East Troy Electric RR Museum. Saw several steam pulled Great Circus Trains in the sixties, seventies and again in the eighties in Milwaukee when they brought the wagons in for the historic circus parades.
Sounds like you had fun.
John in Wauwatosa
P.S. A picture from the UP Steam site of the 3985
John in Wauwatosa
Thank you for the pic, John…
…so here is one in exchange. Back in 1958 when I was trying very hard to be a normal male—in spite of my internal feelings—I did several rail excursions behind Caledonian Railway No 123 the unique—she was the only one of her type built—single wheel loco built in Glasgow in 1886. When the railways in UK were grouped in 1923, she became part of the LMS (London, Midland and Scottish) fleet, where she stayed until withdrawn for preservation in 1935. In her Caley days she took art in the great railway race to the north, when the west coast route—London North Western Railway/Caledonian Railway—and the east coast route—Great Northern Railway/North British Railway—competed daily to complete the London-Edinburgh journey in the shortest time.
CR 123 on a rail enthusiasts excursion at Lanark in 1958
Kodachrome® photo by Gabi
I was privileged to obtain a pass to ride on the footplate on two occasions, on one of them we had to stop for a “blow-up†on Dumbuck Bank on the way to Perth, because the fireman had never before had to fire on a locomotive with such a small firebox; he had only fired more modern and much larger engines. The air was bluer than the paint on 123 with the language of the driver who was spitting fire.
I still have a very soft spot for steam locos.
Gabi.
PS. Anybody wanting more info on CR 123 try Googling "Caledonian railway 123". There are about 21,300 results!
Gabi.
An aside, tying this to transgender ...
A friend of mine, who was very active in the San Jose and San Francisco Bay Area TG community unfortunately died a bit over 2 years ago.
But in trying to clear up her estate, the attorney ( who reported this to a group of us at her TG friends memorial service), was surprised to find that she owned 3 of the cars at this museum, and four in the Strasburg, PA museum which Nellie T mentioned, plus a few more here and there around the US.
I have visited both of these museums, as well as the California Railroad Museum in Sacramento, CA which has my favorite engine. It is not quite as big as Union Pacific Big Boys, but as a seven year old scout, I once rode in the cab of their Southern Pacific Cab Forward 4-8-8-4 #4294 on my very first train ride! I am not likely to forget that ride.
But I'll bet a lot of the other Cub Scouts would be surprised to see me now.
Holly
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.
Holly