a picture a day....

For today: " Racoon Heaven!" 

For today: "  Brakeman Willy Karns works the yard."

Great pictures guys...seems like one of my "new" things to do during the shelter at home is to look at all the great pictures, makes me realize that under more normal circumstances I should have slowed down and looked   Bill T...what a great picture, your blending that (what I think is ?) an American Flyer station with what seems to be (based on the track) an O'gauge layout is really masterful.  It looks terriffic, I really loved the giant clock!  Great job.

Trumptrain: Great picture but it shows one of my beloved Model A Ford trucks on the way to the scrapper! 

Sidehack :  Super realism...candidly I am still not sure whether this is a model train picture or the real thing.

Here is my contribution today and the back story:

Its late in the War, likely 43-44, and the Leonardtown and Savannah, due to War Production Board rules, can't get enough diesels to handle all its work so it has positioned what it can get on the main line runs to Macon and Atlanta...The routine chores of commuter trains from Small Town to Downtown Savannah and the Port are still being handled (most days) by steam.  So here is a picture of one of the "old faithfuls" and ex - NKP steamer (now working the L&S on long term lease for the duration)  pulling the string of Harrimans out of the Savannah depot and starting its weekend duties...although being Sunday, the schedule is a lot less demanding than will be the case tomorrow morning!  However it will position the engine and train overnight in Small Town for the Monday morning rush.  Old Joe, the 50 year man who is hostler on this engine, lives in Small Town with his family, so he loves this run - he gets Sunday night at home and he knows Martha has dinner ready!

Happy Sunday folks

Don McErlean

For today: " Two cars left the track." 

              Patrick,  recovery team is on the way...

Brian, I'm glad to see that CSX is coming to the aid of Pat's CSW predecessor Western Maryland!!

trumptrain posted:

For today: " Two cars left the track." 

Patrick, at least your wreck wasn't this bad:

"Timesaver", eh? That boxcar isn't saving anyone any time though, is it?

We visited this wreck-site on the B&O Buffalo line c. '62-'65.

Lew - that is one sad looking wreck.  I only saw the aftermath of a train wreck once in my life.  I was touring with my group and we had just played a concert at the Myrna Loy Center in Helena MT the night before.  Next morning, upon leaving for our next destination,  we drove by a major Montana Rail Link train wreck.  Scads of freight  cars were strewn all over the place and laying on their sides.    Yes luckily my derailment was just a derailment not a train wreck.   Thanks for sharing your pics! 

Here is a helicopter view of the wreck which occurred yesterday around 5 p.m. on westbound freight number 119. 

                                     Some pics of the NYS&W Franklin, NJ wreck in March 1987.

                                                                            MY PHOTOS

The waterfront is a busy place today.

I took these yesterday...

For today:  " Waiting for the signal to change ,Western Maryland BL2 hogger hangs out of the cab for a breath of fresh air." 

"A Tale of Two Cities"

Green River, Wyoming on the UP:

280 miles down the Green River is Green River, Utah on the D&RGW.

Fly-over.

Randy Harrison posted:

Fly-over.

Love those A10s "Tank Killers"

Lew, the Green RiverS photographs look great!

For today: " SW1 working the yard just before sundown." 

Mark Boyce posted:

Lew, the Green RiverS photographs look great!

Mark, I have good memories of both those little towns . Green River, Wy was a great place to watch UP trains. It was the quintessential railroad town. Once upon a time my Brother and I rode 380mi in the back of a '63 Chevy pickup from Grand Canyon, Az to Green River, Ut to catch the Eastbound D&RGW Royal Gorge.

trumptrain posted:

For today: " SW1 working the yard just before sundown." 

Patrick, I love this photo! It has a certain familiar feel to it.   

Lew -  I know how you love to capture photos of your trains in the  natural sunlight.  Actually YOU inspired me to do the same!  I took the opportunity yesterday and I really like the result.  I'm hoping to get back in the train room today for some more pics. when the sun moves around to the west.

Love your Green River WY photos!!  I was in Green River WY during the 1990's when on a concert tour with my chamber music group, Monumental Brass.  Sometimes our management  would book us for coast - to -coast tours in the dead of winter.  One particular tour we were on the interstate during a blizzard and Wyoming State Police closed down the interstate  at Green River.  Much to my delight I knew what lay ahead in Green River as we followed the ramp off the interstate and into town!  Once we got settled into a motel, I headed out to eat at a little cafe where a lot of railroaders were eating too.  Then with snow dumping down I made my way to the railroad yard and stood on the elevated crosswalk over the yard.  Snow swirling around me,  standing on that crosswalk I imagined seeing Big Boys, Challengers, and other large steamers of the UP fleet below me..... oh yes, and turbine locomotives too!   Thanks Lew for evoking a great memory! 

geysergazer posted:

Mark Boyce posted:

Lew, the Green RiverS photographs look great!

Mark, I have good memories of both those little towns . Green River, Wy was a great place to watch UP trains. It was the quintessential railroad town. Once upon a time my Brother and I rode 380mi in the back of a '63 Chevy pickup from Grand Canyon, Az to Green River, Ut to catch the Eastbound D&RGW Royal Gorge.

Lew, I have decided that this song was written about you!  

Patrick, that is quite a story for all of us Railfans. Several pics I have shared here Dad took standing on that pedestrian bridge over the yard in Green River. We probably ate at the same little Cafe! Dad always asked railroaders where they ate and where they stayed and that is where we would eat and sleep too. Because good quality and inexpensive.

Mark, I love that J. Cash song!  It reminds me of my friend, Jim, who drove OTR trucks for many years. He has one of those big Rand McNally Trucker's Atlases with every road he has driven highlighted. Nearly every road in the whole atlas is highlighted. He has been in every county in the USA including those in Alaska and Hawaii. 

"The Royal Gorge":

On the left, IN Royal Gorge. On the right, climbing towards Tennessee Pass.

The train always stopped for 10min in the Gorge so people could get off and look around. Directly overhead and a thousand feet above was the highway bridge over the Gorge. I have an early childhood memory (age 4) of walking across that bridge and looking straight down through the steel-grate deck. It is a suspension bridge and when a car crossed I remember feeling the bridge bouncing  a bit. 

geysergazer posted:

Mark, I love that J. Cash song!  It reminds me of my friend, Jim, who drove OTR trucks for many years. He has one of those big Rand McNally Trucker's Atlases with every road he has driven highlighted. Nearly every road in the whole atlas is highlighted. He has been in every county in the USA including those in Alaska and Hawaii. 

WOW!!!!!!!

trumptrain posted:

For today: " SW1 working the yard just before sundown." 

Pat:

This photo is superb. The effect of what I assume is natural sunlight juxtaposed with the darkening background is striking.