Rail-fanning on The OGR Forum 🚂 Welcome: Pictures YOU have taken! • Hope to see you out rail-fanning.

Construction at the Michigan Central Station

October 4, 2022 - The nickname for the Michigan Central Station is the Ellis Island of Detroit. This iconic building is where thousands of immigrants arrived from New York to find jobs at the Ford Motor Company building the Model T and much more. Yes I drive a Ford. The scheduled opening is for the fall of 2023.

Thanks for taking a look. Hope to see you out rail-fanning: Gary 🚂

Gary, I have wondered what other facilities handled immigration like Ellis Island.  I knew there had to be, and Detroit was a logical location.  Great looking building.

@trainroomgary posted:

Canadian Pacific Holiday Train • Windsor Ontario, Canada

Thanks for posting the photos and video.  Every year I say I want to see the train but have yet to do so.  These are great!

Mike

@IRON HORSE posted:

Thanks for posting the photos and video.  Every year I say I want to see the train but have yet to do so.  These are great!

Mike

Hi Mike: Thanks for the kind words about the video and stills at the Holiday Train, Windsor Ontario. I would recommend you go see the Holiday Train next year. I also have video of the Holiday Train entering the United States from Canada via the CP Railway Tunnel under the Detroit River.

I will be posting this video, this coming Wednesday here on the OGR and my YT Channel.

I was standing track side and the USA Border Patrol in five enforcement vehicles gave the train a track side welcome. The announcement was made by the Border Patrol that the train would arrive in two minutes. The crowd started cheering and as the train came out of the tunnel and up the incline out of the tunnel, the cheering got even louder.

It was the most spectacular thing I ever seen as a rail-fanner.

Thanks again for checking out The Holiday Train

I hope everyone has a great holiday. Here’s a photo I took earlier this year during the Trains Magazine photo charter at the WMSR. 🎅🚂

Well I was in Ft. Worth yesterday and traversing Rosedale Avenue which passes under the UP trackage leading to a local yard .  The yard is quite extensive and interesting that it borders what I would call the "medical" district that contains several hospitals and medical facilities.  As I went along the road and was about ready to pass under the railroad, I caught a lucky traffic light that allowed me to snap this picture out the window as the loco went overhead.   As you can see it was a beautiful sunny day and the locomotive looked brand new or at least newly painted.  I am  not enough of a diesel expert to guess what type it is but it sure looked pretty.

Best wishes and Happy Holidays everyone

Don

https://youtu.be/bmADsckfOHo

Christmas Spectacular • Canadian Pacific Holiday Train • Windsor Ontario, & Detroit

In this video we see the CP Holiday Train in Windsor for an official stop with all the special sounds of Christmas.

Then I will take you to downtown Detroit to watch the CP Holiday Train emerge from the Detroit River Railroad Tunnel and rise out of the railroad trench to Bagley Street. When the train came out of the tunnel thousands of Detroiters were cheering. This was the most spectacular rail-fanning I have ever seen. It brought a tear to my eye.

Play time: 4 Minutes.

Hope to see you out rail-fanning: Gary 🚂

Some Holiday warm wishes to you guys

North Platte, Nebraska
Bailey Yard

The final photo I took on our trip down to New Mexico.


Kent in SD

These aren't holiday shots like some of the great shots recently posted by others, but I'm just getting around to offloading a few photos from my Fuji XT1 and came across 2 from our visit to Harrisburg PA on our way to the York Oct meet. We've taken to staying in Harrisburg the night before so we can sit in the park on the east side of the Susquehanna River and watch trains going over Rockville Bridge. One is of a triple header going and the other a crossing on Roberts Valley Road.

I don't think it's a dream my wife shares, but as I get nearer becoming an old man (nearer...not there yet), I'd be content to have the house on the corner with a rocker on the porch so I could watch (feel?) the trains going by. I'd probably give up my O scale trains and just watch the real thing every day. For now a visit will do, but if she goes before I do, I'm calling the local realtor.

Now I'm not hoping she goes before I do, but...

Nothing special today, just a look back at summer 2021, when the temperature wasn't -4 Fahrenheit with 50-mph gusts like today in Pittsburgh.

Pretty impressive engine.

Kent in SD

City of Trinidad Colorado has some equipment displayed, took these pictures yesterday.

@Two23 posted:

Ihlen, Minnesota

BNSF Marshall Sub

Yesterday I headed north along the tracks to see if any trains were moving. The roads were terrible but passable. High winds were kicking up all the loose snow creating a pretty impressive ground blizzard. I was only able to average about 40 mph even though the roads were largely empty. I was told there was nothing moving that day as the line was drifted over to the north. I did find a parked grain train pointed north near the Cargill elevators near Ihlen, so I took a few photos. One of the problems taking photos in these conditions is most guys passing by and seeing your car stopped along the road will stop and ask if you're OK. It's just what we do here.

Kent in SD

Kent - "cool" photos but I have to question your sanity going about in those kind of conditions.  I've been to the Twin Cities in January where the actual high was -20F. No thanks ... I don't mind the cold and snow so much, but that was downright nasty. My little central Michigan blizzard is quite pleasant, makes for taking great photos,  but I do not have 4WD anything, so just hunker down for 48 hours.  Maybe this afternoon I'll take a shot at clearing the snow drifts. Supposed to be 50F by Friday.

Christmas 2022 at The Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn Michigan

We start at the main entrance with my F150, could not park here. Let’s just walk around and see what we can find.

Took a lunch break at Carters Hamburgers. A classic greasy spoon, which is open 24 hours. The inside is deck out for the Holidays. I order a burger and Coke. Having a fun lunch is all part of the rail-fanning experience.

When I got home I played a few Holliday tunes, Playing the piano is very exciting and learning never ends. Merry Christmas from The Motor City 🎄

Thanks for taking a look. Hope to see you out rail-fanning: Gary 🚂

Merry Christmas y'all! Today I've got a preview of all the new stuff I did this past year, an older video from around this time five years ago, and, in keeping with the holiday theme, a pair of shots from my chase of the Wheeling & Lake Erie's employee holiday special around Thanksgiving.

Hanley Falls, Minnesota

I headed back up the BNSF Marshall sub to see if it had been cleared. A guy cleaning out switches said he thought they were running a plow down from Wilmar today. So, I headed north. I got all the way to Lorne siding and saw a string of hoppers snowbound in the siding, engines attached. There was some heavy equipment trying to remove snow from the west side. I drove around to the west and found a section road that led to the tracks, and there was a BNSF crew sitting in a truck. I asked about the plow and they said they had to clear this mess first. It seemed to be taking a long time.   It was a long grain shuttle with engines and there was a LOT of snow. I asked if they would run it tomorrow on Christmas Day and they didn't know. One of them said the wind needed to die down a bit more so maybe Monday. They weren't overly helpful. I've heard from a roadmaster they don't like running plows at night, so maybe they won't tonight. Maybe not tomorrow either but you know trains are piling up and at least the ethanol plants will need service soon.  I took a few photos of the snow blower from both sides of the train as they removed snow from the tracks and blew onto the highway.  I plan on taking Monday off and seeing if the plow is running.  There are some pretty big drifts out there.

Kent in SD

Wow, thanks for your efforts!

Dan Weinhold

@trainroomgary posted:

Christmas 2022 at The Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn Michigan

We start at the main entrance with my F150, could not park here. Let’s just walk around and see what we can find.

Took a lunch break at Carters Hamburgers. A classic greasy spoon, which is open 24 hours. The inside is deck out for the Holidays. I order a burger and Coke. Having a fun lunch is all part of the rail-fanning experience.

When I got home I played a few Holliday tunes, Playing the piano is very exciting and learning never ends. Merry Christmas from The Motor City 🎄

Thanks for taking a look. Hope to see you out rail-fanning: Gary 🚂

Wow, this reminds my wife of Bates Hamburgers in Livonia or Miller's Bar in Dearborn. We are already planning a trip down 96 to visit the Ford Museum and get some good greezy burgers!

@BKA posted:

Wow, this reminds my wife of Bates Hamburgers in Livonia or Miller's Bar in Dearborn. We are already planning a trip down 96 to visit the Ford Museum and get some good greezy burgers!

Hi BKA: This is a map of how to find Carter’s Hamburger. From The Henry Ford Museum. Drive out of the parking lot using the M39 Exit. This is also called the Southfield Freeway. Turn right onto the Southfield Freeway Service Drive. Drive south for about one mile. You will see it on the right at Outer Drive. 22990 W Outer Driver, Dearborn. Use their parking lot. Enjoy your burger. No Pepsi, just Coke!

They also have a web page: https://www.cartershamburgers.com/home

Good luck: Look forward to seeing your rail-fanning photos. Right here on the OGR Rail-fanning Thread. Gary 🚂

Some recent edits new and old captures

Golden Colorado 12/22

Cumbres Pass, Colorado 3/20

Colorado Railroad Museum 12/22

Speer, Wyoming 11/19

Restored caboose in Westcliffe Colorado on Dec 24th.

For the past three years I've been concentrating on learning wet plate photography (Civil War era stuff) so I haven't been along the tracks very much.  However, there is one thing that will cause me to drop everything and race to the tracks--a snow plow.

Kent in SD

Really nice photos but It would be nice if you would let us know what and where the photos were taken.

BNSF Madison Sub
MP 22  (Colton, SD)


Sometimes..........................................the plow loses.


Kent in SD

BNSF Marshall sub,

SW Minnesota

The wind finally quit blowing and drifting the snow and BNSF finally got the trains that were drifted in cleared.  After four days of being shut down it was time to plow the Marshall sub, Twin Cities division.  The plow started in Willmar, MN and headed down the line with two 6-axle engines for power.  At Cottonwood, MN the wing on the plow got bent downwards and chewed up about a dozen ties.  They did a quick field repair at the Marshall, MN depot.  That ate up nearly two hours of daylight though.  I followed the plow for over 120 miles and got a few shots.


Kent in SD

@Two23 posted:

BNSF Marshall sub,

SW Minnesota

Kent in SD

Outstanding!

Beautiful photos.

Thanks for sharing

Clayton NM on the first  three and Folsom NM on the engines. Friday the 23rd.

Kent

thank you for your answer

Al

@Frank posted:

Clayton NM on the first  three and Folsom NM on the engines. Friday the 23rd.

Where are all those box cars going?  Being put in storage?

Kent in SD

NJT GP40. Specifically a GP40PH-2B originally steam generator equipped with HEP installed around 1983. Later rebuilt to -2 specs. Stopped at the Rutherford station.

While our club was running our traveling layout at Lee Hall Depot, a freshly restored former C&O station along what is now CSX mainline, I ventured outside to catch the Northeast Regional departing Newport News station northbound towards Richmond.  Rookie mistake; scared me to death; feel lucky I didn't get hurt -- lesson learned.

The week after the preceding video was shot, the southbound Northeast Regional was captured slowing as it approached Newport News station.  Nice images of Lee Hall Depot station and the freshly restored C&O caboose that was installed in July.

A week later, I set-up to capture this same train.  Sadly, it never arrived -- several miles north a pedestrian was struck and killed.

Keeping with the Lee Hall Depot train watching spot, this is a train of 200+ empty coal hoppers northbound from the Newport News coal docks.  Earlier in the day, 200+ loaded hoppers travel southbound to those docks.

You were kept busy, Carl!  

No trains but ROW. Arvada Col.

Another video from this past summer, a windy evening and morning on a road bridge in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, watching GO commuter trains arrive and depart.