Weekend Photo Fun 2/9/18 HONGZ

Great picture's again Sam!!!!

I remember photographing these when they were new in 1988.

Fox Valley Models Phase I GP60 - HO Scale

from the Big E and Charles Ro. I forget if I shared it?

A LNE train passing by. Listen to that Diesel engine!

Great picture's guys and video!!!

All:

I have worked weekends every winter for the past 10 or so years running the winter passenger/excursion train for the current railroad I work for had scheduled. This is the first year they have not run the winter train. (They're restructuring it, whatever that means.) Don't know what they have in mind for 2019, for I'm the only psgr qualified Engineer at this terminal, and once I'm gone (retired), they'll be without. So, they'll have to come up with a psgr qualified Engineer via training one of those at the terminal I work at (and the winter passenger train operates out of), or by sending one out of the north division to cover every Saturday. (More expense to the railroad.)

Anyway, for this installment of the HONGZ WPF, thought I share some pics of some of the scenes I've enjoyed over the decades.

First up: Running the long tangent that leads to the "Rock Cut". The Rock Cut marks the start of the long climb up "The Mountain" (i.e. Boston Mtn grade.) The grade peaks at 2.69% for about a mile. The other portions range from 2.3% - 2.5%. It's something like 8 miles long. I've been on freights up that grade at 8 MPH or so... took almost an hour to climb it. I've run freight helpers on it, too...

And here I am approaching the largest bridge/trestle on the line, Bridge No. 1...

Bridge No. 1 is something like 800' long and 135' deep at its deepest. My first trip over that bridge was in the seat of a quartet of Frisco GP7's on a tonnage freight way back in 1974. Unforgettable experience. Lots of good memories on The Mountain... some not so good.

Here I am exiting the tunnel into the mountain town of Winslow, AR...

Speaking of Bridge No. 1: Here's a terrible Argus snapshot I snapped while hanging out the cab window on that very first trip up The Mountain way back in 1974.  We were grinding upgrade about at about 8 MPH or so at this point:

Mentally, I can still hear the roar of those hard working Geeps.

About the summit town of Winslow: I discovered Winslow on that same 1974 freight trip during a "Winslow Turn". I was so smitten with the entire feel of the Boston Mtn. grade and the Winslow area that I returned to Winslow later and snapped a few pics of the town/rails. It really had an old "western town/mountain town" feel to it.  Here's a view looking north topping the grade and coming into Winslow...

And here's a view of Winslow proper:

That first time up on that "Winslow Turn" freight I mentioned, after we'd set off the train to the pass track, we went over to that stone block general store pictured above (no longer a general store). The store still had its ancient hardwood flooring, bare incandescent bulbs hanging from electrical wires from the ceiling, and a very old meat case, and more, that truly hearkened back in time to the 1930s. However, the wood stove had it toasty warm (it was a bone chilling wet-cold up there that evening). We (crew) bought some "vittals" to eat on the return trip. I got a thick sliced bologna sandwich w/pepper jack cheese with mustard and all the trimmin's. As I carried my sacked supper back to the waiting motors, I can still remember the chat and cinder mix crunching under my feet, the smell the hardwood sap (there was tie loading on the south end of the back track), mixed with the smell of the Geep's exhausts, and the chant of those idling 567's.

Ah, the memories!

Sorry for rambling... but my career is fast coming to a close and I guess I'm in a nostalgic mood!

All fer now!

Andre

Great story Andre!!!