Most unusual diesel encounters-look what I found in my slide box

[West Coast S]

I relocated my silde files after they pulled a vanishing act 30 or so years ago. Imagine my surprise to discover the images had faded to purple and haze during their years of hibernation, but through the midst of time I determined they were the efforts of my great Wyoming and Colorado trip in August of 1976. Viewing one silde in particular , made me appreciate the deversity in power and now fallen flags we had back in the day.

A never to be repeated sequence of slides produced the following: UP Westbound over Sherman with the unbiquous UP SD40-2 in the lead, but check out that National De Mexico SD40 in fresh paint, the KCS bicentenial Unit, three  battle weary Rock Island U boats, several Alaska Railroad GP40-2s also in fresh paint with a single WP GP35 for good measure. I do miss the good old days, todays power diversity and the industry in general has as much appeal to me as my microwave!  What have you  observed in the diesel community that can never be repeated? 

Dave

[cnwfan51]

   I grew up in Kearney Nebraska in te mid60s to early70s.  I remember seeing the Big Blows turbines and E8s and E9s on mail and passenger trains.  Seeing power from the Pennsy and Norfolk and Western  Frisco and Burlington were coming thru pretty often.   When the 6900s came on line  I saw the 6900 go west with 50 brand new boxcars on its first trip     I agree that the varity of power isnt  to vast any more   Larry

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

How about an SDP45/RS3 lash-up on EL near State Line in about 1973.  I also have an F9A/F9B/F9B/C420 on Erie Mining Co. at Taconite Harbor in 1976.

[scottychaos]

I have real "one of a kind" shot..there was only one of these locos in the USA!

http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=71192&nseq=8

 

And one my favorite encounters was this one from 1986:

Three high-hood SD45's..all running forward..which for N&W units meant long-hood first!

Only saw it once..and will never see it again.

Scot
 

[wjstix]

For stuff I saw and photographed, I think I have some slides I took (from the parking lot of my dentist's office in St. Louis Park MN) of a Milwaukee SDL-39 doing some way freight switching. I got to ride on a fantrip on Erie Mining Co. tracks behind an EMCO F9 / DMIR SD18 / SOO FP7 lash-up. I was in IIRC a former Pennsy lounge car...painted in Milwaukee Road colors!!

I think I have a pic in Sault Ste Marie of an oddball GE centercab on the CN but can't think of the model no. It was one of those bigger long centercabs, like the old Lionel model from the fifties. I have a not very good pic (taken from a distance) of a Lake Superior Terminal and Transfer NW-2 in GN orange and green...in the 1980's.

For stuff I only saw, I grew up along the MN&S when Baldwin VO-660 or 1000, or DRS 6-6-1500 were the norm, replaced sometimes by an FM H-10-44 or H-12-44.

[ValleyX]

Scot, give me three of those and we WILL scoot on down the road. Love it.

[espeefoamer]

I saw the Faur Quarter Horse unit in service in 1978.I have ridden behind FM Train Masters on SP commute trains.

[SSW9389]

I saw the rusted hulk of the very last DL109 on the planet behind South Station in Boston in early 1970. No photo, just a memory of that one. The other exotica I remember about South Station were the cabbed RDC cars.

It wasn't too much later that a PC RS-27 showed up on the Bow Coal train. The power laid over in Concord, NH while the coal train was unloaded. I think I have a B&W snap of the unit someplace.

 

Ed

 

[MOJAX]

 I was at Pullman Junction in 1975 and caught an East bound EL freight with an Alco Century and a EMD SDP45.