Very strange things

[Overmod]

I confess that I always thought of the NW4s as being early versions of the NW5s (they were only 100hp apart) with the same logic in preserving the end-cab that the FM H20-44s would use.  Of course in those days MoPac still ran long, heavy steam-heated trains to lots of places, which would keep those two busy until long after EMD wised up to what actual secondary-service traffic would need...

[Overmod]

As an honorary Canadian, I am further honored.

Eight years of Obama, and still no Cohibas here.  Now coming up on years of the big blue House, and not even a shred of interest in Cohibas here.  Go ahead and rub it in.  If we can trade happily with the Communist regime in Vietnam, we could assuredly do so in geriatric Cuba.  

(In the other hand, I still haven't forgiven them for getting the Russians to give arming codes directly to field commanders... )

[Overmod]

daveklepper

Just what in the World prompted Lionel to put a four-wheel trailing truck on a locomotive that would have closer to many North American prototypes with a two=wheel trailing truck?

Isn't it related to the Berkshire that has the same delightful Baldwin Disc driver representation?  Only able to negotiate tighter curves?

[SD70Dude]

Overmod

As an honorary Canadian, I am further honored.

Eight years of Obama, and still no Cohibas here.  Now coming up on years of the big blue House, and not even a shred of interest in Cohibas here.  Go ahead and rub it in.  If we can trade happily with the Communist regime in Vietnam, we could assuredly do so in geriatric Cuba. 

You should take a trip down there using your Canadian status one day.

Maybe bring back a pair of EMD standard gauge export A1A trucks while you're at it.... ...could probably hide plenty of Cohibas in their crate as well!

[Penny Trains]

daveklepper

Just what in the World prompted Lionel to put a four-wheel trailing truck on a locomotive that would have closer to many North American prototypes with a two=wheel trailing truck?   But they did build them well!

 

The 4 wheel trailing trucks were just a simple sheet metal design as on this 2035:

They were cheaper and easier to manufacture (so say the history books) than the cast 2 wheel truck used on locos manufactured before 1942 and immediately after toy production resumed in 1945:

Here's a 2025 with the 2-wheel truck which was made from a modified 224 type boiler:

Replacing the truck allowed Lionel to label a loco as "new".  Notice also that my 2035 (top) lacks the fancy driver rims of the earlier 2025.  That was a neccessary modification to give the K type pseudo pacifics Magnetraction.

But yes.  The Lionel Lines was the king of 2-4-2's and 2-6-4's! 

[Flintlock76]

That 2035 "Blockbuster" (first picture) Becky's got is so impressive I've gotta get one too!  Haven't run into a decent one yet, but I'm patient!  I can wait.

[Miningman]

1)  Irony? A Safety message involving a caboose 60 feet above your head! Does one not need a permit for something like this?  

In any case it's striking! Edmonton, Alberta.

 

2)  More risky business. Must have some kind of fail safe thing in place. 

 

3)  That's a lot of levels along the roof line. The 'Peacemaker' .. I'm told it's based on a Volkswagen! ??

[SD70Dude]

Miningman

1)  Irony? A Safety message involving a caboose 60 feet above your head! Does one not need a permit for something like this?  

In any case it's striking! Edmonton, Alberta.

That's been up there for probably 30 years now.  I still drive by it on a regular basis, on both rubber and steel wheels.

It's located here:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/53%C2%B031'31.2%22N+113%C2%B022'43.5%22W/@53.525335,-113.3796638,198m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d53.5253348!4d-113.3787434

Technically it is in Strathcona County, as it is just outside Edmonton's legal city limits. 

It's more than just eye candy, that place is a safety training and research centre.

[Overmod]

There is more than one #3!

https://twelvetribes.org/peacemaker-bus

Be interesting to find out from them how much of the body is Volkswagen.  Nothing in the running gear is...

And yes, it warms my heart that anywhere you see it, you're welcome aboard.  That is one of the spirits we need more of in America.

[Miningman]

Indeed, fascinating! 

Have no idea what part of this is 'Volkswagen'...not much I would guess. 

[rcdrye]

2) above is the tunnel in East Dubuque Illinois where IC's Iowa Line crosses the CB&Q at grade  just before crossing the Mississippi. Still in use by CN and BNSF, the crossing is interlocked.  The quarter mile long tunnel was built in 1867, so BNSF is the "junior" road here.  At one time Chicago Great Western also used the tunnel.

The tunnel has a 90 degree or so curve, cut into the limestone hill.  CB&Q had rights through the tunnel to Dubuque, so maybe BNSF still does.  The Mississippi River bridge is a swing span that often has to open to barge traffic.  CP's ex-Milwaukee Road line on the other side of the bridge is also crossed at grade.

[Miningman]

No we all know the rest of the story. Here I thought it was a screenshot from the Addams Family layout!  Thank you rcdrye. 

[Flintlock76]

Did I hear someone mention the Addams Family layout?

You'll note, only the diesels get blown up.  Coincidence?  I think not!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ7ghPp-8Bk  

And the steamer that doesn't  get blown up is a 2-6-4!

[Miningman]

Even Gomez didn't have the sneak T-Bone attack from a tunnel! 

Can you imagine the ridicule if you built that on a module or layout.. and yet there it is. Do you tip toe across or zoom as fast as possible ? 

[rcdrye]

From what I have seen, the tunnel/interlocking/bridge/interlocking setup is a real bottleneck for CN.  The tunnel itself has a 10 MPH speed limit, the BNSF line is heavily used and the bridge is opened quite a bit in advance of barge traffic.  Apparently the CP and BNSF crossings and the bridge are interlocked in some way so that a CN train can block both CP and BNSF for quite a while.

[M636C]

3)  That's a lot of levels along the roof line. The 'Peacemaker' .. I'm told it's based on a Volkswagen! ??

The higher trim level of Volkswagen Microbus (called a "Kombi" in Australia) had the curved window panels in the roof corner above the windows in the doors and the rear side windows. I think that may have been the inspiration for the curved roof windows. I assume that this is a sleeper conversion of a conventional road coach.

Peter

[Miningman]

1)  There are plenty of pics of locomotives breaking thru the roundhouse and dangling away from a height, but this one captures the workers blocking it up it a most hazardous situation. By todays standards it is almost unbelievable. 

2)  This is kind of racey for turn of the last last century but I like it!

 

3)  Steam titan and holdout N&W .... bones. In Roanoke.

 

4)  Something happened to the S1 ... off the rails?.... again!!! Then again maybe not? 

 

 

 

[Overmod]

#4 is either being placed or removed from 'special duty' at the Fair -- note the tender lettering and the tower behind the engine.

[Miningman]

Geez... I could have at least read the tender... sometimes I wonder about myself! So in essence it's brand new. 

[Flintlock76]

Well now, since this Forum's back in the land of the living it's time to get busy!

Photo 1)  "Jeez!  Thank God it's Friday!"

              "Yeah, you ain't kiddin' Chuck!"

I wonder if there's 50 guys crammed in the cab to provide counterbalance?

Photo 2)  Now I know I'm getting old, the first thing I noticed was the steam pumper!  Still, she looks pretty good for a chick from the 1920's!

Photo(s) 3)  Oh, yeah, the fabled Roanoke junkyards.  If I recall correctly those 4-8-0's were still there as late as the 1990's, but that articulated (Class Y?) is long gone. 

Photo 4)  Pick-up or delivery?  I suspect it's the latter, the ground around the S1's not paved or landscaped.  Probably the "American Railroads" exhibit at the '39 Worlds Fair was still under construction when the locomotive showed up.

AHA!  Found something on those "Lost Engines of Roanoke!"  I knew I remembered something about 'em!

http://lostengines.railfan.net/scrapyard.shtml  

[Miningman]

Yeah we are back in business .. hooray! 

Thanks for the comments Wayne.  Lot of risky business in Mining and if I go back each decade to the 70's when I started it got crazier and much more risky. 

[pennytrains]

Flintlock76

Well now, since this Forum's back in the land of the living it's time to get busy!

I'm still a bit guffoofled.    Have to use Google Chrome instead of Firefox to get anything to work even close to normal plus I had to recreate my account.    Modern technology, what a joy!  

[SD70Dude]

Miningman

 Lot of risky business in Mining and if I go back each decade to the 70's when I started it got crazier and much more risky. 

Railroads were the same.  Imagine how Timetable/Train Order operation and walking along the top of moving railcars would be thought of these days.....

[Overmod]

SD70Dude

Imagine how Timetable/Train Order operation and walking along the top of moving railcars would be thought of these days...

... and how owners would push PSR to get rid of the need for pesky single-pipe air brakes, and complicated knuckles and pins that break.

On the other hand we might just be able to bring back the Bishop coupling knife as the meaningful productive tool that it was!

[SD70Dude]

Overmod

SD70Dude

Imagine how Timetable/Train Order operation and walking along the top of moving railcars would be thought of these days...

... and how owners would push PSR to get rid of the need for pesky single-pipe air brakes, and complicated knuckles and pins that break.

On the other hand we might just be able to bring back the Bishop coupling knife as the meaningful productive tool that it was!

Who needs brakes if you know exactly where each train will stop many days in advance?

Perhaps the coupling knife could be combined with the brake stick and 'knucklemate' (the legendary drawbar aligning tool that no one has ever seen in these parts) into one handy multi-purpose tool.

[Miningman]

Reminicent of Danger Lights 'Tug of War' but on a much grander scale ... here are 4 big boilered Union Pacific behemoths..... now that would be something to see! 

[Flintlock76]

Miningman

Reminicent of Danger Lights 'Tug of War' but on a much grander scale ... here are 4 big boilered Union Pacific behemoths..... now that would be something to see! 

 

Anyone who wouldn't get excited by a sight like that has no soul.  

[Miningman]

No kidding!  Can you imagine what the rails would look like? Of course that's not going to happen.. but it's fun to imagine.

Thanks for the reply Wayne, I went thru 24 hour computer hell to get that pic up...  don't ask, it's a typical boring stupid computer story but it takes months off your life, about a zillion destroyed brain cells, grey hair, lack of nourishment, battle fatigue and eyesight shot to pieces. 

Now let the competition begin!  

 

[Erik_Mag]

Miningman

Reminicent of Danger Lights 'Tug of War' but on a much grander scale 

Minor nitpick, the Danger Lights event was a shoving match, not a tugging match. Remember hearing about this from my dad and I wouldn't be surprised if he knew some of the extras in that scene. When he told me about it, I was wondering if he was confusing that with the pushing contests between the Milwaukee electrics and steamers, only later to find out he was describing the scene from the movie.

[Miningman]

Yes shoving match it is. 

By the looks of those stacks it's going to be a doozy.