Panama Canal

[pbjwilson]

Anyone catch the show on PBS of the making of the Panama canal?

Some great film segments of trains and the way they would move the trackage.
Literally picking up segments of track and repositiong them.



Click on image to enlarge.

[Big_Boy_4005]

You had me scared there for a minute, I thought you were going to try to model it.[swg]

Yes, once the Americans got in there, drained the swamps, and killed the disease carrying mosquitos, there was quite a bit of railroading, albeit temporary. No ballast on those tracks, just pick them up and move on.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't the KCS own the railway rights down there?

[lionelsoni]

A man, a plan, a canal. Panama!

[FJ and G]

Great picture, Paul. It's a crying shame they filled the ditch with water those trains would have looked swell there today. Panama actually had the first transcontinental railroad in the New World. Today, there is the KCS and there are short segments of donkey railroad on the canal itself.

The LEAST modeled railroads of any (possibly never before modeled), are the railroads that built our great dams, canals, tunnels and even sewer systems. What a shame. Of course they were short lived but were nonetheless quite colorful.

I'm toying with the idea of building a small Erie-sized canal on my 2nd shelf down. Would be a huge hydrological, mechanical and electrical undertaking, however. In short, a challenge that I'd love to do.

I don't think, however, that there have ever been any canals on the Santa Fe with the possible exception perhaps of the Illinois-Michigan canal (or whatever it's called that connects Lake Michigan w/the mIssissippi--perhaps someone knows).

[cnw1995]

Yes, KCS does run the CZ trains. They were featured in a Trains mag not too long ago. I grew up in the CZ in the sixties. It was like a little America in the middle of the jungle. We used to go picnicking above some of the cuts - and to see a gigantic vessel like the New Jersey on her way to Vietnam - suddenly appear around the corner taking up all the room in the canal against a bright green background of the foliage was a memory that's certainly stuck with me. They also used to use electric 'mules' on tracks to tow ships through the locks - we used to go watch the carriers (the old Essex class) squeak through on their way west.

[Anonymous]

It's also important to mention that before the Americans completed the Panama Canal, the French attempted to do so and failed. This was in the 1880's and they used trains of their own. One of their locomotives, along with some cars, were left submerged underwater when a resevoir flooded. They remained there until 2000, when they were raised from the deep, with intentions of restoring them for a museum. Check out this link with plenty of great pictures and information: http://www.czimages.com/CZMemories/frtrain/frtr_index.htm

Here's one picture from the site:

[pbjwilson]

This is where I got the photo for this topic.

Went back and read the discription, this thing is 52" wide! What a cool picture to hang on a wall.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14279&item=6174981844&rd=1

This is another good one-
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14279&item=6174981868&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW