Trackside Lounge & Photo Gallery - Winter 09

[tree68]

The old Trackside Lounge was a great place to meet for those who weren't fond of the Diner, and an excellent place to share photographs. 

So, since I'm opening up new establishments, I'll open this one, too.

We just have to remember to "renew" it every month or so.  Perhaps when each generation gets locked the first post in the new version can point to the old Lounge.     Here's the old one, but remember that it's 86 pages!  

Enjoy!

 

[CShaveRR]

Amen! A place to share photographs, maybe ask questions about railroads that you don't care to open a new thread with, or just to comment on what you see going by.

The reasons for keeping a place like this haven't changed:

What we may need here is a place where we can talk trains, maybe the weather (as it affects train-watching), ask questions, make comments. The only food would be what each person brings in for his own consumption--no need for a third of the posts to describe a menu, and another third to go "Yummy!" We've gotten to know train-watching friends by how they post information (or not), and these posts have helped us decide whom we'd like to know a little better--for better or for worse.

So...there are plenty of trains to see outside, and plenty of windows to look at them from. Enjoy!

The cafe has remained the place for social gatherings, and those who don't wish to partake of cyber-food don't have to. I'm not a photographer myself, but will still find it easier to give those who are a "Wow!" than to give a "yummy!" to cyber-cuisine. So I'll be lurking here, too.

[chad thomas]

 Nice re-model Larry How about a picture for the wall

[tree68]

chad thomas

Nice re-model Larry How about a picture for the wall

That'll make a nice mural!

[Modelcar]

Yes, a really nice RR scene.....

[Murphy Siding]

chad thomas

 Nice re-model Larry How about a picture for the wall

"Yummy!"   

 I rarely have anything to add to these types of threads, but I do read them all, and find them quite interesting.

[chad thomas]

(gives a big lift to bring this back up from page 4  )

[CNW 6000]

That is a nice shot Chad.  Where/when/what?

CN recently got another batch of SD70M-2s and they've been running them in my neck of the woods.  The only 'problem' is that it's either at night so pics are hard or during the day when I'm working and no camera!    I guess that's life.

For those of you in MN (found this on another forum:

The Minnesota Railroad Timetable is a 73 page booklet, which lists every rail line in the state as of 2009 and includes information such as subdivision, stations, sidings, location of hot box detectors, speed limits, radio frequencies and signal systems. Class 1 railroads BNSF, CN, CP and UP are covered. Shortlines are also included. The booklet concludes with timetables for tourist/excursion lines and industrial mining railroad Northshore Mining. Where lines run into bordering states and Canada they are included into that state/province. It's selling for $10, plus $2 shipping.

Available from Steve Glischinski, 180 Dennison Ave., Shoreview, MN 55126.

Dave Schauer
Duluth, MN

 

Might be worthwhile to get!

[chad thomas]

CNW 6000

That is a nice shot Chad.  Where/when/what?

 

It's the Nevada Northern ruturning to Ely from Ruth (Keystone line).

[CNW 6000]

Ahh, cool.

I had some time this afternoon so I went trackside.  Finally found the batteries for my scanner after almost an hour only to hear a track inspector talking about repairing a cracked rail.  That meant no trains for several hours based on past experiences.  I guess you win some and lose some.

[coborn35]

 

 

[CShaveRR]

Nice shot, Max! This is where you took those "rejects" before, right?

[coborn35]

 Yep. Out of the Missabe photos form that day, this is the one that got in. I have heard rumours of two maroon SD38's hanging around Proctor along with the #903 so I may head up there tommorow to try to find some rare maroon.

[The Butler]

Max, are the top two targets angled away from the tracks? Or, am I being deluded optically?

[coborn35]

 Yes it is. I believe it is because when coming down the hill there is a curve right before the signals covered by trees.

[coborn35]

 As I said earlier, I went out today in hopes of catching maroon, and I SUCCEEDED! Well if not for the sun.

Drove up to Proctor, couldnt had any better luck, DMIR #210 leading CN (DMIR) #401 and B&LE #909. Great consist! Drove down to 40th Ave to catch them in full dynos. Light did not cooperate.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/n1I5mO8hLzv1Mm0a4yZGkw?feat=directlink

They pulled the limestone down then went to run-around their train:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/m6fLpmtyRWNIanuTecvv8w?feat=directlink

The #210 actually has pretty decent paint:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WTLWrnxtLmpMrfBP22pong?feat=directlink

Since the #909 is a great looking unit also, went down by the docks to try my first shots at this location ever, as they slowly pulled the train own from the run-around track:

 http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tqWBNPVvC_Z6VOY7jRz_lg?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fwcriYY89F4IrG6RrIMM5Q?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HZx46oFllavOJz1bt_-F4A?feat=directlink

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=269618

Tried a little artsy shot, not sure if I failed or not:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mr6ezFAgjssVdh9Y0ioR3A?feat=directlink

There may have been other units, but this is all I saw:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/B7AAplXRGuh8jrOIOjzLWw?feat=directlink

 

There was also a nice GeeP in Superior:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kr4ueOtdfHe-NG2dxg-MXA?feat=directlink

 

So there are a few pictures of my trip today, un-edited mostly, and I can only upload two a day so im qued for the whole week 

Any comments welcomed.

 

 

[blhanel]

OK, I'm happy to report that I actually have something to contribute to the photo gallery today!  Let me start by saying that I had not planned on going trackside at all, as I was busy at home working on a couple of projects, but the weather warmed up even more than they predicted, the sun was shining, and a timely phone call from an "informant" spurred me to drop what I was doing and head down to the UP transcon for an hour's worth of great action.

I started out down at one of my favorite hang-outs, the Highway 13 overpass near Bertram.  A parked eastbound stack train was visible in the distance beyond the crossovers near the sewage treatment plant.  I had barely parked and turned on the scanner when I overheard the dispatcher tell an eastbounder "...CB is working Beverly, and I have three westbounds to get through on the open track- after that we'll get you going."  While listening to that, the first of the westbounds emerged from under the overpass- a K-Line stacker.  Unfortunately, I hadn't gotten the camera out yet.

As soon as the westbounder cleared the crossover, the eastbounder in the distance got rolling- also a K-Line stacker, and SLIGHTLY overpowered...

Knowing that there were two more westbounders coming, I decided to change locations and headed west along the tracks towards the Cedar River bridge.  While doing so, the second westbounder, an empty coal train, came up alongside, and I paced the lead engine doing 48 MPH on Otis Road; the engineer gave me a friendly toot and we waved at each other.

I parked at the west end of the Sac and Fox trail and waited, but not for long.  The third westbound, another empty coal train with some foreign power, showed up.

In between trains, I scouted around the crossing, which is also where the old passenger branch into downtown Cedar Rapids splits off.  Looks like they're using it as storage for a bunch of bulkhead flats currently.

Another interesting item sitting just beyond the junction was this traction motor- left behind after an in-the-field repair job?

Finally, the eastbound that the dispatcher had been talking to arrived, and it also turned out to be the subject train of my "informant"- ZWASKP, the "salad shooter"!

Arriving right on his heels on the other track, MCBPR poked along at 10 MPH after finishing its work in Beverly, waiting for ZWASKP to clear the Beverly crossover so it could fall in behind it.

I couldn't hang around any longer after that, but I did have a few minutes to scout around the north side of Cedar Rapids, and discovered more bulkhead flats in the INRR yard- what, are we the designated storage site for these?

All in all, a great hour of railfanning on the nicest day in January.

 

[CShaveRR]

I remember us sending a bunch of those bulkhead flats out there--I wondered at the time what was going on, because usually the flats we send your way don't have the bulkheads.

I nearly had a panic attack when I couldn't find ZWASKP on the computer this week. That's because it's now known as ZWASK4 ("4" being for Thursday, I assume), to differentiate it from the later-in-the-week version, ZWASK6, which I hope left on time last night.

[chad thomas]

coborn35

 

 

 

 

NIce shot Max !!! 

[chad thomas]

 You too Brian, thanks for shareing

[coborn35]

 Love the picture of the SD90!

Heres another one:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=270445

[CShaveRR]

Man, it isn't often you get to see a string of air dump cars that isn't all battered and beaten up from use!

But I didn't see an SD90--UP's are all gone.

[coborn35]

 

I believe it was an SD9043MAC.

[tree68]

In keeping with the "Winter" theme of this weeks competition, here's my submission:

Utica, NY (taken at Utica Union Station - That's the Genesee Street overpass) in December 2007.   CSX eastbound through a pretty nasty storm.

[trainfan1221]

Nice shots all..I usually don't check in on these big group threads but I am glad I checked this one.

[CShaveRR]

Nice picture, Larry--especially if you didn't have to stand outside to wait for it and could duck back in somewhere after shooting it! That does look cold (he says after temperatures in the mid-50s today!)!

[tree68]

CShaveRR

...especially if you didn't have to stand outside to wait for it and could duck back in somewhere after shooting it!

IIRC, the tower used for crossing over to the station is right next to me, on my right, or right behind me.  I'll have to think about that.

For that matter, our trainset would have been right behind me, and given the weather that day, it was powered up with heat in all the cars....

Here's a shot from the same day, of a westbound about to pass under the bridge from the station.  I was nice and warm inside the glass enclosed structure:

That's our ex-PRR GP9 peeking out over the three passenger cars to the left of the CSX main.

 

Here's an Amtrak "Empire Service" train arriving from Niagara Falls:

And passengers boarding it.   Notice the shovel next to the vestibule....