Stay safe... shoot trains on dormant tracks

[Bergie]

Sorry Joe, I couldn’t resist. [:o)]

JoeKoh’s the photo of the day today on the www.trains.com home page with a relic from the past.

Bergie

[tree68]

And a good picture it is.

[dharmon]

Congrats! Nice pic Joe! I was looking to see if Matt was tucked in there somewhere.



And when Bergie said relic of the past I thought he meant Mookie.......

...headin' for the couch........

[jeaton]

Resting??? Take that sucker's pulse, I think it's worse than that!!!!

Anyway, great shot, Joe.

Jay

[louisnash]

I saw it last week and I must say that it's always great to see "railroading of the past" anytime.

Great shot Joe. I enjoy seeing all the photos you take.
Brian (KY)

[Anonymous]

...thing of the past all right, doesn't look like that thing has moved for a good few decades. [:)]

[Mookie]

Looks like a relative of Thomas the Tank Engine!

Go Joe!

Moo

[locomutt]

Congrats Joe,great picture.[:)]

[Junctionfan]

Does that mean I can't railfan on the NEC middle tracks?[:-^]

[Modelcar]

...You sure found a rare one Joe.....and looks like someone "lifted" the headlight. Looks like that one hasn't moved in quite a while. Congratulations on the pic.

[JoeKoh]

thanks everyone.note to self take Matt and/or Mamma while train hunting. They are good luck charms.
stay safe
Joe

[edblysard]

I got a sneak peak too!

Amazing to think my railroad ran for years and years with just such switch engines....
This one looks like it deserves, and found a nice place to "retire" too.

Good job, Joe....

Keep 'em coming...

Ed

[Kozzie]

Thanks Joe - I bet that old loco could tell a few stories.

Just to satisfy down under curiosity, what sort of business was Detroit Edison? Is it still operating?

Dave

[cherokee woman]

Joe, congratulations on getting photo of the day today! That really is a great
picture!! And of course, you should always take Mamma and Matt with you
to shoot pictures!! They ARE your GOOD LUCK CHARMS!!

[angel]

[Junctionfan]

Who runs coal for Detroit Edison?

[CShaveRR]

A lot of Detroit Edison coal comes from Wyoming, on both UP and BNSF (both my little sister--Mookie--and I see these trains quite regularly). We deliver them to either CN or NS, depending on which of DE's several plants they're headed for.

For a while, Detroit Edison had its own locomotives--SD40s and U30Cs--to power its coal trains when they came from the east (Kentucky) instead of Wyoming. Their big--and I mean huge!--aluminum gons were also decades ahead of their time. Unique--they had two rotary couplers on even-numbered cars, and none on the odd-numbered cars (or was it the other way around?). That was one thing that didn't work out too well.

After the big aluminum cars, DE went to standard steel gons, but then were among the first to buy aluminum gons, before the modern designs with the tubs. Their newest cars are pretty standard aluminum gons from Thrall and Johnstown America, and some aluminum hoppers (standard hoppers, not pneumatic-unloading cars); they carry either DEEX or DETX reporting marks. The rotary couplers on the newest Detroit Edison cars are distinguiished by orange areas on that end of the car. The older flat-bottom aluminum gons--some of which have been sold off--have yellow rotary ends. The steel cars are all gone, as are the jumbo aluminum gons.