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Most iconic railroading image

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Most iconic railroading image
Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, November 4, 2017 12:33 AM

What is the image that to you just invokes the feeling "now that is railroading?"

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For me, it is the image of a steam locomotive on a turntable. Nothing else looks more "railroady" to my eye.

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It seems like Model Railroader rarely features a turntable on the cover. I must be in the minority on this one.

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What is "the shot" for you?

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-Kevin

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Living the dream.

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Posted by tstage on Saturday, November 4, 2017 1:25 AM

An H-10 2-8-2 Mike...

Tom

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Posted by gmpullman on Saturday, November 4, 2017 3:09 AM

SeeYou190
What is "the shot" for you?

So MANY images come to mind, difficult to choose only one—

While not exactly "The Centuries Pass In The Night"* this shot has always been one of my favorites.

 P-C_1000 by Edmund, on Flickr

I'm on a heavyweight excursion train and we're passing what remains of the Century, Penn-Central train No. 27 westbound near Cleveland.

The friendly wave, E-8s and Budd diner and sleeping cars, the kerosene markers on our train.

The only thing missing is the smell of the steam heat, brakeshoe smoke and diesel exhaust. That— and of course, the sounds.

Regards, Ed

 

*The famous W. H. Foster painting made for New York Central Lines.

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/pass-in-the-night-the-twentieth-century-limited-of-the-new-news-photo/526780534#pass-in-the-night-the-twentieth-century-limited-of-the-new-york-by-picture-id526780534

 

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Posted by "JaBear" on Saturday, November 4, 2017 3:21 AM
Good topic, Kevin.Thumbs Up
For me, at least, the only thing better than one NZR Ja class locomotive, is two of them.
 
on Flickr

Cheers, the Bear.Smile

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Posted by Alantrains on Saturday, November 4, 2017 4:52 AM

I am an Auzzie and a steam fan, but the image I regard as railroading is of a Santa Fe Warbonnet F unit ABA consist with some stainless steel behind it.

 

 

Alan Jones in Sunny Queensland (Oz)

 

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Posted by marksrailroad on Saturday, November 4, 2017 5:17 AM

I'd have to say a Nickel Plate Road Berkshire pulling a good freight consist on a crisp and clear winter morning in the latter 1950s...

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, November 4, 2017 8:49 AM

Alantrains
Santa Fe Warbonnet F unit

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I was told once, by someone who was in a position to know, that when Trains Magazine put a Santa Fe Warbonnet F Unit on the cover, sales would bump up slightly.

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I have often wondered if that was actually true.

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-Kevin

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Posted by Heartland Division CB&Q on Saturday, November 4, 2017 9:05 AM

Alantrains

I am an Auzzie and a steam fan, but the image I regard as railroading is of a Santa Fe Warbonnet F unit ABA consist with some stainless steel behind it.

 

 

 

Alan ... I hate to sound like a rivit counter, but Santa Fe passenger F-units were mostly ABB or ABBA, but almost never ABA. They had more warbonnet F7B's than F7A's. ... That said, I certainly agree with you the Santa Fe warbonnet scheme is icnomic. 

Kevin ... To me, an iconic railroad image is a Burlington stainless steel EMD E5 locomotive. ... Also, PRR had pictures of Horseshoe curve on its public timetables which were iconic in my opinion. 

 

 

GARRY

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Posted by LensCapOn on Saturday, November 4, 2017 9:41 AM

Piece of Cake..

 

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Posted by JEREMY CENTANNI on Saturday, November 4, 2017 10:36 AM

SeeYou190

 

 
Alantrains
Santa Fe Warbonnet F unit

 

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I was told once, by someone who was in a position to know, that when Trains Magazine put a Santa Fe Warbonnet F Unit on the cover, sales would bump up slightly.

.

I have often wondered if that was actually true.

.

-Kevin

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It is true.  I see it when I post videos in FaceBook or YouTube for the Lake Shore Model Railroad Association(Chicago,IL).  Between UP and SF it is a hard choice because they both have huge followings.  They each lead over other railroads hands down.

Also, while not officially, the first railroad each of my sons could identify was Santa Fe and it was due to the red and silver warbonnet colors.....

I'm diehard UP and even I admit the red and silver looks good!

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Posted by carl425 on Saturday, November 4, 2017 2:15 PM

SeeYou190
For me, it is the image of a steam locomotive on a turntable. Nothing else looks more "railroady" to my eye.

Like this one?

Anything by O. Winston Link is awesome.

I have the right to remain silent.  By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.

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Posted by "JaBear" on Saturday, November 4, 2017 2:22 PM

SeeYou190
I was told once, by someone who was in a position to know, that when Trains Magazine put a Santa Fe Warbonnet F Unit on the cover, sales would bump up slightly.  I have often wondered if that was actually true.

While I can’t verify that, I would say that from a very early age, the Santa Fe Warbonnet paint scheme, for me, would epitomise US Railroads, even if at that age I couldn’t name the railroad, (or knew what epitomise meant!Smile, Wink & Grin)

 

Cheers, the Bear.

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, November 4, 2017 2:29 PM

carl425
Like this one?

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Oh Yeah, Baby!

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That is a picture made just for me.

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-Kevin

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Living the dream.

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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, November 4, 2017 2:39 PM

SeeYou190

 

 
carl425
Like this one?

 

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Oh Yeah, Baby!

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That is a picture made just for me.

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-Kevin

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Have you been to the O. Winston Link museum? Its across the tracks from the Virginia Museum of Transportation.

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, November 4, 2017 2:43 PM

No, I have only been to Virginia once, earlier this year.

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I visited the USS Wisconsin while I was there. That was amazing. I am going there again in April of 2018, I will try to make a visit to this museum. Thank you.

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-Kevin

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Posted by dknelson on Saturday, November 4, 2017 3:11 PM

To me the iconic "this is railroading" photo is the black and white one the great David Plowden took out on the praries, with a boilingly stormy looking sky, and a string of boxcars in silouette on the horizon, one of which had its doors open on both sides you could see a sliver of white sky.  It conveys all the size and scope of the west, the pure desolation of the places "in between" the cities, and the intrusion of the railroad into that desolation.  It is viewable on Google images but I chose not to copy and paste it here as Plowden's copyright should not be violated, at least not by me.

Here is a link to one version: http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2011-10-07-plowdenboxcarscopy.jpg 

Many Plowden photographs could qualify as the most iconic, but that is one I return to.

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Posted by CGW121 on Saturday, November 4, 2017 3:30 PM

The J crossing the CNW at JB Tower in West Chicago. I cn still hear the sound. 

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Posted by Jimmy_Braum on Saturday, November 4, 2017 3:35 PM

From my collection,

(My Model Railroad, My Rules) 

These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway.  As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).  

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Posted by BATMAN on Saturday, November 4, 2017 4:00 PM

Good thread Kevin.

First off, I really like this pic of a turntable in the Rockies at Field B.C. Note the rings in the pit that help melt the 50+ feet of snow they get every year.

 

While I model railroads from this side of the pond. I tend to think of the British when it comes to the more iconic railroad pic's. My brain makes me think with a more historical point of view when the word iconic is thrown into the mix. The more I read, the more I realize that we are still the "Johnny come lately" in many things on this side of the pond. Just look at high-speed rail as an example.

I love the dirt and grime of the steam era and spend hours looking at old photo's, however iconic to me is where it all began.

Stephensons Rocket comes to mind.

OOPS!

 

 The original

 

 

Brent

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Posted by BRAKIE on Saturday, November 4, 2017 4:11 PM

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Posted by Ray Dunakin on Saturday, November 4, 2017 4:55 PM

Lots of good suggestions here! I would add one more: Any shot of caboose at the tail end of a train, with the train receding into the distance.

 

 Visit www.raydunakin.com to see pics of the rugged and rocky In-ko-pah Railroad!
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Posted by BATMAN on Saturday, November 4, 2017 5:36 PM

Okay, I'll add a pic I find rather iconic from this side of the pond. My layout is based on an over the pass theme with a pusher facility the centre of attention. So here is a pic I call "gettin her done". 

 

 

Brent

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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, November 4, 2017 7:30 PM

 Unfortuneately rods were up when I snapped this one.

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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, November 4, 2017 7:36 PM

BMMECNYC

 Unfortuneately rods were up when I snapped this one.

 

Or a streamlined NYC Hudson taking water from a track pan at speed.

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Posted by SouthPenn on Saturday, November 4, 2017 11:52 PM

An ABBA set of F units pulling a long string of boxcars.

South Penn
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Posted by Alantrains on Sunday, November 5, 2017 12:01 AM

Heartland Division CB&Q

 

 
Alantrains

I am an Auzzie and a steam fan, but the image I regard as railroading is of a Santa Fe Warbonnet F unit ABA consist with some stainless steel behind it.

 

 

 

 

 

Alan ... I hate to sound like a rivit counter, but Santa Fe passenger F-units were mostly ABB or ABBA, but almost never ABA. They had more warbonnet F7B's than F7A's. ... That said, I certainly agree with you the Santa Fe warbonnet scheme is icnomic. 

Kevin ... To me, an iconic railroad image is a Burlington stainless steel EMD E5 locomotive. ... Also, PRR had pictures of Horseshoe curve on its public timetables which were iconic in my opinion. 

 

 

 

No problem Garry,

Can't say exactly what consists there were, as I only saw pictures in books when I was a kid.

Alan Jones in Sunny Queensland (Oz)

 

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Posted by IRONROOSTER on Sunday, November 5, 2017 12:22 AM

This one

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Posted by tedtedderson on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 7:27 PM
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Posted by rrinker on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 7:36 PM

SeeYou190

No, I have only been to Virginia once, earlier this year.

.

I visited the USS Wisconsin while I was there. That was amazing. I am going there again in April of 2018, I will try to make a visit to this museum. Thank you.

.

-Kevin

.

 

Opposite side of the state - and it's a WIDE state. Roanoke is a great town thoough. My ex in-laws lived there for a few years while my father in law finished out his years with NS (2 months short on seniority when Conrail was split up, and it was Rooanoke and NS or Jacksonville and CSX.)

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Posted by Mheetu on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 7:46 PM

The B&O EM-1, well like by the crews and not too bad looking. 

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