Just like the headline said: What was the longest time you waited for a train. Nothing like waiting for a special run like a steamer but out on a railfan trip somewhere to catch nothing special.
For me, June of 1988. Went to Kansas City and surrounding areas and then down to Fort Scott Kansas for some MKT and KCS. We checked a book and decided on a place of Eve, Missouri. The MKT crossed over the KCS mainline. Little did we know, this was a MKT branchline but it was the KCS's mainline. We checked out the spot the evening before and right off the bat, we caught a meet there with a coal and empty. The next morning around 8:00, we parked south of the RR bridge and walked about a mile or more to the spot. We (My Dad, sister, brother, and I) carried the cooler with us knowing it was going to get hot (forecasted mid 90's) so we had something to drink. Around noon and no trains, we grilled out and then ran out of water. It was extreamely hot out. About 100pm and still no trains, my brother and I got desperate and started to look for bottles of water farther down the line (found a couple of sealed ones on the way to the bridge) and found a few of them. The water tasted like plastic. Oh well. Around 3pm, the talk of leaving was heavy bargained but my Dad was the one with the keys and money, he had the final decision. We went all this way to catch the MKT and the KCS. FINALLY, about 4pm, the south signal for the main went 'GREEN"! About *** time! The southbound loaded coal finally showed up around 445pm. KCS snoot leading with with 2 BN C30-7's trailing.
8 hours 45 minutes for 1 train.
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I'm still waiting. Last scheduled passenger trains through Binghamton, NY to and from New York City went through the first week of January, 1970. Hoped then they would return. Worked since then to make it happen. Had hope from sources it would be by 2005 or 6, then 11, then 12. I'm still waiting.
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I'm a busy guy but once a year I plan a camping trip in the forest of Oregon on the "Cascade Loops". I set up camp deep in the forest near the portal of one of the longer tunnels. I was going to watch trains all day and night. There's nothing like watching the headlight of a train going through the tall trees late at night. The sight and sounds as a train labours up a grade are great in the forest. I waited all day and evening but none came. I finally left. Later I found out there was a lot of MOW worked planned that day. I still had a good trip.
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