Your best day

[tpatrick]

A few threads ago someone asked what was your bummer experience. I would like to know about your best day as a railfan. I have had many good ones, but mind always goes back to May 18, 1958 - a really special day. On that day Nickel Plate ran an excursion Buffalo to Cleveland and return pulled by Hudson 175. Actually 175 only made half the trip, as the train was too long and heavy. She was replaced on the return leg with a big Berk, number unknown. For me, a 14 year old just awakening to the love of trains, the whole day was pure magic. There was a stop at Conneaut to visit the engine facilities. I still have the pictures. NKP steam action was heavy even though the end was only a month away. Even after all these years I am still grateful to the NKP and the NRHS organizers and to Ray, the railfan neighbor who took me along.[:D]

[JoeKoh]

Had many good days myself. June 14th Matts bday this year Csx let us come in the hire rd yard and photograph the 2816.Eventhough it had a soo diesel in front of it its something that Matt and I can do together. We try to look for every opprotuinity to go watch trains when possible.When we can help others who want to enjoy the hobby of trainwatching it makes it a best day for everyone.
stay safe
Joe

[adrianspeeder]

When i was running cross country practice, we usually ran with a buddy. My friend and i would do this thing when running through town that each of us takes turns making the decision where to go at the end of each block. This leads us on a goofy path through town. One day it ended us at a grade crossing of the local short line.

We stopped when we realised a train was coming, but it didnt sound like their ALCO T6.....WHAT THE #$%^ IS THAT!!!... Here it was the maden voyage of their rebulit steam engine roarin by at speed. It was SOOOOO cool.

Heres the link for it http://www.mhrailroad.com/indexP.html#About

But my best day was when i put the hammer down on my diesel and left a ricer in a black cloud.

Adrianspeeder

[ericsp]

Earlier this month I got to ride in the cab of locomotive while the crew did some switching.

[Anonymous]

My first day running a real train.

LC

[edblysard]

Best day, so far, as a railroader.

Well, it might be the day we did the set up for the huge windmill electric generators, spoting up the flats and idler cars next to the ship that delivered them ot the Port of Houston.

Set up was a pain in the keister, one idler flat, two TTX flats, modified to carry the blades, with special brackets welded in place, followed by another idler, then two more TTx flats, so forth and so one.

All day long switching these things around to suit the dock foreman.

Halfway through, he decided he needs three depressed center flats for the power plant and cargo crates cut in three back from the head end.

Frustration to the max...until they started to unload the ship.

Down come this huge container, special made to hold the blades, and ta da, right in place on the flats, first shot.

A few pops with a welding tourch, and the dock foreman want us to pull up and spot the next set.

Right on the money again, ten minutes later, pull on em' again.

This time, the nacells, or pods come out of the ship's hold, the crane operator hits it dead center, longshoremen strap it down, and pull on them again.

This goes on for a few more hours, till we get close to our end of shift.

I go tell the dock foreman we are about out of time, he may want to tell his guys to get ready to take a break while we swap crews....

He looks at me for a second, whips out his cell phone, calls our trainmaster, and tells him he want us to stay there, that we havent missed a spot yet, and if we stay, they can be done in two more hours, he dosnt want to try a explain whats going on to a new crew, on and on and on....

Finally, he covers up the phone, and asks me if he buys us dinner, would we stay?

I get the rest of the crew together, he tells them the same thing, almost pleading with them to stay.

"So, whats for dinner?" my engineer asked...

The dock foreman hands me the phone, and says "tell your boss you'll stay, please"

I get on the line, and our trainmaster is laughing his butt off, tells me the dock foreman promised to pay for our overtime, and special switch moves, if we would stay.

So, what made this day so good?

Well, here I am, sitting on the tailgate of a pick-up truck, eating a bucket of KFC, drinking a ice cold liter Coke, watching the sun set, playing with a full sized train, looking at huge ships going out of the port, headed to open ocean, partially in charge of millions of dollars of GE/Siemens wind turbines generators, getting paid time and a half.

It just dont get much better!

Add to that the fact that, not only were we doing a good job, but doing it good enough that the customer wanted us to stay over to finish it.

And I realized that, even though the general public never really appreciates what we do, this day, we helped bring cheap, efficent electric power to a lot of folks in the form of cutting edge technology.

No, I didn't invent the things, design or build them...but I started them on their way.

And they got there on tracks put down by people like Mudchicken, delivered by guys like Wabash, Limitedclear, Carl and Rodney.

I understood that, although unsung and un remarkable as it seems to most, what I do, what Kenno, LC, Mudchicken, Carl, Rodney, Nat, Wabash,(and his mirror) do, what all of us do daily, really does count, really can make a difference.

There isn't a person in this country that dosn't own, or use at least one or two products that came to them on a train.

You drive the cars we deliver, and eat the foods, live in the houses built with the lumber we haul, you heat your homes and generate power with the coal, even fly in the airplanes we bring.

And now, you get to harness the wind, and light up your town, with machines that crossed an ocean on a ship, then a continent on a train that I put together and started on the way to you.

Not too bad a deal for a days work, and a bucket of chicken!

And they pay me to do this!
Ed[8D]

[Anonymous]

For those of you that read bummer for a railfan--those were my muddied up new shoes in one of the first stories. Even with the whole experience that was a great day.[:D]

Then there was the day we chased 261 heading back home --Big_Boy driving and me hanging out the window snapping as fast as I could. Just praying for one good shot and being like a kid in a candy store when there are more.

The all-time best had to be chasing the 261/2816 double header. We got precious few opportunities to take shots but came away with some amazing ones (IMHO[:P]) The thrill of the chase and trying to outsmart your "opponents." Again Big_Boy was driving and I had the map and he noticed a tiny little road that cut under the highway that noone else seemed to see and that is where I got my best shot ever.



What a ball---I never thought that this would be this much fun.

[:D][:D]

[Hawks05]

probably the first day we, my dad and i, went out and took pictures of a train. 7/18/04. when i got into town i noticed there were a bunch of cars sitting outside of town with no locomotives in sight. so we get closer, i had my grandpa with me at the time, and i saw the locos sitting near a gas station and a perfect spot to take pictures. that was the first time we used our new digital camera for pictures. from that day on i've been railfanning. so far to the date i've taken pictures of 14 different locomotives. that is pretty good since there are very few trains that come through town. usually 3 during the day, i'm only awake to usually see 2, except thursday then its only 1 that i usually see.

i think though either this monday or this thursday will be my best days. monday i might be going to a UP yard if we can find it and then thursday i'm going along down the Mississippi for a college visit. MN side down (CP lines) then the WI side back (BNSF lines). also just blocks from the colleg i'm visiting is a train yard. that i'm really looking forward to. we just need to buy discs before that so i won't run out of space.

[Junctionfan]

Tagged along with Trillium Railways in a S-2 switching all over the city.

[Noah Hofrichter]

Probably the day I got a ride down the main line a few miles. It was realy cool.

Noah

[Anonymous]

Any day I can take my 6 year old out and see a lot of action. The look on his face is priceless.[:D]

[Mookie]

My first and only ride on the head-end. What a thrill!

Thanx Mudchicken...

Mook

[Willy2]

Any day I get to see a steam engine on the mainline. Haven't actually been in the cab, but if I could be in the cab of an engine... that would be a good day too.