We're predominantly locomotive fans - not train fans - or so it would appear

[CSXrules4eva]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ZephyrOverland

I have been into trains for a number of years and my interest has always been passenger cars and passenger train operations. Locomotives? They're ok. I'll look at them out of curiosity but Im more intrested in the passenger equipment that is being pulled by the engine. My experiences have included cab rides in diesels and in a certain 4-8-4 which no longer runs, but give me a dome lounge or a heavyweight Pullman observation any day!

Hay if you want some passanger action come over here to Philadelphia, PA and surrounding areas. Philly eats, sleeps, and breaths passanger trains. We have Septa, NJT, Amtrak, Metro North, MRAC. Tons of Septa and Amtrak traffic over here. only 15 mins from my house is the NEC. Your the oposite of me I'm always complaing because, there isn't that much freight action over here.
I personaly love all the aspects of railroads; passanger, freight, tourist lines, and city rail. However, I'm going to have to say the main attraction of railroading to me is the motive power. Why do you think I became obsessed with diesel engines???? lol.

[espeefoamer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ericsp

A vast majority of the photographs I take are of freight cars. You might have guessed that from the topics I start. While we are on the topic, has anyone heard of Freight Car Journal? I bought a booklet about 10 years ago that was a joint publication between them and the WP Historical Society. I have never heard anything else about it, even when I searched the internet.

In the mid '80s I knew the man who published this magazine.It was a monthly,and dealt exclusively with freight cars,and leaned heavily with details for modelers.All photos were of prototype equipment.

[ericsp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by espeefoamer

QUOTE: Originally posted by ericsp

A vast majority of the photographs I take are of freight cars. You might have guessed that from the topics I start. While we are on the topic, has anyone heard of Freight Car Journal? I bought a booklet about 10 years ago that was a joint publication between them and the WP Historical Society. I have never heard anything else about it, even when I searched the internet.

In the mid '80s I knew the man who published this magazine.It was a monthly,and dealt exclusively with freight cars,and leaned heavily with details for modelers.All photos were of prototype equipment.

Was it Freight Cars Journal?

[ZephyrOverland]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CSXrules4eva

QUOTE: Originally posted by ZephyrOverland

I have been into trains for a number of years and my interest has always been passenger cars and passenger train operations. Locomotives? They're ok. I'll look at them out of curiosity but Im more intrested in the passenger equipment that is being pulled by the engine. My experiences have included cab rides in diesels and in a certain 4-8-4 which no longer runs, but give me a dome lounge or a heavyweight Pullman observation any day!

Hay if you want some passanger action come over here to Philadelphia, PA and surrounding areas. Philly eats, sleeps, and breaths passanger trains. We have Septa, NJT, Amtrak, Metro North, MRAC. Tons of Septa and Amtrak traffic over here. only 15 mins from my house is the NEC. Your the oposite of me I'm always complaing because, there isn't that much freight action over here.
I personaly love all the aspects of railroads; passanger, freight, tourist lines, and city rail. However, I'm going to have to say the main attraction of railroading to me is the motive power. Why do you think I became obsessed with diesel engines???? lol.

I've been to Philadelphia and number of times, since I have relatives in South Philly. They are about 10 min from the NE corridor. During my visits there in my mid-teens I would make it a point to visit the NE corridor line at least for a half day to watch the parade of GG1s hauled Amtrak trains, Metroliners and Septa locals. Even my first Amtrak ride was on the Broadway Limited from Chicago to Philadelphia in 1972. I've ridden the RDC version of Reading's Wall Street to and from New York, and Amtrak trains north and south of there numerous times. In my recent Philadelphia - New York trips I have been driving to Princeton Junction and hopping on a NJT train to NY - Amtrak has become too overpriced on that route. On several occasions during my college years I went to Florida Spring Break activities via the Broadway and Silver Meteor and during my layover in Philadelphia, my aunt would stop by 30th Street Station with a huge bag of hoagies and beer for me and my friends to feast on while traveling on the Meteor.

[fuzzybroken]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MP173

There were some great boxcars back then {in the 70's} that are now gone. Who could forget those classic UP boxcars with the maps?

ed

I can't!!! Then again, I can testify to having seen one recently...

I agree that endless shots of the latest power can get boring. I live near the Canadian Pacific in Milwaukee, and the AC4400 after AC4400 after AC4400 -- and there's typically only one on a train -- just plain gets monotonous after a short while. (Although I've found a couple of gems.) I've taken to chasing, for example, an entire series of locomotive on a particular railroad, and also lease units, runthrus, and the shortline/regional railroad that runs in the area.

Of course, I find freight cars to be fascinating, too. Check out one of my recent railfanning days, there's plenty of fascinating freight cars out there too! My photography hobby actually started as an outgrowth of my model railroading hobby; though I freelanced railroads, I wanted realistic-looking cars to run on my layout, so I started taking pictures of freight cars for which I knew there was a model available! "Hey, there goes an Athearn PS2 hopper" or "there's a Roundhouse FMC boxcar" were some of the things I said to myself as I snapped pictures on a cheap old camera!

Of course, from there my hobby morphed from model RRing to railroad photography. And I also got better at finding trains before they got to where I was [:D]! And then my hobby grew to include maintaining a website! And I got a nice digital camera, and started taking more pictures!

But I still like freight cars. Especially the nice, shiny, new ones, and the ones that still wear the paint of railroads long merged into another company, which in turn has disappeared under the paint of yet another company...

Have a nice night,
-Mark

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by eolafan

This facination with locomotives is likely due to their being the HEART of the train and the "sexiest" part as well. I also like "junk" trains much better than the intermodals and stackers as htey have much more interesting cars...some with paint that belies their original heritage...and are worth my attention, but I must admit to being a "loco lover" ever since those two FL9 units passed me at 50 mph at Tuckahoe, NY back in 1974 while I was waiting for my M.U. train to GCT (oh, what a rush).

The SD45 was the sexiest locomotive ever built[;)]

[ValorStorm]

My interest revolves around the locomotives. A cut of cars in a yard doesn't warrant a passing glance from me. It just isn't my definition of a train. HOWEVER, a light-engine move isn't my idea of a train, either. Ya' gotta have both.

But honestly, do any of us actually have a favorite freight car?

[ericsp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ValorStorm

My interest revolves around the locomotives. A cut of cars in a yard doesn't warrant a passing glance from me. It just isn't my definition of a train. HOWEVER, a light-engine move isn't my idea of a train, either. Ya' gotta have both.

But honestly, do any of us actually have a favorite freight car?

SPFE 458757, which is a mechanical reefer built by PCF.

My top five types of rail cars are:
Mechanical reefers
Tank cars (espicially 30,000 gallon general service and 33,500 gallon pressure)
RBLs
ACF Center-flow hoppers
Boxcars