After reading the replies to TRNBUF's excellent shots, I just have to share a few pictures I took during the height of the winter storm in Utica. Grab your muffler....
Amtrak 284 arriving at Utica Union Station (on time!):
Don't let anyone tell you nobody rides Amtrak - there was another trap boarding as well.
A westbound auto rack came into town while I was on the (covered) bridge. That's some of the Adirondack Scenic's equipment on the left - the GP9 that's playing peekabo is on the south end of the Polar Express train (we run it pull-pull)
I was on the ground when an eastbound stack came through shortly thereafter.
Oh - and by the way, busting through snowbanks at crossings is as fun in the locomotive as it is watching from trackside.... (working trackside in knee deep snow leaves a lot to be desired, however...)
I think there might be some hot chocolate over at the diner, for those who now feel the need.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Cool pictures! (Pun intended)
For our tropical Forumites, COLD is when you can't drive a thumbtack into the ground with a sledgehammer! (Learned about that in South Dakota - and now you know why I moved to Southern Nevada.)
Chuck
Nice Photos but what is all that white stuff on the ground?
Wayne (A rail fan born and raised in San Francisco)
Modeling HO Freelance Logging Railroad.
sfcouple wrote: What is all that white stuff on the ground? Wayne (A Rail fan born and raised in San Francisco)
What is all that white stuff on the ground?
Wayne (A Rail fan born and raised in San Francisco)
That ain't the half of it (literally - we got at least that much later in the day).
I must confess to have never driven in the snow in my life. But I do appreciate cold after spending two winters in West Germany being all I could be in the US Army.
I've always admired and respected the efforts needed to run locomotives across snow covered terrain and mountain passes. That just has to be difficult and dangerous.
Great shots, Larry! I always enjoy photos taken in trying weather. No matter how bad it gets, the railroad keeps going, and it's nice to see shots that demonstrate that fact.
Thanks for sharing!
-ChrisWest Chicago, ILChristopher May Fine Art Photography"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration." ~Ansel Adams
....Yes, Larry's photos are showing Winter type weather. I can certainly recognize that.
Looks like that overhead bridge in the background {in the first photo}, is the one seen {in the far distance}, in his photo from the 7th story hotel window....Sure is a nice looking little steamer {NYC}, visible in one of the photos there....
Quentin
sfcouple wrote: I must confess to have never driven in the snow in my life. But I do appreciate cold after spending two winters in West Germany being all I could be in the US Army.I've always admired and respected the efforts needed to run locomotives across snow covered terrain and mountain passes. That just has to be difficult and dangerous.
larry great shots.hey sf couple maybe you could visit donner when they call the rotarties out to move the snow.
stay safe
joe
Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").
JoeKoh wrote: sfcouple wrote: I must confess to have never driven in the snow in my life. But I do appreciate cold after spending two winters in West Germany being all I could be in the US Army.I've always admired and respected the efforts needed to run locomotives across snow covered terrain and mountain passes. That just has to be difficult and dangerous. larry great shots.hey sf couple maybe you could visit donner when they call the rotarties out to move the snow.stay safejoe
Actually we did travel over Donner Pass in the Winter two years ago...on Amtrak. We boarded the train in Emeryville, across the Bay from San Francisco, and had a wonderful trip. It wasn't snowing very much so no rotaries were seen. But the trip did remind me of my numerous childhood trips to the midwest on Santa Fe's San Francisco Chief. What a great way to travel.
Cold did not stop me when I was younger. The very first pictures I took with the Argus C-3 that my dad passed along to me when we got him a new camera for Christmas were in January 1969 at a temperature of 10 degrees!
The steamer is reportedly the only NYC steam locomotive left in NY.
The Genesee Street bridge seen in these photos is just out of sight on the right of the hotel shot. The highway bridge you see in the distance in the hotel shot is NYS12/NYS8. Not discernable in that picture is the old truss bridge over the Mohawk River, right before the highway overpass. You're looking north. These shots are looking east and west.
C'mon that's nothing...last week in Atlanta we dipped into the mid 70s
Thanks for sharing...hope to see some snow in KC next few weeks (but not too much)!
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Larry, your pictures look raw!
Not sure we can match you in snowfall amounts, but we've had our share of the brutality here. Chicago was pretty much on the north edge of the weekend's storm, and places to the south of us got more snow than the 5-7" that hit us. Snow was ended by Sunday morning, but then the wind picked up, making life difficult for the RCOs and keeping a couple of maintainers hopping while dealing with power switch failures, etc. No derailments, though.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Not too cold up there.
One little tidbit, I remember having to scoop out the airhorn when it got plugged with ice and snow I see that the airhorn on the Amtrack engine is pretty clear. Does the nearby exhaust have something to do with that?
Cold is when the horsies refused to cross a small stream ford that has been frozen over and you got to haul 60-100 pounds of feed in buckets 1/2 a mile to where they are herded in a circle patiently waiting your arrival with the feed.
Pasadena Sub wrote: C'mon that's nothing...last week in Atlanta we dipped into the mid 70s Thanks for sharing...hope to see some snow in KC next few weeks (but not too much)!
I enjoyed every minute of it too.Short sleeves, no jacket, Georgia weather is nuts.
CShaveRR wrote: Larry, your pictures look raw!
An apt description, trust me.
edblysard wrote:Looks like a nice spring day...Gonna show us some cold?
Cold is that snow that got into my boots while I was standing knee deep in it trying to clean off the air intake for one of the generators.....
Rail-Roadwarrior wrote: Georgia weather is nuts.
Georgia weather is nuts.
Yup, one day it's in the 70's the next in the 30's.
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