Ted M.
got trains?™
See my photos at: http://tedmarshall.rrpicturearchives.net/
My train videos - http://www.youtube.com/user/karldotcom
Since I'm a freight car freak, I find the Metra trains a little dull--unless, of course, they're adding to the picture in a complicated tangle of traffic at Elmhurst or West Chicago.
Among freight trains themselves, I find intermodal trains the most dull, but something in the way of new or relettered equipment comes along often enough to keep me from ignoring them entirely.
Same with coal trains--sometimes new equipment, often relettered/renumbered cars (I'm still trying to get the old BN numbers off cars in the CTRN 1-1050 series!). And did you know that some of the gons on the WEPX coal trains are drawbar-connected? No kidding! I wonder whether I've seen them all.
Just about all of the cars on unit ethanol trains are new--the series that have markings for specific lessees are most interesting, otherwise it's just amazing to see big, brand-new tank cars by the hundreds.
After reading Corwinda's post below about auto racks, I have to say that they can be pretty boring--unless I'm lucky enough to find a relettered flat car underneath them (TTX has about 1000 of these, if you know where to look), or new flat cars, or new racks. Today I saw some brand-new UP trilevel racks on new Trinity-built flat cars. And the thought of all of those vehicles not being carried by trucks (I come from the pre-auto-rack era), and the revenue they're bringing to whichever railroad I'm looking at, brings a smile.
My favorite trains are the weekly perishable trains--might get to see this week's train come east tomorrow. This is one train that is to me better when viewed from a distance--all big, white reefers (if you're lucky the surrounding terrain or landscaping will hide the lower portions of the cars, with all the graffiti). Those trains I watch with the computer--see how quickly they're coming, how many cars they have this week, what they're carrying. For them, it's just the thought that this service could be good enough to pull some trucks off the road. I hear that a second train may be added soon--I'll keep my fingers crossed!
So it's the manifest trains that I live to see--watching for new cars, relettered and renumbered cars, rebuilt cars, privately-owned cars with lessees identified, and watching the blocking on the UP trains to see if there's any unusual business, or just (in some cases) giving myself advance warning of what I'm going to be switching out in a few hours. Or what I humped yesterday or this morning.
And you know what? Sometimes even the motive power can make things interesting!
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)
Intermodal, of course. Just like watching a line of trucks go by on the Interstate. Coal is usually boring, but sometimes BNSF will have a train of red oxide cars and those are interesting to see. Looks old-timey. Once in a great while I get lucky and there's an old ribbed car in there with the letters F-R-I-S-C-O. Faded of course.
CSX coal trains through Columbia, SC are pretty boring. Mainly two AC4400CW's and a long string of cars that all look the same. The exception are when they are CSX coal cars. Every once in a while, we'll see an old Rio Grande coal hopper..... with CSXT marks.
JOe H.
COAL TRAINS HANDS DOWN! Thats all we ever see in St. Louis....Coal, Coal and guess what, More coal!
Well, not entirely all coal trains, The Lincoln Service and Missouri Amtrak Trains 311, 313,314 and 316 are all boring, 1 unit and either 3 or 4 cars.
Rack trains are always boring...unless they have mixed frieght at the end to bring up the tonnage.
My Favorite Trains to watch are NS 201 and 302, these trains usually have Caterpiller loads. BNSF MGALTUL and MGALTEA. One always has an SD40-2 on the point and the other always has a DPU. I also like the KCS Train IVNKC and IKCVN, the CSX/KCS Schnieder trains.
Backlit eastbound empty potash. Boring train, boring units, no DPUs, and when they're moving slowly, they're absolutely agonizing. Not to mention, because they're backlit, the pictures suck.
Oh, did I mention all the cars are EXACTLY the same?
Go here for my rail shots! http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=9296
Building the CPR Kootenay division in N scale, blog here: http://kootenaymodelrailway.wordpress.com/
I concur with just about everyone else. Stacks, auto racks, and empty coal trains are high on my list.
Like many, the manifests with general freight are fascinating. These days, I am much more interested in watching the cars of such a train, rather than the locomotives. I am also fascinated by Triple Crowns on the NS.
Another fascinating type of train is the "piggyback" which carries trailers on flatbeds. These trains will often have truckers such as UPS, Yellow, Scheider, etc. NS trains 217/218 are such a train...usually about 50 trailers and HOT.
ed
let's see here:
-any modern diesel in armour yellow. seriously. it's the most boring uninteresting paintscheme i have ever seen. unless of course the unit has a flag or wings on the nose. then it's cool. not that lame-o red text.
-coal trains with those coalporter gondolas. i like the old school coal hoppers though. especially when i see a few CNW ones.
-unit trains where every car has only its number as a difference. CNW's grain trains were awesome from all the different colors and shapes their hoppers had. fortunately it carried over to UP grain trains.
-geeps towing manifests. i prefer to see trains pulled by bigger powerful-looking stuff. which means 6-axle power is the only way to go. like SD60s or SD40-2s. geeps look far too wimpy for me. even if they have the same hp as their SD counterparts. i will always favor locomotives that look powerful. always have.
Your friendly neighborhood CNW fan.
It might be just me, but I'm getting the impression that the general consensus is that most trains are, well, boring. Say it ain't so!
Merry Christmas, and may everyone see more of their favorite type of train during the Holidays and all year long.
Jeff
Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR Austin TX Sub
Good Morning,
I hesitate to use the word "boring" regarding trains, but find the UP strings of covered hoppers that run the rails here in Spring (Tx) to be very routine. We also get strings of auto-racks which fall in that same category. Every once in awhile I actually have seen what I call a "mixed freight", one having boxcars, TOFC, hoppers, gons, tankcars, and even a flat or two. All that's missing from these are stock cars and a red caboose with a human being to wave to!
All that being said, my friend in southern Illinois finds the coal trains boring and would love to see a covered hopper or an auto-rack. So I guess its the "usual" that gets routine and the "unusual" that is exciting.
As long as I'm here....... two years ago we went to Old Town Spring for dinner at Wunches, which is located next to the UP tracks just north of their large yard there. As we were eating we noticed that many folks were starting to congregate by the tracks. Finally I asked what was going on, and they said the a UP steam train was due from College Station headed to downtown Houston. We finished dinner and got out to watch and here it comes - the UP Challenger and about 15 beautiful grey passenger cars! My only gripe was there was no camera in my hands. You just had to be there, for everyone - young and old - was excited and awed by this most wonderful of machines!!!!
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
I wish I saw enough to find them boring.
I once saw a train of empty coal hoppers, pulled by two Geeps. That would have been no big deal, but the Geeps were on their knees, so I started counting cars. The cars may have been virtually identical, but that fact that there were over 180 of them was impressive.
The T&E service part of me keeps me interested, too, since I tend to inspect the train as it goes by. And I've found stuff.
Unless the train is made up of all identical cars (say, all new ethanol cars), there's always something to look at, be it the different companies represented on the containers or trailers, or the possiblility of seeing a fallen flag in a manifest.
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...
Any train pulled by two or three NS or CSX Wide-cab GE's..
which accounts for about 90% of the trains upstate NY.
Borrrrrrrrrrrring... I really miss Conrail.
IMO, we are in the most boring phase of class-1 railroading in the last 170 years. nothing but those GE widecabs everywhere..
thank God for our local shortlines! They are not boring!
Scot
In all my 75 years of train watching I've never seen one that's boring regardless of what's on the head end or its makeup! I'll often chase a train out of town regardless of its consist just to pace it after it's up to track speed or sit at a grade crossing to watch it roar by. Heck I sometimes even go out of my way to check out cars that are spotted at local businesses and industries. If it's freight I like to watch it - if its Amtrak, commuter or light rail, I'd like to be riding it. The day I find a train, any train, boring is the day I'll take up another hobby!
Mark
I like them all also. I enjoy the intermodals and the coal trains especially the coal trains with mid-train helpers. I read the names off the sides of the containers and wonder what exotic ports of call they have been to. Those "boring" trains are proof that our industry is still important to the economy. That railroading will be with us for decades to come. There is no such thing as a "boring" train to me. Mark, if I am fortunate enough to rack up 75 years of train watching, whatever is running then will be fun to watch like what we have now.
George
Stacks....I've never liked them..not ever. Not single level container trains but stacktrains that is. I know they represent innovation and efficiency on the railroads part blah blah blah...but seeing a 53' footer on top of a 40' sea box represents laziness and the circumventing of traditional railroad infrastructure. I think it's that over-hang. Kinda looks like an upside down SD40-2. Totally awkward. One well car is tolerable..100 of them does get pretty boring.
MLG4'8.5
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
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