Your most treasured sighting

[bnsfkline]

Okay, heres one for all of you out there.

What was you most tresured sighting that you got on film? Was it a work train? A rare locomotive? Or maybe something that you would NEVER expect to see in your neck of the woods? I have 3 tresures that I got on film.

The Union Pacific 3300 United Way locomotive 2 years ago today

The BNSF 9647 "Barfbonnet"

An Illinois Central SD28 (One of 6 made)

I hope there will be ALOT of posts for this topic?

[Dough]

Ah, much more positive than my "Fi***hat Got Away" post. I am a big MW nut so that is what most of mine are. However, they have been doing a lot of work around here so things keep getting topped.

SD40 with trac hoe and ramp car for unloading ties

Loram rail grinder

CR Jorden Spreader

CSX, UP, and a Santa Fe in original paint. Rare in my neck of the woods...

And I could go on and on about other misc MW stuff.




Glad to see the Conrail 250 ton crane, still mad about not having any film in the camera...[;)]

[eolafan]

A couple of sightings come to mind. Being in the far northern area of Metro North and seeing an FL9 and a few cars come blasting through a grade crossing and then later catching the same unit at a station stop on its return trip North. Second would have to be my memories of catching many F units in Wisconsin back in the 1970's in Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point, etc. on SOO, CNW, MILW, etc., and third would be F45 and FP45 units in Run-8 coming through LaCrosse also back in the 1970's on BN (some in GN sky blue scheme).

[Anonymous]

ATSF GP60 and SD40-2 a few months ago.

BNSF Dash 9

UP SD70M flag

[vsmith]

After Union Stations 50th anniversery celebration, being in Cajon Canyon when UP 8444 came storming up the canyon at 50mph and roared past me less than 15 feet away, whistle blasting and a wave from the engineer....WOW! You could FEEL the heat from the boiler as it went by. I've never forgotten that.

I saw Santa Fe's restored steamer go thru Old Town Pasadena before they closed the line down, was even closer to it when it left the station, but just didnt have the same impact.

[Mikeygaw]

let's see... there was the Amtrak GP40 pushing the single MOW car... and I saw an AMD-103 parked in 30th Street station

Oh wait, on film? woops [xx(]

[Anonymous]

The "Riverain" F series locomotive... (AMT)

[espeefoamer]

1.The SP black widow GP9 I shot in Long Beach harbor.[:D]
2.The Southern Crescent pulled by two GG1s shot from an open vestibule.[:p]
3 The 4449,south of Dunsmuir, pulling 4 cars on its way east to pick up the Freedom Train. This was my first time to see big steam![:D][:p][8D][:D]

[Anonymous]

Panama Railroad RSC-3. First Alco I ever photographed.

[Anonymous]

It would have to be Norfolk Southern GP-59 4610 - the Southern tribute engine. I got several great shots while it was in Canton, NC.

[JoeKoh]

The N&W 611 J . Without a doubt.
stay safe
Joe

[Anonymous]

I saw some old Penn Central coaches on an industrial siding off the NEC between Wilm, DE and Philly. They were behind a locked fence. They were in very bad condition.

[Anonymous]

Well nothing really stands out as a super shot or a super subject.

I guess I would have to say the two pics I just took of the 3985 under steam. I was on a hiway bridge and the train passed under it. They are ok pics but not super special. The shots just don't do justice to the steam and smoke plume because the weather that day was cold and the plume was an awsome sight but didn't really come across that way on the pics.

[rixflix]

It's a snapshot taken by my mother (probably with my grandmother's brownie) at the Outer Station in Reading. All three of the wye's trainsheds were still there and we are on the Lebanon Valley platform. That would be me (3 feet tall in snowsuit) restrained by my grandfather and brother Pete restrained by my grandmother. The restraint? Just 4 feet away is the valve gear and front driver of a Reading G-3 Pacific on the head end of the "Queen of the Valley" (which usually got CNJ power on it's daily Jersey City to Harrisburg run). I must have been bitten by the rail bug sometime prior to this, as I appear to be studying the finer points of the steam chest. I guess Grandma and Papa thought we might go in for a closer look.

Uh-oh, here comes some business. I wish work would stop interfering. Sayonara ya'll.
Blessed be Jean Shepard in all His works
Captain Video aka Rixflix

[Anonymous]

The Wisconsin Central Packer Game excursion train (1995 I "think" it was).
It was drawn by a GP40 which I caught in DePere, Wis. while I was up
visiting friends in that berg. I had no idea the train would be in the area or
that the WC even operated such excursions. It was northbound on the
former Soo ROW on that Sunday morning and I got to crossing in just
enough time to see the headlights well down the tracks (I'd gone out just
to see if anything was rolling with little expectation of success). A GP40,
the WC business car (parlor car I believe) and the Green Bay & Western's
dome/observation car "Prairie Rose". Perfect light conditions, great
position and perspective, and the train was moving slow enough to make
a great shot.

Packers 35 Bears 28 <-- in-case any Packer fans know the year.

[eolafan]

Another favorite of mine was seeing a UP DDA40X with a UP business car train coming into West Chicago, IL

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by eolafan

A couple of sightings come to mind. Being in the far northern area of Metro North and seeing an FL9 and a few cars come blasting through a grade crossing and then later catching the same unit at a station stop on its return trip North. Second would have to be my memories of catching many F units in Wisconsin back in the 1970's in Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point, etc. on SOO, CNW, MILW, etc., and third would be F45 and FP45 units in Run-8 coming through LaCrosse also back in the 1970's on BN (some in GN sky blue scheme).

Thanks for reminding me. I also saw an FL9 in a consist with the last Norfolk and Western diesel ever built (I think).

[wcfan4ever]

It was a night shot of a Manitowoc, WI train leaving town with 11 engines, all in Wisconsin Central paint. A set of 5 came in the night before, then 2 more came in the next morning, and then 4 later at night~all GP's. Rare for a town that only gets one local train a day usually with two engines and anywhere from 10-50 cars. The only reason so many trains was they ran an extra into town and the crew died on time, then the next two was the extra, they ran out on time, and then finally the last one came and made it back to Neenah, WI on time. ~Since CN times, most loco's in a consist have been 4. WC usually ran 5 or 6 in on Sundays. I sure do miss those days.

Dave

[Anonymous]

Being trackside in Dayton Tn as N&W 611 pulled in with the Autumn Leaf Special.

[corwinda]

Hard to select just one ... so here's a couple of the candidates.

Chessie GP30 on SP in Carlin NV.
all the trucks, rig etc for what I believe was an oil drilling outfit on a freight in Nevada.

[SSW9389]

Shooting two sections of the 70 MPH Blue Streak Merchandise within ten minutes at Maude, TEXAS in 1972. Priceless!

Getting ahead of the Super C west of Edelstein, Illinois in 1975.

Catching a four train meet at Nolanville, TEXAS in 2002.

[mudchicken]

(1) Walking into the ATSF roundhouse at Albuquerque NM the second week on the job in 1981 and finding all of John Reid's stored museum pieces including Little Buttercup under plastic. (Most have since moved to Sacramento, CA)...

(2) Daylight at Belleville, KS in November 1983 on Kyle RR to discover 8 former BN Alcos (C-424 & C-425's) arriving in running condition. Never had seen a big Alco running before that day.

[bnsfkline]

My other most cherished sighting is me strangling railpac for stealing my topic!

[Anonymous]

As a confessed stalker of branchlines, shortlines and secondary mains, I'm usually just glad to see any train! A couple of my favorite catches:

CSX caboose-carrying local on the Loup Creek branch out of Thurmond, WV. After many unsuccessful tries, I finally found a train on this line in Nov. '02. Less than a year later, the line was sold to a shortline, which (alas) does not use a caboose.

SD80MACs hauling ore on the one-train-a-day (if that) NS Cleveland Line between Alliance and Yellow Creek, Ohio.

The three St. Maries River Railroad trains I've photographed on the branch to Clarkia, Idaho.

And just about any other train on a railroad where it takes a little perseverence and a lot of luck to see any wheels turning!

Scott Lothes
Cleveland, Ohio

[corwinda]

Another candidate: BN NW 5 in a scrap line in Tacoma WA

[Anonymous]

I was in a town 45 minutes north of where I live was a eastbound CP train with a SD40-2f and a SD40-2 and in the middle is saw this sw1500 in the middle of the two engines I wasn't sure if the this engine was going into the nearst yard for work or being taken in to be turned in to a slug

[Anonymous]

Another good sighting was the first time I saw East Tennesse's switch in Johnson City. It has a Southern Ry inspired paint scheme.

[M636C]

I was visiting Los Angeles in 1977, and a local railfan was showing me around. We were out at Colton yard, and we were concentrating on getting the C630s being used as switchers there at that time, when we noticed a train heading out in the background. I hadn't seen the units, and neither had our host (at least not clearly) so he suggested we chase it up the freeway to the next available overpass. It wasn't that fast so we got there in time. I don't remember the numbers, but the train had a Southern Pacific U50 leading a DD35. There were only three of each type, and they rarely worked together. I took both slides and B&W negatives. The negs failed, through a shutter defect, and the slides weren't great, but I had seen it!

Peter

[coalminer3]

Steam: NYC 4-8-2 westbound out of Boston with the New England Wolverine, and B&M steam in branch line service out of Boston. Just happening to be in Hinton, WV, photographing with a friend when NKP 765 showed up heading east on a ferry move. I spent the afternoon watching servicing, etc. and then watching her head east. No photo lines, folks running around etc.

Diesel: Baldwins on the LV at Sayre, PA, touring a brand new Maine Central E unit in Boston, and seeing DD40s in service in Wyoming

Electric: Two here: One was watching an EP5 with a westbound New Haven passenger train in a heavy rainstorm; tremendous arcing off the catenary!
Being on the station platform at New Brunswick when the Congressional went through; tuscan GG1 and silver and tuscan cars. Magnificent!

work safe

[Anonymous]

I had forgotten about this until just a few days ago. But I have seen the "Torch Train" lol, you know the Olympic Torch. It came through here, but I don't remember if I had my camera or not.