EJE818 wrote:The Joliet Jackhammers in Joliet, IL play at a ballpark with the BNSF and UP/Amtrak mainlines on one side and the Metra Rock Island District line on the other side. It is right across the tracks from Joliet Union Station and located just a block or two from UD Tower.
Actually, you could hit the front of the ball park with a well thrown stone from the UD Tower at the crossover. The BNSF/Amtrak/UP run along the west side of the park, and the ex RI along the S. side.
Modelcar wrote: ....J.Edgar:Isn't that Martinsville, Va with the NS RR right through the Track complex. And didn't they move it back a hundred yards or so a year or two ago...? Don't mean to be argumentative, but believe it's at the above location.
....J.Edgar:
Isn't that Martinsville, Va with the NS RR right through the Track complex. And didn't they move it back a hundred yards or so a year or two ago...? Don't mean to be argumentative, but believe it's at the above location.
you are indeed correct....i stand humble in my stupidity......and yes it was moved away from the track about 250 ft in '05
Quentin
Mid-fifties...Reading PA...Colavito came through in the Indian farm system and married a local (then, I guess we'd call her a girl). Later it was and is the Phillies' farm with Greg Luzinski et al staying for short times. When the school, Boy Scouts, or St. Catherine's church would buy the group rate bus fares and send us out to Municipal Stadium we'd slam our little hands on the side of the bus and yell "Go Indians". If I wanted an autograph, I'd go to the visiting club's bullpen (I got Johnny Kucks' (a Binghamton Triplet?) for instance). They were just chomping gum and could spare the time. Meanwhile, you could hear the Reading send their RS2's and GP7's up the hill to the coal regions. Pennsy wasn't far away but was starved for traffic.
The real jewel was Parrish Pressed Steel's (later Dana Corporation) narrow gauge line. Tantalizingly and just barely visable beyond the factory fence and near the stadium parking lot.
Sneaky and snoopy RR fans that we were, we could never penetrate that place. Didn't have the right Dad or Uncle.
Out!
rixflix aka Captain Video. Blessed be Jean Shepherd and all His works!!! Hooray for 1939, the all time movie year!!! I took that ride on the Reading but my Baby caught the Katy and left me a mule to ride.
???....Bristol Motorspeedway in Bristol TN ...a NS main goes right thru the parking lot next to the track....NASCAR and trains....whatta great thing!!!
The new stadium in Minneapolis is going to be a hub for light rail and commuter rail, and I think the BNSF line running by it may still be used for freight.
The Municipal / Midway stadium of the St.Paul Saints is between the old NP and GN mainlines between Mpls and St.Paul, with the old NP line running just over the left field fence. There's usually a lot of action on the multi-track line. I recall a televised game where Darryl Strawberry hit a long opposite field homerun to left that hit an empty car of a train going by with a very loud BOOM!!!
BTW I got married at the Metrodome, took the light rail to the wedding with the best man as I only lived a mile or two from the south end of the line.
If everybody is thinking alike, then nobody is really thinking.
http://photobucket.com/tandarailroad/
TheS.P.caboose wrote:One of the nice things about Dodger Stadium is that it's just up a hill from Taylor yard.
Miller Park, in Milwaukee is the home of the Brewers and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers. It's also along the CP mainline and very close to the Muskego yard (for some reason the yard in the valley in Milwaukee is named the same as one of the suburbs of the city)
Also, I used to play little league growing up at Hart Park in Wauwatosa, just a couple miles from old County Stadium (Now Miller Park) and at Wauwatosa West High School along what was then the CNW line. I was a first baseman and I actually missed a thow from the outfield when I saw an Alco haha! So much for my childhood dream to be a big leaguer.
Cheers Mates!
~METRO
The big reason why AT&T Park (originally called Pacific Bell Park) got located at the China Basin location in San Francisco had to do with the fact you could walk from the San Francisco CalTrain station to the Park (one block's walk!) and San Francisco MUNI built a light rail line that ran right next to the Park.
Here in Sacramento, CA, they just released a report on future transport developments in the area and it does include a trolley line from downtown Sacramento that overlaps the Regional Transit light rail lines and goes into West Sacramento, including a prominent stop at Raley Field, the home of the Sacramento River Cats AAA baseball team.
METRO wrote: It was tragic, as I left Chicago seeing the final 5-1 score against the Windy City. I could feel the loss, a city being again resigned to not even show in the World Series, a tradition ever since 1945. ~METRO
It was tragic, as I left Chicago seeing the final 5-1 score against the Windy City. I could feel the loss, a city being again resigned to not even show in the World Series, a tradition ever since 1945. ~METRO
Um, that is only a tradition on the NORTH SIDE of Chicago
An "expensive model collector"
Going to the Park.
The "Tiges" won't be in Washington's new stadium this year but my team's visit last summer At RFK was great, a sweep! Tiger stuff on everyone coming out of Metro. Even Leyland said "it felt like a home crowd'. Separate leagues...I can root for both.
My model railroads, built and planned have always included roundhouses and ballparks often on top of each other. They seemed to fit, but look out for the smoke pipes when going back.
And my church. I may never become a believer because my thoughts always wander to Clemente, Musial, or Kaline doubling off the back of the altar and Rocky Colavito making the strong throw to stop the runs at the rail. Holy Communion!!!
And here's to Easter, resurrection, crocus's, robins and (come on baby) SPRING!!!
I'm a diehard Red Sox fan, so much so that my girlfriend, and future wife, grew up in Back Bay haha!
However, my best railroad-and-baseball story takes place in Chicago and involves the Cubs. On the day the Cubbies lost in the playoffs last year, I was down in Chicago doing a photo shoot. I remember being the only person on the CTA Red Line subway wearing a Red Sox hat, as everyone was on their way to the Friendly Confines. The entire subway, as well as all of the platforms along the loop were filled with Cubs fans, it was amazing to see.
As I finished up with my shoot, I headed back to Union Station early, and caught most of the Cubs game at the bar in the station. My girlfriend and I met another Red Sox fan, he'd grown up in Boston but moved to Chicago for a job and was waiting on his METRA train. The three of us watched the game with the masses of Chicago fans, and remembered what it was like to be a fan of Boston before the curse was lifted in 2004. So there we all were, fans of the two most cursed teams in the MLB, the Cubs, on their way to another year of heartbreak thanks to the D-Backs and a goat, and the Red Sox, who were going on to beat Colorado and prove that that 2004 wasn't just a fluke of history.
It was tragic, as I left Chicago seeing the final 5-1 score against the Windy City. I could feel the loss, a city being again resigned to not even show in the World Series, a tradition ever since 1945. When I got off the train in Milwaukee, the mood was very different, the Cubs had ended the Brewers chance at the playoffs, the first the Brew City had had in years, and there was a sense of vindication at seeing the team from down the coast loose. I, on the other hand had different things on my mind: Boston had trounced LA and they would be playing the much more powerful Cleveland team. We were still in it, but that night it really felt like what I saw to Cubs fans in Chicago Union Station could easily be me a week later. Through pitching skill and good bats, the Red Sox made sure that didn't happen.
Cheers & Go Red Sox!
Wow, I'd never thought of the Dodger-Giant move as the start of MLB as we know it today. but that is correct When Mays strided (glided) lower and stretched and reached higher he was my model as a little league CF. The Cards had a big following "everywhere West" and in the also neglected South via radio.
I was 6 to 12 years old during that transition time, living in Reading and a sort of Phillies fan because my father had grown up in Detroit and laid the Tigers' mantle of (mostly) pain on the rest of my life.
Didn't "Brewster's Millions have a local freight crossing the outfield?
At Yankee Stadium, the IRTt's subway *** elevated trains at Jerome Avenue never failed to interrupt my attention to play on the field. I even said "huh" when Chico Fernandez stole home. The red subways far above left field made a noise in that park.
On another night, with no time to spare after a Tiger-Yankee night game, we IRT'd to Penn Station, hustled through the crowd, and saw the last possible train moving out! Conductors were slamming the dutch doors as we paced the train and one was still open. My dad and I recall this but (we being Catholic and all) must have shut out the conductor's blistering prose.
Oh, my aunt introduced me to James Baldwin on a shared IRT ride ca. 1958. Then I read his stuff and it changed a lot of things in my life vis-a-vis people. It was and still is time for CIVIL rights.
What's the asterix deal with "subway *** elevated"? Spermatoza unite and I'll be with you
Keep hanging on to the planet and when you can try to be positive!!!
RIX
greyhounds wrote: So, check out the home page of the St. Paul Saints.http://saintsbaseball.com/I've been to a Saints home game and I'll attest to the fact that you will see some rail action between pitches.Their opponent that evening was the Gary, Indiana SouthShore RailCats.
So, check out the home page of the St. Paul Saints.
http://saintsbaseball.com/
I've been to a Saints home game and I'll attest to the fact that you will see some rail action between pitches.
Their opponent that evening was the Gary, Indiana SouthShore RailCats.
At the Railcats park in Gary, there is a K5LA horn that blows everytime a homerun is hit. You can also get OK views of the South Shore and CSX main lines.
Lawernce-DuMont Stadium in Wichita was built in 1935 and just beyond the outfield wall was the small Midland Valley yd. All this was before my time but I have heard stories of fans sitting on top of boxcars getting a free view of the game, train comes along to pick up cars and fans have to exit. In later yrs, the trk was downgraded by Mopac as a industry spur. In the 70's into the early 90's I can recall sitting in the general admission area behind home plate while watching minor leauge games and seeing a yd job pass by which might stop to do a little switching as a few former MV trks remained for car storage. This all ended after the 1993 season when the trk was placed out of service and removed.
Nettleton Stadium - Chico, CA
California State University, Chico State WILDCATS
The Chico OUTLAWS Minor League Professional Baseball Club
Northern California, about 100 miles north of Sacramento and a similar distance south of the Oregon border. Located adjacent to the ex-SP line that has since turned yellow (UP) along with so many other railroads. This is the east-valley subdivision of the main north & south route through the Central Valley. The main line runs just behind the right field fence. At least one left-handed power hitter has managed to bounce a ball off a moving freight car.
AND
The first story about Babe Ruth reminds me of a similar story about Mil Faymee, a much celebrated lefty with the Boston Athletics. In fact, this may be what led the Cleveland staff to attempt to influence the Babe's effectiveness.
Like Babe Ruth, Mil Faymee was well known for his "hollow leg." Coming into Cleveland with a 12-0 record, he was a heavy favorite to mow down the Cleveland lineup with ease. Upon his arrival on the Friday night train, the Cleveland bull pen convinced Mil that a few brews would help him relax before his scheduled start Saturday afternoon. The Cleveland relievers suggested that their own starting pitching was having troubles with the rotation, and that Mil would easily win the game anyway...so why not relax and have a few? Well, Mil Faymee agreed, and out they went.
The next afternoon, Mil was in no shape to play. He was hung over, still drunk, and couldn't control a thing. He walked thirteen batters in a row in the first inning, and took his first loss of the season, 4-0. After the game, nobody thought to question the Cleveland bullpen, rather, the reporters all swarmed around the batters who had successfully handed Mil his first loss. Typical of reporters of that era, the question was simple: "How did you get on base so often?" Their reply, in unison was: "Well, we walked. And it was the BEER THAT MADE MIL FAYMEE WALK US!"
Sorry.
chicochip
When I was a kid, there was a ball field by the PRR tracks on the north side of town. Use to listen to stories about the traveling baseball teams riding the train to play the home teams. They also came in on the NYC line on the east side of town. Locals would haul the teams out to the field for the game from there. Of course the home team took the train for away games.
I don't remember the names anymore, but some of the traveling players went on to make a name in the big leagues
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/4309
The other famous story of the Babe and trains was when Ruth was drunk and Miller Huggins threatend to fine Ruth. So the Babe grabbed Huggins (All 5'3 of him) and hung him over the end of the observation car of the moving train. The Babe finally finally pulled Huggins in. Huggins fined the Babe $5000 (A lot of money in the 1920's) and suspended him indefinatly. Ruth and the fans screamed bloody blue murder, but the suspension and fine stood.
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