Bummer for a RailFan

[Anonymous]

Get this, I live close enough to the tracks to hear the train horn during all kinds of weather. Recently a local tree service (hired by the city) has been cutting down trees and limbs from around our power lines and poles.

Today I was walking the dog and heard a train horn. It was a nice sounding horn not the usual blan horn that UP buys. I think the nice sounding horn was on a Southern Pacific unit. The nice sounding horn was just as loud as the UP horns but sounds so much better.

When I heard the horn I looked in the direction of the tracks and noticed that many of the trees that used to block my view of the tracks were gone or trimmed back greately. I was hopeing to see enough of the engine to varify that it was a S P unit. No such luck. What I did see was the smoke plume and tippy top of the engine but not good enough to get a color of the engine. Reminds me of the ol saying, "Can't see the forrest for the trees". It was a real bummer to be able to see the smoke plume but not the train. I could tell exactly when the lead engine was but couldn't see it. [:(] [:(] [:(]

That is my railfan bummer. What is YOURS ?

[JoeKoh]

Having info about an excursion trip and then have it be cancelled while waiting to photograph the train.
stay safe
joe

[Anonymous]

As Plankton would say on Sponge Bob Square Pantes well that Stinks

[Big_Boy_4005]

Those members who visit the MR forum have already heard mine. Very simply, a small gravel "parking lot", which the railroad does own, but which has been used by railfans for as long as I can remember, WITHOUT COMPLAINT FROM THE RAILROAD, has suddenly become off limits. Yes its their land, and yes its their choice , but YES IT DOES SUCK!!!![V][V][:(!][:(!][:(][:(]

[Anonymous]

Not too big of a bummer, but just recently I was driving down by Roberts Bank where CP is always running these coal trains. There is always one engine up front, then a pusher on the very end. Anyway, I saw the train coming, but only got to the crossing in time to catch the middle and the end, so I decided to try and drive up the road to catch the train at the next level crossing. Again, I missed the front loco and just caught the middle and the end.

Anyway, it sucked because I wanted to catch the front engine number and ended going quite a bit out of my way. So after the train passed, I started back on my way.

As I was heading home, I see another CP coal train that couldn't of been more than 15 minutes behind the first! If I had only stayed at the crossing about 10 more minutes I could have caught the whole thing!!

Ah, well.

[Anonymous]

A year or two ago, I took the back roads to Rico, Colorado from Durango, to go see the Rico station which is the prototype for oh-so-many models.

It was demolished decades ago.

Dear jhhtrainsplanes,
Being a UP fan, it pains me to say this instead of insulting remarks of competitors, but UP should be able to buy better horns with the added revenues from charging for the use of their logo . But other than that, Long Live the Wings and Shield.

See you around the forums,
Daniel

[Anonymous]

We have had a few good stories, does anyone have any more?

I bet every railfan and railroader could add at least one to this thread.

For the railroaders it might be an "ooooppppppps" instead of a bummer. But that would be fun to heard also. [:)]

So let's hear them. [;)]

[Anonymous]

Back in my dating days I had a habit of testing girlfriends by taking them out train hunting. (Be vewwee vewee quiet... we are huntin that wascally way freight). One spring day I picked up a gal whom I considered to be the outdoorsy type and we drove from Phoenix, AZ to Picacho Peak, about midway down the interstate to Tucson. (This was while the SP was still alive.) I actually had a tripod for my camera and had planned this shot for years... so I happily set up and began to wait, having set up a stick at trackside to use as a "click" point. The skies got cloudy. I waited. It got cold. I waited. There were a couple of drops of rain. I carefully cleaned the lens of my camera, and waited. This WAS a mainline, I thought. Then the heavens opened up, and I glanced over at my "date". She was patiently sinking ankle deep in caliche (pronounced Kah- lee- chee). So was I. Since we were now soaked to the skin we decided to try, try again, preferably on a sunny day. As I got back onto the Interstate, sure enough, SP graced us with a mixed freight barreling by at about a million miles an hour.
Sometimes you get the picture and sometimes it gets you.

Erik

[Anonymous]

I told this story once in the "Fi***hat Got Away" thread, but here it is again. Almost a year ago, on a trip I took a whole pile of photos while doing some railfanning in Swift Current, Sask. and much later I discovered that there was no film in the camera!

[AntonioFP45]

Hey guys, [:)][:D][8D]

Regarding Jhh's story. I'm curious! [;)]

Does anyone know what type of horn the UP typically uses. I know it's not the popular K5La. I've seen pictures of 3 chimers on a lot of the units. I wonder if Jhh heard a K5H or K5LA, both which according to many railfans (yes, me too) have very melodic sounds. CSX and NS use these horns on a lot of their road locomotives and of course, these units have been running on UP's tracks quite a bit in the past 2 years.

Good websites to hear and learn the differences between locomotive horns. On your search engine (I use MSN) type "Five Chime Horn Consultants" and also "Chris' Train Horns". Jhhtrainsplanes if you go to these sights, you might be able to hear what you heard recently.[tup][^]

Hope you enjoy it! Peace out!

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by erikthered

Back in my dating days I had a habit of testing girlfriends by taking them out train hunting. (Be vewwee vewee quiet... we are huntin that wascally way freight). One spring day I picked up a gal whom I considered to be the outdoorsy type and we drove from Phoenix, AZ to Picacho Peak, about midway down the interstate to Tucson. (This was while the SP was still alive.) I actually had a tripod for my camera and had planned this shot for years... so I happily set up and began to wait, having set up a stick at trackside to use as a "click" point. The skies got cloudy. I waited. It got cold. I waited. There were a couple of drops of rain. I carefully cleaned the lens of my camera, and waited. This WAS a mainline, I thought. Then the heavens opened up, and I glanced over at my "date". She was patiently sinking ankle deep in caliche (pronounced Kah- lee- chee). So was I. Since we were now soaked to the skin we decided to try, try again, preferably on a sunny day. As I got back onto the Interstate, sure enough, SP graced us with a mixed freight barreling by at about a million miles an hour.
Sometimes you get the picture and sometimes it gets you.

Erik

Erik, this is like right out of the Twilight Zone!

This happened to us today!!!

We have been together for almost a year now, and Big_Girl had the day off, so we decided to go out looking for trains. She decided to buy some new tennis shoes in case we needed to do some walking. While she was in the shoe store, I heard the horn of a passing train. She came out a few minutes later with her new shoes on.

We drove a few miles up the hiway that follows the tracks, and there it was sitting waiting at a signal, so we went a little further, and got ahead of it. We parked the car in a small newly paved parking lot and got out to cross the street. There was a six foot wide boulevard between the parking lot and the street, and they hadn't put sod on it yet.

I stepped onto this soft earth and sank in a little, but I have large feet, and even though I'm heavier than she is, I made it across the few steps. She tried to follow......



Its pronounced

(MUD)

But we both had fun anyway and saw lots of trains.[:D][:D][:D][;)]

[Anonymous]

"No greater love hath a woman for a man than the woman who sacrifices her new Nikes for a train..."

Erik

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by erikthered

"No greater love hath a woman for a man than the woman who sacrifices her new Nikes for a train..."

Erik[(-D]

Well put Erik. I plan on making full use of this little adventure too. Now I have a "do you remember that time we went train hunting and I was wearing my new shoes......" for the next time I DON'T pass a test.[(-D][(-D]

I figure this incident should be good for a quite a few giggle sessions when we are laying in bed at night rehashing events.

Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself.[:P][:P][;)]

[JoeKoh]

Big Girl
It was 10 years ago this month when I got Mamma and a ge dash 8 in the same picture.
keep up the good work
stay safe
Joe

[mudchicken]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Big_Girl_4005

Originally posted by erikthered

"No greater love hath a woman for a man than the woman who sacrifices her new Nikes for a train..."

Erik[(-D]

Well put Erik. I plan on making full use of this little adventure too. Now I have a "do you remember that time we went train hunting and I was wearing my new shoes......" for the next time I DON'T pass a test.[(-D][(-D]

I figure this incident should be good for a quite a few giggle sessions when we are laying in bed at night rehashing events.

Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself.[:P][:P][;)]
[/quote


Mrs. Mudchicken sends her condolences and, after all, it only was a pair of shoes (plenty more where those came from, right?[:D]).....This poor gal had our first date interupted by strike duty and then endured "dinner and a derailment" on several occasions...managed to put up with the life of a railroad supervisor and still tolerates an occasional sidetrip to watch other people's trains. [bow]Congrats on earning your "attagal" in pursuit of the other half's vice[bow]


[banghead][banghead][banghead] snirty bird

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west

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