I believe it is a GP40 that got rebuilt into a GP38-2. The blisters look like a/c units.
BNSF 2008 began life as a Penn Central GP40. It passed to Conrail before being sold to BNSF and rebuilt into a GP38-2.
Those blisters do appear to be AC units, but similar white bumps can also be PTC antennae. They are usually smaller, though.
NorthWestBNSF 2008 began life as a Penn Central GP40.
If it was a GP-40, I'd bet it actually "began life" as NYC 3008. I know the Central had a bunch of GP-40s before the merger; they were our premier power and were assigned to the highest priority trains. When deadheading home (Cleveland) from an assignment, I'd always look for GP-40s on the point; they would get me home faster. I'm not certain but I don't think PC lived long enough or had enough ready cash to buy new power; some already on order might have arrived from LaGrange after the merger though.
ChuckAllen, TX
cefinkjrI'm not certain but I don't think PC lived long enough or had enough ready cash to buy new power; some already on order might have arrived from LaGrange after the merger though.
That appears to be the case. It seems to have been built 9/68 as PC 3167, serial 34344, order 7127, of which it was the 63rd unit built.
The rest of the order was built 8/68-9/68.
cefinkjr CShaveRR No--the edge of the pavilion's roof is visible to the right of the locomotive, about on a line with the swoosh on the hood. We're looking toward the diamonds. You and I came to the same conclusion but literally from different angles. I'm fairly certain that the extra high telephone poles to carry lines over the UP are the same ones seen in the web cam view. Then there's the yellow slow board (?) on the other side of the track from the photographer. I also think you can see the concrete slab of the upper viewing area and the fence around the lower just behind BNSF 2008. I came to this conclusion last night but couldn't see the web cam picture and didn't trust my memory well enough to say that until I had checked it this morning. BTW: The meanings of "UP" and "XING" on the sign board above BNSF 2008 are fairly obvious but what does "NX" mean?
CShaveRR No--the edge of the pavilion's roof is visible to the right of the locomotive, about on a line with the swoosh on the hood. We're looking toward the diamonds.
No--the edge of the pavilion's roof is visible to the right of the locomotive, about on a line with the swoosh on the hood. We're looking toward the diamonds.
I think NX was the tower that used to be at the diamond. The current time table doesn't show it, but I thought I've seen NX in older CNW era time tables. NX most likely was the telegraph call for the tower. There are NJ and NQ control points out around Nelson. Also I believe both were former tower locations.
Jeff
jeffhergertNX most likely was the telegraph call for the tower.
Oh my, "A long time forgotten . . ."
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
There is a real Fog Bowl going on out there now. It was interesting to watch a couple of intermodal trains go by a while ago. You could really see the effects of the spaces between the containers had on air flow. It moved the fog around quite a bit. Going into a headwind at higher speeds than we see here must really do a number on fuel economy.
Could the 'NX' be refererence to the GRS brand of interlocking?
eNtrance-eXit
No, Mr. Damon--this is an automatic interlocking over which dispatchers have no control, let alone the ability to route trains over varying routes in and out of.
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)
There was a tower, and I think it was NX. It was, however, located to the north of the diamonds, where the section truck is often parked (and where lots of railfans parked before the park was built).I think the model board from that tower (on loan from the late Jim Boyd, IIRC) is, or used to be, on display inside the gift shop.
Beautiful!
I logged on just in time to catch the last 40 or 50 empty tank cars on BNSF. The last few were just crossing the diamonds when I heard a UP WB blowing for the grade crossing. When it got in sight, it had one UP and 2 NS units on the point of another empty oil train.
Whoops. Not so beautiful.
WB UP oil empties stopped on the diamonds on #1 and here comes a WB UP stack train on #2. Stack train crossing over somewhere west in front of the oil empties?
Looking through the archives of the C&NW historical society .. did not find a tower photo yet, but did find this photo from 1947. One note said tower NX was in service until 1965.
rdamon Looking through the archives of the C&NW historical society .. did not find a tower photo yet, but did find this photo from 1947. One note said tower NX was in service until 1965.
OH! But to see that on the webcam EVERY DAY!
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Semper VaporoOH! But to see that on the webcam EVERY DAY!
rdamon, thank you, thank you, thank you! That photo just made my day!
AgentKid Semper Vaporo OH! But to see that on the webcam EVERY DAY! rdamon, thank you, thank you, thank you! That photo just made my day! Bruce
Semper Vaporo OH! But to see that on the webcam EVERY DAY!
What they said!
Of interest is that connecting track on the left that is no longer there.
10000 feet and no dynamics? Today is going to be a good day ...
cefinkjr AgentKid Semper Vaporo OH! But to see that on the webcam EVERY DAY! rdamon, thank you, thank you, thank you! That photo just made my day! Bruce What they said!
Funny how only 70 years ago or so a steam-powered passenger train on those tracks would have been routine, and no one would have remarked.
I wonder if 70 years from now our photos of the big GE and EMD diesels and clanking freights will occasion the same nostalgia? Perhaps by then the diamonds will be gone and the MagLev trains will be grade-separated. . .
/Mr Lynn
rdamonLooking through the archives of the C&NW historical society .. did not find a tower photo yet, but did find this photo from 1947. One note said tower NX was in service until 1965.
I'm wondering if a Burlington locomotive is lurking behind the pole that has the angled support pole. Can't tell, but I am suspicious.
cefinkjrWB UP oil empties stopped on the diamonds on #1 and here comes a WB UP stack train on #2. Stack train crossing over somewhere west in front of the oil empties?
Check your favorite satellite mapping program - the double track through Rochelle on BNSF is little more than a really long passing siding. The west end is at Flagg Center, a couple of miles beyond the diamond. The east end is about 5-6 miles from the diamond.
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...
tree68 cefinkjr WB UP oil empties stopped on the diamonds on #1 and here comes a WB UP stack train on #2. Stack train crossing over somewhere west in front of the oil empties? Check your favorite satellite mapping program - the double track through Rochelle on BNSF is little more than a really long passing siding. The west end is at Flagg Center, a couple of miles beyond the diamond. The east end is about 5-6 miles from the diamond.
cefinkjr WB UP oil empties stopped on the diamonds on #1 and here comes a WB UP stack train on #2. Stack train crossing over somewhere west in front of the oil empties?
One or both of us is confused. First, I described two trains on UP, not BNSF. And, you're right; BNSF double track does end a couple of miles west of the diamonds. I'll take your word for the distance but the location is not named in Google Earth. On the other hand, UP passes through a location named Flagg (not Flagg Center --- again, according to Google Earth) but UP double track appears to continue west beyond that location.
ChuckCobleighI'm wondering if a Burlington locomotive is lurking behind the pole that has the angled support pole. Can't tell, but I am suspicious.
You may well be right. It does look like a graphited smoke box front hiding back there.
cefinkjrOne or both of us is confused.
It's me - for some reason I read into your post that it was BNSF trains you referred to. AFAIK UP is double track all the way from Chicago to the Mississippi.
But I do wonder how many folks think that BNSF is double track beyond Rochelle in both directions. Acme Mapper (which also uses the Google satellite imagery) shows the locale as Flagg Center, and offers Topo maps as well, where the location of the end of double track is also identified as Flagg Center.
The topo option can be useful, as oftimes the maps are a little older and will show pre-merger railroads.
Sorry about the confusion.
tree68Sorry about the confusion.
No problem. The "Flagg" vs "Flagg Center" confusion was the topper. I wonder what locals call the two locations.
When I first hired out on the NYC, my job took me all over the system. That was a challenge since I was normally driving and was frequently scheduled to go to a location that was not on the map. It was not at all unusual for a local citizen to be unable to help and later find that I was within a mile or less of the location. On one occasion, I was at XYZ (where I was supposed to be) and the local had no idea where XYZ might be.
The problem, of course, was that the railroad had named the location 100 years ago and locals called it something else but the railroad never changed.
Ah, yes. When the Southern created a suburban stop just north of Atlanta, the railroad called it "Peachtree Station," for it is on one of the streets with "Peachtree" in the name--and the Atlantans called it "Brookwood Station" for its location. This difference led, of course, to problems on the part of visitors who were told by the visitees to get off at Brookwood and so did not get off when Peachtree Station was announced.
Johnny
cefinkjrNo problem. The "Flagg" vs "Flagg Center" confusion was the topper. I wonder what locals call the two locations.
I'm used to it here - there are several locations just within the county where both a "Podunk" and a "Podunk Center" exist. Not to mention a "Podunk Huddle..."
I suspect that you'd have a problem finding the local rail yard - most folks around here don't have a clue...
Railroads sometimes seemed to have gone out of their way to cause this confusion. Example: I was born and raised in the small town of North Charleroi, PA. But the PRR, probably for marketing reasons, called it West Monessen after a larger town on the other (east) side of the Monongahela River. P&LE, on that side of the river, called their siding over there East Charleroi. No one else ever knew either of these two locations by those names.
Just to make things interesting though, North Charleroi was always better known locally by the nickname Lock Four for the river lock that was there until the current Lock 4 was built on the other side of the river (at West Charleroi !) in 1932.
Indeed. Thendara, NY was originally known as Fulton Chain. The telegraph symbol on NYC was FC. It was renamed because of confusion with Fulton, NY. No one seems to have the answer as to why "Thendara" was used, except that it sounded nice...
In Michigan (and I'm sure many other locations) the original Highland is now known as West Highland - for many years just another intersection with a gathering of houses and a business or two. What is now called Highland was originally Highland Station, as that's where the railroad came through.
I think you'll find that a lot of the names of settlements share names with the townships they're located in, and vice versa. I suspect that in the case of Flagg, it's a possibility that Flagg on the CNW gave the name to the township, and that the township gave the name to Flagg Center (I've also seen "Flag Center") becase of its location in the center of the township. Another possibility (more likely) is that the township was named first, and that Flagg on the CNW was probably named Flagg Station soon after the railroad was built. I think that in the flatland Midwest, one will find that the railroads placed a station in each township along their line. Townships were characteristically six miles square, so stations were approximately six miles apart.
CShaveRRI think that in the flatland Midwest, one will find that the railroads placed a station in each township along their line. Townships were characteristically six miles square, so stations were approximately six miles apart.
That sounds like the logic used here in Texas to determine the size of many of our 254 counties. Yes, there are several outliers but most are nearly square and approximately 30 miles on a side with the county seat as close to the center of the county as possible. The reason for this that I've been told by old-timers is that this size would allow a man to go to the county seat on horse-back or in a horse-drawn wagon, complete his business and get home the same day.
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