I found 3 grainy photos of C. P. & L. E. operations from the 1988 to 1991 time frame.
https://link.shutterfly.com/uBnqzDCZStb
2-6-0 #3 "Albert" is retired and sits by the "old" mainline station platform near Millennium Force. You can also see loco #22 "Myron H." and I think the "Judy K." on the engine house leads. The big red building in the background is the Cedars Hotel turned employee dormitory. If you look just beyond the pole on the right side of that photo you can see the big pile of coal.
More on these locomotives: https://cplerr.weebly.com/locomotive-navigation.html
Same me, different spelling!
The cable may be analogous to the chain that pulls the coaster up the first grade (with all sorts of clicking and whirring) before that hair-raising first drop.
CSSHEGEWISCH wjstix I'd argue - since I'm old and argumentative - that a roller coaster wouldn't count as riding a train, since it's not self-powered. Based on that definition, riding the cable cars in San Francisco wouldn't count, either.
wjstix I'd argue - since I'm old and argumentative - that a roller coaster wouldn't count as riding a train, since it's not self-powered.
I'd argue - since I'm old and argumentative - that a roller coaster wouldn't count as riding a train, since it's not self-powered.
My thinking here was that most roller-coasters, at least 'traditional' ones, are coasters... i.e. they make their journey coasting downhill, using gravity as the only power. Since cables cars move on their own up and down hills via under-the-track cables they access, I would think they'd qualify as being 'powered' vehicles.
54light15Don't the locals call it "Frisco?"
54light15, I know you're kidding. Actually, in California it's known simply as "the City."
Among the Argonauts, calling the City "Frisco" will earn you a correction that's always embarrassing.
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Flintlock, you are so right about him.
NKP guy In the 1980's I was the faculty advisor/sponsor for the railroad club at our high school ("The Theodore Roosevelt Guild of Railway Enthusiasts"). A few years after he graduated, I ran into one of our former presidents on the Cedar Point & Lake Erie RR. He was the engineer, and just as grimy from his work as he might have been had he worked for the New York Central in 1925. Needless to say, he was delighted with his job!
That reminds me of Winston Churchill's career advice to his children:
"Do what you like, but LIKE what you do!"
He'll never get rich but I'm sure your former student is one happy guy!
Well I do
54light15 Don't the locals call it "Frisco?"
Don't the locals call it "Frisco?"
In the 1980's I was the faculty advisor/sponsor for the railroad club at our high school ("The Theodore Roosevelt Guild of Railway Enthusiasts"). A few years after he graduated, I ran into one of our former presidents on the Cedar Point & Lake Erie RR. He was the engineer, and just as grimy from his work as he might have been had he worked for the New York Central in 1925. Needless to say, he was delighted with his job!
Since then he has spent his working life as a Boomer, employed by several small roads, always in engine service. The C.P. & L.E. gave him a great start to his career.
Among my former students are any number of doctors, lawyers, scientists, professors and the like, but just one steam locomotive engineer, of whom I'm very proud.
Most cities have something like that.
The "san franCISco" is the way I remember the locals pronouncing during my Bezerkeley years. Bay area was pronounced as one long word...
The San Diego area has a few place names that are useful for separating the locals from the tourists. Garnet is one that comes to mind.
Hey, when did SLSF have cable equipment? That's a whole new one on me.
The accepted correct term for the Bay City is just SF, the same as it is for 'science fiction' instead of sci-fi.
If you must capitalize your stereoisomers, isn't there more of it that's technically San FranTRANSco? (What you meant to write was FrANCisco, a left reading-frame, or a register, shift or something, simple but significant...)
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pennytrains However trains of coaster cars make more sense than trains of Frisco cable cars.
However trains of coaster cars make more sense than trains of Frisco cable cars.
To be an annoying pedant...
Many of the cable car lines used a grip car to haul trailers, so some cable lines did operate trains. OTOH, I would expect that the cable trailers were on lines that were relatively flat such as in Chicago as opposed to the steep hills in san franCISco.
True. Cars are cars and locomotives are locomotives but like die casting, the word train has been morphed by the uninitiated to mean anything they think it should mean. However trains of coaster cars make more sense than trains of Frisco cable cars.
One might argue that a railroad definition of 'train' would be more appropriate in this situation than an OED or even Fowlerite one.
But even so, no current coaster would qualify -- they all lack the requisite markers to display...
Oxford dictionary sez a train is: a series of railroad cars moved as a unit by a locomotive or by integral motors.
I'd argue - since I'm old and argumentative - that a roller coaster wouldn't count as riding a train, since it's not self-powered. But riding an amusement park train with an engine of some type and cars would. Just think of it as very-narrow gauge!
pennytrainsI've seen photos of Cedar Point's Cyclone. It lived up to the name. Although "Nightmare" would probably have been more fitting!
Haven't been back to Cedar Point since the late 70's. Wanted to get the entire family back there last year for a reunion, however, one of my brother-in-laws died unexpectedly.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
I've seen photos of Cedar Point's Cyclone. It lived up to the name. Although "Nightmare" would probably have been more fitting!
The Cyclone at what used to be Belmont Park in San Diegois my favorite wood roller coaster for nostalgic reasons. First rode it in 1967 with my dad and siblings, last time was circa 2014 with my kids. I told my kids that more time had passed between the first time I rode it and when I rode it with them then had passed between when it was built in 1924/25 and my first time riding it.
RR conection: Belmont Park was one of the last "Electric Parks" built - it was intended to create traffic for the SDERy La Jolla line, which also carried a bit of freight.
Wood coasters. Back seat.
I'm not too fond of those tubular upside-down-and-backward-in-the-dark coasters. They are sort of like the 35,000 Scoville unit sauce of the ride world.
But strangely even the steepest of the Cyclone-style conventional coasters never really got me upset... because I thought of them as they were originally designed, a more thrilling version of elevated railroads. Just with more gradients and sharper curve negotiation...
https://www.comicstriplibrary.org/display/957
CSSHEGEWISCH I wasn't much of a coaster rider
Me neither. Getting the hell scared out of me was never my idea of fun. It still isn't.
I can remember that some of the coasters at Riverview (world's largest amusement park!) had a sign saying "Let's go again" and showed a lower rate. Except for the "Flying Turns", I wasn't much of a coaster rider so I never paid up for a second ride.
Well, not nowadays. In the past they used to let you stay on the cars and ride again at a lower rate. Of course if you're like me and loved big coasters and happened to work at a park then you got to play crash test dummy and ride them while they were being tested! Like poling a train car, using employees to test roller coasters is illegal these days.
Flintlock76As long as we're on the subject of amusement parks I have to ask: Do roller coasters count as "Rare mileage?"
Do roller coasters count as "Rare mileage?"
pennytrains Or when a Fort Wayne engineer decides to lay on the whistle while you're standing beside the 765! (There's no emoji here for having the crap scared out of you!)
Or when a Fort Wayne engineer decides to lay on the whistle while you're standing beside the 765! (There's no emoji here for having the crap scared out of you!)
A Gary Larson cartoon comes to mind: Two spiders ad the caption was something to the effect of "Hey Bob, did I scare you or what?".
Also reminds me of Ward Kimball dancing a jig when Ventura County #2 blew its whistle.
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