I Hear A Train A Coming!

I watched it many years ago coming up the Feather River canyon.What an awesome machine.
I am of the age to remember steam power where I grew up in Philadelphia.The Pennsylvania RR
had a massive yard a few blocks from our house.
Over the years we would plan camping trips around different steam operating railroads.
The Drango and Silverton RR and the Cumbres and Toltec RR,were one of our favoriots.
There's something about watching one of the huge machines pounding the rails.
Frank
 
We had the opportunity to see one of the big locomotives, probably Big Boy, in the early 1980s. To say it was impressive is an understatement.
 
Wandering Sagebrush said:
We had the opportunity to see one of the big locomotives, probably Big Boy, in the early 1980s. To say it was impressive is an understatement.
Click to expand...
we saw one in the deschutes canyon during that time. was not smart enough to have camera ready
 
Could also have been its partner engine. SP&S #700 . Was it all black or did it have considerable orange on it?

I have had both parked on the (now removed) tracks in Helvetia, Oregon next to my house back when OPB was trying to transmit some of the early HDTV signals.

Paul
 
Ski there was a section of that video that had a big influence on my life. My grandfather was a chemical engineer working for the Wabash RR. His job was to reduce foaming in the boiler which was a major cause of corrosion. I have a picture of him riding on the top a locomotive filming the boiler action through a window in the steam dome.

As a result of his work he started his own company which I believe was the Electrical Chemical Corp and developed the foam meter shown in the video. This meter detected foam in the boiler and signaled the engineer when to blow it off. In the late 30's he sold the company and moved from North Park Illinois to San Clemente Ca. As a result I grew up on the beaches of San Clemente instead of the streets of Chicago. Thank you Grandpa!
 
camelracer said:
Ski there was a section of that video that had a big influence on my life. My grandfather was a chemical engineer working for the Wabash RR. His job was to reduce foaming in the boiler which was a major cause of corrosion. I have a picture of him riding on the top a locomotive filming the boiler action through a window in the steam dome.

As a result of his work he started his own company which I believe was the Electrical Chemical Corp and developed the foam meter shown in the video. This meter detected foam in the boiler and signaled the engineer when to blow it off. In the late 30's he sold the company and moved from North Park Illinois to San Clemente Ca. As a result I grew up on the beaches of San Clemente instead of the streets of Chicago. Thank you Grandpa!
Click to expand...
What a great story!
 
Great video...thanks for sharing.

If you're ever in southern Colorado or northern New Mexico, a ride on the narrow gauge Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railway is well worth spending a day. We started out our trip this year seeing the Big Boy as it left Roseville, CA and ended with a ride on the Cumbres and Toltec. It is the longest and steepest steam train in the US crossing the border between Colorado and New Mexico 11 times. The locomotive is still powered by coal so the ride is smoky and sooty accompanied by the smoking and squealing of breaks as it descends the steep mountains. but the scenery is amazing and the volunteer docents provide great historical background along with a scrumptious lunch halfway through.

There is a rustic RV park in Chama right on the river so you can walk to the depot in the morning leaving your rig ready to go at the end of the day.
 

Attachments

  • CT1.jpg
    CT1.jpg
    280.8 KB · Views: 7
  • CT2.jpg
    CT2.jpg
    161.6 KB · Views: 8
  • CT3.jpg
    CT3.jpg
    155.3 KB · Views: 7
Thanks for the photos.
We camped there in 1981,took the ride to Toltec summit and
back to Chama.Spent the night at the campground and walked the rail yard.
The locomotive for the next days run was under night watch and we got to talk with the crew member and he let us up in the cab.

Two days before we camped at Haviland Lake CG outside Durango for the ride on the
Drango Silverton RR the next day.
We had very pleasant times. My girls were very small but old enough to enjoy the trains.

That year was a real train year.There was a rail fair in Sacramento. It was held at the newly
opened California rail museum.
The BIg Boy was there along with its running mate the UP Greyhound also the SP Daylight.
That was a summer to remember.
There's nothing like a steam locomotive.
Frank
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads - WTW

L
A Rustic Restoration Project. Bringing a 1980-Something Grandby Back to Life
Living The Dream
L
S
Snow Broke my FWC Hawk Roof
2
ckent323
C
R
Overland Route - Kofa Pioneer Trail
lqhikers
L
buckland
Alaska: A two week trip
buckland
buckland
B
Mounting a Wildcat FWC to a Land Rover Defender
2
Your Mileage May Vary
Y

New posts - WTW

Back
Top Bottom