JOINT W.F.P.T. / H.A.P.T. Summitt To Begin 7-1-08

Tuesday the fun begins as I roll northward for my annual H.A.P.T. Maine Adventure.I'm looking forward to hooking up with the guys.I'll be staying in Auburn,ME. At the Sleepy Time Motel located a half mile from Danville Junction and Lewiston Jct.So way up theyah in Maine if I see CSX it will be FOREIGN POWER!!! I'll have my annual lunch at the T.A. Truckstop in Greenland,N.H. (I-95 ex it 3) then northward ho.We will head up to Bangor to see Joey(Mr.Purple Trains) Kelley.Fine dining at Dysarts?Hopefully.We have the "WHEELMAN" back from Mexico,so we'll be up theyah in Bangah(AY YUP) in 20 minutes or so! The picture on the left was last years W.F.P.T. Railfan Picnic at the Shelburne Falls (MA)Trolley museum located on the freight main line in District 4 CPF-398.In the backrow left,third person Is the Late Sam Jodoin.
My best friends Dave's dad who died of cancer a few weeks ago.Sam had a great time there and became a railfan that day.Also Gary "THE BOSS"Young (Front row with cane) is recovering from his second stroke and is improving.These get togethers are always fun and memorable.H.A.P.T. memberCarl Harrison(rear row right).Let The Fun Begin!
Skull

July Picture Worth A Thousand Words

A bit early, but I didn't want to interfere with Skull's visit...

This is the first rail photo I've ever taken just to place in a specific spot in any media. Normally I don't think much about how I'll use a rail photo as I'm shooting it, unless it's a really newsworthy shot (those are pretty rare) and even then, I'm only generalizing that it ought to go somewhere. As I walked by this track car at the Nevada Southern Railroad Museum in Boulder City, the tool collection sparked all kinds of thoughts.

First off, these little cars are not as common as they used to be, though they haven't disappeared like "speeders" have. I've seen lots of larger, more modern variations pulled behind a hi-rail pickup with all manner of tools hanging on for dear life. These are also common in those large "maintenance blitz" outfits for carrying everything from spikes and coolers to compressors and even outhouses. But, they used to be found in nearly every town with tracks because there used to be track maintainers, sometimes called "gandy dancers", almost everywhere before the mechanization of routine maintenance. See this Wikipedia article on track. They used to get out daily to work on the track or signal systems somewhere within their own jurisdiction and these cars carried their tools of the trade. These lighter rigs can be pried on and off the rails fairly easily by two workers and they could be set off on a couple of old ties placed perpendicular to the rails and at gauge width. A far more common sight only a couple of decades ago.

Now look at the tools on the car. Anyone want to try to pull a spike with that giant "crow bar"? The weight and leverage might make is a bit easier but some of us less athletic types might find it challenging. Of course that is especially true now with treated hardwood ties that are pre-drilled and spiked with air powered hammers. I'd love to have the long fishplate bolt wrench to apply torque on my car's lug nuts after visiting a psychotic mechanic. The gauge bar looks easy enough to use. Set it between the rails and voila. However, what if it doesn't fit? Then you need one of the other tools. Ever try lifting even a small piece of 85lb. rail, let alone bending one? Let a "hydraulically enhanced" machine do it I say. All of these "armstrong" tools required a strong back and quite a bit of strength. I've played with similar tools but only on narrow gauge track with rails way under 35lbs and that was fun enough. Imagine maintaining a heavy mainline with 120lb rail using hand tools! The small museum at Horseshoe Curve has a great series of displays on this very subject. Talk about labor intensive! A whole crew could only be responsible for a few miles of track. That same sized crew today probably could cover all of Pan Am's District 1.

It wasn't that long ago when hand tools were common on smaller roads, albeit with slightly smaller rail and a bit less traffic to contend with. The museum in Oakfield, Maine has quite a collection of Bangor and Aroostook RR maintenance tools. One of the volunteers there even used them once upon a time and had fun telling us about them. Imagine leveling ballast with a hand tool that looks like a giant, extra-long cement trowel! What an art! Lots of jacks and steel bars involved too. A standard 39 foot section of rail was the largest piece you'd encounter. That's a lot of potential low joints to keep an eye on.

I guess seeing the small assortment of hand tools and parts on the cart got me thinking about what it takes to maintain track. Sure the guys in the hi-rail pickup today probably use some of the same tools even today for smaller jobs. Just imagine what is was like (cue the dream sequence sound effects) building and maintaining thousands of miles of track nation-wide with nothing else.

BC
Stay tuned for Skull's Excellent Adventures!

Rockin Friday Nite In Worcester,Mass.

P-945 @ 17:06 110 (P42DC) - 8 AmFleet Cars (Amtrak / Springfield/New Haven).
P-519 @ 17:30 1065 - 7 cars cabcar 1700.
P-530 @ 17:40 Cabcar 1700 - 7 cars 1065 pushing (Boston).
B-723 @ 17:54 6220(W) - 6247(E) # 2 west to CP-45,# 1 East To CP-43,# 2 West to train.
Q-436 @ 17:59 5010 - 691 25 cars.
P-942 @ 18:09 144 (P42DC) - 8 AmFleet Cars. (Amtrak / Boston).
P-523 @ 18:15 1025 - 8 cars cabcar 1703.
Q-423 @ 18:55 5436 - 5012 (from P&WRR).
Q-426 @ 19:25 610 - 615 with 23 cars for PanAm Railways. (PAR = SEWA) LV. CP-45 at 19:50 arrived at "Barbers" at 20:00. PAR crew was waiting.
P-527 @ 19:15 1057 - 7 cars cabcar 1705(?).
P-529 @ 19:30 1035 - 5 cars cabcar 1715.
P-536 @ 19:46 Cabcar 1715 - 5 cars 1035 pushing (Boston).
Q-115 @ 20:10 5215 - 5373 - 5293 .
P-944 @ 20:20 105 - 150 (P42DC's) - 10 AmFleet Cars (Amtrak / Boston).
Q-420 @ 21:40 699 - 35. 32 cars.
P-533 @ 21:57 1065 - 7 cars cabcar 1700.
Q-117 @ 22:05 5319 - 5304.
P-535 @ 22:16 1061 - 5 cars cabcar 1714.
It was nice to see the Amtrak Inland Route trains again.P-945 / 942 / 944. Amtrak Trains
P-448 & P-449 "THE LAKE SHORE LIMITED" Was Bused again both ways to and from Albany on the CSX Boston & Berkshire Subs.True to form the Coach for P-448 was 22 minutes LATE!
There was switch problems at CP-33 in Westboro tonight a maintainer was called.This is why MBTA Trains P-533 & P-535 were so late getting into Worcester Union Station.Also to note now that CSX has rebuilt the Station track the passenger trains come screaming into and out of Union Station.
No More 10 MPH Slow Orders.SO HEADS UP!!! The Providence & Worcester's Gardner Branch is out of service as it's being under cut in a few spots for Double Stack Clearance to and from PanAm
Southern's "Gardner Yard".
Till Next Time Railfans.
Billy Leazer W.F.P.T. / H.A.P.T.
George Bishop W.F.P.T.
HenryBourdeau V.F.P.T.
Dougie V.F.P.T.

Light Railfanning in Vegas

For the adventurous there are a few railfanning opportunities in the greater Las Vegas area. If you have the usual gear with you (I did not), you can find great sights out in the hot, dry desert. Well, since I'm a pale Mainer without my good camera, scanner or 4X4, I stayed with the civilized stuff. I was here for another national debate tournament, so railfanning was secondary unfortunately.

My "team" and I stayed at the Stratosphere Hotel which features the tallest building west of the Mississippi. Since guests are able to go to the top for free, we had to go. From there you can see almost the entire UP main through town. I was treated to some power backing onto a double stack right below us. As I traced the line through town I saw one of the RBB&B Circus trains parked downtown. It happened to be in town for the week. While these shots are well below par, they are from a unique perspective.

Another feature of Vegas is the Monorail. While some of us could care less, some of us find them interesting. I just love those huge switches for diverting the trains. It's like a giant model railroad, if you get past the monorail part, since there are no engineers or conductors on board the 4 car trains. It's a really cool ride anyway, if a bit bumpier than I would have guessed. Very clean and modern.














You know I had to take the shot at Hooters for Skull. The shop end of the line is from the Stratosphere tower.





Leaving town a bit, I headed down to Boulder City for the southern branch of the Nevada State Railroad Museum. Here the Nevada Southern Railway, staffed by volunteers, runs a train on the Boulder branch and informs you of the history of the line which is dominated by the Hoover Dam. While the museum has a small collection, it is easily accessible and mostly shaded from the sun. The ride is mercifully air-conditioned and only about 30-40 minutes, but you get a close up of the desert and some good narration. You'll see from the photo below why I made the slight detour to the museum. Being a big fan of GP30's was only one reason. This is the unit responsible for UP's steamer 844 being renumbered to 8444, plus I saw it in my youth on the Fort Collins local out of LaSalle, CO. I thought the flag was a nice touch. No obstructions to knock it over. For those of you who saw my previous photo of a UP caboose, the caboose on the tail end once featured the same slogan "Go Big Train" before getting the museum's paint scheme. (844 allowed me to update the Wikipedia entries for the museum and preserved GP30's, neither of which acknowledged the status of the unit)

Vegas was a nice place to visit, and potentially a nice piece of a greater western railfan adventure in the future. BC

Friday The 13TH In Worcester,Mass.CSX Boston Sub.

Q-423 @ 18:40 7354 - 5425 78 cars from Providence & Worcester R.R.
P-527 @ 19:06 1068 - 7 cars cabcar 1712.
Q-274 @ 19:10 8850 - 8135 - 8518 - 629 - 5000(Divercity In Motion).
P-529 @ 19:29 1035 - 6 cars cabcar 1715.
PRWOX @ 19:35 2007 - 2006 - 2011 - 2010 30 loaded coal cars & 7 General freight.
Providence & Worcester Train to PanAm Interchange Yard in Gardner,MA.
P-536 @ 19:45 Cabcar 1715 - 6 cars 1035 pushing (Boston).
Q-115 @ 20:00 5441 - 9050 - 7544.
P-448 @ 20:09 Amtrak "Lake Shore Limited" 181 - 3 AmFleet Cars (Boston) from Chicago.
Q-420 @ 20:45 691 - 5010.
P-533 @ 20:45 1075 - 6 cars cabcar 1708.
Q-117 @ 20:55 5478 - 605.
P-535 @ 21:50 1133 - 6 cars cabcar 1528.
WX-2 @ 22:00 2201(P&W) Pushed up Double Stacks for CSX Train Q-113.From P&W,RR.
A beautiful night in Worcester,Mass on the CSX Boston Sub. CP-45 Union Station rocked with railfans to see the HOT Action tonight.Earlier a Providence & Worcester coal train "PWBO" with
5 P&W Engines headed up PanAm's(Guilford) Worcester main line to Bow,N.H. Heads up on "THE NORTHERN" Main Line!I've been told the bridge replacement on Amtrak's North East Corridor in New London,CT. HAS BEEN DELAYED AGAIN! Watch the AmtrakNorthEast Yahoogroup for updates. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AmtrakNorthEast (JOIN US IF NOT A MEMBER).
A fun time watching trains at the "OLD AMSHAK" with lots of W.F.P.T. members present.Maybe
"THE BOSS" Gary Young will join us soon?A great friday the 13th!
Till Next Time Railfans.
Billy Leazer W.F.P.T. / H.A.P.T.
George Bishop W.F.P.T.
Ed Lamontagne W.F.P.T.
Henry Bourdeau V.F.P.T.
Matt Howard W.F.P.T.
JoAnna (Jilly) R. W.F.P.T.
Steve Delange W.F.P.T.
Bill Sweeney


The Worcester Foreign Power Team. The Heart And Soul Of Railfanning.Hebron Any Power Team. The Guardians Of Danville Junction.

June Picture Worth A Thousand Words

Here is a simple July 2006 photo of a station I am familiar with in Greeley, Colorado - about half way between Denver and Cheyenne, Wyo. In 1975 I took my first trip on Amtrak from this station when my family rode all the way to Boston's South Station and back. My brother and I repeated that feat two years later from this same station. In between I stood on the platform and watched the Union Pacific's "DP Main" - or Denver Pacific - come alive with huge, fast moving trains, not to mention the ocaissional 8444 special or E9's on the Stockman's Specials. First and second generation geeps were common for locals and there were the DD35 and DDA40X's mixed in with 6 axle power on the main. I watched Amtrak's transition from E units to SDP40F's to F40's here. I watched the old variety of streamline and stainless passenger cars change to Superliner cars here. In front of these very doors, the Colorado and Southern's SD9's would bring the Greeley local over from Fort Collins. Often that small local would be tied up out front in the middle of the day before it's return westward. It appears that the Great Western Ry. has taken over that chore and still uses the track in the parking lot.

Now all of this reminiscing is not why I picked out this photo. For a relatively small city, at least when the depot was built, this is a substantial building. It is mainly masonry and moderately ornate to boot. Perhaps prosperous "but not overly ostentatious" was what they had in mind. Do you think someone was thinking ahead? Is it possible that someone thought the railroad would live forever? Greeley certainly did a good business with the UP being a market town out on the plains, home of Monfort of Colorado and host to the Independence Stampede rodeo every Fourth of July. I just had to wonder; How often do you come across a depot like this in Anytown, USA and the original railroad still runs by it? It's been getting harder to find depots like that in the last couple of decades. The Union Pacific did not skimp on this depot and it was in fine shape right up until the Rio Grande Zephyr was combined with Amtrak's San Francisco Zephyr in the early '80's. That moved the route away from Greeley and opened this depot up to be purchased by the local Chamber of Commerce.

We all lament the passing of another railroad era when a colorful company bites the dust, but sometimes we catch a glimpse of that era right in front of us when we least expect it. Only the Chamber of Commerce signage betrays it in Greeley.

BC