Train Pics

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

 
My Grandfather was the Chief Technician at the Local Railways, and when I was a child He took me to the workshop and made me get on these locomotives, then in full use.
I wonder which child of today can have the privilege of playing the driver on a real locomotive (even if stationary, of course ...)




(Foto: Locomotiva a Vapore)
 
I can. I was in the seventh grade. An engineer for the Missouri Pacific took me to the yards, let me move the engine about a block forward then back. What a thrill.
 
billrunnels said:
I can. I was in the seventh grade. An engineer for the Missouri Pacific took me to the yards, let me move the engine about a block forward then back. What a thrill.
Click to expand...
Your post reminded me of when I was about 6 or 7 my grandparents took me on a summer trip as they did every year. We were in Klamath California one of the places we frequented on those trips partly because of the beautiful scenery and partly because there was an old steemtrain you could ride there which I loved.
Anyway, on this particular day there was nobody else there to ride the train and the engineer offered to allow me to ride in the locomotive for the whole trip( about 30 minutes as I recall) which of course I jumped at the chance. When your 6 or 7 years old it just doesn't get any better than that. As you said " what a thrill".
 
Thrill of a life time.
 
When I was very young we would visit the grandparents. They lived right beside the tracks at the end of a freight yard. Steam trains would be going back and forth all the time. I would sleep right thru my afternoon nap. Later when we older we would put pennies on the tracks, with parental supervision naturally, and retrieve the squished pennies. Us boys would stand at the fence (~20' from the tracks) and watch the steam trains all afternoon long til it was time to go home. We were never tempted to go thru the opening in the fence to get closer as all hell would break loose if we did.
 
In 1945-1946 The EJ&E (Elgin Joliet and Eastern Railroad) had about 150 miles of track in hub shape around the congested Chicago Yards. They crossed The B&O at McCool Jct, Indiana. West bound traffic to destinations west of Chicago would be dropped off and the EJ&E took the cars around to the receiving Railroad serving the West destination. A great time saver. As you can imagine the little railroad was very profitable.
 
Those were truly the good old days of the railroads. Steem engines , lots of smaller independent lines, and beautiful pullman coaches. Works of art they were.
Todays railroads have more the feel of a bus on rails. Oh well, I guess everything changes and thats why the good old days are indeed the good old days.
 
If one does a search of British RRs, one can find all kinds of videos of the olden days of steam.

From how a locomotive is built to how RRs operate.
 
Dinner on the diner nothing could be finer
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Similar threads

Steph's pics
2 3 4
Replies
63
Views
5K
SaparotRob
CAC Woomera's Pics
Replies
14
Views
1K
Gnomey
Elvis's sunsets and other pics
21 22 23
Replies
448
Views
26K
Gnomey
Some of my Grandfathers pics
2
Replies
30
Views
5K
Alistair G.
A
Steph holidays pics
Replies
14
Views
2K
evangilder
Menu
Log in
Register