Trains!!

SpeedPagan

SpeedPagan

The iRacing Guru
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A lifelong passion of mine (yes I held this passion even before I got into racing) has been trains. Ever since I was a little kid to well, now I've always loved trains.

A steam locomotive I rode behind earlier this year in Durango, CO. This was the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado.

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Now this has to be one of my favorite steam locomotives of all time. The Norfolk & Western Class J #611 or as I like to call her "The Queen of Steam."

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I actually have a long history with this locomotive, I first road behind her in 1994 when she was doing her farewell tour. Norfolk Southern was shutting down their steam program and they decided to do a farewell tour before mothballing the steam locomotives. Well thankfully in 2014, 611 was rolled out of the Virginia Transportation Museum and ferried down to North Carolina Transportation Museum to be restored to running order. Ever since then, every Spring and Summer 611 been pulling excursions. Back in 2016, I was lucky enough to once again ride behind 611 as she ran from the North Carolina Transportation Museum to Asheville, NC and back. The old girl hadn't missed a step.
 
I've got a friend that retired last year from a GE plant that build diesel engines for trains. He took us on a tour of the plant before his retirement so we could see what he does. It is absolutely amazing to see that side of today's locomotives.
 
I share your love of steam! I have ridden that Silverton train too many times to count -- starting in the early 60s. Love that ride.
If anyone goes to Colorado, put that train ride on your agenda. You will NOT be disappointed.
Also in Colorado, is the Georgetown Loop steam train. That is something totally different.
 
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This old steam Soo Line locomotive and coal car has been on display my entire life. Till this day I can't wait to go past it and look at it.
 
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When I was a kid we would ride the train from my hometown in the Upper Michigan to Chicago to visit family at least twice a year.
 
We rode the Durango and Silverton train in June of last year while on our Texas, NM, Co. etc. trip. We camped at the Junction Creek Campground just NNW of Durango in the San Juan National Forest for four days and it was a must do thing for us. It's a do not miss experience if one has the opportunity. We rode three separate scenic trains on that trip alone. We love'm and ride them whenever we can.
 
Love trains
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Took that last week parked off an active line near me.
One of my favorite railroads and a great one to visit if your ever in Southeastern Pennsylvania is the Strasburg Railroad. Extra bonus it's right across the street from the railroad museum of Pennsylvania
 
Here ya go @SpeedPagan . This one is in Blountstown Florida. We see it whenever we go to the Appalachia National Forest on a camping trip.

Marianna & Blountstown number 444, a 4-6-0 is on display at the "M&B Train Park" in Blountstown. Steam locomotive number 444 was built in 1911 at the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Brimson railroad. It was subsequently owned by Savannah & Albany Railroad Co. before acquisition and rennovation by the M&B. It operated as late as 1947 as a "stand-by" locomotive after the first M&B diesel locomotives had arrived.

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/florida/

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This one is here in town.

St. Louis - San Francisco RR No. 1355 Pensacola, FL, United States
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Photo Copyright © Jim Boyd Click to Enlarge
Wheels: 2-8-2
Builder: Alco (Schenectady)
Build Date: 09/1912
Construction No.: 51817
Empty Weight: 322,600
Weight on Drivers: 225,600
Driver Diameter: 63
Tractive Effort: 53,355
Boiler Pressure: 195
Cylinders: 26x30
Fuel: Coal
Gauge: Standard

Location: Garden Street, Status: Display
 
I rode the train at six flags when I was a boy.
 
Well today is the day! I finally got to sit behind the throttle of #611 and run her around the North Carolina Transportation Museum's ground. I actually got to pull a caboose behind the locomotive and the caboose actually had people in it. So I got a taste of what it's like to be a real engineer!

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TexasRaceLady said:
Green with envy, Pagan.
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I only got to run her for 30 minutes, but for those 30 minutes I was in heaven. Everyone's been great. The North Carolina Transportation Museum been great as well as the guy whose job it is to keep 611 running.
 
Awesome.

I actually have an application in with Amtrak right now for engineer school. I have a friend who works for them doing electonics signals and stuff. So he's been making some calls. We'll see.
 
kkfan91 said:
Awesome.

I actually have an application in with Amtrak right now for engineer school. I have a friend who works for them doing electonics signals and stuff. So he's been making some calls. We'll see.
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Good luck man!! :D
 
Was downtown the other day and out of the corner of my eye I saw these old relics. I guess they are awaiting restoration and maybe one has been used for parts. They sit on an unused rail line next to the electrified line.
One looks like a push me pull you.
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SpeedPagan said:
Well today is the day! I finally got to sit behind the throttle of #611 and run her around the North Carolina Transportation Museum's ground. I actually got to pull a caboose behind the locomotive and the caboose actually had people in it. So I got a taste of what it's like to be a real engineer!

What a great adventure! Happy to see your dream fulfilled. You look like you belong in the cab of that engine.
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I am new to this youtube "live" stuff but I tripped up on this site
and now its my go to when I need to veg. A live camera on
a busy RR crossing in northern NJ with audio. Its only been
up since April. They even have links for the radio/scanner
traffic of the line. Can't explain it, but I find it soothing and
fascinating at the same time.
 
Glad i found this thread, i too love trains. I feel like its weird to admit that, but i do! lol.


I think the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad finally has steam again, which has been missing for a long time.


I don't know if you ever go down to Disney World, but Disney does offer (for a charge of course), a behind the scenes tour of their roundhouse and their trains before they open the Magic Kingdom up for the day. I have not done this yet, but its on my list of things to do.
 
So I started weathering my N scale rolling stock. First up, putting "rust" on my trucks. A very good company makes powders that can simulate different weathering, for the truck I went with dark rust with a highlight of light rust.

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I didn't want to derail (pun unintended) @Clutch steam train thread with my non-steam engine pictures I've taken lately.

First my good deed of yesterday of calling this in before the local railroad started running this morning

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Then just some photos I took a few weeks back of my local railroad the East Penn.

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blue92 said:
You can thank the airlines for the downfall of trains.
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Plus I think our move to a high use of trucking instead of trains had a lot to do with the downfall of rail lines.

In Florida a large amount of old existing rail lines were converted to 2 lane highways which in turn then make it a 4 lane highway, like highway 17 running north and south in central Florida between Zolfo Springs and Punta Gorda or bike and walking trails in other places.
 
SpeedPagan said:
I love seeing photos of shortlines, thank you for sharing! :)
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I'm a member of a facebook page that posts about nothing but photos of shorelines. The East Penn runs right through my town connecting to CSX in Wilmington Delaware and the other branch they have connects to NS in Coatesville Pa. Personally I love the colors on their locomotives, they also have a switcher I need to get a shot of at some point.
 
kkfan91 said:
I'm a member of a facebook page that posts about nothing but photos of shorelines. The East Penn runs right through my town connecting to CSX in Wilmington Delaware and the other branch they have connects to NS in Coatesville Pa. Personally I love the colors on their locomotives, they also have a switcher I need to get a shot of at some point.
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There's a couple of Shortlines around here I'd love to get pictures off. Alexander RR, Aberdeen & Rockfish, Aberdeen, Carolina & Western.
 
SpeedPagan said:
So I started weathering my N scale rolling stock. First up, putting "rust" on my trucks. A very good company makes powders that can simulate different weathering, for the truck I went with dark rust with a highlight of light rust.
Click to expand...
I've started looking into starting a model streetcar/trolley setup for an eight foot shelf (not sure what gauge to go with). It is hard to find a selection of trolleys.
 
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