Freight Trains Have Gotten So Boring

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
61

Larry, I have studied a lot of pictures from the 50’s, and I remember the 60’s rather well.

I don’t think the two eras can be lumped together so much.

From what I have seen, in the 50’s, yes, trains were dirty, it is dirty business. And there was some degree of left over, worn out, over worked WWII rolling stock floating around. But there was masive reinvestment in rolling stock, larger better hopper cars, piggyback equipment, new bigger box cars, mechanical reefers being developed - and last ditch efforts at new, fast, shinny passenger trains. So, my studies say dirt?, yes. Decay?, not so much in the 50’s.

The 60’s and into the 70’s, now that is a different story. That was truely the beginnng of the “we don’t care”, run down, rusty, paint peeling, junk eras, not unlike today.

Sheldon

62

Sheldon:

I am not a Ford fan but if I was to buy one it would be the FLEX for all the reasons that you state. My current ride is a 2014 Honda Odyssey. It is one of the most comfortable cars/vans/whatever that I have owned. Getting in and out is easy for both my wife and me. My lower spine is fused so ducking under a low roof line really messes up my hair (and I am bald on top![swg][(-D][(-D]). A friend of mine recently bought a Honda SUV. In order to get in and out of the thing I have to drag the top of my head across the top of the door frame. What a stupid design!

Regards,

Dave

63

Lets get real folks. Trains are used to move stuff, not entertain us.

Rich

64

Dave, the Odyssey is by far the best of the mini vans, and Honda is a great company.

My personal objection to the mini van concept is the driver position, somewhat high and close to the front, but most importantly I don’t care for front wheel drive.

Our FLEX is all wheel drive, a concept I am now sold on for passenger vehicles.

25 years ago I was not a FORD fan either, but 20 years of excellent experiances has changed my mind. That big green truck pictured above, just purchased in 2015, replaced a 2000 FORD F150 with 240,000 trouble free miles of construction work use.

Both FLEX’s we have owned - first one crashed at 50,000 miles - have been trouble free, as were several Crown Vic’s, several Explorers, and even a Focus our daughter put 170,000 miles on - can’t say that about the Nissan she had…

I restored/hot rodded/rebuilt this Chevy in my teens:

But I’m happy to be a FORD man today,

Sheldon

65

And cars are used to transport us and out stuff, yet look at the effort spent on making them attractive…most of it unsuccessful…

Sheldon

66

Now there’s a roof line that I could be happy with!

My second car was an MGB which I managed to get about 200,000 miles out of through numerous rebuilds and some pretty creative patchwork. I could sit in that car with the top up and still wear my Reserve Officer’s dress hat! Today, IF I could get into one (which I doubt) I would probably have to call the fire dept. to get me out again![(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D]

By the way, I always thought the Checkers looked pretty good too.

Dave

67

I have been considering a new vehicle. The Flex wasn’t remotely on my radar, but after reading Sheldon’s description, I will be sure to take a look at it when I decide to make the jump. I too am a big fan of all wheel drive.

Edit:

Apparently Ford has plans to kill the Flex by 2020 because it isn’t a big enough seller.

CG

68

'62/'63 Nova??? Had a '76 with the straight 6, 250 for a couple of years. Loved the simplicity and ease of working under the hood.

Tom

69

richg1998:

Yes, trains and containers are there to move stuff. But the more imaginative designs and liveries of the past illustrate the point that they can entertain us too, if the effort is expended. I’m more favorably disposed toward a company that interests me, and I don’t care much for one that bores me. Whether that translates into a better bottom line for that company, is a question beyond my pay grade.

Tom

70

Tom,

Yes, 1963 Nova SS convertible. Nova convertibles only made 62 and 63. 63 only Nova convertible with the SS package , which was still a 6 cylinder. V8 not offered in the Nova until 64.

But, late in 63 the factory offered a dealer installed V8 package.

Mine was built as a 6, converted to a V8 by me with full 64 driveline and suspension upgrade. When I bought it, it did not run, the PO had started the V8 conversion and lost interest. I took it nearly completely apart, took nine months to restore/rebuild.

I built the 283 V8, 327 large valve heads, 327 factory hi lift cam, aluminum manifold, 600 cfm Holley carb, custom ignition curve tuning, headers, 2.5" exhaust - about 325 hp.

Muncie M20 4 speed, corvette clutch, heavy duty anti sway bars, adjustable shocks.

Body virtually stock with all SS trim, custom interior, 160 MPH in dash factory look speedometer, original SS full instruments.

Manual steering/manual drum brakes/manual convertible top

0-60 = less than 6 sec.

standing 1/4 mile = 14.5 sec.

top speed = 130+ (don’t ask how I know)

fuel economy = 22 mpg highway/12 mpg city

Some not so great photos during the project:

71

I’m joining this discussion late so I might be repeating some things others have already said but I’ll throw my [2c] in anyway.

First of all, I’m a transition era modeler so I don’t have a lot of interest in modern day railroading. I haven’t researched it at all so these are just casual obervations. It does seem like there is much less emphasis on retail railroading and much more on unit trains where a single commodity is sent by one shipper to one customer. A coal mine and a power plant for example. Most of the freights I see when I am stopped at a crossing will have no more than two or three different types of freight cars in long strings. I’m guessing these strings are all going to one place. I’m sure there are exceptions but I don’t know of anywhere that you might see a peddler freight stopping to spot one or two cars. About the only variety I see is the grafitti on the cars, something that seems to have become prevelent in the last 20 years. What I really don’t like about modern day freights is the lack of a caboose at the end. I know they have been gone for over 30 years and there is no reason to have one anymore but it still looks wrong to me.

Even on the little Ohio Central branchline that passes through my little burg of Utica, OH there is little variety. A single train travels from the mainline in Newark to the service the grain elevators in Mt. Vernon. The typical consist is 12-15 60’ boxcars. On a couple of occasions I have seen a couple tank cars in the consist. To the best of my knowledge the grain elevators are the only customer on the line. There is a grain elevator in Utica as well but it doesn’t have a rail siding anymore. Last year I did spot a spur a couple blocks south of the Mt. Vernon grain elevators that led to a covered platform. I wondered if this was a team track and whether or not it was still used but so far I haven’t figured it out.

So yes, I do find modern railroading to be boring because of th

72

Mostly what I see pulling the grain trains on the Ohio Central Newark-Mt. Vernon branch is an old EMD switcher, painted orange and white with no lettering. I used to see an occasional Geep as well. I live about 3 miles from Utica which the daily train passes through on its way up and back down the line. On most days I can hear the horn blowing as it negotiates the numerous grade crossings on the line.

73

Along my favorite stretch of railroad (BNSF at Lyle WA), I saw last year:

A whole lotta “unit” trains: coal, oil, grain, ocean intermodal, military, land intermodal, trash (ugh!).

And.

Some regular trains with “assorted” cars. Woodchip, centerbeam, tank, box, flats with steel sheet, flats with poles, gons with scrap steel…

The local. I had a radio, so I could hear them discussing with the dispatcher about picking up or dropping off (can’t remember which) a load of wood–I think at Bingen. And not tying up the main. Power for the local tends to be one or two GP38-2’s and/or derated GP50’s.

And one CABOOSE. Yup. Which prompted me to order one of the recent Atlas versions.

Ed

74

Very true but,there was a rainbow in the late 70s called the IPD boxcar era where very colorful and brand new 50’ boxcars was seen everywhere.

Back to the 50s…The railroads was filthy,grimy and beginning to run down due to the State and Federal Governments forcing rails to operate unprofitable branch lines and passenger trains which cost millions to keep in operation. John G. Kneiling The Professional Iconoclast even stated railroads was doom if they didn’t change their business as usual practices.

He preached unit trains,intermodal trains,smaller crews and cabooseless trains was the future of railroading if they wished to survive beyond the year 2000.

75

I think we need to seperate the early 50’s from the late 50’s…

And, the railroads were all in for piggyback/intermodal, very soon after WWII - it was the government that was in the way…

If rates and territories for both trucks and trains had been deregulated then, not 30 years later, railroads would have done better, trucking would be different but very effective, 100’s of billions of gallons of diesel fuel would have been saved, and the highways would be less crowded and safer…

My father worked in the trucking industry, he was offered a job with the Southern Railroad’s piggyback operation. He gave it a try, but problems with regulations slowed its implimentation and he moved on back into the trucking side.

The early/mid 50’s wa

76

That’s why I like 77/78 era,lots of colorful IPD short line boxcars.

There is a difference between the early 50s and late 50s as well as location.I remember well the PRR steam along side of brand new GP9s and RS11s in the mid 50s. I also recall N&W’s GP9s and RS11s stayed cleaner then PRRs.

One thing I never seen modeled…The soiled toilet paper found along the track. You recall “Passengers will please refrain from flushing toilet while standing at a station”.

77

My family took an overnight train from Montreal to Toronto in the early 50’s. As I recall, it was a very pleasant experience.

In the mid to late 50’s I hung out around the Bay Area SP stations, tracks, and yards. Stations and other facilities were still neat and clean. Equipment was painted, as far as I can remember. I know it was nothing like the horrid shape it later descended into.

In school there was a lot of talk about railroads, but it was all about the end of steam. Even the adults were sad.

CG

78

This is extremely reliant on where you live though. Here in DC and Northern Virginia, the only unit trains are the Juice Train and coal moving to Georgia and South Carolina. Two out of three trains is a manifest freight. The most common thing I see is boxcars. It’s a huge shift from Pittsburgh, where it was all coal, scrap, and coil cars. We don’t even get autoracks through Virginia. They don’t fit in the tunnel under Virginia Ave in DC.

79

Last year I had a motel room overlooking the tracks coming off of Long Bridge into DC. We’re talking “stone’s throw” distances.

Lotsa juice. Lotsa what looked like phosphates. Fair amount of chemicals.

I surely miss Pot Yard. And the grade crossing at Burke, VA.

And, occasionally, my yute. Near Burke. And Alexandria.

OK. If you insist: looking out the window of freshman english at the southbound tracks of Potomac Yard.

Ed

80

I take back the no autoracks because the first doublestacks just moved through Virginia Ave on saturday.