I have been a fan of steam since I saw my first steam train and even years before then. Though I have since given up my Broadways for Lionels, I still like to talk to those that are still in the hobby.
I’m assuming you’re asking for us to relate some memories.
Back when I was young, in the PM (pre-mall) days, my family would go shopping on Friday nights in Pottstown, PA. There was a municipal parking lot on Hanover Street, right where it crossed the Reading Railroad. This is where we parked almost every week. I am old enough to remember a large steam engine pulling a string of empty hoppers westbound (from Philly to Reading area). Unfortunately I’m not old enough to remember what type it was, but probably a T-1.
They would blow for the crossing, and the manual gates were lowered by a man that came out of the little shack and did it with a hand crank mechanism. The ground shook as that monster rolled by.
I remeber my ride behind the 3985 a few years ago!!! Wow, that was some fun!
“The Roundhouse”?? Don’t we have to call this “The Athearn” now?? [%-)][swg]
Steam & diesel are still in transition in my backyard. The Indiana Transportation Museum runs on the tracks through my backyard all the time… Here’s some of their equipment (visit my website for a larger image, the link is at the bottom);
And NKP No.587 (a Mikado)
It’s an awesome sight to see one of these go roaring through your backyard! [:D][:D][:D]
I bet it is!!! Very nice photos, by the way!
I want to build a new transition era garden railroad.
So is this like the Coffee Shop for the prototype forum?
If so, that would be cool. A place to share pics of real loco’s and cars, and swap a few railfanning stories too.
Have you guy’s ever seen a fireless streamlined 0-4-0 porter? Seems like a complete contradiction of terms, but here it is;
How about that bad boy. I showed it the other day in the ugliest loco contest and I think it took honors!
Fireless steamers are REALLY neat. Weren’t they just basically a tank that was “topped off” from a stationary source? I’ve never seen one in person, but I’d love to tear one apart to see how it worked [:D]
As far as transition era, I model it, but I wasn’t around to see it (born during the dark Penn Central years). I did, however, see some relics of it. When I was a kid, the Bessemer & Lake Erie still used F7’s on the coal drags here, which went through my backyard. Around here, the transition era lasted until 1992!
Ray
Those B&LE F units are awesome! I love F units that survive into “modern times” I know there was an ore railroad, similar to the DMIR that had F units into the 90s, but on their last run, fell off of a bridge, and were wrecked! [:O] Anyone else know what I am talking about.???
I love trains and railroading, and I think this would be a great coffe shop for teh prototype forum!!!
later…I will be back!!!
This one is kind of falling apart, but your right, it is cool.
Yeah, they were topped off from a stationary boiler. Thats why they could never wander far from the scorce. They were used in areas where you wouldn’t want the smoke and sparks from a regular loco, like inside a factory or a mine.
The thing thatgets me is, never mind that this one is a switcher, throw in the fireless thing and I can’t for the life of me figure out why on earth someone would streamline it.
BTW, F units do rock! Those are some beautiful ones for sure. Gotta love an A-B-A set!
I am a transition era freelance modeler. I model a period that would be in the last days of steam but my fictional line is a struggling carrier that lacks the resources to complete the transition to diesel. It is a takeover target for the NYC which is already owns a stake in it.
I grew up in the 1950s but have only a few vague memories of steam locomotives in action other than excursion runs in the last few decades. My most vivid memory from my early days were of steel blue MoPac F units running along the line through Omaha near my house. I can remember seeing as many as 6 units on the lead of some trains at the grade crossing on California Street along Saddle Creek Road. In my mind, F units were THE diesel locomotive and I am going to have a large fleet of them on my layout.
I’ve never built one oof those, but I think they’re cool. A lot of upkeep, but cool. How much room to you have to work with? Got any ideas for features like towns, rivers, waterfalls, etc.?
I too freelance, but I am based on a prototype. My prototype is the Belfast & Moosehead Lake RR in Maine. My time period is just before WW2, so 1939-1940ish. It keeps me firmly in the steam era. I am moving in a while so I’m going to have to start over and I’m thinking about moving to the 1950’s. I could keep all my rolling stock and just weather it a little more, except for the oldest prototypes which would end up being parked on a forgotten siding.
Chris - you might be thinking of Erie Mining Co. railroad which became LTV Steel. They used F-9’s in NE Minnesota up until very recently - in fact, they had to get one F-9 back from the Lake Superior Transportation Museum after they donated it, to help haul some taconite in 2004 !! But this was just a clean up action, their last big year for hauling tac pellets was 2002 I believe. I was on a ‘farewell’ fan trip on the line in fall 2002, kinda neat going on an ore dock!!
http://duluthsuperior.railfan.net/erie_mining.htm
However I don’t know about the F’s being wrecked, I think they did have a derailment a few years back but not that big a deal.
Afternoon all,
I swung by the local train yard and got some pics that I thought you guy’s might like.
This trolly is awaiting a restoration.
This was sitting just a few feet away.
This F unit was sandwiched between two B’s all awaiting their turn in the shop.
The newest addition to the yard.
The latest finished restoration.
I’m sorry if I’m killing you guy’s on dial-up. I didn’t mean to. There’s more on the railimages site in my signature.
Oh well, I’m outta here…
Hey, did you steal that B unit out of the consist in my picture!?!?! [:D]
[;)]
I don’t think so. Here it is;
If it’s your’s, I’ll bring it right back![;)]
I read that when the temperature went below 32 degrees the tractive force of a steam loco would drop off.I have an old Erie TT that shows under the coldest conditions a loco would only haul about 60% of what it could do above freezing.Also at the bottom of a hill the train had to wait 20 minutes for the brakeshoes to cool and for the crew to release the retainers.Sometimes I take this into account on my model railroad.Ialso live in Indiana and enjoy the Indiana Transportation Museum.
I suppose it would make sense that the traction would be affected. I’d never thought of that. Those figures are pretty dramatic.