What is Your 3 best railfanning experiance?

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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  1. Running GN 400 at this year’s GNRHS convention.
  2. Cab ride in Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad # 5 from Mineral Lake to Elbe Wa.
  3. Chasing SP&S 700 in 1991 between Yakima and Cle Elum Wa.
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  1. Riding behind 4-4-0 “City of Truro” on the centenary of its claimed 100mph run

  2. Seeing “Mallard” run in 1988 when they her out of York Museum to do celebrate the 50th anniversary of her world record breaking run.

  3. Having a footplate ride on a BR class 73 electro-diesel thanks to a friendly driver.

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  1. Riding behind 4-4-0 “City of Truro” on the centenary of its claimed 100mph run

  2. Seeing “Mallard” run in 1988 when they her out of York Museum to do celebrate the 50th anniversary of her world record breaking run.

  3. Having a footplate ride on a BR class 73 electro-diesel thanks to a friendly driver.

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Do not know the ride itself was some 30 years ago so what happen to the sharks after that maybe somebody else can give you some info on. The DHRR also had a wooden coach in a barn outside Albany NY that they told me was over 100 years old that they used for there board room for the DHRR meetings. The head offices were deeply paneled in wood. Quite ornate.[:o)]

I also use to charter a Conrail loco to switch my companies intermodal cars into my companies private siding. While the cars were being unloaded/reloaded I would take the engine on rides with the engineer but that was boring compared to riding up in the sharks going down a mainline at 70 per. [:o)]

[quote]
Originally posted by AntonioFP45
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25
  1. Cab Ride on the Adirondack in an ALCo C424
  2. Folkston Funnel - plenty of action plus Amtrak Auto-Train
  3. Fanning a “rare mileage” trip of the NRHS CNY chapters EL painted E8s
    Honorable mention: Visiting Rail City in Sandy Pond, NY when it was operating. Would be higher on the list, but I don’t remember much from a railfan point of view.
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  1. Seeing the “Flying Yankee” trucked into the Claremont Concord yard for restoration (and being quoted in the newspaper article the next day)
    1A. Watching the “FY” get trucked out of the yard to another railroad 1 1/2 hours away. (Bummer.)
  2. Every day at work. I’m a bicycle mechanic for a shop in my hometown that’s in the former railroad station alongside the New England Central mainline where it interchanges with the CCRR. (Surrounded by trains!)
  3. Watching the NECR switching in the North Walpole (NH) yard, realizing the conductor made his cut so his train was not in the light of the streetlamp, aiming my car headlights so they lit up his train (having heard him comment over the radio that he didn’t know how many carlengths to a hitch since he couldn’t see) and having him thank me over the radio for the help.
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trainnutz: i wish i was you glennbob[^]

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It can be tough at work when a train goes by while I’m on the phone or working with a customer and I can’t get to the window or outside to see whose it is[:(]. But the boss doesn’t mind me having my scanner going in the shop[:D].

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1: Being the engineer of the zoo railroad in St. Louis [:o)]
2: being able to climb all over a UP SD90MAC
3: Getting the train orders for a UP train

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My top three would be;

  1. Cab rides between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles and Bakersfield, Los Angeles and Yuma.
  2. Visiting a dispatchers office and seeing the control board.
  3. Touring a working rail yard in Southern California during a busy part of the day.
31

Any one of the Sentimental Journey train trips behind Southern 4501 from Memphis to Corinth, Ms.

Riding behind the “General” in Memphis in early 1960’s.

Cab ride in E-8 on the Panama Ltd through the Mississipi delta, making up time.

32

  1. My family and i got tickets to ride a special from Galesburg to Quincy, and back for “big-wigs” of the city for Railroad Days. was supposed to be pulled by Frisco 1522, but they burned up a bearing on the trip to Galesburg. So it was pulled by a LMX B40-8. dont know when i can top riding in one of BNSF’s executive cars, in an over stuffed armchair, and 60+ mph!

  2. While fanning in Galesburg, was invited up into the cab of a dash9, sat in the engineers seat, shooting the bull with the crew for 15 minutes or so till the got a signal to go ther the Cameron Wye, and into the yard. he gave me a ride in the cab about 100 yards back to where my truck was parked. ohh and i got to blow the horn.

  3. very shot cab ride in one of the ex-P&PU (i think it was one of their old SW7s) in East Peoria

  4. got to add a forth, driving a Put-Put car(speeder) thats owned by one of the guys in our club.

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1.) Meeting and chatting with WC Pres. Ed Burkhardt on the Van Dyne(Wi,) viaduct during Frisco 1522’s break-in run.

2.)In the WC yard in Neenah, Wi., giving a lift to a CN brakeman to the back of his train to get the FRED, during the Canadian Indian blockade in the mid 90’s, and then getting a cab tour and pics.

3.)Attending the dedication of WC’s SW-1 No. 1, as the “Francis J. Wiener”, (a good friend of mine),and getting my picture taken and put in the Soo Line Historical Society magazine.

34

My first would be two daylight and on overnight trip from Kiev to Kharkiv Ukraine last fall.

Fan trip over the Grand Trunk fnow Saint Lawrence & Atlantic from Bethel Maine to Island Pond Vermont in winter. Very Cool!

Rochelle Summer 2002 and seeing UP’s Office Car Special with the E-9’s for power hitting the diamond!

Regards

35

ohhh i forgot about the UP E9s.

i could even add 2 more to mine.

caught all 3 E9s with almost thier whole train of exec. cars in KC across the highline.

and BNSF employee special in KC with Milw. 261, wyed the whole train in Santa Fe Jct. tied up almst the whole BUSY, BUSY jct. up for almost an hour and a half! they didnt even bring it into to town the next day! stopped out in Holiday Jct. and just headed back