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Being a long time member of this forum, I was wondering what type of railroads people were interested in? Where you go to see them and what RR historical museums you like to visit?
Posts: 106 | From: Hilton NY USA | Registered: Feb 2001
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My personal favorite is Santa Fe and anything that has to do with Warbonnets, FP45's, and certain 4-8-4's numbered 3751. I also like Southern Pacific. As for rail museums, I've always enjoy Orange Empire in Perris, as it has an extensive collection of SP and ATSF equipment in operating conditon, and a very friendly, relaxed atmosphere.
Posts: 246 | From: Anaheim, CA | Registered: Apr 2002
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I'm partial to the long-gone New York Central. I rode its trains often when I was a little kid.
Trying to spot NYC remnants while I'm traveling on Amtrak is always something of a treasure hunt. Apart from the stuff in museums, not much survives.
But it's always cool to spot a rusty freight car, an old station, or even a surviving platform canopy. And luckily, the NYC's biggest treasure -- Grand Central Terminal in New York -- is still standing.
As for museums. . .
I like the Golden Gate Railroad Museum in San Francisco.
Why? Well, it doesn't have a kiddie train. Nobody walks around dressed like an "old time" conductor. And there’s no on-site gift shop selling "Thomas the Tank Engine" mouse pads.
It's simply a couple of old warehouses and sidings filled with vintage engines and passenger cars. They've got stuff from the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s -- sleepers, coaches, diners, baggage cars, and even a dome car or two. Most are from the UP, SP, and Santa Fe. Among them is the enormous "Cascade Club," a diner/lounge that spans the length of three standard railroad cars.
Some of the museum's rolling stock has been restored. Other cars still look as if they were rescued from the weeds only seconds before the scrapyard guys showed up. You can go inside many of them and look around.
The museum isn't easy to find, and it's only open on weekends. But it's definitely worth checking out.
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working for the railroad kinda makes it easier- but anything conrail or its make-up roads also western maryland. the best museums- if you can get access to it- is the back shops to railyards. i've seen some really good older stuff- pc cov. hopper at enola carshop- still mean and green. prr boxes and gons at oak island, nj. and wm cars at hagerstown and cumberland md. i like the b&o museum- close and user friendly,plus my rr. employee disc. is nice.
Posts: 85 | From: owingsmills, md. | Registered: Aug 2002
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Any railroad, operating or not, is of some interest. Heavy duty mainlines, weed-covered branch lines, long abandoned rights-of-way...
In the late 70s, before the spray paint taggers hit EVERYTHING, I used to take photos of 'fallen flag' freight cars still in service. I recall seeing the occasional NYC or PRR boxcar, unrepainted / unrenumbered. NP or GN boxcars would turn up now and then, as would "pre-Rock" Rock Island cars.
My best find ever was an old NC&SL gondola at a steel mill in the mid 70's, a good 20 years after the line merged with L&N. Gondolas tend to get banged up pretty good and they are not likely to make repeat trips to the paint shop.
In Vernon, CA, just south of Los Angeles, there is a well-preserved NYC round-end observation car. It is used to store files for a business and is in pretty good shape (in spite of being miles from home rails in a not-so-great neighborhood of factories).
Museums: Sacramento RR Museum; Orange Empire Museum (and Lomita RR Museum though I am biased there)
Posts: 874 | From: South Bay (LA County), Calif, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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In response to MPALMER's post, about three years back, I happened across a somewhat faded, but otherwise unaltered Northern Pacific 50 foot box car in a small yard off the BNSF main line in La Mirada. It still had all it's NP reporting marks and the signature NP "yin-yang" emblem. It later went out on a freight.
I still run across old Great Northern cars once in a while too. Apparently, BN must have been very slow to repaint after the 1970 merger.
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In response to MPALMER's post, about three years back, I happened across a somewhat faded, but otherwise unaltered Northern Pacific 50 foot box car in a small yard off the BNSF main line in La Mirada. It still had all it's NP reporting marks and the signature NP "yin-yang" emblem. It later went out on a freight.
I still run across old Great Northern cars once in a while too. Apparently, BN must have been very slow to repaint after the 1970 merger.
That's almost 30 years after the BN merger! Amazing! I have not seen an NP car in years...but on a recent trip to the Denver area I found a WP boxcar and WP crane on the UP/Kansas Pacific line. I don't recall if the WP car had a "BN patch" on the reporting marks, but the crane was unaltered. 20 years since WP disappeared...
MP
Posts: 874 | From: South Bay (LA County), Calif, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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Some areas of the country (plains/midwest?)seem to have more of those old cars. I'm in the L.A. area so I see mostly double-stacks etc; which have replaced many of the boxcars in my area.
And of course my comment should have been "UP patch" not "BN patch". I must have been thinking of old BN-WP runthroughs in the Stockton area.
Back to the original question....one interesting area to see trains in my area is the south end of the Alameda Corridor. There are a few miles of heavy-duty multi-track line with several signal bridges and grade separations, which has all placed in service over the past year. And much of it is paralleled by Alameda Blvd, so access is easy.
Posts: 874 | From: South Bay (LA County), Calif, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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And since this is an "Eastern US" question, how about Point of Rocks, MD or other areas along the Potomac River as interesting train viewing sites?
Ditto for the Alexandria VA station.
Posts: 874 | From: South Bay (LA County), Calif, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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My name sez it all CSXFANDAN I take pictures of flags on any type car or ??? my favorite place to spot is St. Denis as it is close to me. I also like Cumberland Md's yard. As for museums B&O.In Baltimore.
[This message has been edited by CSXFANDAN (edited 09-19-2002).]
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I am partial to the old Norfolk and Western, and eastern coal hauling railroads in general. This is because I grew up in the Ohio valley area and remember long coal drags on both C&O and N&W.
My second favorite railroad was Conrail since I live in its former territory.
As for museums, I loved the B&O museum when I visited. Also the Railroad Museum of PA, in Strasburg PA is very good as well as the Railroader's museum in Altoona, PA. Of course the latter has the benefit of being near Horse Shoe Curve.
Now, up here in New England, along the former Conrail Boston line, CSX has taken over. However, I still can't warm up to them. They seem to lack the character that Conrail had.
------------------ AJ Y6b N&W and Conrail Fan http://communities.msn.com/TheGRRModelRR (my page)
http://www.nvrra.org (my club's page)
Posts: 30 | From: Eastern Mass, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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I'll go for most things Amtrak and BNSF, and I'll search for UP and others when I'm on vacation. I do most of my railfanning in Northern Arizona (we have some great scenery). I like the mixed, merchandise, and grain trains the best, because they have more variety than stacks and "pigs." One of the few museums I've visited is the California State RR Museum in Sacramento, CA. It's a nice place, and I encourage everyone to stop by if you're ever in that area.
Posts: 553 | From: Flagstaff, AZ USA | Registered: Apr 2001
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I like anything Amtrak, BNSF and anything else that is Santa Fe. My great gramma grew up on the ATSF work trains,her mom fed the crews and her dad was a crewman. I strongly dislike UP because they treat Amtrak like doodoo.
Posts: 139 | Registered: Oct 2002
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That one is easy for me. The former L&N. The Louisville & Nashville railroad in New orleans was my first railroad job. I was hired as a brakeman in june of 61. Orignaly from Texas and i grew up in a railroad familly. My dad, grandfather and great grand father worked for what was once the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe railroad which after gaining control of became part of what is refered to as the AT&SF and now part of the BNSF. But i had a lot of fun those first six of many my years of railroading on the L&N made a lot of friends there to, and i still talk with most of them. Some are retired and some are still working there but its, CSX today. I was on vacation there last year dropped in no a old buddy of mine who is a conductor. Well while i was there he got called to work. I was saying my goodbyes and stuff and he told me to hold on he made a phone call and told me that a friend of ours was the engineer and wanted to know if i wanted to come live the old days again and go to Mobile,AL. It took me a second to say, yes. Well i went and had a good time, course i had to pay for my own room this time. When i was there we only went to gulfport,MS. My how things had changed but the route still looked and felt the same only the cars and engines were a diffrent color now and we went a little bit futher. I left the L&N in october of 67 as a brakeman for the AT&SF railway co. As much as i hated it i wanted to be like my dad and work with him, as he was an engineer, on the same routes i heard him and my grandfather talking about growing up as a kid. And as a bonus my younger brother had started as a brakeman a year ago. It was nice to be home around old friends and i knew were i was going with out haveing to stop and ask directions. But i still dewell on those days on the old L&N, and i still do that today. I have hanging over my computer desk two old railroad hearld's that i took(sounds better than stole) from a back room of stuff in the depot before i left. Passenger train 8 and number 9 the Pan-American that ran from cincinnati to New Orleans and one from number 11 and 12 The Gulf Wind that ran from New Orleans to Chattahooche that was in later years put in with the Pan-American and i have a AT&SF one on the opposite wall that my dad had gave to me that had been removed from an old Super chief observation car that had been converted into a business car for use by company officals and friends..but what i rember the most growing up and i don't know who drew it first, it was the one with the boy and a super chief going down the tracks and the boy had a stick in his hand and was wrighting the words "Santa Fe all the way" in the sand any help with when this was done? But as far a museums i've been to serval and liked them all..If you ever are in Dallas,TX check out the one at fair grounds it is nice with a well rounded selection of east and west coast railroads memrobillia, and one of the worlds biggest steam locomotives UP's Bigboy 4-8-8-4 which i have been told is undergoing restoration to full working order making it the largest steam engine in the world. Mobile is another good one as is the one in New orleans. My best passenger experience had to be on the old Penn railroad the Manhattan Limited. Rode it from chicago all the way to Manhattan with my dad and familly to vist familly there had been in chicago. Took the Texas chief to chicago to see my uncle and everyone went to Manhattan..that was in december of 49..what i rember the most the diesel had stopped and to keep the train on time and going they put a steamer on it..i watched it smoke the whole trip i was glued to the window hopeing to get a glimpse of those big wheels and rods turning round and round till we got out side of Manhattan like Chicago..No smokeing rule for the railroads so we finished the trip pulled buy an electric engine but that sure was fun.
Posts: 8 | From: Texas, USA | Registered: Oct 2002
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Right now, I'd have to say the CNW has been my favorite railway for the longest time. It stems in part from the fact that the CNW went all over Wisconsin, & was as much a Wisconsin railroad, & a part of the WI RR scene, as the Milwaukee was.
Posts: 506 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Mar 2002
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My favorite railroad is the pre-merger Southern Railway. I grew up close to Chattanooga, and I miss seeing the imitation gold and black high hood diesels that once dominated DeButts yard. I also am a huge fan of the Southern rolling stock, especially the "Gives a Green Light To Innovations" brown/tuscan/oxide/whatever boxcars.
Posts: 4 | From: Jacksonville, AL, USA | Registered: Nov 2002
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My two all-time favorites (it's a tie) are the Seaboard Air Line and the Georgia Group Railroads (Georgia RR/Atlanta & West Point/Western Railway of Alabama). Close second to those two with me is the Central of Georgia.. The C of G had almost completely vanished as an independent carrier before my time. Likewise, I never got a look at the Seaboard, either, as it merged with the ACL when I was 5. I didn't live around the Georgia Group railroads before they were morphed into the Seaboard System, either. Nevertheless, all the railroads mentioned above were true eccentrics, tough little railroads that found often-humorous ways to do things "on the cheap"...and when they tried to be efficient, they could do things with style. SAL and the C of G had some colorful diesels, passenger cars, and boxcars and other rolling stock. I personally grew up around the SCL. The SCL was okay but never really "rocked my world" like the railroads mentioned above.
Posts: 10 | From: Leesburg,GA,USA | Registered: Oct 2002
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I've been following this topic since it was first started and have enjoyed all the replys. For what it's worth here's my 2¢s
quote:Originally posted by Jesse: what type of railroads people were interested in?
The best answer is any type. I really like to watch shortline and switching operations, but these are rare to find. I once enjoyed passenger trains, but these became too much the same after a while - seen one seen them both. Now I look for mainline Class One freight where the trains are plentiful.
quote:Where you go to see them
As stated above - where the trains are plentiful. Whether close to home or wherever I might be.
quote:what RR historical museums you like to visit?
I'm not all that interested in museums. While I relish the sight of a beautifully restored and operation piece of equipment far too many museums feature rusted hulks of neglected history. Posts: 149 | From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Mar 2002
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As my username implies, the Reading. Why? Variety. All kinds of homebuilt steam power, its own "pocket streamliner" (the Crusader, 1st stainless-steel train in the East and king of the 90-mile Philly-Jersey City run), high density of on-line industries, electrified suburban territory, appearances by B&O, CNJ, LV and WM power. Oh yes, and coal (though I'm not a huge fan of solid coal trains per se). Add to that the Reading's architectural character, with its brown-and-cream stations, many of which were designed by the eclectic Frank Furness. Reading Terminal, now the heart of Phila.'s convention center and seen in the film "12 Monkeys".
Check out the great website of the Reading CO. Technical & Historical Society at www.readingrailroad.org and see how you can help them reach their goal of a Reading Railroad museum.
On the topic of fallen flags - spotted a PC boxcar in Bloomington, IN once (in '97), and saw a highway trailer with the "worms in love" logo on the PA turnpike two years ago.
------------------ Take a ride on the Reading!
[This message has been edited by RDGAndrew (edited 11-20-2002).]
[This message has been edited by RDGAndrew (edited 11-20-2002).]
Posts: 4 | From: Ambler, PA, USA | Registered: Nov 2002
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i love Conrail. As you can see from my name the SD80MAC's were the best. We loved to see them up on the Boston and Albany Line. While everyone was trying to see them on different Lines throughtout the Conrail system on a Saturaday we could see 10 to 14 units!!!! I truly miss the Conrail name. Say what you want no one could run the Van trains better then they could!!!!
Posts: 10 | From: north haven, CT USA | Registered: Nov 2002
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My favorite is the long-gone Pennsy. I was a young teen at the time of the Penn Central merger, but I did get to ride a Pennsy local once before that. However, during my teenage years, ex-PRR E-8's and E-7's with P70 coaches operated through the town (Avon, NJ) where we lived. I rode them many times, and north of South Amboy they were pulled by GG1's.
We have lived in Virginia for 11 years now and my favorite spot is Ashland--lots of trains, plus the station houses the visitor center, so there are benches, a restroom--good for trainwatching with the kids.
------------------ Steve Dunham Literalman@aol.com http://www.stevedunham.50megs.com/
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My favorite fallen flag is Burlington Northern. Favorite current rr is BNSF. I don't go to muesems that much, but I like to see frieght in action. Read my post "El Dorado State Park" under the Central US section.
------------------ Bill
Posts: 7 | From: Houston TX USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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MR SD40-2, Any particular part of BN? Burlington-Rock Island or Ft Worth & Denver (don't think they had that much non-Santa Fe heritage in Texas) MP
Posts: 874 | From: South Bay (LA County), Calif, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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quote:Originally posted by CG96: Right now, I'd have to say the CNW has been my favorite railway for the longest time. It stems in part from the fact that the CNW went all over Wisconsin, & was as much a Wisconsin railroad, & a part of the WI RR scene, as the Milwaukee was.
Gosh, what a history and knowledge of railroading. Thanks very much.
Doug Vernon,. San Diego, California
Posts: 21 | From: San Diego, CA USA | Registered: Aug 2002
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Being a native of San Diego I would have to say my emotional favorite train is "The San Diegan" which traveled the coast route between San Diego and Los Angels. The San Diegan operated with the livery of the Santa Fe's red and yellow war bonnet scheme. But I also have a place in my heart for the New York, New Haven and Hartord since I rode the line from New Haven, Connecticut to Bridgeport as a commuter. That was in the 1960's. The other line that is a favorite is...or was the New York Central. I remember seeing pictures of those great big beautiful "Hudson" type locomotives with New York Central inscribed on their huge tenders. Another line that has caught my attention is the "Milwaukee"...especially the lines "Olympic" trains with those great and beautifully sculptured observation club and lounge cars with the rear windows going almost all the way up to the top of the car. I understand that some of those coach' have been restored...which makes me a very happy camper.
Thanks for the time. Doug Vernon, San Diego
Posts: 21 | From: San Diego, CA USA | Registered: Aug 2002
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Wherever the trains are rolling, sitting, or expected is where I go to watch them. As far as which roads, types, etc. I watch: if it's on rails, I'll watch it, if it looks different or is something I could model, I'll take pictures
------------------ Cory (o:}=
Posts: 140 | From: Kirksville, Mo | Registered: Dec 2002
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Has to be Pen Central [where I hired in "74"]& now of coarse Conrail[where I work on whats left of it!]
Posts: 2 | From: New Haven,MI | Registered: Apr 2003
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AS my user name implies, my favorite railroad is the Southern Pacific. I also like Santa Fe.and the Pennsy.For museums,my favorite is the Orange Empire Railroad Museum.I also like theCalifornia State Railroad Museum,and I enjoyed the B&O Railroad museum.Add the Chicago,South Shore and South Bend to my list.
------------------ Trust Jesus,Ride Amtrak.
[This message has been edited by espeefoamer (edited 12-01-2003).]
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New York Westchester & Boston: Putnam Division of the New York Central; New Haven's Maybrook Line; Erie-Lackawanna; Delaware & Hudson; Ontario & Western; Canadian Pacific; Pacific Electric.
Dave
Posts: 284 | From: Ithaca, NY USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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1. The Reading, especially for the T-1 4-8-4's.
2. The Philadelphia & Western (which is, unfortunately, no longer a railroad, and hasn't been since 1970). The Bullet cars were the Matriarchs of high-speed rail; the first railroad equipment ever tested in a wind tunnel.
Posts: 49 | From: Drexel Hill, PA 19026 USA | Registered: Nov 2003
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Well I`m from the Schuylkill River Valley of Pa. and in this valley we had two raillines one was the Reading Company Main line and the PRR Schuylkill Valley line . But being a local historain as I am I`m interested in all railroads big or small. But I guess my Favorite Railroad is the PRR , as I`m a memeber of the Railroad museum of the PRR located at Strasburg,Pa.
Len.
Posts: 3 | From: East Coventry Township,Chester County,Pa. | Registered: Jan 2004
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