Shipping container station in the Netherlands.
914Driver said:
The Pennsy S1 was a cool-looking engine. It's baffling though, that the PRR designed a locomotive for long haul service that couldn't navigate a lot of it's track though, both due to curves and weights, and got restricted to just the Crestline, Ohio to Chicago, Illinois stretch. Seems like a bit of a developmental oversight. There are tons of reports of it doing 130-150mph though, which means the high-speed part they definitely got right.
Lehigh Valley built a streamlined Pacific that had a similar appearance to the S1, although the S1 was designed by Raymond Loewy and Otto Kuhler did the Lehigh Valley
Southern Railway also ran a very pretty streamlined Pacific, also done by Otto Kuhler. The weird thing is that while Kuhler was offered payment by Southern, Kuhler declined being paid, for reasons unknown.
And arguably the most famous of all, the Dreyfuss-styled New York Central Hudsons. That not a single one of these survived is a tragedy.
Don't forget the B&O Royal Blue:
In reply to NickD :
Next time you go through GCT, stop at the Campbell Apartment for a cocktail. You'll pay, but the space is wonderful - it's worth it for the experience.
This might be of interest. Hudson Line at Croton-on-Hudson. Southbound Amtrak passing the old station (now in private hands, I believe). Of note are the two Erie Lackawanna MU cars in the background. I shot this last year, and as far as I know they're still there (and have been for as long as I can remember).
love this thread. i grew up around trains, both through family influence and my proximity to the Pennsylvania RR's "main line" thoroughfare through Downingtown PA where i grew up and would see the trains when getting driven around or when i'd go to the lumber yard with my grandfather. spent a LOT of my early summer vacations avoiding the heat of the day by building up my model railroad in the basement. still have my grandfather's old Lionel set and all my old HO gauge stuff.
i've probably been to the Strasburg museum 5 or 6 times. worth it every time. that entire place has such a wealth of cool old stuff to look at. i never get tired at looking at the old GG1.
with family now in roanoke we go to the Transportation Museum every chance we get. definitely recommend it. aside from cool trains, they've always got a neat display of historic cars on rotation inside and bigger trucks outside. big O-gauge model railroad on the ground floor too.
some of what were there on our last visit in '18:
such a thrill to stand next to 2156 there on the far side of the top photo. i mean my head barely cleared the top of the drive pistons, just an absolute monstrosity. such an insane amount of complex metalwork, devised with slide rules and paper plans, still sitting there to this day. it just looks too impossible to work. really made me proud of the men and women that spent long hours to make it real.
If you're ever in Indianapolis, try to stay in the Crowne Plaza at Historic Union Station. it's a converted station with trains still rolling by. You can even stay in rooms that are in sleeper cars parked inside.
Delaware, Lackawanna & Western 4-6-2 #1119 gets a local passenger train underway from Denville depot.
DL&W 4-8-4 #1601 hard at work under a pillar of coal smoke.
I love old armored trains. The absurdity of the idea combined with the execution is both impressive and laughable.
In reply to slefain :
Then you had the railroad guns too, which were a wild idea, although I think that their contribution to wars was minimal at best
Schwerer Gustav (Heavy Gustav) had a 31.5" bore and effective firing range of 43,000 yards (~27 miles).
Yup! YUUUGE firepower on tap, just as long as the tracks aren't blown to smithereens to get it where you wanted to shoot things. Or worse, required special tracks to be laid in the first place. Oh, and if you have a few days to set it up without being shot at in the first place.
Meanwhile in Russia....
In reply to slefain :
Don't forget hoping that the tracks went anywhere near where the fighting went. Airplanes really rendered trains in an offensive usage pointless. They still worked great in support roles though
Boston & Maine's hulking T-1a class 2-8-4 Berkshires. The hood-like Coffin external feedwater heaters were rarely seen on any other engine
The B&M was never particularly enamored of their Berkshires. The way they mounted the trailing trucks decreased weight on the drive wheels, making them prone to wheel slip. It also stressed the firebox, causing sealing issues around the mud ring, and was prone to derailments when reversing.
As WWII continued and the Pacific Front took precedence, a lot of western US railroads were buying up locomotives to cope with the added business. In 1945, the Southern Pacific, expecting WWII to continue, was looking to purchase more equipment, and Boston & Maine was more than happy to send their unloved 4000-series on their way and make them someone else's problem. The Southern Pacific snapped up 15 of them and pressed them into service.
Later in life, the SP stripped them of the Coffin feedwater heaters and swapped out their tenders for "whale tail" tenders off some old retired Consolidations, making them look even funkier.
Santa Fe also bought a few, but restyled them a bit better, swapping out the Coffin feedwater heater for an Elesco and relocating the headlight to the center of the smokebox
Louisville & Nashville #1953 hard at work. The L&N's M-1 class Berkshires were nicknamed "Big Emmas" by crews.
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