Grassroots Railroad Sports?

A 3-truck Shay belonging to the Ely Thomas Lumber Co. switches cars at the mill in Fenwick, WV in March of '63.

Looking like a vintage photo, but actually taken at Cass in the 2000s, Mower Lumber Company #2 works a trainload of logs along. With limited yard space and no wyes or turntables, it was not uncommon for logging engines to get cut into the middle of trains.

Another similarly old time-looking photo taken in 2005, Mower Lumber is pulling an empty train with what looks like a Barnhart loader, or some derivative of it, a few cars back. A Barnhart loader was a self-propelled crane that could move itself along rails laid on top of the log cars. So it started on the second from the last car, loaded the last car, moved forward a car, loaded the second-to-last car, and so on until the train was full. 

Mooka train station and steam museum  -  Japan.

I'm thinking of going to NH on October 22nd. Conway Scenic Railroad posted that they are running a special train "borrowing the 470 Railroad Club's vintage diesel locomotive", with "multiple stops for photography". The 470 Railroad Club has Boston & Maine F7A #4268, and Conway Scenic has Boston & Maine F7A #4266, so I believe that means it will be a matched pair of Boston & Maine F-units, in the New England mountains, in fall. It's $85 for First Class and they estimate the trip will be 5-8 hours. That seems hard to pass up. And I do have a friend in Concord that I could probably crash with to save on hotel expenses.

In reply to NickD :

Wow, that is tempting. I've driven through North Conway several times and seen the station, but never ridden the train.

Bought my first class ticket today, which is in the dining car. There was only 2 first class seats left, and premium (dome car) was completely sold out. No clue what the coach situation was. I've never ridden in a dining car, and never eaten a hot meal aboard a train, so I'm excited for that experience. 

This weekend, Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #3751 made her first trip since she went down for her 1472 back in 2017. She made the trip from LA to Fullerton, CA over Amtrak rails to put in an appearance at the Amtrak Track Safety community event at the Fullerton Transportation Center. While #3751 has been equipped with a PTC system which will allow 3751 to use the diesel's PTC system in order to be in the lead, it is still waiting on software, and so it had to trail the Operation Lifesaver GE P42 #203 down. This photo is of it backing out of the siding for the return trip to LA, and shortly afterwards, the #203 was run around to the lead position. Interesting that while Amtrak has no interest in parties chartering trips over their rails, they aren't opposed to letting the #3751 run over their own tracks for an event that they are putting on themselves.

Also, this photo shows just how absolutely massive an ATSF 3700-series "Improved Mountain" (yes, that is how Santa Fe internally referred to the 4-8-4 wheel arrangement) is. First, looking at just the locomotive, those are 80" drivers, which don't look that tall or ungainly in proportion to the rest of the locomotive. It takes a big engine to make an 80" driver look normal. Then notice that the cab is as high, or potentially taller, than the tops of those Superliner cars. Yeah, the 3700-series were a monster of an engine.

In reply to NickD :

I mentioned it to my GF after you first posted it, and she was up for it, so we'll be there too. I booked one of the dining cars - I don't recall which one. Looked like there were still a few seats in each of the 1st class cars.

In reply to 02Pilot :

My ticket says "HE G-1" for my seat. HE stands for Hattie Evans, which is the dining car.

Mine are in the LA Lower Dining Car - Platinum Class. I have no idea what "Platinum Class" means, but it was the same price as the other 1st class tickets.

In reply to 02Pilot :

I always find it odd how some tourist lines are really cryptic about what the various classes are. R&N is pretty good about just calling what them what they are: coach, dome, Pullman berth, observation car. But some go all in on Premier, Diamond, Gold, Silver, First, etc. and then don't really explain what the perks are to each class. Like, why am I spending $75 more?

ATSF #3751 at a night photo shoot held at the Redondo Junction engine facilities in 2016.

ATSF #3751 running down the middle of the San Bernadino Freeway in 2013

I love ve this video, taken of the same event, with #3751 looking like she's barely breaking a sweat while matching highway speeds.

Out on home rails during the Grand Canyon Limited excursion of May 2012, #3751 powered a six-day excursion from Los Angeles to Williams, Arizona to celebrate the state's Centennial. As part of the excursion, another special round-trip doubleheader to the Grand Canyon and back was run with 3751 and Grand Canyon Railway's ex-CB&Q Mikado #4960.

ATSF #3751 making a stop in front of one of the famed Harvey Houses, this one in Barstow.