Went to McDonald's to get the breakfast of champions which entails heading over the east valley line and saw lights in the distance. Was rewarded with this.
From 02/26/1977, a commuter train works its way through Spaulding, IL on the MILW main west of Chicago. The EJ&E crosses here.
A couple monochrome shots on CP in Minot, and a Rock Island hopper. CP 364, Soo Tower eastbound: CP local H12 shuffling the deck at the ex-Soo yard in Minot, framed by the signals at Minot West: The Rock, gone but not forgotten (MOCX is The Mosaic Company, a potash/phosphate industry):
About thirty five years ago, the C&NW ran a "Director's Special" to Portland, then up to Seattle and back to Portland. Why, I cannot recall. In fact, very few seem to know about or have photographed it outside of Wyoming. My memory is that railfans in the Pacific NW were quite stirred up about it. Yet where are they and their pictures? It took me a bunch of emails and inquiries last month, to even find someone else who saw it. Nothing was ever published about it by the C&NWHS! Strange. Anyhow, here it is moving right along, heading to Seattle. She is passing through Kent, Washington on UP (former MILW) tracks. I was very lucky, a there was grader leveling the ground in front of me, and he just happened to move away moments before the train arrived:
Nice catch on the F40C! A tad more modest, but compensates on sheer flair: An oddball miniature train loco, 4-2-4, something of a weird Frankenstein kitbash between a Shay and a regular steam engine. What appears to be the driver doesn't even touch the rail... And there's a gasoline engine somewhere in there. But cute as a button nonetheless. Crysler Park, next door to Upper Canada Village, July 27th, 2011.
It was for rides at Crysler Park, a historic battlefield site. I didn't get to ride it, the day was getting long for me (I visited Upper Canada Village next door, for a few hours, and saw this shiny thing as I came out) and I skipped that to head home.
Not nearly as shiny as the 4-2-4, but it may become as rare! A KCS gray ghost, from a different angle,
A couple of Mondays ago, I was out doing some errands and caught this short train at Hatch, Ca. on the Tidewater Southern. I've seen a stray loco but this id the first time for a train:
And today, while on my break just north of Bakersfield, Ca., I caught this northbound UP manifest, just off of &th Standard Rd and Ca. 99:
Wow, rare catch indeed! This is all the King County Regional Justice Center/jail where that old building was. Where the grader is clearing in front of the tracks, is now a park. Glad you shared this, as I never heard about this neither!
Yes. The grader was clearing just for that new park. So you have a good date for that creation from this photo.
