Sorry I'm late, but life and class got in the way... A month or so ago I took my family to Minnesota Transportation Museum. It is in the site of the former Great Northern Railway Jackson Street Shops. It has a roundhouse, working turntable and loads of neat exhibits. Starting with this little NP 6-coupled teakettle: A BN SD7, built as GN 558, Aug 1952: Look closely at the car numbers in these two images... They ARE the same! Talk about identity crisis. Last but not least, a mug shot of yours truly, in a Soo Line SD60 locomotive cab display:
Continues to be too hot to railfan, so I pulled two out of the Wayback Machine from 07/05/1977 at Red Bank, NJ, with a battered pair of PC E-8As on a New York & Long Branch commuter train. The 4285 is former PRR. As the train accelerates away in the second photo, that's the CNJ's BANK Tower to the right.
Looks comfy and fun. Best seat in the house! Cadillac! A nice big beast built in the month that my folks got married. Battered, neglected and mistreated... Heathens!
They were giants so long as they were ferociously competing against each other, that competition forcing each of them to up their game to best the other. When they merged to become PC, the motivation to compete was gone. It was just a mess. Further draining their passenger load were cars and planes. The prestigious luxury of trains like the 20th Century Limited and Broadway Limited would be replaced eventually by what amounts to shiny cattle cars. George Pullman is turning over in his grave.
This past week dropped our daughter off at college for her Junior year. Cajon Pass was sort of on the way home so stopped by Hill 582. It was also a significant birthday for my wife so didn't want to spend too much time waiting. The train pictured pulled up almost to the connector between the UP and BNSF and stopped, blocking our view of the following trains. Oh well. Because of missed turn or two, did some 4 wheeling in the Outback. It turns out to be fairly capable on the roads there. proving some of the concerns voiced from the passenger and back seat were unfounded. We didn't die. We didn't need a helicopter or even Search and Rescue. And even got at least one photo I like:
This one is from back in April 2013 just outside San Bernardino CA. Don't remember exactly what kind of industry she was parked at.
