Rail roads and their tracks.

[MossRoad]

I saw a train with about 200 cars recently. Unsure how long that would be.

We get quite a few in that range here. Mostly container trains. Ever notice that a lot of those container cars are really 5 cars? Look at the trucks. There's singles at every joint, but only a coupler every 5 cars, where you'll see 2 trucks, one on each side of the coupler.

 

[Cub 7274]

We called them Spine Cars

 

[BravoXray]

We get quite a few in that range here. Mostly container trains. Ever notice that a lot of those container cars are really 5 cars? Look at the trucks. There's singles at every joint, but only a coupler every 5 cars, where you'll see 2 trucks, one on each side of the coupler.

I see them in 3 and 5 car combinations.

 

[bcp]

Bruce

 

[Hay Dude]

Took a long walk today. Really needed to see some RR progress after seeing so much RR decay.
I got up onto the abandoned Wawa to West Chester Septa line.
Heres the end of the progress so far, just past the new Wawa Rail Station. It probably wont go much further for quite a few years. Beyond where you see the new catenary is Route 1 and the new Wawa station

Below is a view looking the other direction, towards West Chester. Tracks, rail berm, bridges still in half-decent shape, although no real traffic since the early 90’s-except a few “tourist trains”.

 

[Hay Dude]

Heres the notorious Chester Creek. In ‘72 (Agnes) it flooded so severely that it destroyed the Wawa line to Chadds Ford very close to where the pictures above were taken.

Below: Some of the berm under the rails destroyed by Hurricane Agnes flooding the Chester Creek in ‘72

They still persist, hanging in the air 50 years of tree growth through them

 

[Hay Dude]

Here we are about 5 miles away-same RR as the washed out line in previous post. This spot went undamaged despite being next to the Brandywine Creek, it survived. In fact 90% of the Wawa to Chadds Ford line is in tact, but the 10% that flooded was damaged so badly, it was decided to be closed. It was probably only seeing 1 train per day towards the end.
Funny thing is now thousands of housing units have been built and it would be perfect for use as commuter rail.

 

[ArlyA]

I was emailed this notice today.
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Union Pacific Steam Club Update - Big Boy No. 4014's West Coast Steam Tour​

​

Union Pacific Steam Club Update No. 21 - April 11, 2022 ​ ​ Union Pacific's famed Big Boy No. 4014 is set to return to the tracks this summer for its "West Coast Steam Tour." Kicking off June 26 from Cheyenne, Wyoming, this year's tour will celebrate Union Pacific's 160th anniversary, railroad heritage and the communities the railroad serves, visiting the Pacific Northwest for the first time since its return to service. The Big Boy will be on display in four cities: July 6, 2022: Sparks, Nevada July 8-9, 2022: Roseville, California July 15-16, 2022: Portland, Oregon July 21-22, 2022: Boise, Idaho Display days include locomotive viewing, access to the "Experience the Union Pacific Rail Car," a multi-media walk-through exhibition that provides a glimpse at the past while telling the story of modern-day railroading, and live Q&A with the Steam Crew. Big Boy No. 4014 will leave the Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming, June 26, making brief whistle-stops in dozens of communities in Wyoming, Nevada, California, Oregon, Idaho and Utah. Further details for these stops will be released to the Steam Club in May.

Last month, the Steam Crew turned the Big Boy on the turntable in Cheyenne. Watch the video! That's all for now! Be safe, and we'll see you trackside, at least 25 feet away this summer! Union Pacific Steam Club

This email was sent by Union Pacific, located at 1400 Douglas Street, STOP 1550, Omaha, NE 68179-1550 (USA). To receive no further emails, please click here or reply to this email with "unlist" in the Subject line. Unsubscribe​

 

[MossRoad]

If you zoom up the photo, you can see the swing bridge in the river in St. Joseph, MI as it appeared yesterday. It's usually open to allow for the heavy boat traffic, but they close it twice a day for the Amtrak, and once in a while for small freight trains that serve local customers.

 

[MossRoad]

That's the Coast Guard Station on the left. In the background you can see cement silos on the left, which are served by ships once in a while, and a drawbridge. Past the drawbridge are piles of crushed limestone that is delivered by ship. And in that same area there are salt piles covered with tarps, again, delivered by ship.