Rail roads and their tracks.

[RobS]

The limiting factor to steam locomotive size, ak power, is the size of the boilers. Once its becomes X size, a longer boiler no longer fits onto locomotives frame and you can still do corners. I believe the #844 was at its max design length. To get more power, the 4014 boiler is indeed longer and its drive trucks were made to shuttle left and right, to accommodate corners. In the photos or movies, you can see the 2 drive trucks on it. But how did they get 300 PSI steam to them?? Which is quite powerful and dangerous to contain. They designed spherical steam joints to the lines on the way to the trucks. These allow the power trucks to move about, as this wonderful machine negotiated corners. Getting this machine to stay on the tracks and have the largest boiler ever on rails, was a design feat. I do love my industrial history..

#like

 

[Farmer495]

A lot of our rails have been turned into recreational trail systems. Before the rails were taken up one track running from Columbia Falls to Calais had a group of enthusiasts who were trying to get the state to keep the tracks and find a different way to utilize them; the group had trucks and RVs set up to run on them. It didn't matter, the RR bed is now an ATV/snowsled trail.

I can remember being in that part and seeing the rails unused and commented "here" they had all been pulled on for trails. Think the rails are still in the pavement on the 1 outside of Calais, they are gone from the 191 pavement.

 

[ultrarunner]

A friend of mine long since departed owned this 1/3 rail line... he sold it to the founder of Orchard Supply Hardware and now it is University owned.

Several times I would take the New Years excursion...

Swanton Pacific Railroad - Davenport, CA - Swanton Pacific Railroad - Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

 

[ultrarunner]

There was a right of way in Oakland that seemed out of place... I asked my Grandfather and he said at one time a person could ride a street car all the way to Sacramento and other southern and northern destinations from Oakland CA...

Something beyond imagination to me as a kid as the distance is significant... 80+ miles?

Historic Train Exhibits Vintage Streetcar - Western Railway Museum

About 1970 I saw the last street car in Oakland... the system had long been shuttered but someone had taken out a car for a last run... the right of way is not a median that mostly collects trash...

 

[Hay Dude]

My nearest really big city is Philadelphia, which is one of the few remaining metro areas still operating a sizable fleet of streetcars. They are spending 1.1 billion to revamp the entire system

 

[ArlyA]

Street cars are really a different animal. Low tonnage and steeper grades allowed.

 

[ArlyA]

A friend of mine long since departed owned this 1/3 rail line... he sold it to the founder of Orchard Supply Hardware and now it is University owned.

Several times I would take the New Years excursion...

Swanton Pacific Railroad - Davenport, CA - Swanton Pacific Railroad - Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Gee whiz that's a narrow gauge! Thanks for posting.

 

[Hay Dude]

I cannot believe how many railroad tracks are still visible in Philly. There’s probably 3x as many paved over and 10x as many ripped up.

 

[ArlyA]

I cannot believe how many railroad tracks are still visible in Philly. There’s probably 3x as many paved over and 10x as many ripped up.

We must remember that 100 years ago, if you had a plant to build widgets, you had to have rials to bring in raw materials and ship out products. If your plant only lasted 10 years or through a war, the rails are no longer viable and got pulled or build over. Even here on the south shore of da BIG lake, we had narrow grades put in to harvest the woods, which didn't last all that long. RR's come and go with industry. Trucks and roads have also improved much over those same years....

 

[Hay Dude]

We must remember that 100 years ago, if you had a plant to build widgets, you had to have rials to bring in raw materials and ship out products. If your plant only lasted 10 years or through a war, the rails are no longer viable and got pulled or build over. Even here on the south shore of da BIG lake, we had narrow grades put in to harvest the woods, which didn't last all that long. RR's come and go with industry.

Yes absolutely right. Life before modern trucking industry was RAILS.
Our local lines have Arcelor Mital Steel (used to be Lukens Steel), Scott’s fertilizer, Herrs Snack foods, and a big liquified natural gas distributor (we have 100’s of rail cars with liquified gas stored on sidings and going up/down rails)