Working rail roads and their tracks.

[California]

An adaptation for tunnels in the steam era was the cab-forward design run by SP between about 1905 and 1955, on the steep grades over the Sierras. One concern was heat and fumes for the engineer, but the folklore was that they were up front to see collapsed portions of the long snow sheds in the Sierras. Imagine coming around a tight curve out of a tunnel at 10 mph and finding the roof of the show shed crushed ahead from an avalanche.

Only the final one built remains, in the RR museum in Sacramento. 6,000 hp, a million lbs with tender. 4-8-8-2 articulated.

We went to see it a few years after it was placed there. Our 3 year old daughter ran over to climb on part of it, My wife shrieked that's a museum piece, she'll damage it. Uh no ..... How is she going to hurt it.

(somebody else's family)

 

[ArlyA]

Guys, I do not know how they open pellet cars. Coal and gain yes, but never worked on those type.

 

[ArlyA]

From the Missabe Railroad Historical Society website: "The Missabe tested air-operated dumping doors from three manufacturers and painted then in white, maroon and blue to distinguish them."

 

[BravoXray]

On the subject of hopper cars, a while back I started seeing CSX and UP ballast hopper cars that have several solar panels on the sides and ends of the cars. I figured it had something to do with remote control of the gates for dumping the ballast. Some Googling found that is indeed what they are for. Each car has a receiver with a unique ID that operates the pneumatic controls of the gates. From what I could find, they even have GPS receivers that know where to start dumping ballast, and are programmed and monitored from a crew member with a computer connected to a transmitter in one of the locomotives. With the GPS controls, they even know where grade crossings and other places are at so as to not drop ballast at those places.

Here is a link to a discussion with pictures of cars with solar panels on a Trains forum.

CSX Ballast train with solar panels mounted on the side-delivery hopper cars... - Trains Magazine - Trains News Wire, Railroad News, Railroad Industry News, Web Cams, and Forms

 

[ultrarunner]

The Sacramento

An adaptation for tunnels in the steam era was the cab-forward design run by SP between about 1905 and 1955, on the steep grades over the Sierras. One concern was heat and fumes for the engineer, but the folklore was that they were up front to see collapsed portions of the long snow sheds in the Sierras. Imagine coming around a tight curve out of a tunnel at 10 mph and finding the roof of the show shed crushed ahead from an avalanche.

Only the final one built remains, in the RR museum in Sacramento. 6,000 hp, a million lbs with tender. 4-8-8-2 articulated.

We went to see it a few years after it was placed there. Our 3 year old daughter ran over to climb on part of it, My wife shrieked that's a museum piece, she'll damage it. Uh no ..... How is she going to hurt it.

(somebody else's family)

Rail Museum is a favorite of mine and accessable by rail.

My last visit was boarding a train in Oakland that took me right to the Rail Museum and Old Town Sacramento...

Great Day trip both excursion and sights along the way.

I have 2 nieces attending UC Davis and mentioned taking the train home as an option and both have done it and find convenient and enjoyable... for one it's about as close as door to door service as can be.

 

[California]

The Sacramento

Rail Museum is a favorite of mine and accessable by rail.

My last visit was boarding a train in Oakland that took me right to the Rail Museum and Old Town Sacramento...

Great Day trip both excursion and sights along the way.

I have 2 nieces attending UC Davis and mentioned taking the train home as an option and both have done it and find convenient and enjoyable... for one it's about as close as door to door service as can be.

Our daughters did similar from UC-Berkeley via BART to Richmond, then transferred to Amtrak to Sacramento Depot (next to the train museum), where I picked them up. They enjoyed it but expensive! That was 15 years ago. Now its near $60 round trip.

Another alternative they used occasionally was the UC system inter-campus shuttle bus between Berkeley and Davis campuses. I would go to Davis to fetch them from there. Your nieces might find that convenient.

But their most frequent transport was the Princess Express . Our Subaru got many miles put on it transporting our first daughter, then younger daughter, round trip Berkeley to home for the weekend often including their friends. Many Sunday evenings were spent on I-80. They still wince if they're in the car and I use that term.

 

[ultrarunner]

Our daughters did similar from UC-Berkeley via BART to Richmond, then transferred to Amtrak to Sacramento Depot (next to the train museum), where I picked them up. They enjoyed it but expensive! That was 15 years ago. Now its near $60 round trip.

Another alternative they used occasionally was the UC system inter-campus shuttle bus between Berkeley and Davis campuses. I would go to Davis to fetch them from there. Your nieces might find that convenient.

But their most frequent transport was the Princess Express . Our Subaru got many miles put on it transporting our first daughter, then younger daughter, round trip from/to Berkeley often including their friends. Many Sunday evenings were spent on I-80. They still wince if they're in the car and I use that term.

Niece said student is $16 each way via train only... but train is nearly door to door for her.

 

[California]

Niece said student is $16 each way via train only... but train is nearly door to door for her.

That sounds better! I had been told near $60 round trip to SF now, but that must have included BART across the bay too. SIL has two kids at Davis now while their home is near SFO. Considering commute hour traffic through SF, AMTRAK/BART is the only practical way for those kids to go home weekends.

 

[ArlyA]

You guys seem to like the engine photos so here is another. Along a great lakes shipping photo as well. Looks like the harbor has some ice on it. That is winter pellets storage you see in the background.
-----------------------------------
Clean B&LE 909 and 904 plus three vessels in the distance (Gott waiting on Two Harbors, James R Barker for engine repair, and Happy Rover delivering bagged quartz). Duluth, MN - November 30, 2023

 

[ArlyA]

Better pic of those new CN pellet cars.