Back some 20 years ago my cousins and I would hop the train into town (about 70 miles) and back. The cool thing was that this was before alot of the car carriers had the locked cages.

We would hop on and jump in a car, truck, whatever and ride in style! The keys would always be in the ignition so we got to listen to tunes on the way. Ahhh the memories!


....................Until that one time we were on our way back after more than a few gooseberry sodas. [sm=alcoholic.gif]

We got a late start so she was already building up steam. Two of us got on and as the third grabbed the laddr and tried to pull himself up his foot missed the step and went rite in front of the wheel.

Scared the &#i% out of me! (not to mention my buzz)

All ended well but from that day forward I always gave the rails a bit more respect.

Watch your toes mayfair! [sm=yikesomg.gif]

 

so if i did go with that engine,,,,,,do you think I'd have to get a bigger radiatior?

 

It's the intercooler that has me concerened...........LOL

 

What intercooler? Looks like it goes from blower to head, unless ther is an air-to-water under them. I say put six turbos, maybe propane injection, and larger injectors.

 

The good train squatters will come up along side and ask before the train departs. I would let them ride in a rear engine so I don't have to cut legs or heads off. Too much paperwork and **** tests.......lol.

If you want cross country, take an AMTRAK train. They are VERY comfortable if you purchase a full sleeper superliner.

It's not that exciting.......... I HATED road jobs. But they paid $600.00+ per trip. That is tough to beat.

I prefered yard switching and industry work. Or as an engine hostler instead.

I'll try and dig up the pics where I had 23 locomotives, and no cars, as a train....lol.

It's called a round up. All the locomotives that were due for service would be gathered up, and taken to the nearest engine house. That day the job paid me about $1000.00....lol.

Engineers get extra money for each engine they handle.


I miss running trains, but I don't miss the Norfolk Southern. Conrail was a good outfit. And leave it to the government to sell a railroad when it was finally making a decent profit.

Oh well, I have a federal license along with passenger and electric endorsements. I could go run trains out west but... I HATE the sun and the heat.lol.

 

We get BN stuff in our shop from time to time since we're close to the tracks and the port of everett. Think you could get me one of them horns

 

This still freaks me out. These kids rode the trains for a few YEARS ??

Wild ....

 

Trains run the same route day after day. They pull into the same yards every day, same tracks, etc.

Most trains that do what's called ABA runs, (point A to B and B back to point A), keep the same power on the train. That's why most of the time you see the rear unit facing backwards. When the train gets to point B, the rear facing engine will become the leader on the return trip. The older GE and EMD held 550gals of crankcase oil. 40 gallons less would put you at the bottom of the safe level on the dipstiks. They hold 6,000 gallons of diesel, 340-500 gallons of coolant, 6 tons of sand, and a Partridge in a pear tree.....................lol


They are MASSIVE units. The wide bodys are half a millions pound each.

 

No lying....I think you'd need a 2.75" socket, and a 1 inch drive, right angle impact gun.

I ran a while from Corning, NY, to Mehoopany, PA. Proctor & Gamble has a huge paper towel, **** tissue plant down there. They get everything except the trees by rail car.

I would get there around midnight, tie the train down, go to the hotel and sleep. Before the morning crew would come on, someone would have opend the engine compartments, only too see a nut as big as King Kong's....lol.

They even brought a cutting torch. I think what happened was the engine compartment was too hot for them to get on to reach the horns. They get stolen a lot where smaller, private trains are running. Somewhere that after a days work, the loco would be shut down. Main line locos never get shut down during the winter. They run continuously till service time.

I'd love a set myself. You need an Ingersol Rand air jack compressor to run them horns!.lol

 

I've always been kinda fascinated by the whole train thing. Like, what do they haul? It looks like it's just like oil, gravel, wood, cars, ect? How does everything get everywhere? Like, is there some sort of 5 mile long building setups everywhere where a train just pulls up and everyone who has something on it picks their stuff up there?

How come you don't see caboose's anymore?

How can a guy driving a 50 car train backwards possibly see where he's going? I mean, I know he's on a track, but what if something else is too?

Tons of questions ... I'm like a 2 year old with this stuff.