A Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad freight train makes it’s way Eastbound through the Tehachapi Loop East of Bakersfield, California. – Video by Jim Pearson
Month: November 2011
This is a video I shot on my September vacation to California and back. It’s in the Cajon Pass on the Union Pacific track that passes through Morman Rocks, East of San Bernardino, Ca. – Video by Jim Pearson
Well, after 4 years, I finally caught this guy on the move leaving Alcoa/Vectren. He normally doesnt leave til 11:00-12:00 as I can hear it, although faint, from my house, and doesnt return til 2:30-3:00am. Thing is I went down to where it normally sits off Eble/Sharon Rd. and there was another one sitting on the main and not the siding. He was all lit up and ready to move too. Waited for a bit but he didn’t move, so I left. Hope you don’t get motion sick, took the video on my phone 🙂
Thought this would be neat to share with the group as its not common for anything to move on this set of track anymore. I can only assume they started using rail to haul the coal in back in 07-08 due to high cost of fuel and therefore using trucks to bring it in. (Video by Matt Gentry)
Submitted by James Futrell
These photos were at a train derailment in Fulton, Ky. The derailment (we know now) started at a broken rail the car derailed and took out some MOW equipment stored on an adjoining track. As the car continued under the bridge it took out several switches and rail before coming to a stop south of the bridge. In the preceding morning pictures you can see a group in the lower left corner of one shot assessing the situation before cleanup began. I’m told that the north bound Amtrak had just cleared this track before train 194 used it going south and derailed. The amount of work performed between 8 AM and noon is nothing short of amazing. It looks like chaos but everyone has probably done this many times before and hit the ground running. The 5 or 6 train backlog was gone by noon.
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Rex Easterly sent in a few photos of his new garden railroad in Springfield, MO. A Missouri Pacific passenger train crosses the Ron Stubblefield Memorial Bridge (these bridges formerly resided on Ron’s garden railroad in Marion, KY). Rex hopes to have the water feature finished this spring. I smell a road trip!
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING! by Ricky Bivins, Chapter President
Let us not forget what we are and should be thankful for as we go about our daily routine. I know I have much to be thankful for as I am sure you do as well. Last month was a very good meeting. Several members were on hand for Chapter Nominations for Officers for the upcoming 2012 year. At the end of nominations last month, there were no nominations made other than current officers holding their respective office. This month I will once again call for nominations from the floor THREE times for each office. At that point I will ask for a vote for each office. Remember, if someone wants to be an officer…speak up, a member can nominate one’s self as well.
I think everyone enjoyed the DVD presented by Tim Moore as the October program. I for one greatly enjoy the old footage of any railroad. Even if the railroad is not a favorite, the scenes and equipment of the era is always fascinating. One thing I notice time and time again about railroads in the 1920’s through the 1950’s is the rights of way. Most if not every railroad right of way is vastly different than what we see today. For example: Seldom does one see ballast to the top of the ties. Nor is the ballast heaped up the sides of the ties. The rails are “closer to the ground” if you will think of it that way. And the foliage seldom seems to encroach the rights of way. These points stick out to me as I usually look for modeling ideas when viewing a video. I think it is wonderful to have these resources on hand and available to us, which is why I have pushed to establish our archive!
And to that end I would like to inform the Chapter of a new and recent development with our meeting place. I have talked to the City of Madisonville Administration about securing and using the rear most room of our beloved L&N RR Passenger Station. This room is eleven feet by 28 feet in length and is accessible via a locking door from inside the upstairs floor. We will have sole access to this room where in we can archive, research and study materials available to us. HEY…we could even build a model train layout if so inclined! (I ask that very question while meeting with the City Administrator, Mike Franklin.) As the Chapter might expect, I will somewhat spearhead and oversee the “room”. Even if the Chapter does not want to get involved or use the space, I plan to use it. But of course it will be available at any time for Chapter use as well. I will have more on this at the meeting.
I hope to see everyone at the November meeting on Monday November 28th. We will be at the former L&N RR Passenger Train Station on West Arch Street, right behind Madisonville City Hall. Be sure to bring an item for show and tell and a guest.