When nature says it's time pack up the camera and go home. Last night's 15R at 6:30 PM. When I set up, I had beautiful low angle golden light, but 15R got later and later and by the time it arrived, I was left with this at 1/400 with 6400 ISO! I'll have to try this again on a longer summer day.
In 1949 the Lake Shore Limited came to a grinding stop. The Niagara locomotive on the point had a piston rod break as the train rounded the bend a Red Bank, about a mile west of the Oneida station. The drive rod pivoted, violently smashing into the ties under the train and against the boiler. A crew cut it loose and towed the locomotive to Syracuse for repairs and return to service.
Yikes!! It's amazing - even a bit frightening - that a piece of metal like the main drive rod can be bent like that. It's a sobering reminder of how much power is transmitted through this single piece of steel.
I agree -- "Spongebob Squarecab" is a fitting name for these. GE's Dash 8s were better, but not by a whole lot. [Columbia SC 03/12/1994]
Wow, a blessing for all that the flailing rod didn't derail the locomotive. In a book I have, there's a photo of a B&O passenger steam locomotive that had a driver tire work loose and come off the wheel at speed. Fortunately there was no derailment. The picture shows a visibly shaken engineer sitting nearby the locomotive with the tire clearly seen.
Yep , I've been in workshops and the design engineer brings out a drawing ...... you look at it and reply ... "Are you really sure you want us to make THAT thing ?"
And that's one the improved Dash 8 cabs! The original "chop-top" Dash 8 cabs had a curved roof that was lower than the air compartment's roof. I can't see anyone taller than 5'9" stand up straight inside there without bonking one's head on the ceiling. If the cab has to ugly, it might as well not be a concussion hazard.
I forgot about those! Ugh. I don't know if I have a decent roster shot of one, but I think the 8599 at Davy, WV (on 03/10/1995) is an example.
Yep ! Imagine trying to replace a headlight or wiper blade. From memory it was built like that for a 5 man crew (??????) It's a great example of a BQ23-7 and appreciate you putting it on here. Every time I try telling someone what they look like I can never find a photo.
That's a C39-8 and I always thought the looked interesting. CR had a basically identical looking version, the C32-8. Scale Trains did it in N scale.
I had several encounters with BQ-23-7s. Here are three of them. I think the 3003 was the only one to carry CSX paint, Cayce SC 07/11/1992. The 3009 was at Montgomery AL in May 1989 and the 5133 was at Greenville SC 06/09/1985.
The face only a mother could love, riding on EMD trucks to boot. I do like where they put the hand brake tho.. Very handy location. Did I read somewhere that crews didnt like riding in them? Cant say as I blame them, in one on the point, in a accident you will definitely be the first at the scene.
BHP and a couple of other miners in Western Australia had a similar cab on some Dash 7's and 8's. This one was built for 2 man crews and eventually became driver only. They had a bar fridge and other goodies. Generally they were liked by the crews. I've had a look in a couple and they are quite roomy and amazingly cool on a 50 degree Celsius day when I saw them. I'm told the ride on the Alco Hi-Adhesion bogies was excellent. ...........or go the other way and have no cab at all.
Who wouldn't like a bar fridge? The BQ23-7 had EMD Blomberg trucks, and these two have Alco Hi-Ad trucks!
