To Justin May, I like the Columbus and Greenville also, I remember they had a lot of box cars come thru on the Katy in my hometown of McAlester, Ok in the 50's and 60's. Then I moved to Alabama and was able to see the mother road to all that rolling stock.
My favorite would the Seattle & North Coast Railroad. (1979-1984) Operated a 50 mile ex-Milwaukee Road (my favorite RR ) branch line plus barge service. Power was three F units, 2 SW1200's, and an SW1. Here are further resources: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SNCT/ www.trainweb.com/snch&ts/ BoxcabE50
my favorite short line is Newhampshire northcoast R.R. Itruns from Rollinford N.H to OssipeeN.H part of the old conway branch of B&M
Walter and Wendell .. Welcome to Trainboard and we are very happy to have you here. Thank you for joining us and for participating. If you guys have any photos of those roads, hold on to them. We are going to have a photo downloading capability for membership very, very soon. Boxcab .. I have never heard of the S&NC, but that sure is a neat website! If I ever get up that way, I'm going to make it a point to ride that excursion.
Bill- The S&NC was a common carrier operation. Inbound mostly materials for production of forest byproducts. The same hauled out. Unfortunately, they got caught in downturn of the timber industry. And spending practices by the very top management that left some folks wondering....? In mid-1984, bankruptcy court ordered operations stopped, and assets liquidated. I wish that we could all ride the S&NC again. The trip was slow. But the sights beautiful! A view or two of the Straits of Juan de Fuca. River crossings that included a 150' Howe thru truss of wood. Passing through farmlands, around bays, and ending at Puget Sound. A former Milwaukee Road branch line, based in the 1960's, this is part of the basis for my model RR to be. BoxcabE50
Dunno if this would count, but I was reading in the newspaper about the latest additions to the International Space Station by crew members of the shuttle Atlantis. A 46-foot beam is being added to the station, and as part of that beam there's a shuttle car that travels by rails (somewhat like a roller coaster car) on a track. Think we now have a world's record for both highest altitude railroad and most inacessible railroad by railfans?
Despite me attraction to the Yreaka Western, having grown up in Yreaka, I have to go with the Port of Tillamook Bay RR and their cool cow locomotive. I used the POTB as the basis for my early freelance modeling, but have since sold off most of my non-prototype stuff. I do still have a custom painted holstein GP9 and though I haven't run it in forever, I'll probably hang on to it. Some things are too cool to sell.
Gotta have a little fun, Bill Seriously though, the closest shortline to me now is the Utah Railway, up near Helper, Utah. My wife & I came up on it on our way back from W. Wendover, NV, and we stopped up by the offices so I could take shots of one of their unique MK5000 diesels- only a few were ever built, by Morrison-Knudsen of Boise, ID, but they look real tough. While driving through the Soldier Summit-Castle Gate area, we passed a 6-unit Utah helper set headed back home- that paint scheme looks cool I've heard that Utah has four-axle Geeps they use around the Salt Lake-Ogden area for switching, so I'll have to plane a trip back up that way. If Jim Harrawood is reading this, perhaps he can enlighten us about that part of the Utah's operations..... Not too many shortlines that use six-axle diesels to get the job done (and I know about the Trona- I shot their Baldwins over at Muskogee, OK, and they're the only Baldwins I've ever seen operate. They're now in New Jersey.), and of course the beautiful, rugged scenery and carloads of coal really set it off.
The Yreka Western has purchased a six axle loco, (unknown make or model to me) from the railroad located in Portola, Calif. They are going to ship it up here via heavy duty flatcar. The owner of the YWRR said it will cost $10,000 to rent cranes to lift it off of the flatcar and placed on YWRR's rails in Montague. I have a sneaking suspicion that would be a good place to have a camera.
Here's an interesting abandoned "shortline" in Manhattan. http://www.forgotten-ny.com/SUBWAYS/Tenth%20Ave%20trestle/Tenth.html
Favorite? Hmmm. Sierra Railway Pickering Lumber McCloud River North Pacific Coast South Pacific Coast Colorado Midland Nevada County Narrow Gauge Never could decide on one.
Hey Roger .. where have you been hiding? I like your list of shortlines, (but I'd have to place the Yreka Western on top ) .. and I'd guess that you are originally from California because of those lines listed. I kinda liked the old Camino & Northern that used to run out of Placerville too.
Yes, originally from CA. Spent summers in the '50s in Twain Harte and saw the Pickering. My mother gave my Dad the Dorothy Deane book on the Sierra when it came out in 1960. He and I spent some time in Jamestown rooting around the "abandoned" roundhouse. I should have some old slides, whenever I get to going through the boxes. Thousands from around 1940 and onward. I hope to find some gems in there. I like flyfishing and the McCloud is in Prime trout country. The Colorado was a standard gauge that acted like a narrow gauge. I always wanted to ride the Yreka Western, but haven't made it yet. Hiding? No, just don't post much. My narrow gauge rekindled when I got active with the Nn3 group. Haven't found much NG in Washington. Gotta get to the Sumpter Valley one of these days, though.
Wow! I'll bet you have a real treasure trove of photos Roger! Maybe you can hand pick some of the best of them when you finally get the time to do so, and have them copied onto a CD so you can post them on Trainboard! I sure would like to see them! I have a fly-fishing rod and reel .. but have never learned how to use them. I can do fine with it out in the yard, but when I get the line wet and there's a little breeze that blows up the river .. that's a whole different story
Yesh, it's a major rainy day project. Except it never rains here in the desert. Mostly family stuff. I'll be lucky if there is 2 dozen RR pics. Oh, yeah, there are the glass slides my grandfather bought at the SF World's Fair in 1940(?) Sally Rand doing her bubble dance. Quite risque at the time. Pretty tame now. I probably can't do much better, flyfishing. Only fished twice in the 3 years I was in Colorado. Fishing got real bad when the whirling disease spread. One of my favorite spots to fish is the Sacramento River between Lake Shasta & Dunsmuir; fishing and train watching all at the same time. I hope to try the same double on the Yakima River with the BNSF line passing by.
I have been eyeballing that stretch of the Sacto River for the past couple of years. The water looks very good for fishing ... and the tunnels / trestles above it all would require taking my camera, for sure I just got my fishing license so maybe when the weather turns a little nicer I'll throw everything in the saddle bags and ride my Harley down there to fish and railfan.
My favorite spot is at an exit called Simms, south of Dunsmuir. Forest service campground as well. I have a painting by an artist in Sisters, OR with a man fishing at Simms, a trestle in the background with SP and UP locos on it. Love that painting. Evening is best. I plant myself in the middle of the river and cast to the bank. It's shallower in the middle than at the edges.
Meridian Southern Railway Former MidSouth/ICG/GM&O from Meridian south to Waynesboro, MS. A new short line, lots of interesting trestles, lots of customers and good ol' Paducah GP10s still in MSRC colors. And, no, I don't work there either (a special plus) Rick
Didn't realize I could choose more than one until I saw the above. Here's a few more favorites: New York Susquehanna & Western Owego Harford Railway Luzerne & Susquehanna Bangor & Aroostook Ventura County Railway Fillmore & Western (Fillmore, CA) Skaneateles Short Line For too many reasons to mention... Rick
