It was actually an old HP scanner from over 15 years ago which has no USB connection and no drivers for modern computer architecture, so is wholly obsolete in this era. It was hooked to an equally old desktop computer which finally failed a few years ago. It was a fine little scanner with a small footprint. Because computer memory was so expensive back then, I worked only small low-rez scans. I have no scanner now. When I retire someday and have the time, I'll buy a modern scanner and have some fun.
That sounds like the one my Dad had - a photo scanner that took negatives, slides, and prints if they weren't too big. It was slow but it worked like a charm. The host computer died, and as in your case, no drivers available for more recent OSs. I bought a scanner to scan the family slides after Dad died, a Canoscan 8800. Contrary to my Dad's old one, this one's the size of a Buick. But it works quite nicely and the best compromise resolution is, coincidentally, about the same as my DSLR. It also scans documents lightning fast. So I'm a happy monkey.
It's 35 Years ago in July 1980 and we're at Bennington Curve west of Altoona, PA watching ATK's eastbound Broadway Limited pass downgrade on the 4 Track main. Friends gathered up for camping on the open ridge in the background and it was a fine spot. In 1947 the PRR's Red Arrow derailed on this curve from excessive speed in bad weather.
Hiking upgrade around the curve we found a beautiful signal bridge with its full allocation of position light signals just as the PRR intended:
This photo is a oldie from 1974. Hope oldies are OK The Yello Peril ran this special from Portland to Spokane to Expo 74. The train was used to wine and dine shippers and wives for the weekend The train left Albina Yard Friday evening and ran overnight to Spokane. The train arrived back in Albina Sunday evening.
Here's another oldie from about the same time. 8444 pulling a Expo 74 Special through The Dalles Oregon
There is a story behind this photo of BN Alco C-636 in passenger service. The Amtrak Coast Starlight ran between Los Angeles and Seattle. Southern Pacific handled thee train as far as Portland. SP provided a pair of SDP-45's but didn't want their locomotives off line. Power was changed at Portland with BN providing EMD E-9's This day the Coast Starlight was less than a hour away. The BN E's were just plain dead. They wouldn't even crank. I don't know what went on behind the scene but in a while the big Alco came to the rescue and took the dead E's and the train to Seattle by itself. Gotta LOVE them Big Alco's
Guess I'm not surprised to read the E units were dead. Once it appeared that Amtrak was a go, the railroads began a program of no real passenger equipment maintenance and pocketed that money instead. By the time they dumped that stuff on Amtrak, it was junk. Which is one big reason Amtrak got off to a bad start and continues to struggle.
Ken, that was not a major reason, although significant. Sadly, the primary reason for Amtrak's problems, both in 1971 and today, was that the bill creating Amtrak was written with the intent that the National Passenger Rail System would be bankrupt and die a quiet unheralded death within five years. Unfortunately for Congress and the anti-rail lobbyists, they misjudged the general public who slowly realized that rail was a viable alternative to the impersonal sardine can airlines and the exorbitantly high price of gasoline. Remember 1974 pump lines? Sadly, we have not had a President or Congressional leader who has had the cajones to admit this embarrassing fact. That would mean replacing the National Rail Passenger Act with one that declares rail passenger travel a Public Service, and fund it accordingly. Sadly, the message of the movie Mr. Smith Goes To Washington starring Jimmy Stewart ain't never gonna happen, not in our life-time, not ever....
Great shots Mr SP. A BN C-636 leading an E on the Starlight would be deemed "Not prototypical" if done on a model road.! Hyecc, re Amtrak's budget, we have a Federal government that spends money it doesn't have without much thought to economic return. When I was in college 35+ Years ago a professor noted that the U.S.A. had no firm transportation policy and we still don't. Frustrating.
I agree that the NRPC as not created to succeed. But having been involved in some rail advocacy and preservation activities a few decades back, I am certain from what I read and certain conversations, that what I noted above was a very big part of the planned failure. There is no way they could operate with junk equipment, facilities and.... Allowing the railroads to get away with dumping unmaintained, worn out garbage, while openly converting the better stuff to freight uses devastated the Amtrak start up budget, and prevented any possible improvements. A very large financial factor.
You betcha! We have one of those, a CP M-636, here at the museum and it has a rather imposing presence.
There never was finer diesel passenger power than the PA. A shame they never saw CN's green yellow and black scheme... Imagine a stretched FPA-4... Beauty!
