Happy weekend everyone! Was travelling this week and saw a few good things. I posted a shot of this engine earlier in the week but here's a shot I got on a different day with some almost too bright early morning light to kick off this weekends Proto Fun thread!
From about 1975 at Crystal Lake, IL, 60 miles northwest of Chicago, probably train 599. The commuter district went another 20 miles to Harvard, IL, but what was cool at the time was branchline passenger service from Crystal Lake 30 miles north through rural farm country to Lake Geneva, WI. This service was soon cut back and then eliminated.
Tacoma Municipal Belt Line switching in the old Milwaukee Road log yard, long ago. That is a UP flat car at right, during the time when they were busily removing much of the old MILW track.....
"Zap!" The Zap Line, as it is known, reaches from Mandan, ND to its namesake, 80 miles away. It serves coal mines at Beulah, ND and is used for shuttle trains of coal destined for Stanton, ND. In this view at milepost 58.5 just outside of Hazen, ND, we see a coal shuttle of 50 loads.
Sad pic right here, no more Milwaukee Road. The whole area that the yards were, are just mountains of containers now, just drove on this very road today. still see Red/White switchers here though! Just a mile south.
I really don't know. I think they get a local too, and there's some grain elevators, but I don't know how much business it has. The coal shuttle is by far the heavy traffic.
The building is in Hugh Moore Park and it's the Lehigh canal museum and between the building and the tracks is the restored section of the canal. The tracks used to be the Lehigh Valley railroad but it's now CSX. The canal is a good place for train watching. Good activity
Oh man, I 'd like that a bunch. I think the Appalachian Trail runs alongside the B&O mainline just east of Harper's Ferry, WV. I need to do that some day.
A very cold morning in Chicago. I caught the New York Central heritage unit on a BNSF west bound. Notice the ice sickles on the walkway.
