The Railfan Thread

I know why it is running it but I don't know WHY, if you understand what I am blabbering about xD
I would love to see it in the LNER scheme. I know the Gresley has it too, which bugs me too.
Shouldn't be hard to keep original numbers with old designations under LNER, LMS, GWR etc, for certain trains. Mallard still sits with its number, as does Bittern I believe and a number of others. Granted, they don't really run but still...
/rant xD
#RivetCounterThings xD
 
Exciting development on the line that goes by my house (as in I can see the trains from my bedroom)!

It's a single track line, operated by the Indiana Rail Road (a Class II line). They usually run a handful of trains a day, with the only consistent one timewise showing up at about 4-4:30 pm. They have a very eclectic locomotive roster, though all we see here are SD90MACs (including the Silver Anniversary unit) and an occasional Geep. Trains are never more than 100 cars long and usually less than 50. It's a cool line, especially because they keep their locomotives spotless and the scheme is beautiful presented as such, and although there is never foreign power as there aren't really many tracks in this part of the state, the 1-of-1 anniversary unit is always nice to catch. The line doesn't have that much action, though, with the 4-5 INRD trains a day being the only thing that comes through.

However, last night at about 3 a.m. I heard a horn in the distance from my house per usual, but to my ear it sounded very different from the normal INRD horns, which are always B major chords (I'm a musician, so the pitches are one of the ways I identify train horns). I was awake and about, so I decided to sprint to the nearby gate to catch it. (The nearest gate is at the top of a hill near my house, and if the train is going eastbound as this one was, it has to go through a few gates before it gets to mine, and if I hear the first horn I have just enough time to sprint full speed from my house and catch the train as it reaches the gate.)

I get to the gate just in time and what do I see?

Two back-to-back CSX GEVOs pulling a very clean matched consist of black hoppers. No INRD power in sight, and I've never seen those hoppers before on the line either (the INRD uses Bethgon gondolas). In addition, the INRD doesn't usually run at 3 in the morning. Looking at the most recent Indiana rail system map, there are CSX lines all around where I live (Bloomington), but they're all at least an hour north, south, or west of here. The nearest line is the Indiana Southern Railroad line that goes through Martinsville.

Has CSX signed a deal with INRD to share trackage rights for the line through Bloomington, as a different route to move trains between Indianapolis to their north-south line at Sullivan? If so, is it temporary or permanent? Either way, I'm hoping this means Bloomington is about to get more rail action. I have been noticing a lot more night running than before lately, but haven't been home or awake to catch them (just hear them from elsewhere in town) until last night. Will update if more happens!
 
What did I just watch. :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol:
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I need to go back to this museum. I haven't been there since I was little, I remember being scared by their trolley horn. It's a long drive for me though.
 
Recently been checking out the new Union Pearson Express before I head out to Toronto in July.


It'll be the first time I've ever travelled by train abroad.
 
W


Why do you have a full sized train moving in the centre of your road????
Street running is fantastic quite frankly. Speed limit is always around 5-10 through those bits. It was a more common occurrence many years ago, but slowly street running locations have dwindled in number from being rerouted. Would have been amazing in the steam era down there in Cali' with the SP. :drool:
 
Street running is fantastic quite frankly. Speed limit is always around 5-10 through those bits. It was a more common occurrence many years ago, but slowly street running locations have dwindled in number from being rerouted. Would have been amazing in the steam era down there in Cali' with the SP. :drool:

Are there any still existing cause I live in Australia and that would never be allowed.
 
Are there any still existing cause I live in Australia and that would never be allowed.
Uh of course there are, like that location in California that the Barham and Baily extra went through. It's hell of a lot of work and nightmarish mainline closures to reroute a mainline. There's even some in San Diego. It's not unusual for us, as for many there's there interurbans which did the same thing. Most of the abandoned ones were on branches or abandoned mainlines. Any existing ones are probably going to continue to operate into the foreseeable future.
 
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Uh of course there are, like that location in California that the Barham and Baily extra went through. It's hell of a lot of work and nightmarish mainline closures to reroute a mainline. There's even some in San Diego. It's not unusual for us, as for many there's there interurbans which did the same thing. Most of the abandoned ones were on branches or abandoned mainlines. Any existing ones are probably going to continue to operate into the foreseeable future.

Wow thats insane. Isn't any one concerned with the safety of having 100 tonne trains running right next to fragile little hatchbacks?
 
Sorry for bumping, but I've got an interesting thing to talk about.

(Not my photos)

On the Isle Of Wight, just south of Southampton, which is in Britain, there is a small railway line which currently uses trains from 1938. In 2038, these will be in 100 years of service, although they are currently the oldest trains used on mainline service in Britain, and soon the world.

But these aren't any trains. These are trains from the London Underground. The reason they use them when swankier trains exist is because of a tunnel which is too small, but perfect for Underground trains.

Here is a picture of the train I am talking about:
Class 483 Island Line Trains.jpg


Very Underground-y. Now, recently Underground stock are coming out of service, and are up for sale. Some are being made into cheap EMUs, some of those maybe can be sent to Island Line Trains (I think they can fit in the tunnel).
Here's a picture of the trains being withdrawn:
Class 260 (D78 Stock) London Underground.jpg


And here's the proof of them being made into 'new' trains.
 
Trains don't tend to swerve much so it shouldn't be an issue. ;)

I grew up in a town where we had a cane line running through the main street, and cars kept breaking down across the line. Having a bigger train just seems like it would be worst. But yeah I guess they don't swerve as much. Haha.
 
Here is a picture of the prototype currently being tested:

Screenshot 2016-03-26 18.30.58.png


And you can see it's the D Stock because of the doors:

Screenshot 2016-03-26 18.34.09.png


Pictures from the testing short video.
 
Wow, you old countries are loco.
That is very dangerous, stupid, and therefore BRILLIANT!

A combination of this would be - "Steam Racing". (OK it's not quite racing)

I didn't know it existed but came upon it on YouTube. Apparently it's a yearly event where they run tandem locomotives along the valley routes.



:)
 
That's more of a ceremonial/great photo thing. We had a better version here in the states...twice! :D
CSX mainline, the famous NHRS convention of 1991. :drool:


Owosso, Michigan, and the 2009 trainfest thang. :drool:


Lima products side by side...utter pron. :drool:
 
Hey!

I'm not a fan of trains, but ever since I was a little kid, I always thought they were pretty cool. When I heard the ringing of the crossing lines lights, I always ran to see this particular train. The F40 something.

140513_918p1_via-rail-train-ocean_sn635.jpg


The livery is pretty cool on the via rail model. It looks like the FEISAR livery from Wipeout HD.
 
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Hey!

I'm not a fan of trains, but ever since I was a little kid, I always thought they were pretty cool. When I heard the ringing of the crossing lines lights, I always ran to see this particular train. The F40 something.

View attachment 532133

The livery is pretty cool on the via rail model. It looks like the feisar livery from Wipeout HD.
F40PH-2 rebuilt by VIA with a separate HEP generator and a new light package. Sucks Amtrak retired all their F40PH's for the blasted P40/42 series locos. @-@ And yeah the current VIA Rail livery is quite something. :D
 
That's a quite difficult question to answer as the UK has a lot of preserved engines of almost every class; http://www.onlineweb.com/rail/locomotive_listing.htm

Although I would've liked to have seen this bad boy preserved.
1997-7397_DY_11214.jpg


Big Bertha, an LMS Fowler 0-10-0, specially built for banking heavy freight trains on the Lickey Incline.


I would've said the original LNER Gresley P2 Mikado as well, but No. 2007 Prince of Wales is due to be finished by 2021, so that makes that irrelevant.
Nice find. 👍
It's only just dawned on me, one of the pubs on the housing estate I grew up on, was named after the trains of the Lickey incline, 'The Lickey Banker'.

Here's another vid of the Lickey incline. I'm sure there's a lot steeper inclines around the world, but once you see the train reach the summit/brow of the hill, it gives more of an idea of the gradient.

 
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