Re: Freeway collapse in Oakland (nDc)


"Ken Fortenberry" <kennethfortenberry@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:F2lZh.15181$YL5.1259@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
volkfolk wrote:
... An interesting sidebar about the Union Pacific is they are the only
RR I am aware of that still owns and regularly operates some of it's own,
original steam engines on a regular basis, on excursions and occasionally
in actually "revenue" service. All of the other operating steam engines I
am aware of are owned and operated by museums (I used to have a video of
the UP's "Challenger" articulated locomotive-one of the biggest Steam
locomotives that was ever made-pulling a 150 car train over Sherman Hill
outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming by itself in the mid 1990's) ...

The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad runs a steam engine. They're
planning to replace their diesel with another one and become an
all steam operation at some point.

http://www.gsmr.com/

They're not running their "own" equipement. (Yes I know they own their
engines) What I meant by operating their own equipement was the Steam
Engines that the Union Pacific operates were always Union Pacific engines,
#844 has been in use for over 60 years, with the exception of when it has
been overhauled, and it has always been a Union Pacific engine.
I am sure it is the oldest continually operating Steam Engine in the world)

There are tons of these museum/tourist railroads (I'm huge railfan, I've
never met a train I didn't like)

We have some great Steam Railroads here on the east coast but they are
museum railroads. They don't haul frieght, the don't have regular point to
point operation. They run out and back hauling tourists. We have a couple of
these here in New England.

The Green Mt Railroad doesn't own any steam engines, but it once was the
location of Steamtown, which was the largest private collection of steam
engines in the United States. The collection is in Scranton, PA and is now
part of the National Park Service. The Green Mt and VT Railway operate
what's left of my favorite Railroad, The Rutland Railway
("The Green Mt Gateway")

http://users.rcn.com/jimdu4/

(check out the section about the causeway across Lake Champlain, it might be
of interest to you-Howard Dean turned it into a walking trail when he was
Gov and supposedly there are some great fishing spots along it- I don't know
how well flyfishing works in a lake environment, but supposedly there is
good fishing to be had there)

The actually have couple of tourist trains that run on various parts of the
old route one of which runs very close to our own Sherry's house.

http://www.vermontrailway.com/

We also have the Conway Senic Railway which runs several trains on the old
Maine Central "mountain division" through Crawford Notch. It's absolutely
spectacular

http://www.conwayscenic.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.notchtrain

Lots of other fun train rides around too.

Actually, I just realized that the Norfolk Southern also has two Steam
engines, but checking their website I can't find any information about them.
Although it appears that they do have band

http://www.norfolksouthernlawmen.com/

(I wonder if they are looking for a Mandolin/Dobro/Guitar player.......)

Scot


.

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