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Saturday Night Racer >> SNR LOUNGE >> Besides Racing-Anyone A Railfan?
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Message started by Late_Model_Mark on 01/03/13 at 3:49pm

Title: Besides Racing-Anyone A Railfan?
Post by Late_Model_Mark on 01/03/13 at 3:49pm

Besides racing, is anyone on this site a Railfan? Do you, did you, like trains? Ever since I was Little Late Model Mark, I have enjoyed trains, had regular size, HO, and as of the last few years N Gauge for the indoors. But I have always enjoyed the real stuff, especially out in California. In my younger days we would go over to Chatsworth to the Santa Susana Pass train tunnels, day or night, sometimes dodging the railroad police. ;) We would go inside tunnel 3 that was about 5000ft. long, wait for a freight, and watch from the cut out notches, not wise or legal but, young and dumb.

In later years, we would once in awhile go to Cajon Pass for the day. But my hands down favorite was a railfans delight, the awesome Tehachipi Loop located just outside of Keane off of Hwy 58. Most times we would be heading to good ole Bakersfield for a Late Model race, we would come up thru Mojave, then over 58 to the loop. Most times the Mrs and I would bring a big ole picnic basket with some vittles and hang for 2 or 3 hours, place gets 40 to 70 trains a day, most all heavies and Z trains with helpers. it was cool when the trains were heading eastbound, climbing the steep grade on the gas, those EVO's and older MD's just thumping. Then it was off to Bako for yet another cool LM show.

SouthernPacificMark...whoops, BNSFMark, I mean LMM

Title: Re: Besides Racing-Anyone A Railfan?
Post by OLD SCHOOL#6 on 01/03/13 at 4:11pm

When I first saw the word "Railfan", I thought for sure you ment the 8,000hp, 300 inch kind, of which I am a fan. We will be at Pomona again this year with the Tyler Hogan driven, Comp Eliminator dragster. He made it to a couple semis and a final last year and is looking real good to get a win this year.

Title: Re: Besides Racing-Anyone A Railfan?
Post by mudslinger47 on 01/03/13 at 4:43pm

Come on Kirk, even I knew what he was talkin' about!!! Time for you to make tracks...... Ya, I know, I couldn't help my self

Title: Re: Besides Racing-Anyone A Railfan?
Post by over4t on 01/03/13 at 5:00pm

After a short first try at college resulted in being asked to leave, a buddy, in the same circumstances, and I went to try and get on with the New York Central railroad in our hick town in Ohio. Knew we didn't stand much of a chance as neither of us had any relatives there and the rrs were nepotism at its' finest back then.
Filled out all the applications and were sent to see a guy named Dorsey, who did the actual hiring. Sitting in the hall waiting our turn with him we heard him tell the guy he was interviewing to go down the hall and tell the guy that decided where to place you that Dorsey said to put him to work. So we bypassed Dorsey and went and saw that guy and told him Dorsey sent us. The next day we were firemen on diesel/electric locomotives.
My buddy got on the road hauling freight and made enough in a few months to pay for a 3 year old Jaguar. I worked building up the yard freight train hookups. Basically checked a few gauges when the shift started then sat and relayed signals to the engineer. Money was decent for the time, $2.525/hour but I was on call and being the new guy got all the crummy shifts, mostly 11pm-7am. Cut into my partying and girl chasing so I stayed a short time and moved to California.
New York Central eventually merged with Pennsylvania Railroad. Still like the trains though.

Title: Re: Besides Racing-Anyone A Railfan?
Post by formercrewguy on 01/04/13 at 9:18am

I've always liked trains also. From a young lad in the early 60's at my grandad's house in Roncevert,W Va. where the coal cars would sit waiting to be hooked into a very long train. We would put pennys on the tracks to get smashed into thin wafers,until the yardman chased us out.

Then as a high school kid me and a friend would ditch school sometimes and go fishing off the Dumbarton train bridge that crosses the southern part of SF Bay. It was very narrow,with just enough room for the trains. So we could only go out far enough that we could run back to shore when a train was coming. Fun times. Stupid, but still fun.

Title: Re: Besides Racing-Anyone A Railfan?
Post by Late_Model_Mark on 07/21/13 at 1:01pm

On YouTube there is a cool video called tehachipi cab ride, dang train had about 8 or so engines going thru the loop, good sounds.

Late Model Mark

Title: Re: Besides Racing-Anyone A Railfan?
Post by jimbob37 on 07/21/13 at 3:01pm

Went to Steamtown located in Scranton, Pa back in May. If you like steam locomotives, you definitely won't be disappointed. If you are in that part of the country, it is well worth the time.

Title: Re: Besides Racing-Anyone A Railfan?
Post by hogracer3d on 08/02/13 at 9:37am

My son-in-law is a engineer for Trona Railway, (one of the Nations wealthiest Short Lines)

So, as long as he's paying my daughter's bills, I'm a hell of a rail fan, lol

Title: Re: Besides Racing-Anyone A Railfan?
Post by sj_valley_dave on 08/02/13 at 1:50pm

Loved trains for a long time. The Tehachapi Loop is awesome. I have some great pictures of the Barstow SF yards from the old overpass bridge. When I was a kid we had a lot of Arnold Rapido N Gauge stuff...Back then it was made in Germany...

Title: Re: Besides Racing-Anyone A Railfan?
Post by formercrewguy on 08/02/13 at 2:05pm

Don't ride the trains in Spain.

Title: Re: Besides Racing-Anyone A Railfan?
Post by Wooliebuger1 on 08/02/13 at 2:47pm

When growing up in our little town, we had a small railroad company, they hauled the farmers veggies, and tank cars of oil, out to the main spur on the coast here. Anyway we used to hop on the cars running down what is now railroad that went all the way to the riverbed almost, and ride it back to where we lived just off Alvin St. We used to also made some neat little daggers, we would put those 2 headed nails in the bottom of the track and when they ran over them it would flatten them out into neat daggers, then sharpen and sometimes make some really neat handles for them out of different woods and plastics...Good old days in my hometown...

Title: Re: Besides Racing-Anyone A Railfan?
Post by dscEvents on 08/05/13 at 9:57am

As a kid I loved trains and still do. We referred to it as "trainspotting". When I first moved to LA I used to stop by Union Station and watch the trains switching cars and tracks. And I can't remember where it was, but I once stayed in a hotel back east that overlooked a huge bailey yard. I remember watching out my window for hours as they moved huge lines of boxcars from track to track. Pretty cool.