Considering how subsidized the railroads have been in the USA, I'm not sure that is really that far from the truth. ;)

If you're referring to land grant railroads of the 1800s, there's a lot more myth than truth out there. I can go into it later if you like.

I don't know of any other industry where the IRS collects a private pension payment (Tier II RRTA). I was also thinking of the operational subsidies, permissions to cross and block public right of way (highways), other tax treatments (loopholes), and the list goes on.

Railroad Retirement predates Social Security. It also costs the government nothing. All of its administrative costs come out of its own funds.

I'm too tired right now to respond to anything else.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

All im asking is that people use common damn sense when leaving things unattended.

They won't take security seriously until after the first incident. Who knew about shoe bombs? ....

Close the damn barn door after the horse gets loose?
Just seems to make sense to me to remove that type of temptation. We all saw what happend to that town in Canada just from a runaway train. Just think what a real terrorist could have done with it?

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[/quote]

Old James

All im asking is that people use common damn sense when leaving things unattended.

They won't take security seriously until after the first incident. Who knew about shoe bombs? ....

Close the damn barn door after the horse gets loose?
Just seems to make sense to me to remove that type of temptation. We all saw what happend to that town in Canada just from a runaway train. Just think what a real terrorist could have done with it?

It doesn't much matter if it is just four engines or a whole train load of chemicals. Just sending them down a mainline near to the time an expected fright is coming the opposite way you get a big bang. Harder to arrange to have the collision in a city, but terrorists have a lot of time to plan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino_train_disaster

---

Now being a train buff I find it's the odd or unusual that makes my day.

Like this, it came in on the Southwest Chief from LA today




Surfliner Coach Cafe 6301 usually only seen on the west coast almost exclusively in California.

I wonder what it was doing in snowy Chicago?

Then of course there were these a few day back at Berea OH at 3.30 am



And then this



A Herzog Multi Purpose Machine, the "excavator" on the back can have several different tools fitted and can travel the length of the connected wagons.

Never even heard of one before let alone seen one!!

I believe the "loco" HZGX 202 is built from an old EMD, not sure, but looks like it on top!

PS The other end is weird too

---

Now being a train buff I find it's the odd or unusual that makes my day.

Like this, it came in on the Southwest Chief from LA today




Surfliner Coach Cafe 6301 usually only seen on the west coast almost exclusively in California.

I wonder what it was doing in snowy Chicago?

Probably going to Amtrak's Beech Grove shop in Indianapolis for some sort of work. We do see those once in a while, going one way or the other. Sometimes the California engines come east too.

And then this



A Herzog Multi Purpose Machine, the "excavator" on the back can have several different tools fitted and can travel the length of the connected wagons.

Never even heard of one before let alone seen one!!

I believe the "loco" HZGX 202 is built from an old EMD, not sure, but looks like it on top!

PS The other end is weird too

Yes, the engine looks like a modified EMD GP-something. A quick search reveals that it was a GP40 built in 1971 for Baltimore & Ohio, passing to CSXT and then a succession of leasing companies. I'm sure Herzog did the upgrade to -3 standards, as well as the heavy body modifications that resulted in the M. (Interestingly, the second hit in that search was this very thread, the third was one of your Youtube videos, and the fourth was a list of your posts here.)

I've never before seen a 7-platform articulated well car, nor have I ever seen a well car with one of its ends replaced with a different type of platform (in this case, a standard flat car; you can see that there's room under the near end for a standard truck instead of the shared one). The cab is just built on top of the flat. Have you ever seen an excavator move from one car/platform to another? The operator moves as far as he can, lowers the bucket (or whatever tool) into the next one, and lifts his front end up, then drags himself over the gap and sets down on the next car. Then he turns around and does the same thing in reverse to move the other end over the gap.

If you watch today or tonight, you may see a rail grinder. It was reported on Facebook this morning that one was sitting in a siding in Aurora. However, nobody seems to know which of three possible directions it will go from there. Also, if it does work east, I don't know if it would go that far.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

MPV are quite a good idea - in Europe Windhoff have been producing them for a number of years: http://www.windhoff.com/e/index_ft.htm

Some of the do look a bit like the sort of thing a child might produce out of Lego, but they are versatile beasts to see in action....

-I want to "play" with the fire fighting train, which must be "every boy's dream", both a train driver and a fire-fighter at the same time :-)

---

Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

Well I never did see the railgrinder, but being 5-6 hours in front if it did come Chesterton way it was probably whilst I was asleep.

I did however get a rather poor shot (I was a little late hitting the record button and it was getting dark) of AMTK 509 coming in on the Southwest Chief on the 23rd, behind 139 and 192, I have see a few pics of this loco hauling trains in CA.



Also this pair went out on the Southwest Chief on the 20th.



In the UK regular passenger trains never ever haul any thing extra, all of that is done on special trains either steam hauled or in some cases preserved older diesel freight locos so it is quite strange to see it.

Today is pretty grey and wet in Chesterton, snowing in Chicago, but I did get this earlier, I could see as it approached it had a several older locos on the rear



I wasn't however expecting this as loco number 5!



Seems to be HLCX 503, but can find nothing much about it online, only a brief note on a forum in 2003 that it had been hauled way to be scrapped. Possibly not.

Seems to be snowing on most of the cameras now!!

---

Did you ever get your little toy train fixed and on the rails?

---

"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Well I never did see the railgrinder, but being 5-6 hours in front if it did come Chesterton way it was probably whilst I was asleep.

I did however get a rather poor shot (I was a little late hitting the record button and it was getting dark) of AMTK 509 coming in on the Southwest Chief on the 23rd, behind 139 and 192, I have see a few pics of this loco hauling trains in CA.

Those are used a lot in CA. In the rest of the country, they are used as yard switchers and as backup power when not enough P42s are serviceable.

Also this pair went out on the Southwest Chief on the 20th.



In the UK regular passenger trains never ever haul any thing extra, all of that is done on special trains either steam hauled or in some cases preserved older diesel freight locos so it is quite strange to see it.

Actually, it was the California Zephyr. Deadhead move. I know the guy who was on board escorting the cars. They use the first one as storage and a crew dorm (the crews hate it, very uncomfortable). It also has a generator capable of supporting several cars.

Today is pretty grey and wet in Chesterton, snowing in Chicago, but I did get this earlier, I could see as it approached it had a several older locos on the rear



I wasn't however expecting this as loco number 5!



Seems to be HLCX 503, but can find nothing much about it online, only a brief note on a forum in 2003 that it had been hauled way to be scrapped. Possibly not.

Seems to be snowing on most of the cameras now!!

That IS quite a catch. I'll have to look into it a bit more.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Did you ever get your little toy train fixed and on the rails?

If you are referring to my detailed scale model of NS 1066, I had a friend reattach the wire. I have not yet tested it to make sure it works.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Did you ever get your little toy train fixed and on the rails?

If you are referring to my detailed scale model of NS 1066, I had a friend reattach the wire. I have not yet tested it to make sure it works.

Glad you had a friend that could help you with it. I was sorry to hear that it had broken. Good luck with it.
A pic might be interesting if you are so inclined.

---

"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Did you ever get your little toy train fixed and on the rails?

If you are referring to my detailed scale model of NS 1066, I had a friend reattach the wire. I have not yet tested it to make sure it works.

Glad you had a friend that could help you with it. I was sorry to hear that it had broken. Good luck with it.
A pic might be interesting if you are so inclined.

This is the manufacturer's web page for it. http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATHG68702

Mine is visually unaltered. The only thing I've done is add the DCC decoder, and that's inside. They were made with either DCC and sound, or just straight DC operation. Of the 10 NS paint schemes on this model, I own 3 (I think). I also own 3 (I think) UPs of the same model. I bought some of these with DCC/sound and some without. It's a lot cheaper to buy them without and add a decoder and the sound gets overwhelming.

(I also own several of NS's 10 General Electrics, from a different model manufacturer. They all come with DCC, whether or not they have sound. One of them turned out to have sound in it, even though I didn't pay for sound. I also just got a pair of these in IAIS, including their Rock Island heritage unit 513. (Now the real IAIS is about to receive another RI heritage unit (it's still in the paint shop); I don't know if I'll buy a model of that when it comes out.) And I have a pair of their CB&Q units, which are considered a what-if scheme. They fit with the concept for my model railroad, if I ever build it.)

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Did you ever get your little toy train fixed and on the rails?

If you are referring to my detailed scale model of NS 1066, I had a friend reattach the wire. I have not yet tested it to make sure it works.

Glad you had a friend that could help you with it. I was sorry to hear that it had broken. Good luck with it.
A pic might be interesting if you are so inclined.

This is the manufacturer's web page for it. http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATHG68702

Mine is visually unaltered. The only thing I've done is add the DCC decoder, and that's inside. They were made with either DCC and sound, or just straight DC operation. Of the 10 NS paint schemes on this model, I own 3 (I think). I also own 3 (I think) UPs of the same model. I bought some of these with DCC/sound and some without. It's a lot cheaper to buy them without and add a decoder and the sound gets overwhelming.

(I also own several of NS's 10 General Electrics, from a different model manufacturer. They all come with DCC, whether or not they have sound. One of them turned out to have sound in it, even though I didn't pay for sound. I also just got a pair of these in IAIS, including their Rock Island heritage unit 513. (Now the real IAIS is about to receive another RI heritage unit (it's still in the paint shop); I don't know if I'll buy a model of that when it comes out.) And I have a pair of their CB&Q units, which are considered a what-if scheme. They fit with the concept for my model railroad, if I ever build it.)

Looks sharp. Very nicely detailed. Bet it looks even better in person.

---

"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

FWIW, I do NOT plan to buy one of these.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

FWIW, I do NOT plan to buy one of these.

I suppose you could fill it with your favorite variety of A*c*h*l or similar ..... ;-)))))))

---

Happy Crunching,

Graham

FWIW, I do NOT plan to buy one of these.

I suppose you could fill it with your favorite variety of A*c*h*l or similar ..... ;-)))))))

You know that is the one thing I haven't seen someone model, how to fill it.

---

FWIW, I do NOT plan to buy one of these.

I suppose you could fill it with your favorite variety of A*c*h*l or similar ..... ;-)))))))

You know that is the one thing I haven't seen someone model, how to fill it.

You don't actually want to get water or any other liquid near this water tower or a model steam engine. Both of them are full of electronics.

I did recently buy a steam engine that uses fluid to produce smoke from its stack, but I turned that function off. It stinks.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

FWIW, I do NOT plan to buy one of these.

I suppose you could fill it with your favorite variety of A*c*h*l or similar ..... ;-)))))))

You know that is the one thing I haven't seen someone model, how to fill it.

You don't actually want to get water or any other liquid near this water tower or a model steam engine. Both of them are full of electronics.

I did recently buy a steam engine that uses fluid to produce smoke from its stack, but I turned that function off. It stinks.

If I recall, back in my youth....
We had some very basic train layouts that my Dad did in our basement. Dunno what the gauge was, but these things, the engine was a steam locomotive, were built like brick tanks. No plastic allowed, LOL. The thing had to weigh several pounds. And I think there were little pills that you dropped into the smoke stack with probably a heater inside that blew out smoke puffs as it chugged around the track.

That takes me way back.......................

---

"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

FWIW, I do NOT plan to buy one of these.

I suppose you could fill it with your favorite variety of A*c*h*l or similar ..... ;-)))))))

You know that is the one thing I haven't seen someone model, how to fill it.

You don't actually want to get water or any other liquid near this water tower or a model steam engine. Both of them are full of electronics.

I did recently buy a steam engine that uses fluid to produce smoke from its stack, but I turned that function off. It stinks.

Clean water and electrickery below 12V will behave quite well together. It is the dirt and or stray ion's that cause people to think water is a conductor of electricity.

I should know I worked on water cooled 10 kW amplifiers that operated at 35kV+.