Nostalgia & History > How about some love for the rear end.

As traumatic as the 70s were for railroading in the east, the 80s ran right along side when looking back. The words CSX and Norfolk Southern became realities, Union Pacific started it insatiable desire to eat its competition, towers began their rapid decent into the history books, and the caboose left the scene. Looking back on the 80s, I realize that is when railroading really left my list of passions. Seeing the freight train without the caboose, was like watching a beautiful sunset get blocked by a big cloud at the most spectacular moment. Very anticlimatic. Watching the blinking FRED disappear into the distance reminded me of a car who forgot to turn off its emergency blinkers. Yes, technology rules, and I do get the cost saving, and yes they were no longer needed, but I needed them! The worst thing I remember was how to make helper operations look like helper operations in a photo. The only way was to tell someone that the photo was a helper operation. Too much for this old head! I never recovered, so bear with me over the next few threads as I salute the exclamation point on the end of the railroad sentence know as the train. This first series is my honoring of the bay window.

top...EL at Akron Ohio...1974

middle...B&O Baltimore, Carroll Tower

bottom...west of Altoona 1973
 

Bill Rettberg
Bel Air, MD

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These locations...who knows

Bill Rettberg
Bel Air, MD

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West of the mighty Mississippi!

Bill Rettberg
Bel Air, MD

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I like them all, but especially the ones of the B&O.  I remember Carroll Tower as we used to ride some excursion trains from Camden Station in Baltimore down to Carroll where we switched to the track directly behind your photo of the tower and headed to the Western Maryland Railway interchange that used to be in Westport where the WM also crossed over that B&O branch line.  Carroll Tower controlled the branch and the interchange on the other side for the double tracks that went up to Mt. Clare Yards.  Now the interchange goes to a single track up to Mt. Clare Yard, and of course the tower is long gone having been torn down back in the late 80's.  Thanks for the memory.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

True gems there!

Dave

a great way to start my day.  thanks for posting...........

66

Some delightful rear ends there! The Penn Central with the SD45 in the snow is a real winner.

Great photo coverage. My favorite is your EL photo. Strangely I identified the location as Akron just from the retaining wall, fence, and angle of the photo.
Thanks for posting these.
Bob

rantoul Wrote:
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> The Western Pacific loco has a note under the
> window 'This Unit Equipped with Fuel ....er' 
> Can't quite decipher the last word.  Terrific set
> of photos.

Great Cabeese! The WP experimented with a "fuel saver" device for a time.

TJY

Great series! I miss too cabooses (cabins, vans ) which defined a RRs personality as much as the locomotives.

Long standing rule:  Shoot all cabooses.  Thanks for posting.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

ntharalson Wrote:
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> Long standing rule:  Shoot all cabooses.  Thanks
> for posting.
>
> Nick Tharalson,
> Marion, IA

I wish I had followed that rule - certainly sometimes but not enough.
A great series of caboose pictures.
Gary

I enjoy your presentations always, but this one in particular resonated.  I am old enough to remember the caboose and I always shot them when they were still around.  I watched their rapid retirement with real dismay.  As my mom said, "it's look looking at a dog without a tail."  It is just not the same. 

What is TRULY ASTONISHING??? Not a speck of graffiti on any of them. Most look as though they just came from the shop.

Just a terrific series, Bill. And as if the cabs weren't enough, that's an excellent shot of Carroll Tower, even though the "subject" is blocking the base of it. Got a date for that one?
-Ted 

Here is an interior of B&O's CX Tower.
Self portrait was taken by the operator, Bob Uhland, just before the tower closed in 1984.

Gordon Bjoraker
Seabrook, MD

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Fantastic ! The EL 379 is my favorite.  Bay Windows 371-380 were the last new cabooses purchased by the EL in 1970. Thet were built by International Car of Kenton,OH. Also a sign of the times was the fact that they were built without roof walks. EL 372 is restored at the Whippany Railroad Museum in NJ. Depending on your home road they were  called a Caboose,Crummy,Buggy,Van,Hack,Waycar,etc. I miss them all !



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/18 05:34 by perklocal.