Nostalgia & History > They left with over 200 cars

This one made a stop at Carbondale to grab a bunch of cars bound for scrap that had been stored in the yard at Carbondale.  When they got their train back together, the crew had a train of over 200 cars behind their three 2,000 horsepower locomotives (a pair of GP38-2's and an SD20).  It was a slow departure from North Carbondale, with the diesels wide open as they climbed the short hill away from town.

It sounded wonderful!

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/20 14:46 by MaryMcPherson.

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 What year would that have been?

I remember the first time I saw a 200 car train in the mid 80’s. It was 207 cars and I was amazed

Gary

Posted from iPhone

ghemr Wrote:
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>  What year would that have been?

Sorry.... brain fart.

September 9, 1991.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

That's cool. Surprised they were able to get all these stored cars to set and release without dieing on the law? Wonder if they actually did ;-)
JB

3rdswitch Wrote:
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> That's cool. Surprised they were able to get all
> these stored cars to set and release without
> dieing on the law? Wonder if they actually did


When the RBOXs were being sold/scrapped, BN had five miles of them, in five cuts on the former NP prairie Line north of Tenino Jct (WA). We sent an engine out there in advance to blow them up, test them and move them. That took a few days.

TAW

Any time cars are left for long periods, especially in urban areas, you can bet that every angle cock, cut lever, hand brake, bleed rod, etc will be screwed with.

And when the rr sent you to get them, you had to get all you could drag, try to get air thru it and drag them off. Hopefully it was a short mileage trip so you were overtime after 8 hrs.

Before roller bearings, had to replace the brass, before a train crew was called.