Nostalgia & History > One more deep dive into some really cool memories!

In the continuing effort to digitize my negatives, I keep finding little tid bits, long forgotten until the memory button flashes on as they come to life in positive form. I truly am blessed to have had so many great subjects on rails, put in front of me over the years. When I think of railroading today, I think of a soul less institution; no personality to it; ambivalent to their legacies with the exception of some heritage units,  and sterile. Fans today, who want a feeling of what was, can take comfort in many of the small spinoff roads that dot the country today, and, give them a taste of what we in the 60s and 70s experienced on the big roads back then. Just some more orphans, being given a home in TO today.

top...one of my most unique C&O captures coming into Potomac Yard in 1969.

middle...Heavy Valley transfers between Allentown and Bethlehem Pa. Never saw "pups" on any other road lashed up like this on a daily basis.

bottom....at the time drool worthy power mixing...Provo Utah

Bill Rettberg
Bel Air, MD



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/22 03:29 by Roadjob.

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top...the short fast concept of Rio Grande and Santa Fe. When railroads knew what customer service was. Westbound on east slope of Cajon.

middle...hump power variations...Middle Rutherford yard, Harrisburg area...bottom...Bellevue Yard, Ohio

Bill Rettberg
Bel Air, MD



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/22 07:49 by Roadjob.

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top...when old Geeps still were leaders in the 2nd generation era. Collier yard petersburg

middle...When rail yards dominated downtown landscapes...Milwaukee

bottom...manned mid train helpers. Pueblo Colorado unless someone else has a better idea of where this is.

Bill Rettberg
Bel Air, MD



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/22 10:05 by Roadjob.

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Another first-rate selection - My favorite is photo eight with the MILW in Milwaukee.
Bob

A very nice group of pics - rich in background details, like the Fruit Growers reefer pigs in the Pot Yard pic.

Wow !  That symmetrical quartet of C&O U25Bs was a great score !

Roadjob Wrote:
>> bottom...manned mid train helpers. location  unknown, but maybe Alliance Nebraska, or Lincoln?>>

SP & BN power, and appears to be a round house concrete pad on the right. Lots of DRGW cars scattered... Denver???
Dave in MT

Roadjob Wrote:


> bottom...manned mid train helpers. location
> unknown, but maybe Alliance Nebraska, or Lincoln?
> Judging by the commodity moving. Open for
> suggestions.

With all the Rio Grande 40ft boxes in the background, I'm voting for the Denver area or maybe Colorado Springs.

Luke

Posted from Android

monaddave Wrote:
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> Roadjob Wrote:
> >> bottom...manned mid train helpers.
> location  unknown, but maybe Alliance Nebraska,
> or Lincoln?>>
>
> SP & BN power, and appears to be a round house
> concrete pad on the right. Lots of DRGW cars
> scattered... Denver???
> Dave in MT

Last shot is Pueblo CO.  In addition to the D&RGW box cars and the BN/SP coal power, there are  UP ore cars probably going to CF&I. Trackage layout isn't right for anything in Colorado Springs or Denver.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/22 06:53 by GLC.

Too bad I can't see the reporting marks on the coal gondolas; with that SP SD40, I wonder if this might be a coal train bound for San Antonio, TX.

Matthew

EDIT: Removed some text about the UP cars after I saw GLC's post.

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/22 10:00 by Roadmaster.

These are totally awesome. I enjoyed them very much.

~Steve Sloan

Thanks Bill, they are all nice but my favorite is the first photo of Potomac Yard with the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in the background in Alexandria, Virginia, a real landmark.  Thanks for all your photos.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

Roadjob Wrote: > ... Never saw "pups" on any other road lashed up like this ...

I have to agree. I don't recall ever seeing this many switchers develop "elephant-itis" like that before...

;^)

Bill - thanks for another great selection of photos.  I started serious photography in 1973, and bemoaned the demise of the PRR, NYC, pre-Amtrak passenger trains, and first generation diesels.  Little did I realize how good we still had it back then.  Your photos bring back some great memories. 

As for the last photo showing the mid-train helpers on a coal train, I have to agree with GLC that the location is Pueblo, CO.  The vantage point appears to be the South Main Street Bridge, with Pueblo Union Station a block to the west.  On the right is the pad for the Rio Grande roundhouse. 

Steve Salamon
Valley City, OH



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/22 05:29 by cr7998.

Thanks to all for the location. On more thinking about it, I had narrowed it down to Pueblo or Denver. I leaned to Denver because of the UP cars, but I didn't remember any roundhouse pad like that there. I will change the location in the thread to Pueblo, and see if anyone else thinks differently.

Bill Rettberg
Bel Air, MD

GLC Wrote: "Last shot is Pueblo CO. . . . "
and
cr7998 Wrote: " . . . I have to agree with GLC . . . The vantage point appears to be the South Main Street Bridge . . . "

Here is a Google Street view from South Main Street Bridge:

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.2612244,-104.6157032,3a,17.2y,101.78h,87.47t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sSdNCZwYIwfKAJwhuXfQwaA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DSdNCZwYIwfKAJwhuXfQwaA%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D207.29688%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

Matthew

perklocal Wrote:
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> Wow !  That symmetrical quartet of C&O U25Bs was
> a great score !

A particularly notable image - wow is right. Not a very common occurrence from what I have ever seen of C&O. And that's speaking as both a U-boat fan (particularly of the early U25-28-30 models) who notices and remembers a good U-boat image, and as a C&O fan. Although I will admit that my C&O interest is concentrated farther westward, particularly on the former Pere Marquette. But in searching through a lot of C&O images farther east, including in the Tidewater area on a couple of research projects, I can't recall seeing U25B lashups like that.

Another fine set, Bill. You give us all a lot of enjoyment with your breadth of perspective, and the depth of your viewpoint. Thanks again.

MC 

Roadjob Wrote:
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>
> bottom...manned mid train helpers. Pueblo Colorado
> unless someone else has a better idea of where
> this is.

Definately Pueblo, off South Main Street bridge.  Rio Grande roundhouse to the right.  Not manned helper though.  These are remote controlled Slaves.  San Antonio bound coal in a 110 load train plus caboose.  Up front was a four unit set of U30Cs maybe with SD40-2s and probably some assorted SP power.  This was near the end of the remote controlled days, which would give way to five unit leads with a two unit pusher from Pueblo to Minnequa.

RR

 

The coal train in the Pueblo shot is very likely the SATX train to San Antonio.

Thanks for another great look back series when things were interesting on railroads and not sterile. Bring back the 1950's, 60's and 70's, those were the days I can remember well! Those were the wig-wag days back in California.

Larry