Nostalgia & History > If one had a time machine

And had 14 days, what time period and area would you cover. I would like to go back to 1973 and cover the western roads and to retake some of the midwestern stuff. Photo is at Blue Island IL 7-3-73. Dan

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14 days wouldn't do, unless they could be in different years. Cotton Belt FT's in delivery
colors, MOP Baldwin cab units. B&O Sharks, SAL 4500's UP Erie builds and ALCo cabs.Many more.

Keith A

14 days huh? Well, I think I'd pick the year 1949 and start in Wendover, Utah to catch the last of WP steam, especially the 401 class Challengers. There may have been only seven of these compared to the 105 on the UP, but the WP engines were just a tad bit larger. Next, I'd head for Dunsmuir & spend a few days there concentrating on eastbounds up the hill to Black Butte then following the old line over the steep grade to Ashland. Then a short detour over to Leaf & the Long-Bell logging operation out of Tennant.
I'd spend whatever time I had remaining on my favorite line, Pickering Lbr. Corp. & hit Skull Creek, Soap Creek Pass, the climb out of Beardsley to Schoettgen Pass & then get the empties out of Standard up the hill with a pair of big Heislers on the train. Yep, that's what I'd do all right.
Tom

April 1940, Little Falls, NY. I'd somehow stop the NY Central Lakeshore Limited (track torpedo, lantern signal, something) before she entered the Gulf curve at too high a speed and wrecked, killing 31 and injuring many more. I would then (after getting out of jail) spend the next 13 days photographing mainline steam on the NY Central.

I'd say around 1946 start on the N&W work over to the C&O then the B&O & WM and then home to the RDG.

Nitehostler, you oughta save a day or two, especially if it's circa August 1952 and the Grande is still using an M67 trailing truck booster equipped 4-8-2 as the road engine and 3 2-8-8-2 L131's as helpers on Tennessee Pass on a fruit block from the Grand Junction valley orchards to the MoP interchange at Pueblo. They wanted to maintain at least 15 mph up Tennessee Pass because those ART ice reefers were HOT! and they were on a tight schedule. Hearing and seeing such railroad action as that was, isn't to be forgotten, but man! I'd sure like to see it again. Here's a view to the east from US24 at where the wye was located that was used in turning the helpers for their trip back down the 30 miles of Tennessee Pass Hill to Minturn, where they'd be re-coaled, watered, and then it was likely that they'd be doing the same thing once again purty soon. Watching them cut three huge helpers off of a hot train such as a fruit block was, was a treat all by itself. They'd have to turn one engine at a time, then they'd group all 3 engines up in front of the TP depot, and the hoggers would then walk up to and enter the depot.

My dad, who was the 1st trick op and agent would have a fresh pot of coffee ready, and then these hoggers who were, by and large, a very gregarious group of men, would start to tell stories until the last engine was turned, they were all coupled together, and the rear fireman had put markers up on the last tender in the group. The three light engines ran back downhill technically as an extra movement, and they had to display class lamps or flags on the front engine, and markers on the rear. Each crew was given trainorders by Pop since this was trainorder and timetable territory until January 1958 when ctc went into effect. Anytime from the late 1940's through about 1955 when the steam ranks were so severely thinned out would be okay, the 1st generation diesels were ok and fun to watch also, but they weren't big steam, and big steam is what does it for me.

Con

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Con, your point is well-taken & I'd certainly add your suggestion to this bit of whimsy. Thanks for bringing it up.
Tom

1950, Roanoke, VA
Holiwood

I would select Indiana and Ohio in, say, June, 1937. The economy was finally improving and the worst of the Great Depression seemed to be over. A decent Model A could be had for fifty bucks or so, and a new Packard Six for about $800. Interurbans were still hanging on, steam and varnish and branch lines and towers and all the fascinating physical plant from the pre-diesel, pre-I-Hiway era was intact, along with some streetcar lines. Downtowns were still the focus of commercial and retail endeavors, with hotels, theaters, dime stores, dept. stores, soda fountains, etc, served by frequent, affordable transit, either trolley or bus. Downtowns were surrounded by working-class neighborhoods and productive factories and other businesses, with corner groceries, drug stores and other merchants everywhere. Network radio with Swing music, dramas, comedies, news, soaps, etc. No blaring hard rock, hip-hop or (c)rap blasting from "tuner" cars or bloated, hedonistic pickups. Generally, a much more civil atmosphere than the sorry mess around us today. Well, time to head to bed, to be lulled to slumber by NYC Hudsons and Erie Berkshires and Big-Band remotes on NBC. "Say, this Goodman fellow has quite a band, doesn't he?".......

Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit Butte, Montana for a weekend. Its a facsinating place, and full of history. I think it would be neat to spend a couple days in the 50s when the Butte Andaconda and Pacific still climbed up Butte Hill to serve the numerous mines. The BA&P was electrified at one time, but I'm not sure when the wires came down. It ran from Butte to the smelter in Anaconda.
The MILW, the NP, GN and UP all had a presence in Butte. There were at least three stations, four after MILW built one on the outskirt of downtown. The Olympian Hiawatha, Butte Special and The North Coast Limited served town. Spectacular Homestake and Pipestone passes would be just minutes away. The Milwaukee was electrified and ran helpers out of Butte and could be fairly busy. North out of Butte the GN cimbed over the continetal divide (Boulder Pass?) to Helena, where one could also enjoy NP's famous Mullan Pass. To the south, the UP would be running trains over Mondia Pass.

If I had any extra time in my time machine, I would go back to my hometown, Bellingham, Washington in the 1930s, before the interurban and the streetcar systems were torn up. Bellingham had the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific serving it directly, while the MILW had a carfloat from Everett to connect with its line from Bellingham to Sumas and Glacier. The CP and CN were (and are) only 30 miles away. In the 30s there would still be logging operations within 30 miles. There was lots of in town trackage serving various industries including a coal mine and at least one lumber mill and a cement plant that received a train of limestone five days a week. The interurban line ran from Bellingham south to Mount Vernon WA, much of it blasted to steep hillsides along Chuckanut and Samish Bays. All this action in a small city with spectacular scenery!

Casey

1971 in late September:

3 days on Tennessee Pass then to take the Chief through ATSF hunting for F-unit Warbonnets (2 days) then up the coast in SP territory (1 day), across the country in the Empire builder looking for Electric MILW (3 days), Madison, WI and Chicago (2 days) then the Water Level Route to Poughkeepsie NY (1 day) to see the last trains across the old Poughkeepsie Bridge before it burned (2 days), then down to Croton to see NYC/PC/exNH power and to the NEC to see the GG1s on the last day, maybe bribe the crew to ride in a trailing GG1...

Virginia City, Nevada, 1876 during the height of the Big Bonanza

1952, Kansas City Union Station...

:^)