Recent content by Sandpatch

Your riverfront view is beautiful, so peaceful. Does the Milwaukee Road's Sauk City depot still stand? I shot this in April 1987. [Kodachrome, Nikon N2020] (If you want me to delete this photo, I'll be happy to do it.)

Snagged Norfolk Southern's Conrail Heritage locomotive this morning. It was drizzly and overcast, but I'm glad to have finally seen it. The wave from the Conductor was a welcome thing. With crews protected by bullet-proof glass and comforted by A/C, the human side of railroading is sometimes...

From September 2022 at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania at Strasburg, the smokebox of Pennsylvania RR 460, a Class E6s 4-4-2 Atlantic, built in Altoona, PA 1914. She was a speedster, famous for racing an aircraft to New York City carrying newsreel film of Charles Lindbergh's return to the...

More good stuff there @nikonbill! :D

Railroading Fun Fact: Enola was named for the daughter of a farmer that owned land along the railroad when it was built. It also spells "Alone" when its spelling is reversed. Where else but Nikonites could such trivia be found? :D

Oh man, the Rockville Bridge scene must have been beyond belief. The train will next move west to Altoona. Then on Saturday, July 11th it will run up the east slope around Horseshoe Curve , another classic photo spot. Ticket sales and other crowd control efforts are in place there to limit...

Back in the day before wide public awareness, railfans would often set up organized "photo lines" at prime spots so that everyone could get a good shot without somebody in the way. This is from July 1989 at Newport, TN with Nickel Plate 587. [Kodachrome, Nikon N2020]

In April 1989 I caught N&W 611 at Attalla, AL on her way from Birmingham to Chattanooga. Back then, Norfolk Southern ran a heavy schedule of systemwide steam trips from spring through the fall every year for many years. As the decades passed, insurance costs began to rise, eventually reaching...

Amtrak's southbound Floridian was running 15 Hours late today, having left its origin at Chicago some 10 Hours late. Getting a lot of daylight pictures of it lately, here running through the pines north of Columbia, SC. I suspect engine crews are amused by seeing railfans appear along their...

Very cool @Needa. Those locomotives use LNG for fuel; the fuel tender is between them. I wish the FEC had kept their "Champion" heritage paint scheme.

Sunday's northbound Floridian at Pontiac, SC running nine hours late. The train hit a tree somewhere in GA and busted out a window in the lead locomotive. CSX brought a freight unit to assist the train into Savannah where the Amtrak locomotives were spun to put the 341 in the lead. [D5100]

I caught Amtrak's southbound Floridian today in daylight at Camden, SC running 12-1/2 Hours late. [D5100]

They turned out nicely. Yeah, rail photography sometimes results in mad dashes! That's the Wisconsin & Southern RR and those are leased locomotives, often called "Rent A Wrecks" by railfans. These are indeed tired, former Union Pacific and nearing 40 years of service. The station is a jewel!

Wow @BF Hammer -- your Big Boy shots turned out super well! Great locations and light, AND you avoided the "asses and elbows" images so commonly caught at crowded stops. Nice work! (y)

Whoa, that's a fine picture of a vintage PCC (Presidents Conference Committee) car. (y) I did a little research and it was built for Toronto's system in 1951. The PCC car design was a result of transit companies combining efforts to design the perfect car and their efforts were highly...