richard carr
Western Thunderer
Here's the video from Deshler
Richard
Richard
Richard's American Train Adventures
- Thread starter richard carr
- Start date
richard carr
Western Thunderer
The final video from the last trip was the Napoleon Defiance and Western again. I managed to come across the southbound empties on the Mo
Monday morning and made this short video.
Monday morning and made this short video.
richard carr
Western Thunderer
Last week I made my final trip to the US for this year. Chicago for a few days and then on to San Francisco with colleagues for a team building weekend of walking in Yosemite and going to a 49ers football game. All very enjoyable and far more work orientated than you might think.
But I'm away for a week and I get back and find I've replaced ! by this, in my seat already !
Apparently she won it in a raffle at a dancing competition.
Fortunately Monday morning was free and as I was staying in Santa Clara I went down to the station to see what was happening.
Caltrains runs a fairly frequent commuter service from San Jose to San Francisco about 40 miles north all through Silicon valley. They have just completed the electrification of the route with electric services due to start early next year. So I'm lucky to have caught the end of the diesel service using FP40s
There are also service that run further up and down the coast some are Amtrak.
I also managed to shoot some video and take a train down to San Jose, more in the next post.
Richard
But I'm away for a week and I get back and find I've replaced ! by this, in my seat already !
Apparently she won it in a raffle at a dancing competition.
Fortunately Monday morning was free and as I was staying in Santa Clara I went down to the station to see what was happening.
Caltrains runs a fairly frequent commuter service from San Jose to San Francisco about 40 miles north all through Silicon valley. They have just completed the electrification of the route with electric services due to start early next year. So I'm lucky to have caught the end of the diesel service using FP40s
There are also service that run further up and down the coast some are Amtrak.
I also managed to shoot some video and take a train down to San Jose, more in the next post.
Richard
JasonD
Western Thunderer
I was lucky enough to have a cousin living within walking distance of Menlo Park Station on the SJ to SF line. SP grey GP9s and FM Trainmasters on commutes, H12-44s switching further in to SF, double-deck and old Harriman psgr cars and the loco depot further in. What? Oh yes, 50 years ago. Could get the train in, pancakes and mapel syrple, cable cars, boat trips, etc all for, er ... $5. Those were the days
Jordan
Mid-Western Thunderer
Dog Star
Western Thunderer
and his neckerchief!
richard carr
Western Thunderer
I had to be in Chicago for a business trip this week. Its been the coldest week of the winter here so far.
Tuesday morning was minus 23 degrees walking to the office. It did warm up a bit as the week went on so yesterday morning was only minus 17 when I got to Bensenville station. I wasn't going to go far in this kind of weather, there's a few inches of snow but nothing really by local standards.
Fortunately I do have the clothes for this so it wasn't too bad.
Metra has just taken delivery of some refurbished SD70MACs now referred to as SD70 MACH. These are for passenger service so now have electric train heating etc and run in push pull mode. They have ordered 15 and have options on a further 27, let's hope they find the money.
I was lucky the first train I came across at Bensenville, the 8:15 into CHicago was a new SD70 MACH, I didn't manage any photos but it is the first part of the video
After this I wanted to go and explore the Belt Railway of Chicago yard in Cicero, just south of Midway airport. There is plenty of parking as its adjacent to a Walmart Supercentre and several other stores.
Unfortunately there's this fence, if you are just watching it's not much of a distraction, but useless for photos and video.
I did manage this one through the fence.
This is a GP23 ECO by progress rail, previously a GP40 according to the "Diesel Roster".
After this I headed back to Elmhurst on the UP mainline, hoping I might see another SD70 MACH, but no such luck. There were a couple of Metra trains and once they were gone UP got 2 manifest freights heading west. It's all in the video.
After that I went back to Bensenville, it's only a 4 miles up the road, again a couple of Metras ran through on time. Then a CP freight headed north so avoiding the station. Then I saw a little freight train inthe distance come in over the yard avoiding line that heads down to the UP yard near Elmhurst.
It only had 6 freight cars and took the line north up the west side of O'Hare.
I was heading to Des Plaines hobbies and was heading that way too, I caught it up at a couple of road crossings before I head off.
Richard
Tuesday morning was minus 23 degrees walking to the office. It did warm up a bit as the week went on so yesterday morning was only minus 17 when I got to Bensenville station. I wasn't going to go far in this kind of weather, there's a few inches of snow but nothing really by local standards.
Fortunately I do have the clothes for this so it wasn't too bad.
Metra has just taken delivery of some refurbished SD70MACs now referred to as SD70 MACH. These are for passenger service so now have electric train heating etc and run in push pull mode. They have ordered 15 and have options on a further 27, let's hope they find the money.
I was lucky the first train I came across at Bensenville, the 8:15 into CHicago was a new SD70 MACH, I didn't manage any photos but it is the first part of the video
After this I wanted to go and explore the Belt Railway of Chicago yard in Cicero, just south of Midway airport. There is plenty of parking as its adjacent to a Walmart Supercentre and several other stores.
Unfortunately there's this fence, if you are just watching it's not much of a distraction, but useless for photos and video.
I did manage this one through the fence.
This is a GP23 ECO by progress rail, previously a GP40 according to the "Diesel Roster".
After this I headed back to Elmhurst on the UP mainline, hoping I might see another SD70 MACH, but no such luck. There were a couple of Metra trains and once they were gone UP got 2 manifest freights heading west. It's all in the video.
After that I went back to Bensenville, it's only a 4 miles up the road, again a couple of Metras ran through on time. Then a CP freight headed north so avoiding the station. Then I saw a little freight train inthe distance come in over the yard avoiding line that heads down to the UP yard near Elmhurst.
It only had 6 freight cars and took the line north up the west side of O'Hare.
I was heading to Des Plaines hobbies and was heading that way too, I caught it up at a couple of road crossings before I head off.
Richard
Big Train James
Western Thunderer
Why are you so bundled up? You look like you're on an Arctic expedition, while everybody else is barely covered up at all 
? I do appreciate the video, as I seldom see a lot of that rolling stock come my way. It's nice to see different stuff.
I do like Elmhurst, as they have a good sushi restaurant there. Regrettably it doesn't face the tracks. If you go there again, consider parking west of the station as you head out of downtown. There's a nice sweeping bend in the tracks, plenty of trackside parking, southern light, and no visual obstructions. You can also get a bit further from the tracks for a broader angle shot. The only disadvantage is you don't have the view to the yard entrance at Proviso just east of Elmhurst, so you can't see freights staging there. You also would have missed the light engine move. As with many things in life, there are both pros and cons.
? I do appreciate the video, as I seldom see a lot of that rolling stock come my way. It's nice to see different stuff.I do like Elmhurst, as they have a good sushi restaurant there. Regrettably it doesn't face the tracks. If you go there again, consider parking west of the station as you head out of downtown. There's a nice sweeping bend in the tracks, plenty of trackside parking, southern light, and no visual obstructions. You can also get a bit further from the tracks for a broader angle shot. The only disadvantage is you don't have the view to the yard entrance at Proviso just east of Elmhurst, so you can't see freights staging there. You also would have missed the light engine move. As with many things in life, there are both pros and cons.
richard carr
Western Thunderer
Jim
I'm so bundled up because it was like an Artic expedition, it was 14 degrees in the afternoon, 6 first thing in the morning, try standing on the platform for 2 hours and see how cold it gets, it wasn't shorts weather !
Let's hope March is bit warmer.
I like Elmhurst too, I'll give your suggestion for a location a try, I'm expecting to be back at the end of Feb or first week of march if our recruitment goes to plan.
Richard
I'm so bundled up because it was like an Artic expedition, it was 14 degrees in the afternoon, 6 first thing in the morning, try standing on the platform for 2 hours and see how cold it gets, it wasn't shorts weather !
Let's hope March is bit warmer.
I like Elmhurst too, I'll give your suggestion for a location a try, I'm expecting to be back at the end of Feb or first week of march if our recruitment goes to plan.
Richard
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
richard carr
Western Thunderer
Dave
Old world F when I replied to Jim, so about minus 14 C in the morning rising to minus 10 C in the afternoon. It was freezing, you needed to be seriously well wrapped up, and I was.
My first post was in new world C.
Richard
Old world F when I replied to Jim, so about minus 14 C in the morning rising to minus 10 C in the afternoon. It was freezing, you needed to be seriously well wrapped up, and I was.
My first post was in new world C.
Richard
Jordan
Mid-Western Thunderer
If Richard was from Newcastle-on-Tyne, he'd have swapped his string vest for a t-shirt with short sleeves. No coat required....Why are you so bundled up? You look like you're on an Arctic expedition, while everybody else is barely covered up at all
richard carr
Western Thunderer
Hi Jordan
Its funny you should say that as although I'm originally from Yorkshire, I went to university in Newcastle and lived there for 9 years in total.
And you are right, thats just the thing that they would do on a Friday and Saturday night
Its funny you should say that as although I'm originally from Yorkshire, I went to university in Newcastle and lived there for 9 years in total.
And you are right, thats just the thing that they would do on a Friday and Saturday night
PhilMortimer
Active Member
Its the wind that does it (and ChicagoLand can be very windy). I've over heated in negative F doing strenuous work (snow clearance in Quebec) when there was NO wind. But when the wind kicks up at those temperatures, its a different matter - you can't hide from the cold.
richard carr
Western Thunderer
I'm on a week long business trip to Tokyo at the moment, so yesterday I decided to visit the JR East Railway Company museum in Omiya, about 30 miles west of downtown Tokyo, but still very much a part of great Tokyo.
There are 3 train options for getting, the Shinkansen in 24 minutes, the rapid local that takes 35 minutes and the local stopping at every station which probably takes more than hour. I elected for the local rapid service at a cost of 587 Yen just over £3 one way. It may be cheap but the seats are pretty basic if you can get 1, which I did being Saturday.
Here one of the trains that I travelled on, arriving at Omiya. This is the bog standard Japanese middle distance EMU.
These units are part of a private railway the Tobu railway which runs several lines in the great Tokyo area
To get to the museum it is a 35 minute walk from the station, it looks like there is a station at the museum but I couldn't find any sign of a train going there. The Tobu line head that way and google maps said it was a 17 minute walk from their station, so thats where I headed.
Not something we see in the UK
The stop was 3 minutes down the line
Lots of Japan railway lines too, it seemed like the level crossing was spending more time closed than open.
The museum is fairly new and most have cost a fortune, it's impressive but unfortunately virtually all the information is only in Japanese.
This is the first exhibit you come across
A steam locomotive driving simulator, you have book in advance to have a go. It was making lots of noise.
The cut away steam loco, every railway museum g=has to have one !
There are 3 train options for getting, the Shinkansen in 24 minutes, the rapid local that takes 35 minutes and the local stopping at every station which probably takes more than hour. I elected for the local rapid service at a cost of 587 Yen just over £3 one way. It may be cheap but the seats are pretty basic if you can get 1, which I did being Saturday.
Here one of the trains that I travelled on, arriving at Omiya. This is the bog standard Japanese middle distance EMU.
These units are part of a private railway the Tobu railway which runs several lines in the great Tokyo area
To get to the museum it is a 35 minute walk from the station, it looks like there is a station at the museum but I couldn't find any sign of a train going there. The Tobu line head that way and google maps said it was a 17 minute walk from their station, so thats where I headed.
Not something we see in the UK
The stop was 3 minutes down the line
Lots of Japan railway lines too, it seemed like the level crossing was spending more time closed than open.
The museum is fairly new and most have cost a fortune, it's impressive but unfortunately virtually all the information is only in Japanese.
This is the first exhibit you come across
A steam locomotive driving simulator, you have book in advance to have a go. It was making lots of noise.
The cut away steam loco, every railway museum g=has to have one !
richard carr
Western Thunderer
Next up, another old electric locomotive, you get the impression that they went straight from steam to electric and skipped diesels.
One of the early bullet trains I think ?
These are the latest bullet train end cars, I understand that the nose shape is all about minimising the impact of the shock wave created when the train enters a tunnel at 200mph +
A really nice model of a crane probably about G scale.
Next I headed up to the roof top cafe and yes they had outside seating that gave a great view of the lines below.
This is looking back towards Omiya
A shot quite a bit of video so this will appear later.
Back inside these next photos give sense of the size of the place.
One of the early bullet trains I think ?
These are the latest bullet train end cars, I understand that the nose shape is all about minimising the impact of the shock wave created when the train enters a tunnel at 200mph +
A really nice model of a crane probably about G scale.
Next I headed up to the roof top cafe and yes they had outside seating that gave a great view of the lines below.
This is looking back towards Omiya
A shot quite a bit of video so this will appear later.
Back inside these next photos give sense of the size of the place.
Jordan
Mid-Western Thunderer
I think they did, didn't they? Rebuilding from scratch after WW2, like a lot of European cities, they were looking to the future.
Meanwhile, in Britain.....
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
I think they did, didn't they? Rebuilding from scratch after WW2, like a lot of European cities, they were looking to the future.
Meanwhile, in Britain.....
Yes, Japan, like Western Europe, were looking towards the future and electrified it's trunk routes early on and transitioned from steam to electric.
They only developed diesels for rural and lightly used routes. Japan has/had coalfields but the majority are/were located at either end of the country on the islands of Hokkaido in the north and Kyushu in the south.
On the history of overhead main line electrification a number of European countries were pioneers prior to WW2 namely, Germany, Italy, France, Hungary, to name a few.
As you say Britain went through this strange diesel episode rather than look ahead and transition from steam to electric. We all have our views on this - not for discussion here though
.Surburban electrification is a different kettle of fish.