Train ride....in the engineers seat....

[Freightrain]

Yesterday I took advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime.  The Midwest Railway Preservation Society offers "drive a train" and I took them up.  Pay a fee and get an hour behind the throttle of there vintage long hood RS-3 similar to this:

What I was told about the Alco RS3, was the fact it was a long hood, was it was one of the first diesels and the long hood mimic's a steam engine.  Pretty much all the later stuff were short hoods(like GP's and SD's)

 

Due to circumstances beyond my control I was given the benefit of playing longer then typical.  The other gentlemen that was doing it was a 95 yr old WWII veteran.  It was pretty cold out and he didn't stay on for the entire time limit.  The engineer offered me more play time if I wanted to?   Well, HELL YA!!!

We were hooked to a tank car and was dragging it up and down an access track for their property(off CSX rail yard in Cleveland).  Pretty cool to play with I must say.  After the veteran was helped off the engine I asked if my g/f could ride(typically that is not allowed), but was told "that's okay".  Karen hopped on and we played some more until it was time to put things away.  The engineer took the controls and we shuffled some cars around and put things back were they started from and then rode back into the roundhouse.  About 3 hours worth!

I have been familiar with the organization for a few years, but never joined.  I joined and hope to make some time to actually volunteer to work on the equipment.  They own and are restoring the 4070 that used to pull the cars for the Cuyahoga Valley Line.  I rode behind it back in the early 80's?(and still have a badge from it somewhere).

 

www.midwestrailway.org

 

[Hobert62]

That's great!

[other dog]

Awesome!

[1958 F.W.D.]

The only thing I may like better than volunteering at the Mack Museum!!

 

[ranchhopper]

6 hours ago, Freightrain said:

Yesterday I took advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime.  The Midwest Railway Preservation Society offers "drive a train" and I took them up.  Pay a fee and get an hour behind the throttle of there vintage long hood RS-3 similar to this:

What I was told about the Alco RS3, was the fact it was a long hood, was it was one of the first diesels and the long hood mimic's a steam engine.  Pretty much all the later stuff were short hoods(like GP's and SD's)

 

Due to circumstances beyond my control I was given the benefit of playing longer then typical.  The other gentlemen that was doing it was a 95 yr old WWII veteran.  It was pretty cold out and he didn't stay on for the entire time limit.  The engineer offered me more play time if I wanted to?   Well, HELL YA!!!

We were hooked to a tank car and was dragging it up and down an access track for their property(off CSX rail yard in Cleveland).  Pretty cool to play with I must say.  After the veteran was helped off the engine I asked if my g/f could ride(typically that is not allowed), but was told "that's okay".  Karen hopped on and we played some more until it was time to put things away.  The engineer took the controls and we shuffled some cars around and put things back were they started from and then rode back into the roundhouse.  About 3 hours worth!

I have been familiar with the organization for a few years, but never joined.  I joined and hope to make some time to actually volunteer to work on the equipment.  They own and are restoring the 4070 that used to pull the cars for the Cuyahoga Valley Line.  I rode behind it back in the early 80's?(and still have a badge from it somewhere).

 

www.midwestrailway.org

 

Heres a engineers side view from silver pilot the last E5 locomotive in existence  the Nebraska zephyr cool old iron pretty slow track speed as seen on the speedometer..

Edited March 13, 2017 by ranchhopper

[Freightrain]

Dad took me to Illinois museum when I was about 12?

Here two pics from yesterday:

Edited March 12, 2017 by Freightrain

[hatcity]

now we have to call you "Mr. Choo-choo"

[Mike]

Now that is too cool. I cannot suggest here in Trashville to relocate a L&N steam locomotive J series from the Centennial Park downtown to the original Union Station downtown. It was placed in the park since 1952. It is a 4-8-4 train. There is a photo of me standing beside a wheel when I was 5 somewhere at home.

[mowerman]

Excellent.....And god love ya....Glad you hadda swingin time Larry !!!!!

Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk

[Freightrain]

14 hours ago, hatcity said:

now we have to call you "Mr. Choo-choo"

If ya haven't noticed my login is "Freightrain"......................

[MHfred]

Mr. Choo Choo, I am jealous. I have ridden the J611 here in VA but only in coach. The J611 is owned by the VA Museum of Transportation in Roanoke. I have ridden cross country 3 times on Amtrak and like it but don't ride it unless you have spare time on your arrival date.

EDIT: THE J 611 was built in 1950 by N& W and could move 15 cars at 110 MPH.

 

 

Edited March 13, 2017 by MHfred

[eddeere]

A few years ago I rode on the 611. That train could really move. On starting it would pull you back in your seat. 

[BillyT]

The only  thing " badder" than an old Mack is a steam loco in full cry! When I was in elementary school in the early fifties every morning an old steamer coal train ran thru the valley in Venetia Pa! The smoke lingered for about a half hour! Mike, your fellow Tennessean Casey Jones is smiling down from heaven! MH,Fred I saw a long video of that steam train that ran out of Roanoke,fascinating!

[j hancock]

Pretty cool to have some time behind the throttle!

In the late 1970's, I had a chance to do a ride along in a 4-6-2 Canadian Pacific #1293 at Steamtown USA in Bellows Fall, VT.  Lots of gauges, valves and controls in that cab!

[Freightrain]

Ya, there is a WHOLE lot more going on in the cab of a steam engine.  

[HarryS]

Back in the 50's a friend of mines father was an engineer for Southern Railway. They had a retired steam engine that was donated to the Smithsonian. It was stored in Alexandria, VA. It had to be moved to a shop for restoration. We got to ride in the engine and also got to shovel coal from the tender. That is definitely hard and hot work. As far as I know the train is still at the museum. Given the weight and size you don't just rotate that display.

[ranchhopper]

Its a real shame they couldn't have saved the B unit of the silver pilot it was scrapped before anyone cared to preserve it. 9911A is the only one left I think the silver pilot was built in 1939 would have been nice to have the B unit still hooked to it.

[TeamsterGrrrl]

Speaking of "B Units", haven't seen any of the Sante Fe B unit GPs lately... Are they all gone?

[TeamsterGrrrl]

The Alcos provide almost as good a visuals as the steam engines, what with their overfueling and resulting black smoke until the turbo caught up. Minnesota Commercial used to have some Alcos, enjoyed the show they put on back when I spotted trailers all day at the USPS Annex next to their line!

[davehummell]

some years ago we opened up another yard to sell brick out of and at that time a lot was shipped by rail. At our location there was a private rail company to spot our cars and down the tracks was a VERY large salt storage yard that they took care of. I got to know the guys driving locos and after a time they showed me how to drive the alco I ended up spotting our cars and moving some of the salt cars that was a lot of fun.  I live close to steamtown in Scranton and we went up on open house day got to go threw everthing up there, that big boy loco is so large I am surprised it stayed on the rails                                                                                                                                              

[Freightrain]

Big Boy....down right favorite.  Would love to ride 4014 when it gets finished in 2019.  Likely never get to, but would be a real thrill.

[Freightrain]

My dad purchased a "DD40" for his HO layout.  I remember them being a very large engine(even in HO) and you had to have a large radius layout to run them. I still have all his engines, including a cab forward(another very cool piece I always liked).

[ranchhopper]

15 minutes ago, Freightrain said:

My dad purchased a "DD40" for his HO layout.  I remember them being a very large engine(even in HO) and you had to have a large radius layout to run them. I still have all his engines, including a cab forward(another very cool piece I always liked).

That's cool I had one large lionel steam train set as a kid three rail system wish I had it now the transformer was half as big as a bus to run it.

[Freightrain]

Yup.  Certain Lionel stuff can fetch big dollars.  My dad had HO, I did also.  My sister had N scale.  I ended up with all of it, all boxed up in the attic.

I wanted to rebuild a layout about 20 yrs ago.  I got two 4x8 tables built in the basement and the money pit started.  I wanted two main lines an lots of big curves to hand the larger engines.  Track/roadbed and switches were adding up quickly and the budget just wouldn't support it then.  It all got torn down when I moved in 2004 and hasn't seen the light of day.  I do have some G scale from my Dad that I set up upstairs that I run occasionally.  My g/f bought me the green Mack switcher engine:

My dad was going to build an outdoor layout using the G scale stuff.  Unfortunately he passed long before he got around to actually putting it up.

[ranchhopper]

Isnt it funny how when you get deep into a hobby it turns into a money pit I'm going to start making battery box covers for my macks out of polished aluminum diamond plate and I'm going to make enough of them to sell some trying to help pay for my hobby. I have a nice new sheet metal finger brake to bend them up and I am going to practice my aluminum MIG welding to make them look nice. I should be able to sell them for half what they get for a polished aluminum battery box cover and mine will be polished diamond plate I'm going to make them for western and regular R models.