Street Running - La Grange, KY September 2014

[Pugsley]

There's something I find inherently fascinating about street running.  I'm not sure what it is, the fact that it doesn't really happen over here, or the combination of different forms of transport in the same place, things that are usually kept separate.  Whatever the reason, I've spent ages looking at pictures and watching videos on You Tube and last week finally got to see it for myself.

 

Luckily, I have a very understanding wife, who wasn't too skeptical when I declared last year that we should go on holiday to the US and that Kentucky seemed like a good place to go...  So, a week ago today we found ourselves heading off to La Grange - allegedly the last town in the US where the trains run down Main Street.  We arrived around 10:00 and there was a nervous wait for a couple of hours, where nothing happened!  After wandering around the town and looking in every single shop on Main St, we decided to get a quick coffee and periodically I wandered outside to check the signal at the end of the street - normally it's off, but lights up when there is a train due.

 

After a couple of trips outside to check, with some of the other customers in the place wondering why this man kept walking outside and looking up the road, the signal changed to a green over red aspect - indicating that something would be appearing.  After about 10 minutes this appeared at the far end of town, from the Louisville direction:

 

As it came closer, I realised that it was a light engine movement.

 

 

It just trundled quietly past, and headed off up the street:

 

Whilst it was interesting to see, it didn't have quite the same impact as a full train running through.  It was now back to waiting and hoping that something else would show up.

 

Thankfully, it wasn't too long before a distant horn indicated that something was coming through from the Cincinnati direction.  Shortly after hearing the horn, the signal also lit up again for a train coming from the Louisville direction as well - a meet was scheduled at the siding just outside of town.  It was just as well, as we were approaching the time limit set for these rail related activities - I don't like to push my wife too far

 

I could hear this one coming before I could see it, which was a good sign that it was a full train this time.  You could see from the haze above the locos that they were working reasonably hard:

 

 

This had more of an impact, being a full train.  It felt a little surreal with the 4 large GE's pulling their long train (it took a good 8 minutes to pass us) running straight through the town centre, amongst the cars and shops.  Watching people's reactions to the train was also interesting - some stopped to watch it to go through, whilst others just ignored it and go on with what they were doing - I guess the locals have seen it so often, it's just an everyday thing now.

 

The first one disappears towards Cincinnati:

 

Shortly after that one disappeared around the corner, out of town, the distant horn confirmed that the other train was now on the move and headed for town.  It wasn't long before the bell could be heard and this appeared around the curve:

 

There was a lease unit in this consist - CITX 2792, classified as an SD40M-2 - rebuilt from an SD45 for the UP, by Morrison Knudsen, sometime in the 1990's.

 

 

Going in the Louisville direction, this train sped up considerably after the head end had gone through town, I estimate that it was up to about 40mph by the time the last cars went through.  It made it more of a spectacle to see large cars, such as auto racks heading through town quite fast.

 

Eventually, that one also disappeared out of town, and the morning of street running came to an end:

 

Now for the bonus E unit - two days before the expedition to La Grange, we took an unplanned visit to the Historic RailPark, at Bowling Green, KY.  If you're ever in the area, I'd recommend it, it provides a good insight to the history of the L&N, as well as Railroads in general - it'll while away a few hours, we were there longer than expected.

 

 

It's not an original L&N E8A, none of those survive, but it is one that was built to the exact same specification and looks great in the L&N colours.

[LNRR]

Pugsley;

 

We still have street running through downtown Frankfort, KY, passing in front of the old State Capitol building. Although they removed the pavement from the track and placed a low curb on each side of the railroad, it presents its own problems, as it's not unusual for some of the drunks that frequent the area, will often manage to get the car hung up on the curb! To make things more interesting, now and then a driver will manage to miss the turn on the road that crosses the track at the Kentucky River bridge and end up on the track! Fun, fun, fun!

[Pugsley]

I didn't know about that, otherwise we may have taken a trip to see the state capital

 

Still, there's always next time!

[Supaned]

There's also street running in Ashland , Virginia. I don't know about freight , but Amtrak certainly uses it.

[Gene]

After the Lac Megantic accident last year those tank-cars running right through the middle of a town are a little bit disconcerting.

[Metr0Land]

A couple of shots from Aug2007 so I don't know if they're still there.

 

You can sit outside at Norma Jean's eaterie waiting for trains

 

 

 

If it's too hot, try inside at the Irish Rover bar/pub.  They used to serve Fullers beer, Newcastle Brown, and one other proper beer I've forgotten. 

 

[trisonic]

After the Lac Megantic accident last year those tank-cars running right through the middle of a town are a little bit disconcerting.

Yeah, they would be much better being carried on trucks, right?

 

Best, Pete.

[Gene]

Pete...that was uncalled for.....I made no comment about using trucks or a pipeline or how the oil should be or not be transported.... I was just being open to the fact that the pic was a bit jarring for me.....it states pretty clearly under my name where I am from and that little disaster hit pretty close to home.

[trisonic]

Pete...that was uncalled for.....I made no comment about using trucks or a pipeline or how the oil should be or not be transported.... I was just being open to the fact that the pic was a bit jarring for me.....it states pretty clearly under my name where I am from and that little disaster hit pretty close to home.

Actually it was “irony” as the train was “street running”....

 

Many apologies, Gene.....

 

I did try and work out what the cars were carrying but failed miserably.

 

Best, Pete.

[Gene]

No problem, thank you Pete.

[Adrian Wintle]

 

I did try and work out what the cars were carrying but failed miserably.

 

 

 

I'd guess it was going here: https://www.google.ca/maps/place/La+Grange,+KY,+USA/@38.3761085,-85.4447268,18z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x88698e15da557fbf:0x36d22946d751461 (a bit west of La Grange)

 

There is a similar cut of tank cars in the satellite shot.

 

I don't know what the plant is, though.

 

Edit. One of the plants there is Quality House, making Jams, Sauces, Syrups, and Peanut Butter

http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/print-edition/2013/01/18/food-production-company-expanding-in.html?page=all

I'd guess that corn syrup is in some of the tank cars.

 

 

Adrian

[trisonic]

Very probably by the sound of it. Thanks, again, Adrian.

 

Best, Pete.

[Pugsley]

Actually it was “irony” as the train was “street running”....

 

Many apologies, Gene.....

 

I did try and work out what the cars were carrying but failed miserably.

 

Best, Pete.

There was at least one Chlorine tank in one of the trains!

[Pugsley]

A couple of shots from Aug2007 so I don't know if they're still there.

 

You can sit outside at Norma Jean's eaterie waiting for trains

  

 

If it's too hot, try inside at the Irish Rover bar/pub.  They used to serve Fullers beer, Newcastle Brown, and one other proper beer I've forgotten.

The Irish Rover is now the Rails bar and Norma Jean's isn't there either, I can't remember what was there now.

[Andy Reichert]

I've always found trains, and especially electric ones like trams, running on and steered by, tiny shiny metal grooves in the street, fascinating. Somehow it seems (to me) more like almost invisible advanced technology than seeing the obvious large rails of normal railroad track. Especially when  modelled in smaller scales.

[Jenny Emily]

Just east of the section of street running there are a number of old coaches and a locomotive on an isolated section of track. The locomotive in the Google image below caught my eye; it looks almost European in design. Can anyone identify what it is and its history?

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@38.4082761,-85.3755655,3a,75y,14.26h,82.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPMmqn0SxH8UTPirqct8nug!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

[40019]

Just east of the section of street running there are a number of old coaches and a locomotive on an isolated section of track. The locomotive in the Google image below caught my eye; it looks almost European in design. Can anyone identify what it is and its history?

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@38.4082761,-85.3755655,3a,75y,14.26h,82.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPMmqn0SxH8UTPirqct8nug!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

 

Its a british loco - http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=1749

[trevorsmith3489]

Just east of the section of street running there are a number of old coaches and a locomotive on an isolated section of track. The locomotive in the Google image below caught my eye; it looks almost European in design. Can anyone identify what it is and its history?

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@38.4082761,-85.3755655,3a,75y,14.26h,82.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPMmqn0SxH8UTPirqct8nug!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

History of the loco can be found here.

 

https://lagrangerailroadmuseum.org/museum-artifacts/

 

Trevor

[Zomboid]

There's also street running in Ashland , Virginia. I don't know about freight , but Amtrak certainly uses it.

 

Many years later... On the Bing aerial photo there's a long freight train running up the road in Ashland VA.