dave1905

All of those are Los Angeles or San Francisco locations, probably the same locations in each series. There is one bridge over a rail yard that has been in virtually every cop movie or TV series produced in Hollywood for the last 30 years. Watch "Rocky" for eastern urban, it was filmed in Phillie. In one scene he's running along Delaware Ave, along the docks.

You have done a great job on your buildings. Wonderful backdrops. I wish I could do as well. However, they scream post WW1 or later despite the "1898" label on the top of the building. Sorry, I model 1900 - 1905 . PM me for details.

If you want to switch it prototypically you'll need a couple tracks about 8-10 cars long on the left. The switcher would go pull all the outbounds, shove them down to the long sidings that are on the left side of the diagram, pick up the spotters and go spot the plant.

There was no 90 degree crossing, there probably was crossing. You are taking a schematic as a literal track survey. FOG, Bing 1, Oz 0. 8-)

Actually I think the FOG chart is correct. For 2004. They are drawn by the crews. I also think the Bing and Google Maps are correct. For 2012. If you look at the zoom in on the satellite photo, at the spot where diamond should be according to the FOG chart there is fresh asphalt.

The minimum radius for 2 SW1500's coupled is 154 ft. In HO scale the minimum radius would be just over 21", not 15" The minimum radius for a single engine NOT coupled to cars might be 15" but that doesn't do you any good spotting an industry.

Just a note on the history of those Amtrak GE hood units. Amtrak was shopping for power, GE made them a deal they couldn't refuse on some hood units that would be reconfigured for passenger service. Amtrak had planned to use them in service in and out of New York until the Engineering department put the brakes on that. The hood units were too wide to clear the platforms in Penn Station and were too tall to safely clear the overhead catenary in the tunnels. So Amtrak had to shift them to service in the west and midwest.

It would probably be a partnership between a European and N American manufacturer. The underframes, draft gear , control cab and some truck components on European locomotives are unsuitable and potentially illegal in the US. US firms don't have the experience or production lines in the electrical systems. So it would be a conventional "US" AC locomotive with a modified US hood covering European electrical gear. Since they would be extremely limited production runs, they would be hugely expensive. On the other hand, since the majority of the engine was made of stock locomotive parts, it would have performance that wouldn't be much different than a regular AC diesel it was derived from. And since only part of the route was electrified, it would require 2 sets of locomotives per train plus the delays to change power, another economic disadvantage. Going to the other end of the country. The MILW had a very poor infrastructure and relatively small operation and abandoned electrification, while on the former PRR they had a huge, robust infrastructure and a large electrified operation, and they still abandoned freight electrification. Don't underestimate the economics of having to change engines. Right now one set of engines can pull a train from the west coast to the east coast with only 2 brief stops enroute to refuel.

I used to work for the the last superintedent of the electrified division on the Milwaukee after he left them and went to another RR. He said the problem was the MILW used wooden poles for the electrified district and they had so many that were rotting out and termite infested at the same time that couldn't justify the expense of more or less rebuilding the entire pole system. That and modern diesels made the electric sections more or less obsolete and expensive (why have 3 sets of power when one will do). So the wires came down.