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I don't know but that's what they were known as - probably just the sheer bulk of them, 46ft long and 97 tons. They were built at the time Zeppelin raids were going on, another nickname was "crabs" but that was appropriated by a different railway later.

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2 hours ago, Michael Edge said:

I don't know but that's what they were known as - probably just the sheer bulk of them, 46ft long and 97 tons. They were built at the time Zeppelin raids were going on, another nickname was "crabs" but that was appropriated by a different railway later.

I always thought the nickname Zeppelin was applied to the Robinson 9N 4-6-2 Passenger tanks because of their bulk.  The 2-6-4 tanks were indeed known as crabs or more fully ‘Neasden Crabs’.

 

Charlie

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I know Metra better than Amtrak.  Never rode Amtrak myself.   Looks like you were mostly in and out of Chicago Union, which is now BNSF, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and Norfolk & Southern operated lines.   

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10 hours ago, Michael Edge said:

More tomorrow if anyone is following.

Yes please!

 

I did NYC - Washington DC in 1977 on a Leeds University RUFC tour. I can't remember the type of train but it could well have been a Metroliner. Some of those on the return stages (stopping off at Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Trenton) certainly were, which I think is what we can see in photo 3.

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Yes, those two additional rails are guardrails.   Still common (possibly legally required?) on most US rail bridges.  Used there to minimize possibility of collision with the platform in case of derailment.   Also helps protect worker's feet from the third rail.   

 

Only place in Chicagoland I've seen concrete ties was Metra trackage in and just outside Ogilvie Transportation Center, the other central Chicago station.   I gather they're more common out west, on heavy UP & BNSF lines.

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Your mystery loco is a Siemens SC-44, apparently.   We don't get Amtrak through West Chicago, so I've not seen one.

The long-distance locos are GE Genesis P42DC's.  Amtrak has nearly 200, and some are filtering out to Metra service.

The diesel everyone was afraid of was built by Montreal Locomotive Works, Alco's Canadian partner, for the Yukon & White Pass.   That railway was better known for their shovelnose diesels.

Lastly, you were able to ride behind a K-27.   

 

I'm kind of jealous.   I've never been farther west than the middle of Iowa.  If you ever come back, base out of Chicago.  There's enough railway museums in this area to make a week of it.   Especially if you come on Labor Day.   Most of the museums have special events on Labor Day, with less used equipment making runs.

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Brings back a lot of memories .

 

I did that trip back in 2008 . Thoroughly enjoyed it . NY- Washington - Chicago-Denver- Grand Junction - Flagstaff - LA -San Francisco .  Great trip , thoroughly enjoyed it . I had thought the sleeper accommodation would be great and was looking forward to it (I think i was imagining the accommodation seen on a James Bond film) , but I found it very cramped . The top bunk was like being in a coffin with the ceiling directly above you . I'm a bit claustrophobic so didnt like it at all . From memory there were three nights on the train and I remember only lasting 2 hours on the last night  then going into the lounge car to watch the sun come up over the Californian desert on the way into LA .  Magical . Everyone thinks deserts are yellow or brown - but it was very colourful as some came up , pinks , blues . Washington was the revelation to me . Everyone said there was lots of crime but I didnt see any . The old station was nicely restored and we went down close to the river using the metro (cant remember the name of the place now ), nice meal down by river . Lots of nice little street and alleys . 

 

Met some great people in the group and some fellow travelers on the train . 

 

Excellent holiday . Attempted to do Vietnam/ Cambodia with Great Railway Journeys but regrettably Covid happened , and even though the trip went ahead in March 2020, wrongly in my view , we elected to stay put as we thought a lock down was coming . One of my better decisions . I often wonder how that trip  got on and how they got back 

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Looks like you had a great time. The only regular train I have been on in the US was between DC and Phikadelphia. Certainly wasn't anything exotic. 

 

We have ridden thr Strasburg Railroad a number of times and another that I forget the name of that ran a doodlebug.

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1 hour ago, Bucoops said:

Looks like you had a great time. The only regular train I have been on in the US was between DC and Phikadelphia. Certainly wasn't anything exotic. 

 

We have ridden thr Strasburg Railroad a number of times and another that I forget the name of that ran a doodlebug.

Bucoops, if you don’t mind me asking, what is a doodlebug?

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The photos from our American trip were interrupted by another holiday (we've just got back from a month in France),

Continuing from where I left off, next was the Grand Canyon railway from Williams.

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These locos are I think ex Amtrak, seem more than powerful enough but the train trundles very slowly all the way there and back.

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The train waiting to return to Williams, before we set off from there we had been treated to a wild west show at the end of the platform...

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On the way back we were met by the four "cowboys" on horseback, the train stopped and they staged a robbery - at least they said the money was going to charity.....

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On the way back past the depot there was a varied range of stock and locos, I have no idea what this one is but it looks interesting. According to the publicity they do occasionally run steam but the only loco in evidence (possibly the only one they have?) was parked very much out of use in the station at Williams.

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I can't remember where this was now but the bus made a detour somewhere between Flagstaff and Las Vegas for us to look at this 4-8-4 plinthed in a park.

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Close up of the motion with its divided drive to the crankpins, common in large US steam locos but only done once in the UK - on Bulleid's 500hp 0-6-0DM 11001.

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From Los Angeles to San Francisco we were day passengers on the Coast Starlight to Seattle, locos seen here on one of the stops where we are allowed out for a few minutes.

Not long after this we were glad were not sleeper passengers this time, there was a serious fire in the kitchen car and meals were cancelled. The Amtrak crew dealt with the situation with good humour, promised the passengers they would get fed somehow - breakfast would  be like Christmas morning, you'll get a parcel. you won't know what's in it but you will enjoy it! Next stop after we got off in Oakland was going to be the Amtrak depot to cut out the damaged car.

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Much of the route is along the coast - and very close to it - but towards San Francisco it climbs over the mountains on this impressive spiral.

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looking back a few minutes later

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I think this plinthed switcher is at Salinas, we had left LA in 30+ heat, shorts and T shirts, got off here at 14 and shivering. Does it ever get warm around san Francisco?

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We didn't have a lot of free time in San Francisco but here was time for a cable car ride.

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No time to ride on the heritage trams though - all the ones we saw were PCC cars.

We flew back to LHR from here after a great trip, even though we had had to wait two years to actually do it.

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55 minutes ago, Michael Edge said:

On the way back we were met by the four "cowboys" on horseback, the train stopped and they staged a robbery - at least they said the money was going to charity.....

Did they have 'Trump 2024' badges ?

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Superb :) It wasn't particularly warm in San Fran when we went - but we seemed to take the weather on holiday with us - there was snow in the grand canyon and it was raining in death valley!

 

Although I see the other day that death valley is currently flooded so it could have been worse.

 

Looks like you had a grea time.

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That was San Francisco in early July, even when it was sunny it wasn't exactly warm.

We got more than enough heat in France though but amazingly it was warmer back in Barnsley than where we were 3500ft up in the Auvergne at the time.

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Your steeds for the Grand Canyon trip are of mixed lineage.   They're both F40FH's, similar to what was on Metra in Chicago.   237 is ex-Amtrak, while the second loco, 4128, is ex-NJ Transit.

 

Your mystery loco marked BM&LP is a GE E60CF from the Black Mesa & Lake Powell Railroad.   BM&LP was an isolated line strung at 50kAC.   Ran coal between a dedicated mine and a power station.   The line was closed in 2019 with the power station.

 

The E60CF is interesting.   Big, beastly thing showing when the American loading gauge is used for a freight electric.   Comparably recent, as well.  They were built between 1973 & 1976.

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