Ridin' Around

[Hawk]

I just got back from a 2 1/2 week trip through the Northeast US. I took a bunch of photos of different railroad museums and excursion trains.
Thought some of you folks might enjoy them.
Got to this link; http://www.hawkdawg.com/photos/photos.htm and just click on the link for Ridin' Around.

[csxtac4400cw122]

Great pics, and it looks like you started in my home town, hopefully you caught some csx, wle, cvsr and abb action before you went north.

[CRQ5508]

hey glad to hear you were in New Hampshire! I see you caught "the cog" as the Mount Washington Cog Railway is called here in NH. very nice trip up the 23% gradients to the top of the mountain. You shoulda ventured a little south though, and you would have caught the Conway Scenic Railroad operating over a stretch of the original Maine Central Mountain Division, using FP9s, a GP9 #573 painted into it's original MEC paint scheme, and a 2-8-0 steamer) Even further South is the Winnepesaukee Scenic Railway (aka: The Hobo) the operates over the northern most section of the original Boston and Maine White Mountain Division. They have a bunch of equipment including two S-1s, a GP7, that haul normal passenger cars, and RDCs. Still further south is where I am. around Concord New Hampshire. There isn't much here, but 50, and 95 car unit coal trains hauled by P&W B39-8s and B30-7ABs on the shorter ones. and NS C40-9Ws on the full length ones (P&W trains are imported coal from Africa, 95 car NS trains or domestic coal), and the soon to be abosorbed by Guilford Rail System (aka Pan Am), my favorite shortline, the New England Southern that now only has an ex UP GP39-2. There are other areas around the state with good rail action. the coast sees frequent freights, and Amtraks "Northeaster" service. Ok so now my rant is done. but again, very nice pictures. Glad you had a good time. :-)

[Guilford343]

"Northeaster".. there is no such thing.. lol
It is called the "Downeaster".. its alright Tom, you are not the first man. :P
BTW, nice pics!

[Hawk]

Dave-While I was in Akron I didn't even do any rail-fanning. Too busy with relatives I hadn't seen in 7 years. LOL!

Tom-I rode by the Conway but my timing was off a bit that day and I missed the ride. I did take a few pictures there in N. Conway though. I really would like to go back up to Vermont and New Hampshire. Beautiful country and I know I missed a bunch of neat stuff.
I have a friend that lives in New Hampshire (Rumney) and spent a couple of days with him hiking in the mountains. Simply gorgeous!

BTW, nice pics!
Thanks Steven and all. I guess it's pretty obvious I'm not a very good photographer. LOL!

[jac_murphy]

The Conway Scenic is an amazing railroad to visit, but I don't know what's gonna happen to the F-units now that the railroad's U-boats are up and running. Also, a minor correction: the steamer is an 0-6-0, not a 2-8-0. :)

Here are a couple of recent pics, including a few of the Hobo Railroad: http://members.trainorders.com/gputz/recent.htm (These are not my photos.)

Jacques

[CRQ5508]

>The Conway Scenic is an amazing railroad to visit, but I
>don't know what's gonna happen to the F-units now that the
>railroad's U-boats are up and running. Also, a minor
>correction: the steamer is an 0-6-0, not a 2-8-0. :)
>
>Here are a couple of recent pics, including a few of the Hobo
>Railroad: http://members.trainorders.com/gputz/recent.htm
>(These are not my photos.)
>
>Jacques

ah that's right. i don't know why, but I keep thinking it a 2-8-0. Anyways, I think those F-units are gonna stay. because they have steam-generators in them, good for when they run the late fall "leaf peepers" as i call them, when all the out of staters who come and clog our highways, go north to see the bright yellows and oranges, and reds in our trees. The U-boats do look pretty snazzy in that paint scheme of theirs. Best looking u-boats I've ever seen. Although very time I go up therem i try to catch the 573. That locomotive has a very interesting history, but every time I go up there, if there is a train it either has the u-boats on it, or an F unit.

[Hawk]

Great pics Jacques. Thanks for posting that link. He got a lot of pictures I didn't get but saw the area.
I started out using them throw-away cameras but finally got disgusted with them and bought a digital when I was in Maine.

[jac_murphy]

Well, they do have a 2-8-0 on the property - MEC 501. It's the one sitting just outside the roundhouse in North Conway. I heard they were restoring it, but have no idea how far that project has come, since it looks almost exactly the same today as it did when I visited the railroad 2 years ago.

Also, Hawk, I forgot to mention in my last post that you have some great pictures in there, and I really enjoyed the story on the Upper Hudson River Railroad. ALso, I certainly can't fault you for taking a trip on the Cog Railway, it's a great ride.

Jacques

[Hawk]

Thanks Jacques.
The cog was the best ride I had while I was up there. I do wish I could have rode the Conway though.