Union Pacific Big Boy #4014

Union Pacific recently purchased one of their Big Boy locomotives, a massive 4-8-8-4 articulated steam engine, from a park in southern California.  In late April and early May, the engine was moved from California to Cheyenne, Wyoming, for restoration.  Once restoration is complete, it will join the Challenger #3985 and the Northern #844 in Union Pacific's steam program.  While on the move, the Big Boy was put on display in various towns along the way, including Salt Lake City, UT and Ogden, UT.  I was still living in the area then, and I was able to go up to Ogden to see the engine on the day it was on display there.

The Big Boys were designed for Union Pacific's steep mountain grades between Ogden, UT and Green River, WY.  In modern days, when more horsepower is needed, more locomotives are put on the train and cables are connected between them so that one train crew can control all the locomotives from the lead locomotive.  In areas where helper engines are needed, these are put on the back of the train and usually have their own crew.  Steam engines, by nature, can't do that.  Every engine on a train has to have its own crew.  That is why, in steam days, you rarely saw doubleheaded trains.  Both engines had to have their own crew, and had to rely on whistle signals to let each other know what they were doing.  This was inconvenient, and Union Pacific didn't like doing it on their line between Green River and Ogden.

Thus the Big Boy was born.  UP wanted a locomotive that could pull a train on that line without help.  They had a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, meaning they had two sets of eight driving wheels each.  They burned coal, but the 4005 was later converted to burn oil, but the conversion was poorly designed and did not work properly.  The design has been improved since then, and like the other two engines in UP's steam program, the 4014 will be converted to burn oil.  They were built by American Locomotive Company, the first twenty (4000-4019) were built in 1941 and five more (4020-4024) were built in 1944.  They earned their nickname when a worker at the ALCo plant in Schenectady, NY wrote "Big Boy" on the front of one of the engines as it was under construction.  The nickname stuck, and today that is what everyone knows this design by.  The locomotives were not in service long, as diesels began taking over shortly after they were built, and the last one ran July 21, 1959.

Below are some of the photos I shot in Ogden, for a full album visit our facebook page.

For the rest of the photos, please visit the photo album on our facebook page.  If you have not "liked" our page, search for "Ogden Brothers Trains" on facebook and you will find it.

Drivers Removed

As you have most likely noticed, I have not written in some time. Basically, two things have been going on in my life, work and restoring the steam locomotive.

First of all, work has been going well. Two weeks ago, we took our final exams. Our exam grades would determine our seniority, so there was some motivation to do well. Higher grades would get a better seniority. There were several parts to the test. The first part had been our field training, which had occurred a couple of weeks prior. The grade we got on that would be one third of our overall grade. The written portions would cover the other two thirds. The first part was basically a vocabulary test. There were dozens of glossary terms, and we had to write the definition. Additionally, there were a few other things we were supposed to know, such as the current rule of the week. After that, there were pictures of all the different signal indications. We had to write the name of each aspect and write out each indication. Once we were done with signals, we had five essay questions, about various topics, such as signals, restricted speed, and a few other things.

When we were finished with the test booklet, we turned it in and our teacher got us set up on a computer, in another room. There we had 98 multiple choice questions to answer, which covered selected rules from the General Code of Operating Rules and the Alaska Railroad Air Brake and Train Handling manual. That was the only portion on which we saw our grade. When we hit the submit button, on the computer, it instantly graded the test and showed how many we got wrong. I missed one, on which I had neglected to carefully read the entire set of answers. When we were finished, we were allowed to leave. Since the written portion had to be corrected by hand, we would not know what our seniority was until later in the afternoon.

I received a call from the crew office after lunch. I was informed that I had gotten the highest score in the class, and as a result, I was awarded the highest seniority in the class. We would all be moved to the Anchorage Brakemen's Extra Board at 0001 on Tuesday. I decided to place a bid on a job, since you are not subject to force unless you are on the extra board, unless they are forcing you from one position to another (such as from Brakeman to Conductor). On Alaska Railroad, I am only qualified as a Brakeman, so that is not an issue. I wanted a regular assignment just so I would know I would not get forced to Fairbanks. There was only one Brakeman job up for bid, and it was a good one. It was a morning yard job, starting at 0700, and working Monday through Thursday. It seemed too good to be true, and I was sure someone with more seniority, a lot more seniority actually, would probably be awarded the bid. The bid closed the next day, and much to my surprise, it was awarded to me. I would be expected to show up for work on Wednesday and finish the week on that schedule. That is what I have been doing since we all took our exams.

557 cab, ready for sand blasting and paint.
All photos by James Ogden.

On Saturdays, I have been going to Wasilla to work on the steam locomotive, #557. On most weekends recently, I have spent the day taking ultrasound measurements of various parts of the boiler and firebox, so we can tell how thick the steel is. The steel must be able to withstand the normal boiler operating pressure, which on this locomotive is 225 psi. In order to do that, it must be at least a certain thickness. The locomotive is 70 years old, and has been sitting, idle, for more than half of that time, in Washington. It rains a lot in most of Washington, and needless to say, there is corrosion. It is bad in some spots and bearable in others. These thickness tests help us to know how bad the corrosion is, and whether or not we will need to make repairs to the boiler.

The weight is off the drivers.

This most recent Saturday was different. I finished doing the ultrasound of the firebox, and then the entire crew that was there focused on one task, which is unusual. We had acquired four 100 ton capacity air jacks, some steel beams, and a lot of old bridge timbers, which we would use to lift the locomotive. We set up the steel beams through the space between the boiler and frame. We used the bridge timbers and some other hardwood scraps as dunnage, and we placed the jacks around the locomotive, two per steel beam. The jacks were placed on several of the bridge timbers until they reached the beams without having to be extended at all. We had a commercial grade, diesel air compressor parked outside, and hoses running to all the jacks. Once we were satisfied that everything was secure and in proper places, we commenced lifting the locomotive.

Lifting the locomotive was a slow process. The air jacks can lift a fairly large load, but that is accomplished through a lot of reduction gears, giving it enormous torque, but making them operate very slowly. The movement was almost imperceptible. It was most easily noticed by checking the progress every several minutes. The process reminded me of the Panama Canal, where enormous objects are raised and lowered, but it all happens very slowly. Despite the slow speed at which the locomotive moved, it still felt like there was a lot going on! It was very important that it be lifted level and upright, so that it would not tip or put excessive strain on any set of jacks.

557 is airborne!

The locomotive needed to be lifted about 30 inches in order to get the drive wheels out of their housing and the axles clear of the lowest parts on the frame. The problem was that the jacks only could lift about 16 inches. We extended the jacks fully, and then placed more timbers under the locomotive, as close as we could get them to the bottom of the frame. Once all the timber was in place, the locomotive was lowered onto the timber, and the jacks were removed.The timbers the jacks had been standing on were extended by adding even more timber, and then the jacks were replaced, again at a height where they reached the steel beams while fully lowered. Once everything was in place, the second half of the lift took place, in just the same fashion as the first. Once again, progress was slow, but we were constantly watching the locomotive to make sure it was completely level and the lift was happening evenly.

The forklift hauling the #4 axle away.

Once the locomotive was the proper height, the lift was stopped, and the compressed air was disconnected so that no changes could be made to the height of the jacks. We placed some scrap wood between the rails, and knocked the crown brass and journal boxes off the axles. At this point, nothing was holding them on besides gravity. Once the journals were off the axles, we rolled the axles out towards the rear of the locomotive. Now, rolling 54 inch drive wheels is not an easy task at all! The drive wheels on steam locomotives have fairly large counterweights on them, opposite where the connecting rod is attached. This allows the wheels to turn smoothly despite the driving force being applied to only one side of a wheel. The wheels are mounted on the axle on a 90 degree offset from each other so that the locomotive can never be in a situation where it cannot start the wheels moving. This means that the counterweights are near each other when you try to roll the wheel. If they are coming up, it takes a lot of energy to move the wheels the way we were doing it. Once they come over the top, the wheel tries to get away, and it takes a few people to hold it back!

Storing the drivers.

The drive wheels were rolled out towards the rear of the locomotive, where our little forklift was in position to carry them off to storage. Well, that forklift, which is about as small as they come, has surprised us before. The very first thing it ever did was move the locomotive! We had wondered if it would be able to move the wheels, and it did. The rear wheels were bouncing and threatening to lift off the ground, but it made it! The wheels were all placed on blocks so they cannot roll. Once all the drive wheels were out and stowed, it was time to remove the pilot truck. As it turned out, that would not quite clear the front coupler or sill. At least, it would not clear it on the rails. We ended up having to derail the pilot truck, and wiggle it out straddling a rail. Since railroad equipment generally moves easiest on the rails, that proved to be quite a task! On the pilot truck, we removed the entire thing, not just the wheels and axle, so it was heavier than any of the drivers. The forklift was unable to lift that without some counterweight, so several people stood on the back of the forklift to weigh it down, and keep it from tipping forward. Apparently the actual lifting capacity exceeds the weight of the thing! By that point we had pretty well run out of storage space for the moment, until a few things were better organized. We ended up just putting the pilot truck outside. Obviously, we were not too worried about anyone walking away with it!

Pilot truck.

Once all the wheels were out, we lowered the locomotive again. We lowered it to the blocks we had originally placed it on while we repositioned the jacks. It will sit like that for a couple of months while the while thing is sand blasted and painted. Once that is done, the wheels go back under it.

At this point, the 557 restoration has reached a milestone. There are very few things left to remove, and the rebuilding will begin very soon. Rebuilding will take quite a bit longer than disassembling it has, but it is also a more precise task. We estimate that rebuilding it will take about two years, and we are all hopeful that 557 will be pulling excursion trains during the summer season in 2015.

All the wheels are out.

Steam Locomotive Restoration

In late 2011, the Jansen family, which owns Lynden Transportation, purchased a steam locomotive from the estate of Monte Holm, a former resident of Moses Lake, WA. Mr. Holm had purchased the locomotive as scrap in 1964, from the Alaska Railroad. It stayed on his property, in Moses Lake, until 2011. When the Jansen family purchased the locomotive, #557, it was donated to the Alaska Railroad, with the understanding that it would be restored and returned to service within the next eight years. Shortly thereafter, it was moved from Moses Lake, first to Seattle, then to Whittier, AK, by barge, and finally to Anchorage.

#557, all photos by James Ogden.

The 557 spent some time in Anchorage, for the Alaska Railroad's annual open house and for some inspections. During that time, a group was organized to restore the locomotive, and preparations were made for yet another move, this one relatively short, to Wasilla, AK. The newly formed Engine 557 Restoration Company began work once the locomotive was in its new home, in a nondescript warehouse, near the railroad, in Wasilla. Work finally began in the middle of 2012, with a group of dedicated volunteers.

Since I first became aware of this project, over two years ago, I have been following progress on the locomotive. I had wanted to get involved, but being in Montana, it would have been a long commute to make it to the work sessions every week. Since moving to Alaska, I have been out to work on 557 at least once a week.

Boiler Measurements

The 557 restoration project is still in the disassembling stage. The entire locomotive has to be carefully dismantled so that it can be inspected, cleaned, repaired, and restored. Parts must be inspected, cleaned, and measured as they are removed, and carefully cataloged, so they can be located and reattached later. The most important part of the dismantling of the locomotive is the measurements of the boiler. The entire boiler and firebox must be measured for thickness, to ensure that corrosion has not eaten away too much metal, and it will be able to stand the 225 psi operating pressure when it is fired up for the first time again. This has been a very time consuming part of the project, because of the number of measurements that must be taken. Some of them are in tight spaces, such as the bottom of the boiler. A few even have to be taken on the inside of the boiler, because other parts are riveted to the outside, making the actual boiler plates inaccessible except on the inside. The firebox must also be measured for thickness inside and out. While this is a time consuming part of the project, it is also a one person job, because there is only one ultrasound device to measure with, and some of the locations needing to be measured are so cramped that more than one person would simply be impossible. Measuring the locomotive has been my project for several weeks now, and I hope to be finishing up by this weekend.

Main Rod

Other people have been working on other parts of the locomotive. The connecting rods and drive rods have all been sandblasted and polished over the last few weeks. Any imperfections in them have been either buffed out or filled and reshaped. The bearings in them have received a lot of attention, as they will be responsible for transferring the tractive effort to the wheels.

Additionally, the cab had a bit of a rust problem, particularly around the bottom. The sheet metal and angle irons in the cab have been patched or replaced, depending on the severity of the rust. Everything that gets replaced gets weatherproofed and sealed up, to prevent corrosion and help the locomotive last as long as possible.

The tender has seen much less action than the locomotive, so far. The tender is in fairly good shape, but still needs some work. Some preparations have been made to life the body of the tender off its trucks, so the trucks can be removed and rebuilt. The Alaska Railroad has all the facilities to rebuild the trucks, and will be doing that. The old brass journal bearings will be replaced with new, Timken roller bearings, for improved reliability and better operation. The body of the tender needs a thorough cleaning, inside and out, and some fresh paint. There is surprisingly little rust on the tender, which should make restoring it considerably easier.

#557's Tender

Currently the Alaska Railroad is optimistic that the 557 will be ready for operation in 2015. This largely depends on the number of volunteers available to work and the number of financial or in kind donations the locomotive receives. The current plan is to have the locomotive operate a few times a week, during the summer, on a route from Anchorage, to Portage, a distance of about 50 miles. The train will turn on the wye in Portage, and return to Anchorage, stopping in Girdwood to take on more water. Of course, all these plans are dependent on getting the locomotive operational before then. We are still in the dismantling stage, and reassembling the locomotive will take quite a bit longer than taking it apart!

For more information on the project, check out John's Alaska Railroad website.
Donations can be made through the Alaska Community Foundation, instructions can be found at http://www.alaskarails.org/pix/former-loco/557/support/donate.html.
If you are interested in working on the project, the person to contact is Pat Durand. He can be reached at sewtrain557@gmail.com.

Photo of the Week: Drawbridge

This week, I finally visited something I have heard about for months.  East of Fairview, MT, just over the border in North Dakota, there is an old railroad drawbridge and tunnel.  They are no longer used for the railroad, and are open to the public to walk over and through.  The line they are on was once part of a project by the Great Northern to build a second main line, to the south of their existing one, which would connect New Rockford, ND, to Lewistown, MT.  This was known as the Montana Eastern Railroad, a wholly owned subsidy of the Great Northern.  This parallel line would serve the farms in the area that were currently out of reach of their existing line, across the northern part of North Dakota and Montana.  The Montana Eastern Railroad was never completed because of the economic downturn that came with the start of World War I, although the line was and still is used in parts throughout Montana and North Dakota, for local train service.

The Fairview Lift Bridge is located about four miles east of Fairview, MT.  It crosses the Yellowstone River.  Today, no ship traffic uses the Yellowstone River, but when the bridge was built, in 1913, the Yellowstone River was considered a navigable waterway, and regulations stated that bridges over navigable waterways must be at least 80 feet above average water level.  Since all commercial river traffic ended on the Yellowstone River in 1913, the only time the bridge was ever raised was at the end of construction, to test the lift mechanism.  The bridge is 1,320 feet long and comprised of several steel truss spans.  There is a sister bridge located in Snowden, MT, which is still used by rail traffic.  Because of light rail traffic, the bridge was also used to accommodate highway traffic until 1956.  Planks were laid on the ties, between and on either side of the rails, and gates were installed on either end to keep traffic off when a train was approaching.  A "Leverman" was employed to communicate with the railroad and operate the gates as necessary.  Vehicles using the bridge were charged a toll by the Great Northern Railway.  At its peak, the line handled one passenger train per day, and a few freight trains a week.

The bridge was built in 1913, at a cost of $500,000.  The towers are 108 feet tall, and the lift span weighs over one million pounds.  The span is s counter weighted to assist in lifting.  Because the counterweights so closely match the span weight, it only took a small, three cylinder, kerosene engine to raise and lower the bridge.  The lift span is nearly 300 feet long and is connected to the counterweights by 32 two inch thick steel cables, with eight at each corner and 16 per counterweight.  All the lifting mechanisms are still in place, with the exception of the kerosene engine.

Just east of the Fairview Lift Bridge is the Cartwright Tunnel, which is the only tunnel in the state of North Dakota.  The tunnel is 1,458 feet long, and was built in 1912 and 1913.  The tunnel was primarily excavated by hand, though horse drawn scrapers and blasting powders were used to build the approaches.  The tunnel walls and ceiling are lined with timber, and the floor is braced with heavy timbers to prevent the walls from pushing into the former track area.

Photo of the Week: 4/6/2012

Last spring, you may remember that the entire Midwest seemed to be flooded.  While the Forsyth Sub and the Glendive area did experience some flooding, it was minor compared to what was experienced in other areas, such as Minot, ND.  Various washouts kept things moving slowly on the Forsyth Sub.  I was still in training, and I decided to take advantage of all the time off we were getting between trips.  I decided to visit my grandparents, who live in a Long Island suburb of New York.  Being a last minute trip, flights could not be found for even a slightly reasonable price, so I decided to take Amtrak.  When I arrived at the depot in Williston, ND, the ticket agent began to explain that there would likely be delays because of the flooding, and then started a surprisingly elaborate description of how all the water was effecting the railroad.  I stopped her and explained that I was employed by the BNSF, and I understood exactly why Amtrak would be delayed.  She looked relieved that I was not complaining to her!  A few minutes later the Empire Builder pulled into the station, and I boarded.  The next morning, we had a service stop in St. Paul, MN, and I decided to step off the train and take a look around.  I had been there before on a few occasions, but they were all after dark.  This was my first daylight visit.

What I found in St. Paul was a former Milwaukee Road Skytop lounge car, coupled to a full length dome car.  I knew they were there, but had never gotten a good look at them, so I took the opportunity!  The Skytop cars have always intrigued me, because they are so unique, and an icon of the Hiawatha trains that the Milwaukee Road once ran across the country, between Chicago and Tacoma, WA.  These care are available for charter, and one day I'd like to do just that!  Here they are, with another private car, idling at the St. Paul depot.  The Empire Builder was behind me.



I think some preparations were being made to move the car, because there were some people working on and around it, and it was connected to power.  I do not know what the plan was for it though.  I do regret that I did not ask one of those people if I could see the interior of the car.  I keep telling myself that someday I will get to charter and ride these cars, although that day may be a while in the future still!

We would love to see your pictures!  If you have any pictures you would like featured on Photo of the Week, please email it to us with your name, a brief description of the photo, and of course, the photo itself, in 800 x 600 or larger resolution.  We will let you know if your photo is chosen, and you will receive full credit for your submission.

Photo of the Week: Electric Railroading

Well, it would seem that Steven has been quite busy since he returned from vacation, and we did not get any photo submissions this week, so I thought I would share a few of my own.  Just a reminder, if you would like to see your photos featured as a photo of the week, please email them to ogden.bros.trains@gmail.com, and be sure to include a brief description.  We would love to see and share your photos of railroad related subjects!  We will notify you by email if your photo is chosen.

Today, I thought I would share a few photos I have taken of electric trains and transit over the last few years.  These are by no means all of them, just a few of the highlights.  We start with the Seashore Trolley Museum, in Kennebunkport, Maine.  Steven and I volunteered there for a few years, in the summers, and during that time we got to see, photograph, and operate quite a variety of historic and unique equipment.

This first photo is at Talbott Park, the end of the museum's short line.  This is car #1267, which originated in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  This one of the only cars preserved from that area, and incidentally, it was the first car ever operated at a transit museum, and the first car to operate at Seashore.  It began its retirement life at the museum in the 1950's, when a simple generator was connected to the trolley pole with jumper cables, and it moved only a matter of feet.  The line at that time was significantly shorter than it is now.  Today the car operates pretty regularly, carrying people on the three mile round trip to Talbott Park.

This is locomotive #300, on one of the car barn leads, at the Seashore Trolley Museum.  As I recall, it sat on that lead for quite some time.  Unfortunately, a lot of equipment at the museum spends a considerable amount of time sitting around.  I cannot recall the history of this locomotive, and unfortunately I am not able to find information on the museum website.  A lot of equipment at the museum had been renumbered at some point during its life, so it is possible that this has been returned to an original number, and I cannot remember what that was, or if there even was one.  If anyone knows anything about this locomotive, email us, and I'll post it on here.  This is an electric locomotive, as evidenced by the trolley pole sticking out from the roof.

Those of you who keep up with us on Facebook ought to recognize this picture, as we use it as the photo for our Facebook page.  Car #434 originated in Chicago, on the Chicago, Aurora, & Elgin, an interurban railroad that connected downtown Chicago with some of the western suburbs.  The "Roarin' Elgin," as the railroad was sometimes called, was made famous by their closure.  When railroads discontinue service, typically it goes into effect at midnight on the designated day.  The CA&E did things a little differently.  On July 3, 1957, they carried commuters into Chicago, and then discontinued service at noon, with no warning. Commuters who had used the CA&E to get to the city found themselves stranded when they got out of work in the afternoon.  The CA&E used a third rail for electric power, but the car uses an overhead wire at the museum, for safety reasons.  The car in the background of the above photo is car #1267, from Minneapolis., as it idles in the loop behind the museum visitors' center.

Now, we look at some more modern transit.  This photo was taken in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.  A TRAX train, destined for the Delta Center, now known as the EnergySolutions Arena, makes a left turn right near the landmark Latter-day Saint Temple.  The train reached its destination just a few minutes later, where it turned around and returned to Sandy, about 15 miles to the south.  Since this photo was taken, the Utah Transit Authority has added two new lines to the light rail system, purchased new Light Rail Vehicles, announced and started construction on two more lines, built a downtown transit hub, and launched commuter rail operations.  In the downtown area, three new stops have been added to TRAX, connecting the system to the transit hub at Central Station.  In addition, the FrontRunner commuter trains, Amtrak's California Zephyr, numerous bus routes, and various Greyhound and similar coach lines all arrive at Central Station.  This photo was taken five years ago.  The Utah Transit Authority has been expanding service by leaps and bounds in the last several years, and has plans to continue doing so.

In another city, half a continent away, I managed to snap a couple of pictures of the Chicago El, in the Loop area of downtown Chicago.  Most of the transit lines in downtown Chicago are elevated, as seen in this picture.  They run directly above streets, and in some cases the columns supporting the bridge are right in the middle of the street.  As I took this picture about six years ago, I cannot remember which line the train was operating on, or where it was going.  I do remember that I took the picture looking south, from the corner of Adams and Wells streets.

Continuing east, we find the Long Island Railroad, which operates both diesel and electric trains.  The line into Manhattan was electrified a century ago, when it was built, to keep steam engines out of the tunnels.  Over the past century, the electrification has expanded, but to this day the railroad is still not completely electrified.  It is unlikely that it ever will be, especially on lightly used lines.  The train in the picture above had its days numbered.  In 2008, when the picture was taken, the LIRR was nearing the end of replacing the entire fleet of electric trains.  This train was one of the few older ones left.  In the picture, the train was just starting to pull out of the Mineola station, headed east.  The Pennsylvania Railroad style signals govern most of the railroad, since the LIRR operated as a subsidy of the Pennsylvania for many years.  The signal visible in the photo indicate a clear block ahead.

Photo of the Week: 5/14/2011

Today is Saturday, and time for another Photo of the Week. I usually do this post on Friday, but due to some technical difficulties, it is coming a day late. I apologize for the delay, but here it is.

It's been a while since I posted something from the Seashore Trolley Museum. The museum just opened for the season this month, so I think it's time to spotlight them again. The car in this photo is Manchester & Nashua car 38 waiting for a red signal during a parade celebrating locomotive 100's inaugural run in September 2009:

As I mentioned above, this is car 38 from the Manchester & Nashua Street Railway. It ran out of Manchester, NH with lines to Nashua, Derry, and Goffstown. It was built in 1906 at the Laconia Car Company in Laconia, NH. It was the second car the museum acquired in 1940.

This car has an interesting history. It was built as number 4 in 1906. It has five windows along the side, some of its sisters had six windows. The six window cars had even numbers starting with 10, the five window cars were even numbers below 10. The car and its five window sisters were renumbered to even numbers starting with 30, with the number 4 becoming number 32. In the 1930s, car 38 was involved in a wreck and was scrapped, and for some reason car 32 was renumbered as 38. 38 was retired a few years later in 1940 when the Manchester Street Railway stopped running, and found its way to Maine.

The line between Manchester and Nashua was owned by the Manchester Street Railway but leased by the Manchester & Nashua Street Railway. The Manchester & Nashua owned the cars, known as the "rapids," and had them painted in a green paint scheme. When the Nashua Street Railway closed in 1931, so did the Manchester & Nashua, and the "rapids" were sold to the Manchester Street Railway and put in a different paint scheme. It was during this time period that the 32 became the 38, so the trolley museum has a correct paint scheme and a correct number for the car, but it never wore the green paint scheme as the 38. There is talk of renumbering the car back to 4, its original number, since it is in its original paint scheme.

I think I should clarify, this photo was taken by me at the trolley museum. It is in black and white and it is smaller than photos I usually post, but it is not a vintage photo. This was taken from the field at the Meserve's Crossing station at the museum during a parade. There is a good book I bought at the museum called "Manchester Streetcars" that is full of old photos of Manchester trolleys, including the 38 shown here and the other "rapids." Every photo also has a caption, and it is an excellent book that I would highly recommend to anyone that wants to know more.

Photo of the Week: 3/11/2011

Once again, it is Friday, and time for another photo of the week!

Today's photo is of the Flying Yankee, a streamlined train built by Budd in 1935 for the Boston & Maine (B&M) and Maine Central (MEC) Railroads. It is currently undergoing restoration in Lincoln, NH, and periodically the group that is restoring it holds open houses where you can go see the train at no cost. Here is the photo:

This is the interior of the fully restored second car, a coach. The observation car and the power car are not at this point in their restoration yet, but the rear section of the power car, which is another coach section, is restored like this. In total, five trainsets were built for different railroads, of which three exist today. One has been cosmetically restored and is a static display in the Smithsonian, one is in Illinois but unrestored, the third, the Flying Yankee, is undergoing full restoration and is slated for operation upon restoration.

In 1934 Budd built a streamlined Zephyr trainset for the Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy (CB&Q) Railroad. This train featured all welded stainless steel construction, a Winton 8 cylinder diesel prime mover, and an articulated design where two car ends were mounted on the same truck, permanently coupling the whole train together. The Flying Yankee was based on the CB&Q version, with slight variance. The CB&Q design had a baggage section, which the B&M design redesigned as additional coach seating.

The Flying Yankee rolled out of the Budd plant in 1935 and was delivered that March, 76 years ago this month. It went on a tour of the B&M and MEC systems during all of March, stopping at many of the bigger stations for people to go on board and see the new train. On April 1, it entered revenue service. It left Portland and went south to Boston, was turned around to go north to Portland and further to Bangor, turned around again to go back to Boston, and turned one more time for its return to Portland. The next day, it followed the same routine. The train got Sundays off, when it was cleaned and maintained for the next week's runs. Later in its life, it was rerouted and renamed. It has held names such as The Cheshire, The Minuteman, and The Businessman, but Flying Yankee remains to this day the name that everyone recognizes it by.

On May 7, 1957, the Flying Yankee ran for the last time. By this point it was 22 years old and no longer a technological advancement, and passengers were leaving the the rails in favor of air and auto travel. B&M donated the trainset to Edaville Railroad in Massachusetts. Edaville has a 2 foot gauge tourist line, which cannot handle the standard gauge Flying Yankee, so it was a static display for nearly 40 years. In the early 1990s it was bought by someone else and moved to Glen, NH. In 1997, the state of New Hampshire bought the train and moved it to Claremont, where Claremont Concord (CCRR) Railroad's shops are located for restoration. Structural restoration was performed there, and in 2005 it was moved to its present location in Lincoln for mechanical restoration.

The original plan was for the train to be running by 2010, for its 75th birthday. It is still undergoing restoration, but the Flying Yankee Restoration Group did have a birthday party for it anyway. For more information about the Flying Yankee, its restoration process, and vintage photos, visit the Flying Yankee Restoration Group's website at www.flyingyankee.com.

Photo of the Week: 1/1/2011

With all the New Years festivities, I completely forgot yesterday was Friday! So I am posting this week's photo on Saturday.

New Years is a time when people look back on the past year and decide if it was good or bad. They make resolutions to help improve their lives in the following year. It is a time for people to fix mistakes and start over on things. To go along with this theme, I have chosen a photo of a historic piece of railroad equipment that recently got a new life.

Here is this week's photo:

Atlantic Shore Line 100 rolled out of the Laconia Car Company shops looking very much like this in 1906. It was shipped to Maine where it and sisters 101 and 102 served the ASL by hauling freight on their southern Maine railroad line. In 1949 the locomotive was sold to the Seashore Trolley Museum, on one of ASL's former railroad lines, where it remained for over 50 years before attention was turned to it again. The museum was awarded a federal grant to restore the locomotive, and with that and many other generous financial donations the museum turned a tired out workhorse into a beautifully preserved piece of history in a mere two and a half years. During the restoration process, the museum also remodeled its visitors center to focus on Maine and New England electric railways, as well as create a new educational program.

The 100 and many other beautifully restored electric trolleys can be seen at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine. The museum is open daily from Memorial Day through Columbus Day, and weekends in May and October. Admission is fairly low and well worth the price. When the weather gets warmer, it's time to go to Maine and enjoy the trolleys!