Main line railroading in miniature!

 

 

Anyone who lived in the Northwest in the 1950s saw these Northern Pacific Geeps plying the rails delivering the goods to many communities along the way.

What could be better than a brace of 4 units doing this job day after day?

 

How about 2 sets of NP GP7s and 9s doing it in different directions? We did it at the Evergreen today as

Marvin and Greg had a set of each making the rounds.

 

Much overlooked by me is our own trolley system hauling people around town..

 

The SP&S was well represented by Steve Weso with 6 Alcos on the point.

 

That same set works it way through a set of switches in the back area.

 

Big power was called on for coal trains and general freight by Jack Pappas and Ver Walker. Big time!

Is passenger service coming to Spokane?

 

Yes, but only if you are a big shot with the Union Pacific Railroad. I got word from my underground

agent that something special was passing through our area and I caught up with it near Felt's Field

in the Spokane Valley.

 

Two big and new diesels were the power for these 4 passenger cars that held a Vice President or

some body important enough to justify this service. Maybe the wash outs this spring on the old Spokane

International line to Canada would have something to do with this train's appearance.

 

Observation cars say somebody is somebody with the railroad.

 

I moved to the Green Street bridge for another shot at it from a better vantage point when a Union Pacific

SUV passed by to see if the coast is clear. I was on public property so he was not interested in me!

 

The sun was cooperating at is is about 11:30 in the morning Wednesday, June 28th on a westbound train

passing Spokane Community College and also the old SI yard where RS-1s used to congregate

in the 1950s. UP took them over in 1959. Not a bad way to travel if you are a railfan either.

 

 

Guess who joined the club today!

 

 

 

Doug just moved here from the Seattle area and is a good friend of Greg Mercier who moved here last

year himself. Doug says he models Milw, SP&S. GN, NP, NYC, SP, Pennsy and lots of other U.S. railroads.

We'll be waiting to see what he brings in to the club. Doug is also a U.S. Navy guy just like Greg.

Welcome home Doug!

 

One member has this speed-o-meter at the club to see how fast or slow our trains are running around the

club layout. Jack Pappas had his BNSF train test it and it reads 7.7 miles per hour scale speed.

We are concerned to ask John Schwarze as to what damage his lighting fast trains may do harm to the machine.

 

After our trip to Canada I seem to have more respect for the Canadian railroads as I saw them as hard working for very organized to their rail efforts. I'm glad they are to the north and decent neighbors.

 

little railroads need little people to do the work us big people can't do. Like who of us could fit in the cab

of any of these machines?

 

Don Carnegie puts his yard goats to good effect by giving the engines some road service work.

 

Union Pacific means big time railroading as 2 modern day monsters can keep most rains moving and at track speed.

Ver Walker owns these beauties!

 

Day 4 - Heading back to Kamaloops

 

Burt and I are now at the station with 550 people for the return leg of our trip from Jasper back to Kamaloops.

The passenger train is maneuvering in the yard to get the train next to the gate for our convenience.

I don't think they would want this crowd to be stepping over rail to get aboard.

 

I wandered over to the front of the station and this well preserved Canadian National steam engine was

displayed there.

 

I finally got close up to our power for the Rocky Mountaineer and this is what they looked like.

 

Walking back to our car I see Burt in the distance waiting for me to get on board. On the first 2 days of

the trip we were tail end Charlie, now we are the lead car with the locomotives. Different train and crew.

 

These sisters I think were from Australia and they are now on the e-mail list so they

will see themselves taking photos for their memories.

 

I spend more time in the vestibule and caught this CN freight passing us along the way.

 

Lots of rain and plenty of snow had the waterfalls and

streams in full measure.

Bringing back memories of trips on the North Coast Limited.

Three times I had the pleasure of riding out west from New Joisey to Spokane. The first time was 1963 on my honeymoon with Alice, the second time was

1966 on a vacation with our new son Jerry Jr. and third was to move to Spokane! This Greg Mercier train reminds me of those times sitting in the Vista Dome

and taking in the sights and sounds of this great adventure called being alive. Regrets? Not many!

 

This is an observation car that I never enjoyed but I don't know why? Not in the right class accomodations?

Never traveled to the rear of the train? I did on the New York central but not the NP!

 

Don had his Model T at the club and I snuck out and took a photo with the club's magnetic sign on his car.

 

Back inside, we find a crew working the rocks near 3 railroads with the NP diesels roaring by as the

men make way for the paying customers.

 

More NP freights dominated the club today as Marvin's Geeps deliver the goods. Some day those

semaphores will actually work.

 

Quick action allowed me to catch Jack Pappas using the turnabout on the Red line which has a

tunnel to allow trains to change directions.

Day 3 -Jasper bound!

 

 

After leaving the glacier area on the bus we still had a few miles let to go to get to Jasper. This Elk

stopped by but seems a bit nervous knowing the mountain man is on his way to the great White North.

 

The bus stopped at Athabasca Falls. Story goes that some early explorer tried to canoe over this spot and

didn't make it.

 

Not a bad rest stop as it was another fantastic viewing spot.

 

When we arrived at Jasper I saw Via arriving at the station headed by 2 F40 EMD diesels.

So the bus dropped us off at the hotel I thought maybe I can catch a shot of the train after a 1/2 delay.

 

I waited another 1/2 hour and she is coming out of the station! This is Canada's version of Amtrak and

connects all the northern communities with the rest of the nation.

 

Shades of the 50s streamliner era. Domes and a observation car reminds me of the California Zephyr.

Oh, the good old days. look at the trail to the left side, the railroad put it in so people could enjoy the train scene!

Would this be nice to have this set up along Trent Avenue on the south side?

Day 3 - On the road to Jasper

 

 

A popular turn off on the highway had this view for us to enjoy. I marvel at the power that was needed to create these mountains.

 

It just kept coming. I was in Switzerland in 2011 and these mountains were equally impressive.

 

A tiny bit of civilization was this lodge where we had lunch and a viewpoint for the glaciers we were

about to walk on.

 

Buses similar to ours make their way up the road to

the tour bus location.

 

This is a tour bus on steroids! They had about a dozen of these monsters to move people through

the moraines of rock to the actual glacier surface.

 

And here we are with a hundred or more people walking on million year old ice. The ground was slick

with standing water and I was concerned with slipping and breaking something.

 

That grade back to our bus was 34 degrees! The surface is rock made from glacial action over the

centuries. The driver said that if the angle was 37 degrees the bus would flip over!

Day 3 - On the road to Jasper

 

 

A popular turn off on the highway had this view for us to enjoy. I marvel at the power that was needed to create these mountains.

 

It just kept coming. I was in Switzerland in 2011 and these mountains were equally impressive.

 

A tiny bit of civilization was this lodge where we had lunch and a viewpoint for the glaciers we were

about to walk on.

 

Buses similar to ours make their way up the road to

the tour bus location.

 

This is a tour bus on steroids! They had about a dozen of these monsters to move people through

the moraines of rock to the actual glacier surface.

 

And here we are with a hundred or more people walking on million year old ice. The ground was slick

with standing water and I was concerned with slipping and breaking something.

 

That grade back to our bus was 34 degrees! The surface is rock made from glacial action over the

centuries. The driver said that if the angle was 37 degrees the bus would flip over!