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Post by kbr on Jan 17, 2008 4:26:06 GMT -5
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Post by bhk on Jan 17, 2008 5:27:39 GMT -5
Kevin, for someone who loves in Arizona, you sure have a liking for snow. If it's not flying in Alaska in winter, it's hauling freight in Canada in winter! Bruce
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Post by sgtmajor on Jan 17, 2008 11:04:12 GMT -5
Kevin, for someone who loves in Arizona, you sure have a liking for snow. If it's not flying in Alaska in winter, it's hauling freight in Canada in winter! Bruce ;D ;D My thoughts exactly..... ;D "Tracks in the Snow" I Love It!
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Post by kbr on Jan 17, 2008 16:09:01 GMT -5
I guess I do like the snow. In reality, I only have to deal with it were I live a few days a year so it's not the burden for me that it is for some. Where I live it snows reguraly within 50 miles so I can go see it anytime I want during the winter, but leave it behind at the end of the day.
I've been planning to get back to this drive today. Ive been going over the procedure for 'The Big Hill' and am not sure having my first attempt at it being in the snow was a good idea. But I guess I'll see how it goes. ;D
At least it's only a steep 2.2% grade now. Imagine running a train on it when it was 4.5%!
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Post by beana51 on Jan 17, 2008 22:26:31 GMT -5
Great pictures kbr,thanx...you soon may need snow plows there.But in a pinch,a few shovel may do.....NOT...Vin
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Post by kbr on Jan 18, 2008 3:45:41 GMT -5
;D Nice picture. Wouldn't want a job shoveling snow out of front of a train.
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Post by beana51 on Jan 18, 2008 11:45:00 GMT -5
In those days,in situations like that in wilderness area's,the passengers ,if they wanted to keep on going...shoveled. Or fixed an out of place rail,Chopped wood,maybe take a shot at some Musclero Apache,or hoot and holler to scare Buffalo off the tracks That Donner Pass,always presents some of that snow problem every year I would think. Stuff of excitement,and adventure on the iron horse.Great Pics kbr..Thanx Vin
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Post by bhk on Jan 18, 2008 15:01:18 GMT -5
..... Donner Pass,always presents some of that snow problem every year I would think. .... The Southern Pacific's Donner Pass route, circa 1940's/50's, is available as a pay-ware package, complete with period locomotives (Cab-forward for the steam buff and Alco PA's ) from 3DTrainStuff. Several of the included Activities feature operations through deep snow drifts. Bruce
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Post by beana51 on Jan 18, 2008 16:08:21 GMT -5
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Post by kbr on Jan 18, 2008 17:36:32 GMT -5
I've had my eye on 3DTrainStuff's Donner Pass for a while. It's certainly a possible future purchase for me. Due to some technical difficulties I was having with MSTS, (which appear and I hope are fixed now,) I hadn't been able to get back to my winter run on KHP until today. I managed to finish the run today and I have to say I really like the route. I did slightly speed a few times while coming down 'The Big Hill', but at least I managed to keep the train railed. Starting down the hill; First tunnel I've seen on the route; Another tunnel. Pulling into Field at the end of the run. The legnth of time it took me to do this run.
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Post by Dan on Jan 18, 2008 22:44:55 GMT -5
I did slightly speed a few times while coming down 'The Big Hill', but at least I managed to keep the train railed. . . . you mean to tell me these things don't have speed brakes . . . how about reverse thrust?!! Holy Moley - what did I just get myself into . . . Great shots never the less, Kevin! I've reviewed that Donner Pass package Bruce mentioned - looks challenging - on my list to get! Great painting Vin, I'm going to copy it and print - definitely illustrates a different time and place. Dan …it’s great being a kid again – without the glue! ;D
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Post by bhk on Jan 19, 2008 3:54:21 GMT -5
Kevin, Brrrrrrr! The maximum speed down "The Hill" from Stevens is actually slower than the maximum set in the KHP Activity. When I read the docs I was surprised to see that it is not 20 mph but, in some cases, as low as 12 mph. When I lived in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, we could hear the coal trains coming down the grade from Katoomba and the night would be disturbed by the roar of regenerative-braking fans (on the Class 46 and Class 85 electrics) and the grinding sound of brake-blocks against steel wheels. Music to my ears! Class 46 brians-pics.fotopic.net/p12622491.htmlClass 85 brians-pics.fotopic.net/p18240064.htmlBruce
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Post by beana51 on Jan 19, 2008 9:30:18 GMT -5
In areas of particularly deep snowfall, such as California's Donner Pass, railroads sometimes would create a train consisting of a rotary snowplow at each end (with the blade ends pointing away from each other), and two or three locomotives coupled between them. With a plow on each end, the train would be able to get itself back to its starting location even if the snowfall was heavy enough to obscure the tracks it had just passed over. Such a train would also be able to efficiently clear multiple track mainlines as it could make a pass in one direction on one track and then reverse direction and clear the next track. This practice became standard for the Southern Pacific Railroad on Donner Pass following the January 1952 stranding of the City of San Francisco; during attempts to clear the avalanches that had trapped the train, two rotary plows were themselves trapped by further avalanches, and the crew of a third was killed when their plow was directly hit by an avalanche...source Wikipedia One hellava a Shovel!! ;D Vin
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Post by sgtmajor on Jan 19, 2008 10:07:45 GMT -5
and the night would be disturbed by the roar of regenerative-braking fans (on the Class 46 and Class 85 electrics) and the grinding sound of brake-blocks against steel wheels. Music to my ears! As a kid I grew up 4 blocks North of the main line running through our town. (Santa Fe..... along the old Santa Fe Trail.) I loved laying in bed at night hearing the whistle blowing and wondering where it was going or where it had been. I think that is one reason I joined the military as I wanted to "see the world." (smile) Last week while on my business trip, I was awaken every night by the sound of the train which was just up the street a few blocks. Once again I was back in my childhood. You can bet I'll be staying at the hotel this year while in that area. Love it! Cheers
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Post by beana51 on Jan 19, 2008 13:26:56 GMT -5
Darn,Sgt. Major..this reminisce thing is infectious.My favorite railroad story is many +years ago.In El Paso Tx.,Ft Bliss. I had had a bunch of guys standing guard to remote access road to the Dona Anna range.A Santa Fe,I think, rail line and a remote siding were there.It was hot,and dry.Day and nite,for a week.The salted water we had...well.During the nite,a short, box car freight train parked on the siding.In the middle of no where.I snooped around when it got quit.I touched a box car,and it felt cool?? A re frig reefer car.SOO !I opened the sliding door a crack.Looked in with a flash light.Back in the corner,there were some crates.I had them dragged out.They were almost frozen cantaloupes .WOW! we were hot and thirsty.We all ate of them things, crates of them,some so soft ,it was like eating loose ice cream,like mad dogs.It was good.Laying on the desert sand,through the nite, and we soon all had excessive calls to the latrine, double time, out in the desert that is.It lasted all night.Like we were poisoned. I told everone to kept it to ourselves.I 'am sure that now fertilized sand yielded new growth.If I attempt to eat a chilled cantaloupe till today ,I get a strange look in my eye,the vision of a cool box car,in a hot place,and an awareness of my stomac...Thanx for the opportunity to "Bloviate " with you.......Vin
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