Vintage trains

[fireman]

This one lives near me.

One day last year, it was going through our city and dispatch was getting multiple calls for heavy black smoke, possible structure fires. LOL.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

View attachment 103313

Was there a rail bridge then from Florida Mainland to the Keys? that must have been an interesting trip. I think there is a road link still?

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I, too, loved that image - there's something very cool about a monster steam train going right through a town.

Yes, there a couple of places in Switzerland where the railway line is in a street for a short time. One is in Chur, the other south of that, near the Italian frontier.

 

[Fading Fast]

Was there a rail bridge then from Florida Mainland to the Keys? that must have been an interesting trip. I think there is a road link still?

Yes, there once was a rail link (gone now, but you are correct, the road link is still there) and it's a very cool story: (from this link https://flaglermuseum.us/history/florida-east-coast-railway)

When the United States announced in 1905 its intention to build the Panama Canal, Flagler embarked on perhaps his greatest challenge: the extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West, a city of almost 20,000 inhabitants located 128 miles beyond the end of the Florida peninsula. A train depot in Key West, the United States' closest deepwater port to the Canal, could not only take advantage of Cuban and Latin America trade, but significant trade possibilities with the west via the new Canal.

The construction of the Over-Sea Railroad required many engineering innovations as well as vast amounts of labor and monetary resources. The construction, employed up to four thousand men were. During the seven years of construction, five hurricanes threatened to halt the project with three causing major damage. Despite the hardships, and the engineering challenges, the Over-Sea Railroad, the final link of the Florida East Coast Railway, was completed on January 22, 1912, just weeks after Flagler’s 82nd birthday.
​

If you have interest to read more, I've read and highly recommend this book:

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Yes, there once was a rail link (gone now, but you are correct, the road link is still there) and it's a very cool story: (from this link https://flaglermuseum.us/history/florida-east-coast-railway)

When the United States announced in 1905 its intention to build the Panama Canal, Flagler embarked on perhaps his greatest challenge: the extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West, a city of almost 20,000 inhabitants located 128 miles beyond the end of the Florida peninsula. A train depot in Key West, the United States' closest deepwater port to the Canal, could not only take advantage of Cuban and Latin America trade, but significant trade possibilities with the west via the new Canal.

The construction of the Over-Sea Railroad required many engineering innovations as well as vast amounts of labor and monetary resources. The construction, employed up to four thousand men were. During the seven years of construction, five hurricanes threatened to halt the project with three causing major damage. Despite the hardships, and the engineering challenges, the Over-Sea Railroad, the final link of the Florida East Coast Railway, was completed on January 22, 1912, just weeks after Flagler’s 82nd birthday.
​

If you have interest to read more, I've read and highly recommend this book:

Wow, how amazing, thank you for that information. Shame it is not there now, would have been a great trip to do.

View attachment 103376

 

[Giftmacher]

Czechoslovak railcar 260.001 "Silver Arrow" from 30's finally restored. https://prazsky.denik.cz/galerie/stribrny-sip.html?photo=2&back=4198468142-8087-63
Of course there's no other than this one.

 

[Fading Fast]

Czechoslovak railcar 260.001 "Silver Arrow" from 30's finally restored. https://prazsky.denik.cz/galerie/stribrny-sip.html?photo=2&back=4198468142-8087-63
Of course there's no other than this one.

Great find and gorgeous train car, would have been nice if one of the sixteen pictures they took had been an interior shot.

 

[Giftmacher]

There's many photographs on the other sites. Interesting fact: The design of the gearbox has been taken from the developed Praga medium tank.
http://www.railpage.net/m-260-001-stribrny-sip-znovu-ozil

 

[Fading Fast]

There's many photographs on the other sites. Interesting fact: The design of the gearbox has been taken from the developed Praga medium tank.
http://www.railpage.net/m-260-001-stribrny-sip-znovu-ozil

Thank you, that's awesome - fun to see inside. Since my Czech is a little rusty (or, more accurately, completely non-existent), I couldn't read any of the articles, but the pictures are great.

 

[Giftmacher]

Search M 260.001 on google there's many more pics!

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Czechoslovak railcar 260.001 "Silver Arrow" from 30's finally restored. https://prazsky.denik.cz/galerie/stribrny-sip.html?photo=2&back=4198468142-8087-63
Of course there's no other than this one.

I think there may have been something similar in Switzerland? also in France, they have something not unlike the above which was called "Picasso" because of it's odd look. It runs on an old branch line not that far from Calais.

 

[Giftmacher]

It wouldn't be too surprising I guess. It is also similar to this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ČSD_Class_M_290.0

 

[GHT]

The BBC produced a show, in six parts, screened from last October, called: Full Steam Ahead. It depicts the birth of the railways in the early 19th century and the impact that trains had, firstly here in Britain and then on the rest of the world. Each part is an hour long, the link is to the first episode, you can pick up the rest of the episodes simply by selecting the link on YouTube. I do hope that this link works in your country because these programs are not just informative they are also highly enjoyable. The presenters, all historians, and the volunteers on our preserved, heritage railways, are all in period dress. There's a myriad of other Victoriana to enjoy, it's not just all trains.

 

[Fading Fast]

⇧ very enjoyable. I loved the one-horse-power train pulled by Tickle.

 

[Fading Fast]

Stumbled across this awesome pic and thought others would enjoy it to (and, perhaps, even get some color about it from ChiTownScion):

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Good picture above, where is it?

 

[2jakes]

Good picture above, where is it?

Remnants of the “L” | Forgotten Chicago | History, Architecture, and ...

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Remnants of the “L” | Forgotten Chicago | History, Architecture, and ...

Thank you for that, I thought that's where it was. Does any part of the Chicago Elevated Railway still exist and work now? Is or was there something similar in New York City?

 

[2jakes]

Thank you for that, I thought that's where it was. Does any part of the Chicago Elevated Railway still exist and work now? Is or was there something similar in New York City?

Perhaps Fading Fast can help you
with regards to NYC!

 

[Fading Fast]

Thank you for that, I thought that's where it was. Does any part of the Chicago Elevated Railway still exist and work now? Is or was there something similar in New York City?

Perhaps Fading Fast can help you
with regards to NYC!

New York - Manhattan - had (and the boroughs still have) several Els. At one point, Els ran up 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 9th Avenue in Manhattan.

Now, while all the Manhattan ones are gone (since the '50s), there are still Els in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. The noise and general grit they bring - and constant darkness / dimness to the immediate street area - results in these being less desirable areas, which leads to all the usual issues that means. Hence, it's not hard to see why Manhattan got rid of them.

That said, when you are riding in them, there is something cool in a Golden Era-throwback way. They rattle very loudly, screech often, shimmy and shake a bit and general make their presence known - but they are fun to be on and you get an interesting view of the city as you are two to three stories up. And, if you are near their trellises down on the ground, squint a bit and use a little imagination, you feel like you've walked onto the set of a film noir movie.