Communications and Signals

History of railroad Communications and Signal systems from Norfolk Southern Corp. Lots of vintage video.

Happy Halloween 2017

Chickenmom did a great Friday Night Steam post featuring Heisler Locomotives and a video from the Silver Creek and Stephensom Railroad. It just so happens that the SC & S R. R. has a Halloween Train of Terror.

Promotional video that actually has a train in it. Most of the videos of the event didn't
show much of the train and locomotive. .

"Four Trains at York" From Four Different Generations

"Four Trains at York" Flying Scotsman, 125, 225, and Azuma 800, 23/4/ 17

Happened this morning, April 23, 2017 in Yorkshire England.

Another view.

 Four Trains Four Generations

H/T To Donna

Tehachapi SP Coal Train With 13 Locomotives

Southern Pacific coal train stopped at Marcel after a meet. Thirteen locomotives (three up front, six mid-train, and four near the rear), work to get this heavy train moving from a dead stop. The engines struggle a bit at first, accelerating with no movement, but once they get the train moving, its MOVING. Check out the last set of helpers as they are sanding approaching my camera position. Smoke, exhaust, dust and roar of V16 and V20 prime-movers ----- Railroading at its finest, doesn't get any better than this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Tehachapi Loop is a 0.73-mile (1.17 km) long spiral, or helix, on the Union Pacific Railroad Mojave Subdivision through Tehachapi Pass, of the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, south-central California. The line connects Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley to Mojave in the Mojave Desert. The line, which sees an average of almost 40 trains each day, is one of the busiest single-track mainlines in the world.


H/T to Donna

Tornado Seam Locomotive Hits 100 MPH

For the first time in half a century, a steam train has hit 100mph on one of Britain’s main rail lines.
That’s pretty cool.
During testing last night, Tornado, Britain’s newest steam train, reached the speed on the East Coast Main Line (ECML), which runs between London and Edinburgh, the BBC reported.

 More info here.

Perhaps the most interesting thing is from this website:

In 1990 a group of people came together to share an extraordinary ambition – to construct a brand new Peppercorn A1 Pacific.  They formed The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust and after nineteen years of incredible effort that locomotive, No. 60163 Tornado, moved under its own power for the first time in 2008.

This website tells the story of Tornado’s construction, an amazing tale of cooperation, skill and sheer hard graft which defied the critics who said it could never be done.  The A1 Trust has over 2500 regular supporters (covenantors) who have all played some part, small or large, in guaranteeing that we have steam on the main line in the 21st Century.

Staurt Florida FEC Bridge

This is the FEC bridge over the St Lucie River just north of downtown Stuart. It is taken from the north shore between the tressel and the old Roosevelt drawbridge. The new fixed Roosevelt bridge is in the background.
I have been wanting to get a video of a train crossing the bridge but always miss. I found one on YouTube taken by someone else. Upstream is to the right and divides into the North and South Forks of the St. Lucie just past the old bridge.

Engineer's Cap

Origin of the Blue and White Striped Engineer's Cap 

There is no sport that evokes more nostalgia among Americans than baseball. America's favorite pastime originated before the Civil War as a game called "rounders." Throughout the 1850s and 60s, the game evolved to include more mental judgment skills, and eventually involved scoring and record keeping. By 1871, just two years after the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, the professional baseball league was born.

By the time the early 20th century rolled around, most large cities in the eastern United States had professional baseball teams. Because of the sport's popularity, many famous ball players like Phil Rizzuto, Eddie Matthews, Harry "The Hat" Walker and the legendary Babe Ruth spent a significant amount of time riding the rails.

Employees of the railroads, with a desire for camaraderie and recreation, formed employee baseball teams. These teams were quite organized and even competed in leagues and championships.

One semi-famous railroader took time off to play semi-pro and professional baseball. George "Stormy" Kromer was an engineer for the Chicago and North Western. Kromer made a habit of wearing his baseball cap while at the controls of his engine, but it just wasn't quite what he needed while on the job.

Kromer came home one day and lamented his discomfort to to his wife, Ida. The Kromers put their heads together and came up the design of what we now call the railroad engineer's cap.

Ida Kromer, an expert seamstress, assembled George's new cap with what she had at hand: blue and white pinstripe pillow ticking. Their efforts were a hit. The cap became very popular among railroaders, and ultimately resulted in the beginning of a business that still exists today.

Source with a photo of the Kromers. 

I have two. One with no logo and one from Tweetsie Railroad. No, I am not going to post a photo of me wearing them.