For all of You Train Lovers

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Laying out the beginning of Union Pacific - first ties dropped down in 1866 in Omaha.

 

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Inside 'The Countess', a Pullman coach. Luxury like this cost $50 per day for the whole coach.

 

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This odd looking rail car is a hopper with extra overhead bars attached, the purpose was to push it through tunnels and overpasses ahead of a train to knock off any icicles that had grown down overnight.

 

[XS22J8R]

I spotted this locomotive on the railroad adjacent to a cruise I was at Saturday evening. The Metro transit agency has painted up some locomotives with heritage paint schemes to reflect the railroads that existed before the railroad's commuter operations were taken over by Metra, which is a government run commuter service in the Chicago metro area. This railroad line is currently Union Pacific but was Chicago and Northwestern before UP took them over in 1995. I was unaware they did this, but looking online later, I saw that they have heritage painted locomotives on the former Rock Island, Milwaukee Road, and Burlington Northern lines in the area also.

 

[YY1]

For the most part I like the idea of heritage paint.

I wish BNSF would do "War Bonnet".

Some of the modern power with PRR "Five Stripe" are crazy "alternate reality" looking.

 

[XS22J8R]

I've seen some cool pictures of the collection of heritage paint scheme locomotives Norfolk Southern did 10 years ago.
Heritage Locomotives
The Union Pacific had at least one freight locomotive painted up in Chicago and Northwestern garb that I used to see from time to time on area UP tracks. I haven't seen one in a while though. I assume they painted up other locomotives in the garb of other railroads they've taken over or merged with?
There is a UP line that runs near my house and going back 10 or 15 years you'd often see a locomotive in the mix that was of a railroad they'd taken over, like Southern Pacific. Probably just hadn't got around to repainting them all in UP schemes yet. It's been awhile though.
Interestingly, yesterday I saw a freight train pass with a single Kansas City Southern locomotive leading it, and 2 UP locomotives bringing up the rear. About a half hour later I heard the rumble of an approaching freight train coming back the other direction pulled by 2 UP locomotives and it looked like it might have been the same train. I grabbed my camera and walked over to the road adjacent to the tracks, and when the end came in site, sure enough, there was the Kansas City Southern locomotive bringing up the rear. I wonder how it ended up on their tracks, that railroad is currently in the process of being taken over by CN.

 

[YY1]

KCS is a fairly large conglomerate these days, and also owns the "alternative" rail route next to the Panama canal.

 

[Slap Stick]

BNSF does indeed have locos in the "War Bonnet" paint scheme.
Check out virtualrailfan.com.

 

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Whilst laying out tracks in the wilderness, track crews in the 1800's were often far from home, towns or other resting areas. So they travelled with their own bunk cars...
These guys are working for St. Pauls, Minneapolis & Manitoba, (later Great Northern) around 1887

 

[YY1]

Whoa. Never seen any that tall.

 

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