Fun Ride today

Rode the hills again and ran into an interesting sight. I am a railroad fan, and am looking for a representitive location for a Delaware and Hudson 1950-1970 layout. IN Cooperstown Junction, NY a few miles out of Oneonta I saw two old PA/RR GG-1 engines on a siding.


They are going to be restored, and one was 'open' and I climbed up into the enginners compartment. The number plate has the engine constructed in 1937. And the amount of dials and controls for the 'electric' as well as diesel power was quite impressive. Vandals did thier usual thing, but there were enough left of the control handles and dials to make itan impressive sight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRR_GG1


These monsters were active up until the 80's for painted service marks dated 06/88 were on all of the brake cylinders. I would guess they were pulled into Cooperstown Junction, and from what I could see if these relics of RR history are restored to running condition would be a fun expieriance and view. I could see both of the massive diesel engines in the fore and aft sections of the locomotive through internal view vents, and the turbine/alternator in the mid section, for late 1930's tech to inspire todays diesel/electrics and for these to have been running into the 70's and possible early 80's is in itself fascinating.

choopie911 wrote: From the title I was hoping you stole it

Those are pretty cool.

Edited by FreeEnterprise - 12 April 2010 at 11:04am

used to stop  by those old trains when my family went up to oneonta. haven't been up that way in years

Tee 'Oneonta Roundhouse' was the Largest Roundhouse in North America, There are several engines on spurs all over the area. There is a 4-6-4 Pacific down in Binghamton, and several 0-6-0 Moguls in displays all through the 'Leatherstocking' Area. Oneonta was a true railroad town from 1880-1957, most people worked for the railroad, or in support of the railroad. There are piles of rail with forge dates of 1898 in the woods behind the house. Old sleepers, and hardware litter the right of way up the Charlotte Valley. Just the vacant yard space and the foundation of the roundhouse are something to see. I am looking to do a prototypical layout of Oneonta to West Davenport, I can get pictures, want to actually model up to the house as it was a 'bed and brakfast' on the line halfway from Binghamton to Albany. The West Davenport Freight Depot still exsists and is now a private home. The old steel frame bridges and maintence/signal tressels still exsist.

The Bailey Yard, North Platte, NE been there, large and impressive. The Lincoln BNSF as well as Omaha's UP yards are just fun to watch in operation, the hustle and the gravity switchers are fun, the individual cars just roll and plates slow them as they are switched individually to thier respective trains. They just slow roll on thier own, and the tower sut computer sends each one on its way down the gradual slopes.


Stone Arch Bridges are classics, as are the few remaining wood and truss bridges. The old Po'Town steel bridge burned a few years ago now it is a walking bridge over the Hudson.

The NE corridor as well as the PENN RR and NY Central RR history is just a view into the past, a lot of restoration going on in NY and PA.

Edited by oldsoldier - 12 April 2010 at 7:19pm