IronBeltKen
Lazy Daydreamer
Every few years my whole family heads down to Birmingham, Alabama to visit my sister-in-law and her family. What made this particular trip special was I got to visit three friends, members of the Alabama Rail Gang (ARG), that I've met on the Forum. It's great to finally meet people in person after you've chatted with them online for several years!
My first visit was with Eric M., known as "Grande Man", and his 13yr-old son Trey(sp?) whose forum handle is "Little Grande Man". In the group photo, that's me on the left, then Trey, then Eric. If you look real close at the window of the restaurant we were in front of, you'll see the phrase Fried Green Tomatoes - that was part of the set used in a movie of the same title during the early 1990's. It's actually the Irondale Cafe, right beside the throat tracks of the nearby NS yard.
What made Alabama exciting to me was that, unlike Maryland, there are three Class I railroads serving the region: CSX, NS, and BNSF. Plus dozens of shortlines. And there are still many small trackside industries still served by rail along the main lines, something no longer found along CSX main lines in central Maryland.
Here's a few shots of trains that passed thru Irondale:
A propane dealer alongside the CSX main that still receives by rail - imagine that!
A road slug mated to a GP40-2 based in the town of Cullman, AL., to power the local that serves the various trackside industries.
My favorite location was Decatur, AL, near a lake formed by the Warrior River. There is a multi-span truss bridge owned by NS but also used by CSX, making for some dramatic photography. The first train we caught there was a northbound BNSF unit coal train:
I was delighted to discover a DPU on the tail end:
A few minutes later, a southbound CSX passed thru (led by a leased unit):
But one of the main things I loved about Decatur was its busy industrial spur, which curves off sharply to the right in the photo below. [This validates my own track plan which includes a peninsula of trackside industries - goes to show there's a prototype for everything!]
Eric suggested we visit the riverside park, so we did - and within five minutes this NS local appeared, shoving a string of tankers:
Two SD40-2's were pushing the train:
How's this for a unique grade crossing: Twin flashing crossbucks guarding the park walkway to the riverfront.
The next day I visited Rex ["rexhea"] in Tuscaloosa, where we had lunch and did an op session on his layout which fills a four-car garage. Can you find Rex in the picture below?
Here we are beside his newly-installed diesel servicing area:
On Friday I headed down to Prattville to visit with Jim ("UP2CSX"), who kept warning me that his layout would be a "disappointment" after Rex's... BULL! That thing was so packed with detail, I spent a few hours shooting photos at different angles - here's a twilight view of the downtown area:
(Jim posted some of the other pics in last weekend's WPF thread.) Here's a mug shot of us:
I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to Eric, Rex, and Jim - along with their wives - who each showed me what true Southern hospitality is all about! Hope I can return the favor some day if any of you find yourselves in the Baltimore-Washington area.
My first visit was with Eric M., known as "Grande Man", and his 13yr-old son Trey(sp?) whose forum handle is "Little Grande Man". In the group photo, that's me on the left, then Trey, then Eric. If you look real close at the window of the restaurant we were in front of, you'll see the phrase Fried Green Tomatoes - that was part of the set used in a movie of the same title during the early 1990's. It's actually the Irondale Cafe, right beside the throat tracks of the nearby NS yard.
What made Alabama exciting to me was that, unlike Maryland, there are three Class I railroads serving the region: CSX, NS, and BNSF. Plus dozens of shortlines. And there are still many small trackside industries still served by rail along the main lines, something no longer found along CSX main lines in central Maryland.
Here's a few shots of trains that passed thru Irondale:
A propane dealer alongside the CSX main that still receives by rail - imagine that!
A road slug mated to a GP40-2 based in the town of Cullman, AL., to power the local that serves the various trackside industries.
My favorite location was Decatur, AL, near a lake formed by the Warrior River. There is a multi-span truss bridge owned by NS but also used by CSX, making for some dramatic photography. The first train we caught there was a northbound BNSF unit coal train:
I was delighted to discover a DPU on the tail end:
A few minutes later, a southbound CSX passed thru (led by a leased unit):
But one of the main things I loved about Decatur was its busy industrial spur, which curves off sharply to the right in the photo below. [This validates my own track plan which includes a peninsula of trackside industries - goes to show there's a prototype for everything!]
Eric suggested we visit the riverside park, so we did - and within five minutes this NS local appeared, shoving a string of tankers:
Two SD40-2's were pushing the train:
How's this for a unique grade crossing: Twin flashing crossbucks guarding the park walkway to the riverfront.
The next day I visited Rex ["rexhea"] in Tuscaloosa, where we had lunch and did an op session on his layout which fills a four-car garage. Can you find Rex in the picture below?
Here we are beside his newly-installed diesel servicing area:
On Friday I headed down to Prattville to visit with Jim ("UP2CSX"), who kept warning me that his layout would be a "disappointment" after Rex's... BULL! That thing was so packed with detail, I spent a few hours shooting photos at different angles - here's a twilight view of the downtown area:
(Jim posted some of the other pics in last weekend's WPF thread.) Here's a mug shot of us:
I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to Eric, Rex, and Jim - along with their wives - who each showed me what true Southern hospitality is all about! Hope I can return the favor some day if any of you find yourselves in the Baltimore-Washington area.
Grandeman, JR Grandeman, Rex and Jim, your layouts are awsome and I hope to see them one day! as for Jim, still waiting to see more pic's of your layout!
