Things in railroading I miss...

[grande man]

Hi all. As I watched trains today at lunch, I reflected on some aspects of railroading I remember as a kid (and that wasn't toooo long ago ). Here's some of the things I miss:

• Cabooses
• MU lashups with 4 to 6 locomotives (many local trains now have just two super duper, high horsepower locos
• Abundant 4 axle mainline power
• Sectional track for that "clickety-clack" sound of a passing train
• Standard cabs (as opposed to "safety" cabs)

Interestingly enough, all these things are possible on a model railroad. Does anyone else have something they miss?

 

[tenwheeler]

Yeah, GM... I feel we have lost some things also. Luckily, they can all come to life again on our layouts, if we choose to have them. The things I miss are:

1) Mostly Steam, E-unit's, and F-unit's locomotives from the Transition Era
2) Boxcar's without graffiti ("Kilroy was here" is OK...)
3) Stock cars
4) Doodlebugs, Brill's, and RDC's
5) Passenger trains that belonged to that railroad (they had "personality"..)
6) and naturally, the Caboose has to be on the list.

High Green's and Clear Track's
Bob

 

[NWR #200]

Searchlight signals, too many being replaced by tri-lights.

 

[U-3-b]

Since I was born too late to see mainline steam, I don’t think it would be fair to say I miss it. With that said I do miss…

1. Nice paint schemes – Luckily here I have the Arkansas & Missouri

2. Diversity in locomotive manufactures.

3. Clean engines

4. Like Bob said, Railroad owned Passenger Trains

5. Nice looking engines. Not the ugly ones of today.

6. And of course…Cabooses

Steve

 

[jacon12]

Cabooses and the track teams that went around with the long metal poles and, while chanting in unison and keeping time with the long poles, would line the rails back up.
The steam I remember was from when I was very little. BUT... it's on my tracks now..
Jarrell

 

[enjineerbill]

OK you must have seen me coming!

This is my miss list;

1. The friendly wave of a conductor from the CABOOSE!

2. The sound of 2 or 3 first generation EMD's revving.

3. Wig-Wags.

4. Semaphore's

5. An interlocking tower with a PERSON inside.

And most of all:

6. Falling to sleep at night by counting each car's air-release as the brakeman bled them off after the arrival of that night's wayfreight!!

Nighty Nite(sigh)

Johnny

 

[cuttinglever]

Well...being more of a greenhorn as age goes...

The one thing I do miss is seeing the Conrail trains parked in our small yard here, with just the red marker lights glowing.

Or being able to walk through certain railroad properties without a visit by the friendly boys in blue. (I really miss those days!)

 

[IronBeltKen]

I miss:

1) All the former Class I main lines in the East that have been turned into bike trails;

2) Being able to tell which railroad I was looking based on the locomotive - not as much of this rampant "power sharing";

3) Actually hearing the loco as it approached a nearby crossing before the horn was blown.

 

[TrainboyH16-44]

Cabooses

Steam

Semaphores

Whining dynamic brakes echoing through the valley

Locomotives where they actually put some thought into the styling

Shorter trains that came more often

A selection of motive builders

Smoking ALCOs

Pinging F-Ms

A lack of chain link fences around rail yards

more industries, more locals

and the list goes on!