12-31-2008
( Reply#: 2550 ) |
Bill Bucko |
Though I'm a rail fan too, your knowledge of the physics involved is definitely better and more detailed than mine. I've read similar accounts in Model Railroader magazine.
Your mention of the slack between cars reminds me of something I heard every night in the 50s, from the IHB freight yard just a few blocks from my house. One of the nicest sounds (besides the low, comforting throb of the Diesel switchers) was the long, muffled clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk from a long string of cars as the slack was taken up and the cars began to roll. There was nothing harsh about it; I regularly fell asleep to such sounds. None of the sounds from the freight yard ever woke me up.
The only sound that woke up me (and the whole family) was the Standard Oil hydroformer blowing up, that morning in 1955.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
12-31-2008
( Reply#: 2558 ) |
Pro2am |
Great post, Paddy! I'm a long-time railfan myself; off-&-on since the late '50s until 2002, when it finally became a full-time pursuit - especially rail photography. Not to brag, but I'v got photos up all over the Internet. I have a real passion for it that began during childhood and, wonder of wonders, never really went away. Standing trackside in 2003 was no different than doing it in 1960 (my first year of railfanning along the Erie-C&O main in south-central Hammond). The sights, sounds, smells - and that excitement when I see a train approaching in the distance - are still the same. In today's crazy world it's nice to know that SOME things don't change.
I was old enough to experience steam's final years in this area yet can barely recall any of it. This disappoints me to this day. I hear trains taking up slack regularly - especially the ones with an over-eager engineer! - but what you described is totally unique. I have videos and audio recordings of slipping steam locos but like you say, these can't accurately reproduce the real thing - especially when you're standing close by. [:)]
Mike Rapchak Jr.
quote:
Originally posted by Paddy
Like most visitors to this forum, trains were a daily part of my life in Hammond. About the time that I was in the fourth grade, my family moved to 6123 Harrison. We lived two doors down from an EJ&E spur that served the nearby Rand-McNally plant, and three blocks from the Erie tracks.
On nice days, my sisters and I walked to All Saints School. Waiting for trains was part of our lives early on, as we had to cross the Erie tracks at Highland and Sohl, and then the Nickel Plate tracks at Sohl and Fayette.
But in cold or rainy weather, we got to take the bus to school. We got on the South Shore Line at Harrison and Conkey, but getting to All Saints required that we change buses in Downtown Hammond. Being the youngest of the troupe, I was content to wait for the next bus at our transfer point at Sibley and Hohman. But my sisters were often no so content, and we would walk the remaining three blocks to school.
Walking to school from downtown required that we cross even more train tracks, first the Monon and then the Erie and Nickel Plate. We also walked past the Monon and Nickel Plate stations, where we witnessed the regular starting of the massive steam engines as they labored to pull their trains out of the stations. The Monon station was on State Street at Willow Court, and the Nickel Plate station was at the intersection of Sibley and Oakley.
When I first got up close to those steam engines, their huge drive wheels - which were taller than me - were jaw-dropping, and the sound they made as the train pulled away was absolutely frightening. I only stood my ground because the adults around me went about their business. Now that I look back on it, I had the good fortune to witness a phenomenon that died when steam engines were retired from service – taking the slack out of the train.
The steam-driven pistons that powered the drive wheels delivered torque in pulses. Each push of the piston rods moved the drive wheel forward a bit. As the repetition of pulses increased, the drive wheels rolled faster and faster. But there was a hitch, and it occurred when the engine began pulling away from the station.
As a train approached a station and slowed to a stop, the cars lost the slack in the couplings and bumped into each other. As the train departed, the engine would move forward - until it took up the slack. At that point, the full weight of the cars held the engine back while the steam pistons were delivering full power to the drive wheels. The result was wheel slippage, accompanied by the most horrendous noise that I have ever heard.
There is no way for me to do justice to the sound of steam engine wheel slippage, but I will try.
When the engineer was ready to depart, he would transfer steam from the boiler to the pistons located on each side of the engine. As the pistons pushed the rods attached to the drive wheels, each push delivered a sound like “SHOOMPH.” The initial SHOOMPH would move the drive wheels a few inches, to be followed by another SHOOMPH and more forward motion. But after about four or so slow and steady SHOOMPH'S, the slack was gone. The engine was now pulling the full weight of its cars. This meeting of the high-torque pistons and the full weight of the train caused wheel slippage. The force of the pistons against the high load made the wheels lose traction and spin for several revolutions.
When that happened, the sound from the pistons went from a low and steady SHOOMPH to a rapid cacophony of sound magnitudes higher, “S, SH, SH, SHO, SHOO, SHOOM, SHOOMP, SHOOMPH,” which took all of two seconds. Then the wheels would regain traction and the low and steady SHOOMPH would return, shortly to be disturbed by another round or two of hellacious wheel slippage.
Thanks to a poster on a railroad history web site, I found a sound file of a steam engine that includes wheel slippage. Unfortunately, the engine is some distance away from where the sound was recorded. It is hard to hear the initial SHOOMPH’S, but you will hear the sounds of the wheel slippage as the train gains speed. You can find it at www.youtube.com/watch?v=vltKG9hIxw.
|
12-31-2008
( Reply#: 2559 ) |
Pro2am |
Paddy,
Uh-oh - looks like that link is bad.
Speaking of trains and YouTube, here is my current favorite; it isn't steam but it's impressive in itsel. A long BNSF coal freight is slowly getting underway, led by a new EMD SD70ACe (my favorite modern diesel locomotive - espcially in the new BNSF Heritage livery) and two Warbonnet SD75s. 13,000 hi-tech horsepower.
It takes a minute or so for the train to get going, but once it does... I hope you all have good computer speakers; if so, crank 'em up! [:)]
Mike Rapchak Jr.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlQou_FyEEg
===========================================================
Re:
Thanks to a poster on a railroad history web site, I found a sound file of a steam engine that includes wheel slippage. Unfortunately, the engine is some distance away from where the sound was recorded. It is hard to hear the initial SHOOMPH'S, but you will hear the sounds of the wheel slippage as the train gains speed. You can find it at www.youtube.com/watch?v=vltKG9hIxw.
[/quote] |
12-31-2008
( Reply#: 2560 ) |
Tom J |
Oh, wow, you guys are on a great topic now. I, too, am a train lover.
I especially love those old steam locomotives. I remember them mostly from my summers in western Kentucky at my grandmother's house out in the country. I spent the summers of 1957, 1958, and 1959 with my grandmother when I was 8, 9, and 10 years old. There was a set of railroad tracks that ran past the front of her house and were only 100' from her front porch (I stepped off the distance).
About an eighth of a mile to the west was a coal tipple, and they used to make-up coal trains at that tipple. There was a lot of switching going on, and I loved to watch those old steam engines work. When the trains got long enough, those engines would be right in front of my grandmother's house.
I have heard them break traction, and I remember that sound very distinctly. Those steam locomotives were living, breathing things! They were magnificent.
Here's an excerpt from a little essay I wrote about my recollections of summer nights at my grandmother's and the train that came high balling past the house at about 2:00 AM every night.
"A set of railroad tracks passed by the front of the house and was only a stone's throw from the front porch. They still ran steam locomotives in those days, and little Tommy somehow woke up each night at just the right time to hear the night train's steam whistle blowing at the railroad crossing in the tiny community of Depoy, a mile to the east. He would listen intently as the rumble of the train became louder and louder, until it reached a crescendo in front of the old house.
When the train was very close, its oscillating headlight would brighten the room when it swung in the direction of the house, then return the room to darkness when it swung the opposite direction. The room would alternately brighten and darken, until the engine was past the house.
The little boy loved lying there in his bed, watching the room brighten and darken over and over again. He could feel the rhythmic shaking of his bed as the ground trembled in the wake of the passing train. He could hear the rattling of the window panes of the old house, loosened by the drying-out and shrinking of their caulking over the years. The cacophony that was the passing of the night train was pure entertainment for the little boy and was also a confirmation for him that all was well in the world outside the walls of that old house.
Once the locomotive was past the house, the roaring and the rumbling would be replaced by the clickity-clack of the railroad cars' wheels passing over the joints in the rails. The clickity-clack, clickity-clack became fainter and fainter as the train traveled beyond the range of his hearing, and the creatures of the night would resume their serenade as the little boy drifted off once again to that deep and peaceful sleep that only the innocents can sleep."
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
12-31-2008
( Reply#: 2561 ) |
Paddy |
quote:
Originally posted by Pro2am
Paddy,
Uh-oh - looks like that link is bad.
Mike:
I'll try to fix the link. By any chance, is the sound file that you posted from Cass Lake, MN? I see a lot of the same BNSF coal trains coming through my town, with three engines pulling and onr or two pushing. |
01-01-2009
( Reply#: 2564 ) |
duane |
Did anyone here ever ride the Grand Trunk Western 5629?
They sponsored excursion trips in the mid 1960's and early 1970's in the Chicagoland area.
I remember that our family took such a trip on an early Sunday morning in the mid 1960's. We even missed Sunday morning mass (I'm not sure if my folks got previous dispensation from the parish priest for this trip---missing Mass being a mortal sin!)
As I recall, the trip started in Chicago and ran through northern Indiana and perhaps on to Michigan City and back. It was the only time that I got to ride a steam driven train (even as an excursion), since passenger trains had already converted to electric diesel by then.
Unfortunately, the 5629 met a sad fate in 1987, when it was torn apart for scrap metal. Here is a photo from its more glorious days when it can be seen as the engine for the Circus Train from Baraboo to Milwaukee for that City's Circus parade. Note all the Circus wagons being pulled behind the 5629. http://www.steamlocomotive.com/union/gtw5629-Circus.jpg |
01-01-2009
( Reply#: 2565 ) |
seejay2 |
Duane,
I don't know if this was the same train or not. My dad was an engineer on the "hot water jobs", as he called them and he had an unholy passion for steam engines. There was one that rolled thru Hammond that sounds like what you are talking about. Some guy bought it and would take it around to be enjoyed by others. My brother and I went with dad to see it, but we did not board it. This is the only pic I have of it. It seems this would have been around '63 or so.....Cj
[IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/seejay2_photos/Steamer2-1.jpg[/IMG] |
01-01-2009
( Reply#: 2568 ) |
duane |
CJ - It's possible...the drive wheels look about right from other pictures of the 5629 that I've googled, but I am sure no expert on steam locomotives.
Unfortunately, unlike some on this forum, I was just a bit too young to remember the steam era, it having pretty much died out with the turn of the 1950's to the decade of the 1960's.
It is funny that we hear so much about air pollution these days, when back then, there were the steam engines belching smoke (I don't remember those much, as I said) but I do remember each house spewing black coal smoke up the chimney's in the winter when we went to school, and of course, the steel mills and especially their coke batteries poured lots of coal smoke into the air. And just think, without an automatic clothes dryer, our mom's would hang out the laundry to dry in this air!! Having watched A Christmas Story last week, I did notice that the movie got it right...they did show thick black smoke belching from household chimneys. |
01-01-2009
( Reply#: 2570 ) |
seejay2 |
I remember the steamers rolling across the tracks at 169th & Arizona Ave. I lived on Arizona and we would walk to and from school at OLPH. This was all in the late 50's. With all the noise and black smoke, coupled with the rumor that one would get sucked into the wheels if you stood too close, the 'Supreme Hero' was the one who would stand there without running away when the engine approached. Needless to say, there were no crowned heros then. The upside to this was, there were no kids transformed into wheel grease either...Cj |
01-01-2009
( Reply#: 2571 ) |
Pro2am |
Paddy,
According to the opeing credits that's exactly where this video was shot. [:)]
Mike Rapchak Jr.
-----------------------------------------------------
quote:
Originally posted by Paddy
quote:
Originally posted by Pro2am
Paddy,
Uh-oh - looks like that link is bad.
Mike:
I'll try to fix the link. By any chance, is the sound file that you posted from Cass Lake, MN? I see a lot of the same BNSF coal trains coming through my town, with three engines pulling and onr or two pushing.
|
01-01-2009
( Reply#: 2572 ) |
Pro2am |
Duane,
No, I never saw, much less rode on GTW #5629. However, I did see GTW 2-8-2 Mikado #4070 come through Griffith on the GTW main while on an excursion run in early Novemeber 1968. Got a few photos but they look like garbage.
Fortunately #4070 still exists, though I forget her exact location at the time.
Did you ever see Norfolk & Western #611? Man what a locomotive! Proud, majectic streamlined steed! And yes, steam locomotives ARE alive. I don't know how to verify this statement, but it's somehow true. I first saw #611 come through Hammond (Hessville) on the ex-Nickel Plate/N&W mainline at the beginning of August of 1983. I was so awed by her that I was nearly speechelss. I felt that living presence when she rolled by, a sense of a magnificent creature that was somehow here yet in a different dimension simultaneously. It was in this "other dimension" that she really existed, and it traveled along with her. I don't know how to describe it better. Needless to say, this experience is was re-awoke the railfan in me!
Better yet, I got to ride on one of those Chicago-Fort Wayne excursions in 1989. At that time my Dad, a long-time Chicago radio personality, and all-night show on WGN. The local NRHS asked him of he could plug the upcoming fan trip on the air, which he did. In gratitude they sent him two ticket for the ride (these tickest cost $100+ each!). He then gave them to me, and my wife and I took the trip of our lives. [:)]
Mike Rapchak Jr.
quote:
Originally posted by duane
Did anyone here ever ride the Grand Trunk Western 5629?
They sponsored excursion trips in the mid 1960's and early 1970's in the Chicagoland area.
I remember that our family took such a trip on an early Sunday morning in the mid 1960's. We even missed Sunday morning mass (I'm not sure if my folks got previous dispensation from the parish priest for this trip---missing Mass being a mortal sin!)
As I recall, the trip started in Chicago and ran through northern Indiana and perhaps on to Michigan City and back. It was the only time that I got to ride a steam driven train (even as an excursion), since passenger trains had already converted to electric diesel by then.
Unfortunately, the 5629 met a sad fate in 1987, when it was torn apart for scrap metal. Here is a photo from its more glorious days when it can be seen as the engine for the Circus Train from Baraboo to Milwaukee for that City's Circus parade. Note all the Circus wagons being pulled behind the 5629. http://www.steamlocomotive.com/union/gtw5629-Circus.jpg
|
01-01-2009
( Reply#: 2573 ) |
Pro2am |
To All,
Here is one of the photos I took of Norfolk & Western streanlined 4-8-4 #611 heading through Hessvile on one of the Chicago-Fort Wayne excursions in August of 1983. [:)]
Mike Rapchak Jr.
[IMG]http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/pp266/pro2am/NW611b.jpg[/IMG]
------------------------------------------------------
quote:
Originally posted by Pro2am
Duane,
No, I never saw, much less rode on GTW #5629. However, I did see GTW 2-8-2 Mikado #4070 come through Griffith on the GTW main while on an excursion run in early Novemeber 1968. Got a few photos but they look like garbage.
Fortunately #4070 still exists, though I forget her exact location at the time.
Did you ever see Norfolk & Western #611? Man what a locomotive! Proud, majectic streamlined steed! And yes, steam locomotives ARE alive. I don't know how to verify this statement, but it's somehow true. I first saw #611 come through Hammond (Hessville) on the ex-Nickel Plate/N&W mainline at the beginning of August of 1983. I was so awed by her that I was nearly speechelss. I felt that living presence when she rolled by, a sense of a magnificent creature that was somehow here yet in a different dimension simultaneously. It was in this "other dimension" that she really existed, and it traveled along with her. I don't know how to describe it better. Needless to say, this experience is was re-awoke the railfan in me!
Better yet, I got to ride on one of those Chicago-Fort Wayne excursions in 1989. At that time my Dad, a long-time Chicago radio personality, and all-night show on WGN. The local NRHS asked him of he could plug the upcoming fan trip on the air, which he did. In gratitude they sent him two ticket for the ride (these tickest cost $100+ each!). He then gave them to me, and my wife and I took the trip of our lives. [:)]
Mike Rapchak Jr.
quote:
Originally posted by duane
Did anyone here ever ride the Grand Trunk Western 5629?
They sponsored excursion trips in the mid 1960's and early 1970's in the Chicagoland area.
I remember that our family took such a trip on an early Sunday morning in the mid 1960's. We even missed Sunday morning mass (I'm not sure if my folks got previous dispensation from the parish priest for this trip---missing Mass being a mortal sin!)
As I recall, the trip started in Chicago and ran through northern Indiana and perhaps on to Michigan City and back. It was the only time that I got to ride a steam driven train (even as an excursion), since passenger trains had already converted to electric diesel by then.
Unfortunately, the 5629 met a sad fate in 1987, when it was torn apart for scrap metal. Here is a photo from its more glorious days when it can be seen as the engine for the Circus Train from Baraboo to Milwaukee for that City's Circus parade. Note all the Circus wagons being pulled behind the 5629. http://www.steamlocomotive.com/union/gtw5629-Circus.jpg
|
01-01-2009
( Reply#: 2574 ) |
wvcogs |
Hey guys...
I just did a quick Google search for 611. Here's a short video from 1992, audio and all. Enjoy.
Ken
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUzew_YiQ0A[/url] |
01-01-2009
( Reply#: 2575 ) |
duane |
Mike and Ken: Thanks for the posts on the 611. What a beautiful and graceful engine! The steamlining makes it both modern and antique at the same time. I completely understand the idea of them existing in both this and another dimension. You've now given me a reason to plan this summers trip....I've got to find a steam excursion! Happy New year to all and (as Tiny Tim would say) God bless us, everyone! |
01-01-2009
( Reply#: 2576 ) |
Pro2am |
You're welcome, Duane! And best of luck with this year's steam safari! [:)]
Mike
-----------------------------------------
quote:
Originally posted by duane
Mike and Ken: Thanks for the posts on the 611. What a beautiful and graceful engine! The steamlining makes it both modern and antique at the same time. I completely understand the idea of them existing in both this and another dimension. You've now given me a reason to plan this summers trip....I've got to find a steam excursion! Happy New year to all and (as Tiny Tim would say) God bless us, everyone!
|
01-01-2009
( Reply#: 2581 ) |
Paddy |
quote:
Originally posted by duane
Mike and Ken: Thanks for the posts on the 611. What a beautiful and graceful engine! The steamlining makes it both modern and antique at the same time. I completely understand the idea of them existing in both this and another dimension. You've now given me a reason to plan this summers trip....I've got to find a steam excursion! Happy New year to all and (as Tiny Tim would say) God bless us, everyone!
For a summer trip, you can't beat the Durango-Silverton ride. It has it all, jaw-dropping beauty, dizzying views down 300 foot drop-offs as the train clings to the mountainsides, and leaves you with soot and cinders in your hair. |
01-08-2009
( Reply#: 2623 ) |
Paddy |
To all of my fellow train aficionados, did you ever put pennies on the tracks to get them smashed?
After I moved to Harrison Avenue, my friend Jerry Achor and I would wait for trains moving south on the Erie tracks. As they neared, we would place pennies on the rail and then search for the flattened coins when the trains passed. Am I the only rail fan who got a kick out of flattened pennies? |
01-09-2009
( Reply#: 2624 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by Paddy
To all of my fellow train aficionados, did you ever put pennies on the tracks to get them smashed?
After I moved to Harrison Avenue, my friend Jerry Achor and I would wait for trains moving south on the Erie tracks. As they neared, we would place pennies on the rail and then search for the flattened coins when the trains passed. Am I the only rail fan who got a kick out of flattened pennies?
Oh, Lordy, I think every kid who ever lived anywhere close to railroad tracks did that.
My cousin and I did that down here in Kentucky when we were kids. There was a set of tracks within a hundred feet of the front of my grandmother's house, and we would put pennys on the tracks sometimes.
Another thing we did, and this was an activity that provided us with many hours of entertainment, was chucking rocks at those glass insulators on the telephone poles that ran alongside the tracks.
Tom
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
01-09-2009
( Reply#: 2625 ) |
duane |
I agree with Tom...is there any kid who didn't put pennies on the track? And I'm surprised when I see old telephone poles along rail beds with some insulators still intact. Sometimes the tracks themselves have long been abandoned and the ties pulled, but the old poles and insulators remain as a sentinel of times past. And I think to myself....what's wrong with kids today? Why hasn't someone pinged off those insulators? There's plenty of rocks around from the abandoned rail bed! |
01-09-2009
( Reply#: 2626 ) |
Tom J |
You know, I always thought those lines with the poles and the insulators that ran alongside the RR tracks were telephone lines that were just making use of the same right of way, but I learned not too long ago that those things were stictly for RR communications.
Tomster
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
01-10-2009
( Reply#: 2628 ) |
Pro2am |
Paddy,
Funny thing is, I never did it as a kid, but did as an adult. Labor Day weekend of 1990 me & my two sons would go over to the Hammond-Whiting Amtrak station and watch the trains come through. Only with us it was no penny ante stuff: all nickels and quarters! They came out looking neat - nice and well-ironed. :)
In October of 2006 I took my 23=yr-old ex-step daughter Sarah with me on one of my photo safaris to Pine Junction in Gary. It wasn't long before she asked me if I had any change on me. Yep - more flat, almost unrecgonizable quarters!
Here's a photo I took of her looking for her "reconfigured" pocket change. [:)]
Mike Rapchak Jr.
[IMG]http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/pp266/pro2am/SarahatPineJunction10-29-06.jpg[/IMG]
quote:
Originally posted by Paddy
To all of my fellow train aficionados, did you ever put pennies on the tracks to get them smashed?
After I moved to Harrison Avenue, my friend Jerry Achor and I would wait for trains moving south on the Erie tracks. As they neared, we would place pennies on the rail and then search for the flattened coins when the trains passed. Am I the only rail fan who got a kick out of flattened pennies?
|
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2647 ) |
wvcogs |
Somehow these two insulators survived the wrath of Tom and Duane. Actually, they've been in my protective custody for more years than I can remember, way up on that top shelf where I can't reach them without standing on a chair. Notice how the one proudly displays the label "Made in U.S.A."
Ken...
[img]http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g268/wvcogs72/insulators.jpg[/img] |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2649 ) |
seejay2 |
Man, I remember walking the tracks as a kid and finding those insulators from time to time and smashing them up against the rails. If I only knew........
Here are a few items left behind by dad. The lanterns and one lock was made by Adlake and the lock on the right is a Klien. It's hard to see, but the locks still have the keys in them.....Cj
[IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/seejay2_photos/DSC01292.jpg[/IMG] |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2650 ) |
duane |
Cool stuff! I've got one of the red train lanterns in my garage, but I don't know which line it came from. I do remember back from a time early in my youth that when you wanted the South Shore to stop at Tremont (Indiana Dunes)at night, you'd have to light a lantern and flag the train. I think they went to flashlights after that, and then they did away with the Tremont stop altogether. There used to be a small town there, with a restaurant and a few other stores, but it was bought out by the National Park Service when the Dunes National Lakeshore came in around the early 1970's.
Now, with regard to those insulators....Tom, pick up a few rocks and meet me at Ken's house and let's make short order of his insulators!!!!!!! -D. |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2651 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by duane
Cool stuff! I've got one of the red train lanterns in my garage, but I don't know which line it came from. I do remember back from a time early in my youth that when you wanted the South Shore to stop at Tremont (Indiana Dunes)at night, you'd have to light a lantern and flag the train. I think they went to flashlights after that, and then they did away with the Tremont stop altogether. There used to be a small town there, with a restaurant and a few other stores, but it was bought out by the National Park Service when the Dunes National Lakeshore came in around the early 1970's.
Now, with regard to those insulators....Tom, pick up a few rocks and meet me at Ken's house and let's make short order of his insulators!!!!!!! -D.
Sounds good, Duane! :)
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2652 ) |
Tom J |
While we are on the subject of trains, let me tell you what happened one day when I was spending the summer with my grandmother here in Kentucky back in the late 50s.
I stayed for the whole summer each year in 1957, 1958, and 1959 with my grandmother, a divorced aunt, Juanita, a teenage cousin, Beverly, and an uncle, Roy, who had Down's Syndrome. The house was a very small one with no indoor plumbing and was located on a one acre corner lot several miles outside of Greenville, KY. We were out in the country, but not way out in the boondocks; a few other houses could be seen from my grandmother's place. A railroad passed within 100 feet of the front of the house, and steam locomotives were still in use back in those days, though they were rapidly being replaced by diesels.
Roy was the "man of the house," and he kept the yard mowed in the summer, took out the ashes from the cooking stove in the kitchen and, in the winter, from the free standing Warm Morning stove in the front room, and chopped kindling. He had the mind of about a ten year old child and had a heart full of love for everyone.
Now you talk about someone who loved trains! Roy always carried a handkerchief in his back pocket, and no matter what he was doing, when he heard a train coming, he would run to the front porch, grab one of the posts that supported the porch roof, and lean out over the front of the porch while waving that handkerchief in broad sweeps over his head as the engine passed by. The engineers would faithfully blow the whistle at Roy as they passed the house, and he would squeal with delight.
When trains passed after dark while we were still up, Roy would turn the front porch light on and off repeatedly until the engine was well past the house. The engineers would blow the train whislte on those occasions, just like they did in the daytime.
One day when I was staying at my grandmother's, and I cannot say for sure which of those three years it was, the train stopped in front of the house and the engineer, or maybe it was the fireman, got down from the train and brought Roy a railroad lantern!
From that day on, Roy would wave that lantern at the train as it passed by.
When Roy died in January of 1976, the railroad men sent flowers to the funeral home.
The picture below, which I took in 1972, shows the old house with my grandmother, my aunt, and my uncle, Roy, standing on the front porch. That room on the left, which is obviously newer than the rest of the house, was not there during the summers that I spent there; it was added on in about 1961 or 1962. When I took that picture, I must have been standing right beside the railroad tracks. That is how close they were to the house!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Vicks_Crossing/720322-R1-01-1_002-1.jpg[/IMG]
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2653 ) |
svea3 |
[:0]Oh what fun!
I spent an hour looking at all the videos. The Model T was the real blast.
My Grandparents [Mother's] lived by Hammond Tech on Walter and the yards of the Monon RR. When I spent the nights there, I could hardly go to sleep for all the switching noises. I had a Lionel train which I put up under the Christmas Tree. We had two trains. What a blast from Thanksgiving until my birthday in January.
In my working life, I knew Alfred Glancy who would bring children into his home to see him operate his collection. He donated them to the Detroit Historical Society. He went to my church and I even taught his Grandson in one of my last years in the trenches.
I heard that California is building new high speed trains.
=====================Linda================================= |
01-12-2009
( Reply#: 2654 ) |
wvcogs |
Tom,
That's a nice story about Uncle Roy. Thanks for posting it.
Can anyone tell me if these are railroad lanterns? I got them from my Dad's place when he died ten years ago and have kept them in the garage since then. I found one similar to the one with the red chimney, a Dietz brand, online; but, could not find the other one, a Belknap. Any ideas???
Ken...
[img]http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g268/wvcogs72/Lanterns.jpg[/img] |
01-12-2009
( Reply#: 2655 ) |
S C Jones |
Ken,
The lantern on the right looks like what was called a barn lamp or lantern. There is a site I googled that has antique lighting--lanterns that shows ones similar to that one--actually look identical, but I didn't pursue name. I did look a Belknap site--which said Belknap did not actually make lanterns, but sold them---that was Belknap in Louisville, KY. which you probably saw. That's my 2 cents, for what its worth.[^] The online address where I saw the barn lantern: McCulloh'santiques.com/lighting |
01-12-2009
( Reply#: 2656 ) |
wvcogs |
Sue,
Thanks. Here's the information that was embossed on the base of the Belknap lantern.
Ken...
[img]http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g268/wvcogs72/Belknap.jpg[/img] [img]http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g268/wvcogs72/BlueGrass.jpg[/img] |
01-12-2009
( Reply#: 2657 ) |
S C Jones |
Ken,
The Dietz monarch New Style on the McCulloh site looks like your Dietz lantern, though it is not blue with a red globe. I hope I haven't overdone this. I know you are a researcher ex well ready and able and you have probably already looked these up.
ESSIE
Barn Lanterns at McCulloh's Antiques, Mercersburg, Pa.
Description BELKNAP HDW. & MFG. CO. Louisville, Ky. Blue Grass lantern in good condition. Inventory #DED-82904-BL. Price $ 65.00 + S/H/I ORDER Contact Us ...
www.mccullohantiques.com/barn_lanterns.htm - 53k - Cached - Similar pages
|
01-13-2009
( Reply#: 2659 ) |
wvcogs |
You did much better than I was able to on this one. I had no idea what these were used for. Thanks a bunch.
Ken... |
01-14-2009
( Reply#: 2666 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by wvcogs
Tom,
That's a nice story about Uncle Roy. Thanks for posting it.
Thanks for the kind words, and you are most welcome, Ken.
Tom
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
01-23-2009
( Reply#: 2693 ) |
svea3 |
Just loved the posts. Thanks spent hours watching them. |
02-16-2009
( Reply#: 2773 ) |
Paddy |
[quote]Originally posted by Pro2am
Mike:
Your photo expresses a lot about how we all respond to the awesome power of trains. In my day, a single steam engine pulling a few dozen cars mesmerized me. Now I see three or four locomotives pulling hundreds of cars with one or two locomotives pushing. You know what? I am still mesmerized.
Paddy |
03-01-2009
( Reply#: 2800 ) |
duane |
This train topic seems to have gone a bit cold over the past few weeks. Perhaps this is blasphemy, but what about stories of our own little "Train that Could"...the South Shore Line!
I have many, many fond memories of riding this train as a youngster with my mom, heading into downtown Chicago to go see the great Christmas displays at Marshall Fields (eating next to the big Christmas Tree in the walnut room!) and at Carsons. We would walk to the train station at the Indiana Toll road and Indianapolis Blvd. It was a small station, but I was so intrigued by it - buying the tickets, smelling the smells, waiting for the "Westbound Train approaching" light to turn on so we could head up the stairs to the platform. And then, all those great back yard and back alley views going through Hammond, Hegwisch, and South Chicago. Then getting to the great Randolf Street Station in Chicago. What an underground wonderland!
Later, when I was in high school, I rode the train with friends or with dates. Going to the Museum of Science and Industry, getting off at the U of Chicago stop.
I recall one time waiting for the last train back home (around midnite) in Randolf Station after a Who concert (in 1969 or 1970). A Chicago cop started harassing us because there was a curfew for anyone under 18, and only my brother was over 18. We kept saying "we're in a train station, inside, and waiting for the train to go home...what do you want us to do?" And he just kept telling us there was a curfew and we were under age and shouldn't be there.
Probably the most notorius trip was when my friend Tony and I took the train to go to a free concert in Grant Park in the summer of 1970. As most folks know, Sly and the Family Stone never showed up to play and the concert turned into a riot! My folks were horrified as they watched the 6 o'clock news and saw the melee, knowing their son was somewhere out in the middle of all of that. Needless to say, we had the good sense to head out of the crowd fast, and returned safely that evening on the trusty South Shore.
Many years later, when returning to visit my parents, I took my wife and girls on the South Shore as we headed into Chicago to visit the Museum of Science and Industry (including a trip on another train in the coal mine at the museum). On that trip, I relived my past memories of travelling with my parents and siblings when I was young. And I hope that my children long remember the sights, smells and sounds of the faithful South Shore railroad. |
03-01-2009
( Reply#: 2801 ) |
Tom J |
If I ever rode the South Shore, I don't remember it.
It sounds like I might have missed something fun. I would love to hear more about your memories and about those of others who rode it.
Tom
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
03-01-2009
( Reply#: 2802 ) |
Bill Bucko |
Around 1963-66 I hiked numerous times from Hessville down 165th and Summer Street, past the American Can Company, the prairie and junk yard, across the viaduct, past Stauffer Chemical to the South Shore station, to ride on those orange-colored cars. [Search the internet; photos are available.] Mostly I haunted the Chicago Art Institute and record shops on South Wabash. Once I hiked north to Pipers' Alley, hang-out of that new cultural phenomenon, the "hippies." I also took the South Shore one day toward the end of summer 1964, to "see" the Beatles at the International Amphitheatre. By "see" I mean my $2 ticket (bought at Milliken's, near Midas's) enabled me to glimpse, as through the wrong end of a telescope, some microscopic figures fully a block away whom I could not really distinguish. As for "hearing," I heard barely five seconds of music, all the rest overwhelmed by the hysterical roar from tens of thousands of hysterical girls. Talk about a "wall of sound"!
Still, it was a "happening," and I'm glad to have been there.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
03-01-2009
( Reply#: 2803 ) |
duane |
Bill...what a great story! I, today, am a huge Beatles fan. While I remember watching them on Ed Sullivan in February of 1964, somehow I must have fell into a stupor because I have absolutely no recollection of when they came to Chicago in 64, 65 and 66, although I know today that they came. The news media and TV must have covered it well, but again somehow I drew a blank back then in my festering youth. I always envy (but in a good way...being happy for them) those few who actually got to witness a Beatles concert (because I know that nobody heard anything but screaming). I believe there are some video clips from the '64 amphitheater concert on Youtube. Oh, yeah, and didn't the Chicago stock yards smell great right next to the amphitheater? I wonder what John Lennon had to say about that!
There is a great book called "South Shore, the Last Interurban" by William Middleton. It is chock a block full of pictures, and tells the whole history of the Chicago, South Shore and South Bend Railroad. Prior to the Toll Road being built, the South Shore used to run through downtown East Chicago, right down Chicago Avenue!
One of the things we used to do was to take a shortcut from the South Side of East Chicago to Roxana. Since the Grand Calumet River was in the way, we would climb up to the South Shore tracks, and walk the 1/2 mile or so on the tracks and the long SS train bridge across the river. A couple of times we got caught by the train. There wasn't much clearance from the tracks to the edge of the bridge, so we'd sit with our backs to the tracks, hanging on to a guardrail with our feet hanging over the edge as the train whizzed by within a couple of feet of our backs!
|
03-07-2009
( Reply#: 2812 ) |
duane |
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Bucko
I also took the South Shore one day toward the end of summer 1964, to "see" the Beatles at the International Amphitheatre. By "see" I mean my $2 ticket (bought at Milliken's, near Midas's) enabled me to glimpse, as through the wrong end of a telescope, some microscopic figures fully a block away whom I could not really distinguish. As for "hearing," I heard barely five seconds of music, all the rest overwhelmed by the hysterical roar from tens of thousands of hysterical girls. Talk about a "wall of sound"!
Bill - here is a clip from the Chicago '64 Beatles concert. Hopefully it will bring back memories...and you'll finally get to hear the music! Enjoy. http://www.geocities.com/randwolf2/videos/v077.html |
03-08-2009
( Reply#: 2813 ) |
Bill Bucko |
Very nice! Thanks very much, Duane!
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
03-15-2009
( Reply#: 2845 ) |
duane |
Here's a photo of the South Shore line running through downtown East Chicago. This was in the 1950's before they relocated the tracks to run parellel to the new toll road.
http://www.yackalot.net/ssscans/08-20EastChicago.jpg
The building in the forground is Blumenthal's clothiers, which also had the Woolworth dime store located in it. Then further to the east (mostly hidden behind the train) is Sam Kaplan's shoe city, and east of that would have been Sam Yaffe's clothier's. The large building with the flagpole on top is the First National Bank Building and for those of you who also remember Hot Dog John's, it was located immediately north of the 1st Nat. Bank building. |
03-15-2009
( Reply#: 2846 ) |
Paddy |
Thanks for posting the photo. My early Hammond home was close to EC, and the South Shore trains on Chicago Avenue were a part of my childhood experience.
Some South Shore rides that remain in my memory are:
*Leaving Hammond in June 1959 on a Senior class trip to a dude ranch in Colorado. We took a train from Chicago to Colorado, and I ended up staying behind and became a ranch hand.
*Returning to Hammond in August, 1959 looking like a mountain man. I had a full beard and carried a Winchester Rifle (in a case, of course).
*Leaving Hammond shortly after that to join the Marines.
*Returning to Hammond from the Far East to attend my Dad's funeral.
I returned to Hammond after my stint in the USMC. By then, car travel had made the South Shore Line irrelevant except for commuters who lived close to the rail stations, and I never rode the South Shore after that.
|
06-11-2009
( Reply#: 3182 ) |
S C Jones |
For all you guys who love trains, you may know of this, but just in case:
Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in North Judson, IN (Wayne County or Starke County) has an online site you might enjoy.
Just google: Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum |
06-11-2009
( Reply#: 3184 ) |
S C Jones |
http://www.nwirps.org/The%20NWIRPS%20Railroad%20Collection_Railroad%20Crossing%20Shanty.htm
the above site has a great picture of the Crossing Shanty at Hohman and Willow in Hammond and states that it lasted into the 1990's.
|
06-16-2009
( Reply#: 3214 ) |
Pro2am |
Bill,
I remember Piper's Alley in Old Town up on Wells St. I started hanging out there in early 1970.
Was one of those record shops you frequented on Wabash Rose Records? :)
Mike Rapchak Jr.
=========================
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Bucko
Around 1963-66 I hiked numerous times from Hessville down 165th and Summer Street, past the American Can Company, the prairie and junk yard, across the viaduct, past Stauffer Chemical to the South Shore station, to ride on those orange-colored cars. [Search the internet; photos are available.] Mostly I haunted the Chicago Art Institute and record shops on South Wabash. Once I hiked north to Pipers' Alley, hang-out of that new cultural phenomenon, the "hippies." I also took the South Shore one day toward the end of summer 1964, to "see" the Beatles at the International Amphitheatre. By "see" I mean my $2 ticket (bought at Milliken's, near Midas's) enabled me to glimpse, as through the wrong end of a telescope, some microscopic figures fully a block away whom I could not really distinguish. As for "hearing," I heard barely five seconds of music, all the rest overwhelmed by the hysterical roar from tens of thousands of hysterical girls. Talk about a "wall of sound"!
Still, it was a "happening," and I'm glad to have been there.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63
|
06-17-2009
( Reply#: 3216 ) |
tom w |
This might be a little off subject but the mention above of the south shore tracks in east chicago reminded me of the trolley tracks that ran down Sibley street and turned on Calumet Ave at Rovai's Tavern. That was when the street was cobblestone. Anyone remember???
Take care, tom w Hammond Tech 55-58 |
06-19-2009
( Reply#: 3225 ) |
Bill Bucko |
[quote]Originally posted by Pro2am
Bill,
I remember Piper's Alley in Old Town up on Wells St. I started hanging out there in early 1970.
Was one of those record shops you frequented on Wabash Rose Records? :)
Mike Rapchak Jr.
=========================
Why, yes, that was the main one! At 215 South Wabash! They had a great Classical section, where I bought Wagner operas and rare Rachmaninoff recordings.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
06-21-2009
( Reply#: 3227 ) |
duane |
Back in 1968, my 7th grade teacher (Mertha Johnson) took our class on a field trip to the Field Museum and after that the bus took us to Old Town! Rather progressive to take a bunch of 7th graders there. It was in its heyday. I remember lots of blacklight posters, head shops, and record shops. But mostly I remember the glass blower that was located just inside the entrance to Piper's Alley. I was very immpressed by his artwork. Several years later, mid 1970's I went back there with a date and found it to be a shell of what it had been. It seemed much sleazier, with much fewer neat shops around...or perhaps I was just seeing it through the filter of being several years older. |
06-30-2009
( Reply#: 3232 ) |
Pro2am |
Bill,
They sure did have a great Classical-music section. And as a bonus many less-expensive imports were available on the second floor. I shopped there from the late 1960s 'til the early 1980s. :)
Mike Rapchak Jr.
===========================
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Bucko
[quote]Originally posted by Pro2am
Bill,
I remember Piper's Alley in Old Town up on Wells St. I started hanging out there in early 1970.
Was one of those record shops you frequented on Wabash Rose Records? :)
Mike Rapchak Jr.
=========================
Why, yes, that was the main one! At 215 South Wabash! They had a great Classical section, where I bought Wagner operas and rare Rachmaninoff recordings.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63
|
07-16-2009
( Reply#: 3335 ) |
phulfy |
I see a number of posts on trains and thought I would send a long a magazine entitled "FIRST AND FASTEST" as a great source for old train, streetcar and electric interurban train pictures. When I joined it started with old Soputh Shore, North Shore and Chicago Surface Line pictures and articles, but now it has expanded to include the old local railroads. Personally I remember riding the old orange rockets to Beverly Shores with my Dad and brothers. I have some old photos of the Beverly Shore station (before the remodel)when my boy had to flag the west bound trains down for them to stop.
Phil |
07-16-2009
( Reply#: 3340 ) |
Pro2am |
Phil & All,
There are websites that feature vintage photos of many of these railroads, including the South Shore and North Shore. My personal favorite is George Elwood's "Fallen Flags and Other Rail Photos". [:)]
Mike Rapchak Jr.
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/
=================================================
quote:
Originally posted by phulfy
I see a number of posts on trains and thought I would send a long a magazine entitled "FIRST AND FASTEST" as a great source for old train, streetcar and electric interurban train pictures. When I joined it started with old Soputh Shore, North Shore and Chicago Surface Line pictures and articles, but now it has expanded to include the old local railroads. Personally I remember riding the old orange rockets to Beverly Shores with my Dad and brothers. I have some old photos of the Beverly Shore station (before the remodel)when my boy had to flag the west bound trains down for them to stop.
Phil
|
08-09-2009
( Reply#: 3489 ) |
rmkekeis |
I remember living two doors south of Wallace School on Calumet Ave. Lots of trains going through the Calumet Conkey intersection and lots of cinders in the eyes until the diesel engines came along. I think by the time we move to Harrison & Highland the coal burners were gone or we were far enough away although the Monon tracks were just down the street. No matter which way you went in Hammond you would catch a train. |
12-07-2009
( Reply#: 4121 ) |
Jay |
In response to duane's question posted on 01/01/2009 at 10:52:41 in this thread:
I do remember those Grand Trunk steam engine excursions between Chicago and Northwest Indiana. And I do remember my family purchasing tickets for at least one of them. If I remember correctly, it passed through downtown Hammond near the First Baptist Church. At some point out away from towns, some passengers would disembark with their cameras. Then the train would back up about a mile or two, stop, then proceed forward again making a nice moving shot for those who wanted action shots or had movie cameras.
I also remember we had the option to ride in an open gondola car. Although the feel of the wind and the view were fantastic, we would be pelted by small particles of unburnt coal and water droplets. |
12-07-2009
( Reply#: 4137 ) |
duane |
quote:
Originally posted by Jay
In response to duane's question posted on 01/01/2009 at 10:52:41 in this thread:
I do remember those Grand Trunk steam engine excursions between Chicago and Northwest Indiana. And I do remember my family purchasing tickets for at least one of them. If I remember correctly, it passed through downtown Hammond near the First Baptist Church.
Cool! I wasn't dreaming it all then. The fantastic Grand Trunk and Western 5629! Here's a link to its story and some photos. http://www.steamlocomotive.com/union/jensen.shtml |
01-06-2010
( Reply#: 4503 ) |
EastHammondBoomer |
I'm not sure if anyone has already posted this link but I found this one day while searching for the history and photos of the old train stations which once were found around Downtown Hammond. Back in the 70's they seemed like ancient ruins.
Here's the link:
http://www.monon.monon.org/bygone/hammond3.html
Thanks,
Dave |
01-06-2010
( Reply#: 4506 ) |
BobK |
Thanks Dave, that sure brings back some memories.
In the crossing pictures I lived one block further east on Highland St and an Aunt and Uncle lived 3/4 block east of the Waltham St crossing. |
01-06-2010
( Reply#: 4508 ) |
Paddy |
quote:
Originally posted by EastHammondBoomer
I'm not sure if anyone has already posted this link but I found this one day while searching for the history and photos of the old train stations which once were found around Downtown Hammond. Back in the 70's they seemed like ancient ruins.
Here's the link:
http://www.monon.monon.org/bygone/hammond3.html
Thanks,
Dave
The demize of the Hammond train stations occurred well before the 1970's. I was a denizen of both train stations in the late 1940's when passenger trains were in their heyday. But when I graduated from Noll in 1959 and went on our Senior class train trip to Colorado, we had to take the South Shore to Chicago in order to catch the train. |
01-07-2010
( Reply#: 4515 ) |
EastHammondBoomer |
Hi all,
I hope you guys don't get too tired of my posting links but a while back I wondered about an old abandoned train depot I used to walk by as a kid which was located at the corner or Oakly and Sibley. I used to try to imagine what the inside of that delapilated building must have looked like back in it's previous life. Here's a link which shows the old Nickel Plate Road depot back in the 70's.
http://nkphts.org/pictures/shared/urbanczyk/
Dave |
01-07-2010
( Reply#: 4542 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by EastHammondBoomer
Hi all,
I hope you guys don't get too tired of my posting links but a while back I wondered about an old abandoned train depot I used to walk by as a kid which was located at the corner or Oakly and Sibley. I used to try to imagine what the inside of that delapilated building must have looked like back in it's previous life. Here's a link which shows the old Nickel Plate Road depot back in the 70's.
http://nkphts.org/pictures/shared/urbanczyk/
Dave
You hope we don't get tired of your posting links? The things you have shared so far have been great! We are not going to get tired of that kind of stuff, Dave. Keep up the good work!
Tom
|
