Hi all,
I went down the road to the Niles District of Fremont California today to get a look at 2472, a Pacific type steam locomotive, ex Southern Pacific RR, restored and being run in Niles Canyon on the Niles Canyon Scenic Railway between Sunol and Niles today, pulling a passenger consist. I was standing in the "Y" hoping to film it going by as it pulled into the station.
While waiting next to the Union Pacific Track, a Burlinton Northern train came by on it's way from Oakland to the Numi car plant where they make Pontiac Vibes and small Toyota pickups, I think. It was pulling a string of empty car carriers. Two locos. The First was BN, but the second was still in a Santa Fe paint scheme. Yes it is UP track but BN got the contract with Numi and worked a deal with UP for the right away. They run one round trip a day, I am told.
Shortly after that came a UP, oddly also pulling car carriers.
Then came the train I was waiting for, out of the canyon and into the Y pulled by one Western Pacific GP7 #713. Unfortunatly it stopped right in front of me, not at the station a couple hundred yards to the west. So where was 2472?? A listen to the scanner cleared that up. It was backing after the train and coupled to it almost completly out of sight around the curve in the Y. BUMMER! 713 then cut loose and 2472 took the excursion back to Sunol followed by 713.
So in a half hour I had seen Burlington Northern, Santa Fe, Union Pacific, Western Pacific and Southern Pacific locomotives. And also some Niles Canyon Scenic Railway rail cars. Six "flags". That is more fun to me than Six Flags.
I went down the road to the Niles District of Fremont California today to get a look at 2472, a Pacific type steam locomotive, ex Southern Pacific RR, restored and being run in Niles Canyon on the Niles Canyon Scenic Railway between Sunol and Niles today, pulling a passenger consist. I was standing in the "Y" hoping to film it going by as it pulled into the station.
While waiting next to the Union Pacific Track, a Burlinton Northern train came by on it's way from Oakland to the Numi car plant where they make Pontiac Vibes and small Toyota pickups, I think. It was pulling a string of empty car carriers. Two locos. The First was BN, but the second was still in a Santa Fe paint scheme. Yes it is UP track but BN got the contract with Numi and worked a deal with UP for the right away. They run one round trip a day, I am told.
Shortly after that came a UP, oddly also pulling car carriers.
Then came the train I was waiting for, out of the canyon and into the Y pulled by one Western Pacific GP7 #713. Unfortunatly it stopped right in front of me, not at the station a couple hundred yards to the west. So where was 2472?? A listen to the scanner cleared that up. It was backing after the train and coupled to it almost completly out of sight around the curve in the Y. BUMMER! 713 then cut loose and 2472 took the excursion back to Sunol followed by 713.
So in a half hour I had seen Burlington Northern, Santa Fe, Union Pacific, Western Pacific and Southern Pacific locomotives. And also some Niles Canyon Scenic Railway rail cars. Six "flags". That is more fun to me than Six Flags.
