Most unusual thing you've seen on a train

jordon412

33 Year Old Railfan
What is the most unusual thing you've seen on a train? If you have a picture of it, post it here. The most unusual thing I've seen is an A-B-A set on Carolina Southern F units heading north on a CSX freight train. They were on top of six flatcars, two flatcars per F unit; one flatcar carried the F unit's trucks, the other carried the body. I can't remember if a series of boxcars had everything inside from the F unit's body, or they simply disconnected the trucks from the body, leaving everything else in the body. Also, I know that an edition of Trains Magazine featured an article on Iowa Pacific Holdings, and they listed the equipment they use on their tourist trains, and I believe they purchased the Carolina Southern F unit A-B-A set. Anyway, if you have a picture of the most unusual thing you've seen on a train, post it here.
 
I once saw a brand new Juniata Shops Amtrak loco, on a break in run, at the head end of a WB empty coal train, so new that the brand new paint smell was evident as it passed

And a 4 unit set of SD45's on a WB freight at the Horseshoe Curve, with a run away loco stuck in throttle 8, with all wheels powered, slipping, emitting a ring of fire surrounding all the wheels, and sparks from the rails shooting out 20' from all the 12 wheels, as a crewman frantically scrambled along the walkway opening engine compartment doors, to manually shut down the runaway loco

Also startled a western pennsylvania timber rattler, really fat and only 18" long, snaking its way down the gauge on the Horseshoe, and it proceeded to slither into a railjoiner fishplate, and hide ... saw a copperhead nest of week old babies, only the size or garter snakes, that are as venomous as adults, in Tyrone PA. Saw a huge 6" spider with yellow and tan banded legs on a RR shack ... Everything about the spider said: "Don't provoke me" !
 
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Those orb weaver spiders look rather nasty, but are overall quite harmless and stick to their grasshoppers, beetles and other insects, however, they can bite if cornered. To be honest, I would probably run away first before touching one!

As far as unusual trains I've seen some rather interesting equipment off and on.

One day while out rail fanning down near the Lawrence, a through freight came through on the mainline. In tow, going northbound (east), was a string of old Boston Elevated subway cars. These must've been on their way to the Seashore Trolley Museum. They were coupled up like regular passenger cars and rode along on their trucks.

Another time while working in Lowell, I was outside the building at lunchtime and caught a westbound freight pulling a string of old B&M Alco S-2s and S-3s with some still in the maroon and gold B&M Minuteman paint scheme. They were heading, I think now, to East Deerfield and sadly were probably being scrapped. This was in the mid-1980s in the midst of the Guilford takeover when they were getting rid of still-working Alco diesels, and destroying the U-boats.

Then on another freight, speaking of U-boats, just after the Guilford takeover, there was a train being pulled by Maine Central U-boats including one still painted in the Rock Island "ROCK" pain scheme. The old U25Bs looked really, nice. This lash-up didn't last, and shortly afterwards the U-boats were scrapped in favor of some "new" GP40-2s which were purchased from the CN.

We were lucky too when the MBTA had an equipment shortage and hunted around for equipment from anywhere and everywhere. In the late 1970s through the early 1980s, we had the D&H PA1s pulling GO-Transit cars. I got to ride on a train once from Andover to Boston into North Station. On another day, we had a string of old Boston and Albany (Yes still lettered for the B&A) as passenger cars on the commuter train. We also had trains of mixed RDCs from CNR, CPR, NH, B&O, Reading, NYC, PRSL, and CNJ, on various trains. On one train I took home from Boston, we had a CPR RDC being used as a cab-car, which was pushed by the newly acquired FP10s painted in their Easter egg paint scheme.
 
I used to make deliveries to Phila companies, by using the Market Frankford El. On the way back, the train stopped in the tunnel and the lights went out, as they had cut power so as to extricate a person who committed suicide in front of the subway train. After about an hour, shuttle bus's got us home ... My boss had me do a quick turn around, to make another delevery. As the next train was late, it needed to get back on schedual. The train took off from 69th street and made no stops until 15th street ... we were doing in excess of 80mph, and I was shouting: "Woo Woo Runaway Train Haa Haa Haa ... We're all gonna die". That train was rocking side to side and was shaking appart.
 
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Spotted this locomotive frame a few years back. Odd because I dont think there is any place along the lines I took this at that would make or use this. And it looked brand new. (Props in you can ID the depot. I know which one it is.)
 
I wouldn't say it was the most unusual thing I've seen on a train, but I did see something unusual: A Norfolk Southern GE Dash 9-44CW running 'Southern Style', pulling a train long hood forward, or in layman's term, backwards.
 
Half of a sheep on the front coupler and various other bits plastered over the front of a B class pulling into Ballarat station. The train ran through a mob of sheep between Ballan and Gordon.
Graeme
 
BUMP! Sorry if I offend anyone.

Graffiti is something we see all over the country. Recently, I was sitting at a railroad crossing, waiting for a train to pass thru, and saw two things on two separate cars. The first one said: Hockey I not an actual sport. The second thing I saw on that train, on another car, was a cartoonish picture of Abraham Lincoln's head, complete with hat and beard.

And while I mention hockey, I've got another story for you. Back in July, I went to Dollywood and decided to ride my favorite roller coaster there, the wooden roller coaster Thunderhead (which is named after Thunderhead Mountain, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park). I had gotten on the train and was waiting to leave the station, and the ride operator, the guy who's got his hands on the controls of the ride, decided to engage in small talk while the rest of the employees there were checking everyone's restraints to make sure we they were nice and tight, so we wouldn't go flying out while riding the coaster. The conversation quickly turned to sports and as the train leaved the station, he said "I thought football was a violent sport; then I found hockey."
 
I saw a LU Battery locomotive pulling a train of 1938 LU stock over an abandoned branch line in North London. Strangest thing I ever saw. However it inspired me, many years later, to recreate this route in Trainz, and build my Battery Loco.
Mick
 
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