Beautiful Pictures

[rang19ca]

I took a ride in the Santa Cruz mountains on a narrow gauge steam train today. The engine is an ex logging engine built in 1912.

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[rang19ca]

The locomotive is a Shay that has a gear drive to climb up to 12 percent grades. The steepest in the US.

 

[rang19ca]

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[Grumpaw]

The locomotive is a Shay that has a gear drive to climb up to 12 percent grades. The steepest in the US.

Cog Railway has 25% average with a stretch that is 37%.......

 

[rang19ca]

Cog Railway has 25% average with a stretch that is 37%.......

Yes. I rode the cogwheel rail car up Mt. Pilatus in Switzerland decades ago. The Roaring Camp train is supposed to have the steepest grade in the continental US according to them. It is interesting to watch the exposed crankshaft turn the multiple driveshafts with exposed gears on the drive wheels.

 

[got3fords]

View from by back deck yesterday morning.

 

[LaBalbe]

Yes. I rode the cogwheel rail car up Mt. Pilatus in Switzerland decades ago. The Roaring Camp train is supposed to have the steepest grade in the continental US according to them. It is interesting to watch the exposed crankshaft turn the multiple driveshafts with exposed gears on the drive wheels.

If you're ever out in NC, check out Tweetsie Railroad; they've got a couple of narrow gauge loco's and have built a whole theme park around them. They've also got one of the few workshops that restores and maintains loco's of that vintage, and during their Railroad Heritage Weekend in August, you can tour the workshop as well.

 

[Chris M]

If you're ever out in NC, check out Tweetsie Railroad; they've got a couple of narrow gauge loco's and have built a whole theme park around them. They've also got one of the few workshops that restores and maintains loco's of that vintage, and during their Railroad Heritage Weekend in August, you can tour the workshop as well.

I've ridden Tweetsie Railroad as a young child. Back in the day they would give kids toy guns and the train would be attacked by Indians and we could "shoot" at them.
Yeah, back in the day...

 

[AzScorpion]

I've ridden Tweetsie Railroad as a young child. Back in the day they would give kids toy guns and the train would be attacked by Indians and we could "shoot" at them.
Yeah, back in the day...

The Grand Canyon RR from Williams to the GC has a simulated train robbery. On the way back to Williams they have a bunch of masked robbers on horses with toy guns stop the train then board and have a pretend robbery. It was pretty funny and the kids loved it.

They also have a Christmas train run (we haven't done this one yet) to the GC where they have a huge Santa's Workshop set up along the way. The kids think it's the real workshop where the toys are being made.

 

[LaBalbe]

I've ridden Tweetsie Railroad as a young child. Back in the day they would give kids toy guns and the train would be attacked by Indians and we could "shoot" at them.
Yeah, back in the day...

Yeah, back when I first went it was "Cowboys and Indians", and actually was that up until relatively recently; the first couple of times I took Thing 1, that was still happening, although I don't remember them giving us cap guns; of course, if you bring your own, you're welcome to join in. I think somewhere around COVID they decided that wasn't politically acceptable anymore, so it's now "Cowboys and Bandits" like what @AzScorpion described for the GCRR.

Tweetsie also does a Christmas and Halloween special, but I've never had a chance to do either. We're never there for Halloween, and usually we're too busy getting the house set up for Christmas.

 

[got3fords]

First full moon rising this month (there will be two). My Ranger Raptor can be seen (barely) directly below the moon.

 

[mrmike7189]

Cog Railway has 25% average with a stretch that is 37%.......

I just booked a trip up Mt. Washington in June on the Cog railway. Going to stay at the Omni Mt. Washington hotel. It's been on my bucket list for a long time. From google:
"The Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire features an average grade of 25%, with its steepest section, known as Jacob's Ladder, reaching a maximum grade of 37.41%. This makes it the second-steepest rack railway in the world, requiring specialized gears to climb the 3-mile, 6,288-foot mountain."

 

[P. A. Schilke]

The Grand Canyon RR from Williams to the GC has a simulated train robbery. On the way back to Williams they have a bunch of masked robbers on horses with toy guns stop the train then board and have a pretend robbery. It was pretty funny and the kids loved it.

They also have a Christmas train run (we haven't done this one yet) to the GC where they have a huge Santa's Workshop set up along the way. The kids think it's the real workshop where the toys are being made.

Yeah...we have done that deal with the robbery. we viewed this as just part of the deal.. We hoped the train ride showcased the Grand Canyon... It does no...just scrub pines etc. I do not wish to repeat this but for kids, it is cool...

 

[AzScorpion]

Yeah...we have done that deal with the robbery. we viewed this as just part of the deal.. We hoped the train ride showcased the Grand Canyon... It does no...just scrub pines etc. I do not wish to repeat this but for kids, it is cool...

I agree and was hoping for some views but they're just not there. It was a fun experience but not worth doing again and you don't get much time at the GC to enjoy it either. Luckily we've been there several times so that wasn't an issue for us but for others you're better off driving there and enjoying the whole day there.

 

[TJC]

I just booked a trip up Mt. Washington in June on the Cog railway. Going to stay at the Omni Mt. Washington hotel. It's been on my bucket list for a long time. From google:
"The Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire features an average grade of 25%, with its steepest section, known as Jacob's Ladder, reaching a maximum grade of 37.41%. This makes it the second-steepest rack railway in the world, requiring specialized gears to climb the 3-mile, 6,288-foot mountain."

This brought back some very fond memories... I hiked Mt Washington in the late fall when visiting a friend. He was part of the conservatory that ran the weather station at the summit. The snow was already very deep, and the buildings up the trail were already under snow, with trenches dug down to access the doors. We made it to the tree line, but temps were already at -7F and winds blowing at 50-60mph, There was a wooden wall structure that I vividly remember feeling it shake violently from those winds. From just out the tree line I could see the summit, with snow drifts blowing off the ridge line. He told me that this was the end of the line for the day...too dangerous to attempt the summit.

Went back the following spring after the melt. We reached the summit this time around. But the experience was completely different. With the snow gone, the path was nothing but rocks to the summit. No real trail per se, just a pile of rocks every few hundred feet pointing the way to the top. At the summit we toured the facility.

A great day with a dear departed friend.

Thanks for posting!

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