Fargo WM300 Power Wagon Rail Truck

While visiting the Museo Ferroviario de Madrid the other day I came across this interesting 1958 WM300 Power Wagon 4X4 equiped for rail service. The flanged wheels give it a pretty unique look.

2012 Model Train Festival - Tacoma

There is something about model railroads that fascinates people of all ages. For me is the dioramas, those intricate sets depicting scenes of all walks of life. It is like life frozen in time. With Christmas quickly approaching what better way to spend an afternoon than checking out the displays of the 2012 Model Railroad Festival happening at the Washington Historical Society museum. Here are a few of my favorite images.

The Silverton Northern Casey Jones Railbus

Here is the Casey Jones railbus as it sat behind the San Juan County Historical Society museum back in the Summer of 1988. A photo I took during a casual walk during my first visit to the town of Silverton, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Originally built as an ambulance, the Casey Jones could make the 8 mile journey between the Sunnyside Mine and Silverton in 20 minutes. Although intended for emergencies, it looks like it saw plenty of use in other maters requiring more than one refurbishment during it lifetime. The last one of these taking place in 1929. It it's current configuration it is powered by a Cadillac power train of the era and can sit 12 passengers. You can find more on the history of this interesting vehicle on the Quick Pic Books site

Southern Pacific 4449 in Town This Week

The Southern Pacific 4449 is in town this week as part of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) annual convention so we stopped by the Tacoma train station this morning to take a few photos before the scheduled run to Easton. It was very exciting to see what is considered to be "the only remaining operable streamlined steam locomotive of the Art Deco era".

Spotted - White Pass & Yukon GE #91 Diesel-Electric Locomotive

One afternoon last September we caught this beautiful locomotive on a weigh station along I-5 South of Tacoma. I knew about the White Pass and Yukon Route but knew very little about their locomotives. I now know that it is #91, a GEX3341. One in a series of 11 Diesel-electrics built by General Electric between 1954 and 1969 (source).Looks like it has been nicely restored and from what I read also re-powered by Global Locomotive. Visit whitepassfan.net to see the history of this locomotive in photos.

High Speed Rail - My Trip Aboard an AVE S-103

I am spending a lot of time aboard commuter rail these days and that reminded me of my trips across Spain aboard Renfe's AVE (Alta Velocidad Española). High speed rail is still a fantasy for us in the U.S. I am not even sure I will ever see one built in my neck of the woods. It was really a treat to have a chance to experience this great form of transportation in such a beautiful place as Spain. Renfe maintains a fleet of high speed trains that reach many parts of the country in a matter of hours. I traveled from Barcelona to Madrid a total of 386 miles in 2 hours 38 minutes and that meant I got to travel in an AVE S-103 (Siemens Velaro E). On 15 July 2006, an S-103 achieved a top speed of 403.7 km/h (250.8 mph) on that same route. A record for unmodified commercial trains. OK, so it is not cheap and is way slower than a plane, but what a unique experience.

The are a few more photos in my archives... And a separate post about Madrid's Atocha train station.

Sleek AVE S-103 was our ride for the afternoon.

My Visit to the Golden Spike National Monument

The post about the Great Northern 2507 got me thinking about other steam locomotives that I have come across in the past. Looking at pictures of some of my road trips, I came across the ones of Golden Spike National Monument from back in the early 90's. The reproductions of the Jupiter and the 119 are both a great reminder of a by gone era and great works of art in their own right. It was just great to hear them and see them running.

The Great Northern 2507 - A Nice Surprise Along the Lewis & Clark Highway

Yesterday, while driving on the Lewis & Clark Highway along Columbia river, I came across an interesting road sign labeled "Historic Locomotive Ahead". I was really intrigued and so I followed the road down to the town of Wishram to see what it was all about.

Mt Rainier Scenic Railroad Train

Encountered the Mt. Rainier Scenic train on my way to Paradise this afternoon. I took this train many years ago and enjoyed it very much. It may be time to do it again...

Visiting Atocha Train Station

Since I am here in Madrid this week I am taking the opportunity to stop by the Atocha train station since it is so close by where I am staying. You can learn more about the station in Wikipedia.... More photos here...

The station is a beautiful structure.

The Washington DC Metro

My daily commuter while I am working in Washington D.C. Much better than a car for the daily grind...