Vintage High Res Pictures Discussion

I thought that you guys might enjoy these shots of mine that I just digitally converted from slides. They show South Station with older equipment, EMD FP10, EMD F40PH, Budd RDC's, steam heat, low level platforms, etc. I'll try to add a shot each day for the coming week. Stay tuned & enjoy !

1153 still has her Push-Pole Pockets !!!

It takes an EMD to make the color scheme look good..

My eyes now feel younger, even if the rest of me doesn't.

Nice shot, looking forward to more!

Thanks, Otto. (I've put the direct image up along with the link which has the full expandable image intact.)


http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa26 ... -09043.jpg

And also notice how the platforms are low level, a real pain to board/deboard trains, I remember when they were raising the platforms in 1988 to improve to today's standards and also the Red Line connection access, you had to go oustside to grab the train, the escalator in the inside of the Atlantic Avenue main entrance wasn't there yet in 1986/7. Wow, how things changed there

Yeah, but the original portrait of boarding - the conductor or porter happily assisting the passenger boarding by means of the traditional foot stool with the roads emblem on it - the clouds of billowing steam - that was railroading. Now, it's like getting on the subway. I know about access and all that, but I think that we have lost something.

As a kid, I used to like to go down there to see all that. In the 50's-60's it was different. You got to get into the cab with a friendly engineer. I got to blow the horn of an E-unit, got to ride in the cab of an RDC, had a torch (unlit) thrown to me by an engineer of a departing NH diesel - those days are gone. I used to enjoy the low platforms for the sensory overload that they provided also - the sounds of the air compressors, smells of the diesel fuel, appearance of the glistening wheel treads, etc. Trains don't smoke anymore. The RDC's smoked like a house on fire. It was a great smell.

Nice shots. Were mbta trains running push/pull mode in these years?

Thank you, Triker. You know, I want to say no, but I'm not completely sure when push/pull started. I recall all during my childhood of watching commuter trains from my official perch on top of the Toll Gate Bridge that trains always led with their locomotives in both directions, but in most cases I'm remembering NH and PC. I'll bet somebody out there knows for sure.

Paul, Thank you for your vivid description of REAL RAILROADING. I too, long for the days you describe, The young fans today are missng out on something that was almost magical, not the antiseptic way things are done today. I've worked on the B&M for 36 years now, and worked on the southside in the mid-1980's, I was glad I got to work with all those old B&A and NEW HAVEN guys, the stories they would tell. But now, I'm the old timer and my career is winding down, things sure have changed, not for the better I'm afraid.

As for push-pull, The B&M took over the southside in 1977, most everything was Budd cars or locomtive hauled, steam heated trains, the B&M didn't start using push-pull to any great extent until 1979-80, I can remember brand new F-40's leading with ex NH GP-9's behind providing steam heat in 1978.

Your welcome, David. I'm sure it's nothing that you couldn't have done ten times better with your experience ! My hat's off to you, my friend. I agree with you completely. There was magic in the whole process - everywhere you looked. (Underneath that magic was a lot of hard work, but something tells me that it was worth it.) Thank you for answering the push/pull question.

While at 27 I find it fun to be a railfan, I feel as though I've just missed something.

I hear ya, Mr. Arb. I feel the same way and I'm 57 ! I just caught the end of the era of the railroads, entirely missing steam, and deeply regret missing the era of the trolleys and interurbans.

When I was a boy I would see those EMD FP10's parked on a remote track outside Sullivan Square. I knew then they were old and unused and feeling that I missed out on some thing.

When I read a forum topic like this, I wish i would have got a chance to ride one of the Budds. They seemed like such a great concept.