[ARC5] Locomotives

[Michael A. Bittner]

I've never been on a diesel-electric passenger train, but as a teenager, I used to regularly ride the steam trains on the Erie RR between my former home of Ridgewood, NJ and Hoboken, NJ.  At Hoboken, I showed my train ticket to the the ferry boat ticket taker and got the free ferry boat ride across the Hudson river to the Chambers Street terminal in NYC and from there a short walk to Radio Row with G & G Surplus on Vesey St. (Brand new ARC-5 receivers and transmitters for around $12, control boxes for 95 cents, etc.) and all the rest of it.  Those were the days.  Mike, W6MAB
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Geoff 
  To: Michael A. Bittner ; ARC-5 Mail List 
  Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2012 5:54 AM
  Subject: Re: [ARC5] Locomotives


  Ive spent many, many hours watching videos and reading various blogs on the 
  restoration efforts and the returning to service of various steam equipment 
  over the past few years.

  The majority of the passenger cars have self contained electrical generators 
  driven off the wheels. These are either restored late steam era or later 
  ones that have been fitted.

   The diesel electrics are often hitching a dead head ride or used for a 
  particularly rough stretch when more power is needed at a minimal fuel cost.

  As more equipment is being restored and maintenance facilities provided Im 
  sure there will be other locomotives traveling the rails. Many were not 
  scrapped and are sitting idle in restorable condition.

  I grew up when the steam era was ending and fondly remember the rides I took 
  with my parents and then the dissapointment as they faded away. In the 
  Northeast it was the electrics that took over in several runs such as 
  NYC-Philly-DC and the eastern end of the LIRR.





  >
  > Totally off topic:  I see that in many of the steam locomotive videos, 
  > they lug along one or two diesel-electric locomotives with them.  As 
  > stated in one of the videos, this is to provide electric power to 
  > passenger cars and provide dynamic braking on down-hill runs.  Not stated 
  > is the obvious fact that the diesel-electrics can keep things moving if 
  > these ancient, restored steam locos have problems.
  > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xszdK0OMgnM
  >