Grand Old 765

[W9GT]

Just had a great experience this afternoon, visiting the Ft Wayne RR Historical Society.  Saw the Grand Nickle Plate Road Berkshire Steam Locomotive #765 that they just completed restoration on after 4 years of work.  It is a beauty and the grandest boatanchor that you have ever seen!  Makes me feel old though....this old girl was built in '44, the year of my birth.  It was really cool to go up into the cab when the engine had a full head of steam and hear that whistle blow,  wow!!  My Grandson thought that he was in heaven.  Almost as much fun as firing up a BC-610.................
73,  Jack, W9GT       

[W1QWT]

Grand Nickle Plate Road Berkshire Steam Locomotive #765

My parents grew up in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, so I am wondering if the train's engine Berkshire name is somehow affiliated with the Berkshires of Massachusetts.
My great grandfather worked on the railroad in North Adams MA. in the turn of the century.
Any more info on the history of this engine?

Regards
Q
 

[W9GT]

I'm not sure about the Berkshire heritage, but I know she was built in Lima Ohio at the Lima Locomotive works in 1944.

[ve6pg]

...MY LATE FATHER WAS AN OFFICER IN THE CANADIAN ARMY,AND MET MY MUM IN 1940 IN ENGLAND. OK,DAD GOES OFF TO FIGHT IN SICILY,ITALY,HOLLAND,AND GERMANY...DAD MARRIES IN ENGLAND,AND HAS TO COME BACK TO CANADA. HE IS IN THE ARMY TILL LATE '46,AND MY MUM COMES OVER ON THE QUEEN MARY,TO HALIFAX. WHEN MUM GETS OFF THE QUEEN MARY,SHE CAN NOT BELIVE THE SIZE OF THE TRAINS HERE. SHE RODE TRAINS ALL HER LIFE IN ENGLAND,BUT WHEN SHE SAW THESE  3 LOCOMOTIVE ABOUT TO PULL 100 PASSENGER CARS,SHE WAS COMPLETELY TAKEN ABACK. I NEVER THOUGHT MUCH ABOUT IT,UNTIL I SAW WHAT THE TRAINS IN ENGLAND AND EUROPE ARE.THOSE TRAINS KIND OF LOOK LIKE SOMETHING YOU WOULD FIND IN AN AMUSEMENT PARK.

[W9GT]

After some research...found the connection.  Check this link:
http://www.steamlocomotive.com/berkshire/

also check out the Ft Wayne site:
http://www.765.org

73,  Jack,W9GT

[VA3ES - Piss-Weak Ed]

...MY LATE FATHER WAS AN OFFICER IN THE CANADIAN ARMY,AND MET MY MUM IN 1940 IN ENGLAND. OK,DAD GOES OFF TO FIGHT IN SICILY,ITALY,HOLLAND,AND GERMANY...DAD MARRIES IN ENGLAND,AND HAS TO COME BACK TO CANADA. HE IS IN THE ARMY TILL LATE '46,AND MY MUM COMES OVER ON THE QUEEN MARY,TO HALIFAX. WHEN MUM GETS OFF THE QUEEN MARY,SHE CAN NOT BELIVE THE SIZE OF THE TRAINS HERE. SHE RODE TRAINS ALL HER LIFE IN ENGLAND,BUT WHEN SHE SAW THESE  3 LOCOMOTIVE ABOUT TO PULL 100 PASSENGER CARS,SHE WAS COMPLETELY TAKEN ABACK. I NEVER THOUGHT MUCH ABOUT IT,UNTIL I SAW WHAT THE TRAINS IN ENGLAND AND EUROPE ARE.THOSE TRAINS KIND OF LOOK LIKE SOMETHING YOU WOULD FIND IN AN AMUSEMENT PARK.

The bigger the country, the bigger the trains!  The US, Canada, Russia, China, and Australia, all have the largest "loading guage"  for railroads - makes sense, since you want one train to carry the most freight, rather than smaller. more frequent trains, as you have in  the UK, or Europe.

While I consider UK trains to be "cute",  agree with  VE6PG - they all looik like amusement park trains to me. 

[Ed/KB1HYS]

There seem to be a lot of Rail museams in the north country. A lot of small towns centered around the railway station in the old days. There's a yard of old passenger cars in VT, I know of one fellow who is wanting to buy them and just put them up on his property.
The Conway Scenic railway still runs a steam engine and pullman cars. It's really neat sitting on the big comfy chairs on the outside of the last car, watching the country side roll by.

As a kid I used to walk the tracks, hoping to find a forgotten siding with an old Steam engine parked there...   sometimes I still look...

[W2JBL]

the Adirondack Scenic Railway runs out of Thenadara NY up close by my camp in Old Forge. nice collection of old diesel/electric locomotives and cars. it runs all the way down to Utica (50 miles) now. that's 50 miles of track going literally through the middle of nowhere. hats off to Bob W2KBW and his fellow volunteers for the great work they do on the equipment! 

[Vortex Joe - N3IBX]

Definitely my kinda locomotive! In the Summertime the New Hope-Ivyland Railroad runs it's steam trains on a regular short route for tourists. When they blow the whistle I can hear it in my front yard. It's music to the ears!

Steam to locomotives is what tubes are to transistors. Big strapping Alco diesel locomotives are kewl, but nuthin like the steam trains. I can just listen to the high pitched whine of their turbine generators powered off the boiler for hours. Definitely oldbuzzardly kewl stuf!