Railroad Stuff/ BNSF/ all that?

[heyslugger]

I am a signalman for BNSF...The oldest and largest double decker swing span bridge.

Hey DD, glad you found the thread! Love to see some pics or whatever you have. I have just spent the last 15 minutes looking at videos of the Bridge. Not going to miss it next cross country I take! How did you end up with the railroad? A romantic notion or a love for trains? Just a good job? A big part of it for me was when I was a kid listing to Big Rock Candy mountain. I wanted to know all about hobos, slang and trains and it just kinda took off from there.

 

[ODDER]

Dunno really...Was an aircraft electrician/mechanic for 13 years. Laid off when a friend of mine asked me if I had ever thought of working for the railroad. Never really thought about it much. But here I am working for the railroad. Its a cool job. Away from home a lot but other than that I can't complain. I have always been in to early American music thinking back now there are an awful lot of railroad songs. Check out "The Fate of Talmadge Osborne" by Ernest Stoneman. Pretty neat old song.

When I moved to the house I live in now I found an old American Flyer Train set, Barnum & Bailey billboard and all that. The locomotive is from 1948. I don't even remember buying it. Just appeared when we moved. Weird.

Take care.

 

[ODDER]

A quick pic from the bottom of the Ft. Madison Bridge

 

[ODDER]

An artsy snap overlooking Americas original "superhighway" the Mississippi as seen from Ft. Madison Bridge

 

[heyslugger]

... original "superhighway" the Mississippi ...

Reminded me of :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwFGJxRBRUs

great shots btw.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

 

[heyslugger]

Is that a Santa Fe on the Santa Fe? Great pic! I'm gonna take one like that up here to post!

 

[ODDER]

I am surprised that with the amount of train enthusiasts there seem to be on here that there hasn't been a railroad themed build off. Or at least a mini build off challenge between a smaller group of members. :wink:

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Is that a Santa Fe on the Santa Fe? Great pic! I'm gonna take one like that up here to post!

Yep a Santa Fe 2.

 

[dragnusa]

Heres my tattoo I got in rememberance of my grandfather that pasted away this last year, He was a conductor for the Burlington Northern railroad. He ran from Brookfield MO to Quincy Ill and they lived a block from the railroad overpass in town and as kids we would go out in front of their house and wave to him as he was either going out or coming back in town. I live a block on the other side of the tracks from there and every time I hear the train whistle I think of him.

 

[heyslugger]

Nice tattoo! Thats not a bad visual at all, waving at your grandaddy as he came and went. Thats pretty okay by me!

 

[heyslugger]

I am surprised that with the amount of train enthusiasts there seem to be on here that there hasn't been a railroad themed build off. Or at least a mini build off challenge between a smaller group of members. :wink:

Want to plan a Spring mini-build off? I need a little time to get my parts and ideas together. I think that its a great idea!

 

[ODDER]

Sounds good man. I have a class late April. Start building around mid march?

RE: BN Tattoo. Cool story man. I was just in Brookfield earlier today on my way to work.
Our crew stayed there a while ago around Thanksgiving. Ate at the Cattlemans
At least once a day.

 

[dragnusa]

Sounds good man. I have a class late April. Start building around mid march?

RE: BN Tattoo. Cool story man. I was just in Brookfield earlier today on my way to work.
Our crew stayed there a while ago around Thanksgiving. Ate at the Cattlemans
At least once a day.

Let me guess you all stayed at the martin house. how often you thru brookfield?

 

[heyslugger]

Snapped one today in North Portland along Bybee Lake.

 

[ODDER]

Sounds good man. I have a class late April. Start building around mid march?

RE: BN Tattoo. Cool story man. I was just in Brookfield earlier today on my way to work.
Our crew stayed there a while ago around Thanksgiving. Ate at the Cattlemans
At least once a day.

Let me guess you all stayed at the martin house. how often you thru brookfield?

Nope. Best Western by Walmart. Come through twice every other week until we get done working
In Fort Madison Iowa. Working our way back to KC. Then who knows where we will go next.
Take care. Maybe I will run into you there sometime.

 

[Ratfink1962]

here's the pic of my Grandpa's Santa Fe coins, and a AT&SFRR tie tac...

And a pic of that Mechanix Illustrated Golden Hammer award I spoke of earlier...

 

[dragnusa]

Sounds good man. I have a class late April. Start building around mid march?

RE: BN Tattoo. Cool story man. I was just in Brookfield earlier today on my way to work.
Our crew stayed there a while ago around Thanksgiving. Ate at the Cattlemans
At least once a day.

Let me guess you all stayed at the martin house. how often you thru brookfield?

Nope. Best Western by Walmart. Come through twice every other week until we get done working
In Fort Madison Iowa. Working our way back to KC. Then who knows where we will go next.
Take care. Maybe I will run into you there sometime.

Ahh ok, Maybe I see BNSF trucks around all the time

 

[outskirtscustoms]

here's the pic of my Grandpa's Santa Fe coins, and a AT&SFRR tie tac...

Those would make awesome patterns to make some head badges for a railroad build.

 

[heyslugger]

That Santa fe middle coin is already half way to looking a little like a schwinn logo!