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Towns across the nation have discovered that although they are in the middle of nowhere — perhaps because they are — they have become popular railfanning destinations.

Rochelle, Ill., a town of 9,000 with a renowned freight crossing, built a park on an elevated piece of land where railfans can watch trains, complete with speakers broadcasting the transmissions of engineers and conductors. This summer, North Platte, Neb., opened a $4.5-million, 15-story-high platform where railfans can watch the action at the Bailey Yard, billed as the largest rail yard of its type in the world.

“We get people from every age group, from all walks of life. Everyone can make of it what they want,” said Todd DeFeo, the Atlanta-based editor of www.railfanning.org, one of the more popular hobby websites. “It’s a nice hobby.”

Enjoy.

NORCROSS, Ga. — From the looks of this sign, it looks as though someone didn’t heed the message on this sign. Didn’t see any derailed cars, though….

TOKYO — The subway car is silent except for the sound of metal wheels on metal rails as the train made its way beneath Tokyo’s busy streets. Commuters look at their cell phones, read newspapers or simply mind their own business. There is no conversation.

It’s eerie just how quiet a busy subway in a major city can be.

We finally made our way to Tokyo station where we planned to catch the Shinkansen.

The Tokyo station was precise. Attendants clad in blue uniforms stood attention near a waiting Shinkansen. The train departs and a few minutes later, another train arrives on the same track. The railroad operates like a well-oiled machine; every aspect of the country’s railroad network is precise.

Passengers holding suitcases wait for a Shinkansen to arrive on our track, and before long, our train arrives to take us to Kyoto.

…

The Japanese countryside sped by and the urban landscape gave way to farmland and mountains in the distance. Every few minutes or so, a Shinkansen passed our train, heading in the opposite direction, nothing more than a white blur outside the window. The train gently rocked when the other train passed. The scene continued for nearly three hours until we arrived in Kyoto.

…

Kyoto used to serve as the imperial capital of Japan. Though it was considered as a possible target site for the atomic bomb in World War II, the city to some degree escaped large scale destruction and is home to many buildings that predate the war.

In Kyoto, we headed to the Nijō Castle, which was unique in that it featured so-called “Nightingale Floors,” which squeaked whenever anyone walked on them — a feature that was supposed to stop an intruder. The castle was completed in 1626 and sits amid a rather urban landscape (actually a subway station is located across the street from the castle).

After the castle, the group enjoyed a walk through the city’s streets and took in a couple of the city’s shrines.

More later…

Published on Todd DeFeo.com.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – When the money ran out on the Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad, employees refused to work and a nearly two-week strike began on Feb. 6, 1868.

The Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad was chartered on Jan. 28, 1852, and ran from Paris, Tenn., to Guthrie, Ky. The road connected with two other routes – the Memphis & Ohio Railroad and the Louisville & Nashville Railroad – to provide rail service from Memphis to Louisville.

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In the meantime, go here.

The Winchester & Potomac was a 32-mile-long single-track line that linked Winchester with the B&O Railroad at Harpers Ferry. Although it was helpful to Virginia’s militia in the capture of Harpers Ferry at the beginning of the war, the Confederates in due course removed its iron rails and shipped them south. However, B&O afterward sold the company some rail, putting it back in business.

Sometime early that afternoon, the men roused from their slumber and proceeded to a spot on the south side of the track, approximately halfway between Summit Point and Wade’s Depot. Off in the distance, the men heard the sound of the locomotive on its way from Harpers Ferry. Almost instantly, soldiers erected a barricade across the tracks.

Click here to read the article.

To view this month’s issue, click here:
http://railfanning.harpblaster.net/news/crosstie/issues/20060701_CrossTie.pdf

You can now podcast the lastest railfanning news by clicking here or by searching railfanning in iTunes.

Enjoy.