I blame Loco Vette...for my new obsession with trains...

[LilRedCorvette]

Old Town Manassas, not far from me, has turned into a charming lil place to drive around and take pics...there's trains that run through frequently (VRE commuter train, freight trains, and the like). Of course I hafta spot those lil blue signs each time

[LilRedCorvette]

Coming through!

[LilRedCorvette]

Historical marker...

[LilRedCorvette]

Near the railway/town center on permanent display...

[Olustee bus]

www.youtube.com/channel/UCOIkT9bq-1N2BvrsBjhNlag

[Antfarmer2]

We use to put coins on the tracks. Going have to do it again to show the grandson.

[86RAG]

Originally Posted by Antfarmer2

We use to put coins on the tracks. Going have to do it again to show the grandson.

Yup, loved doing that as a kid!

[Mike Mercury]

[Loco Vette]

You're welcome

[LilRedCorvette]

Originally Posted by Olustee bus

www.youtube.com/channel/UCOIkT9bq-1N2BvrsBjhNlag

Great, another way for me to waste time during the day I've been occasionally watching the live stream of the 'crossroads of America' trains that pass through Ohio that someone else posted in another thread

[LilRedCorvette]

Originally Posted by Antfarmer2

We use to put coins on the tracks. Going have to do it again to show the grandson.

There used to be for the longest time an annual car show in the lil town of Clifton, VA (formerly known as 'Devereaux Station')...a friend did that, and found and kept the coins after a train came through in the middle of the show

The trains come through to the right of the building pictured (can see some of the track in the background)...and yes, the name of the street/alley on the sign is indeed 'Ford Ln'

[69camfrk]

My cousin married a guy with family ties to the Wreck of the old 97. He explained it to me once, but I would have to ask him again. One of the engineers was a family member somehow. BTW, I have family in Manassas. Been there a million times through the years, but then again, I was born and lived the first few years of my life in Loudoun county. Hard to believe what Leesburg has become.....

[vetteman9368]

I blame Val for lots of stuff 🤣🤣🤣

[LilRedCorvette]

Originally Posted by 69camfrk

My cousin married a guy with family ties to the Wreck of the old 97. He explained it to me once, but I would have to ask him again. One of the engineers was a family member somehow. BTW, I have family in Manassas. Been there a million times through the years, but then again, I was born and lived the first few years of my life in Loudoun county. Hard to believe what Leesburg has become.....

Loudoun County is wayyyyyyy too busy/crowded for me

Found this on Wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wreck_of_the_Old_97

[Dan Dlabay]

My brother just retired with 43 years working for the railroad. Now in his retirement he is building a good sized model railroad layout in his basement.

[LilRedCorvette]

Thought about doing this...has anyone here ever done it?

https://www.amtrak.com/auto-train

I'm not far from Lorton Station...

[mrvette]

This thread, so many bells for me......Lorton Va. home of the DC prison, MAX ward, I was inside with the inmates in the early 80's doing security work, screening in mates for knives/worse....walk through metal detectors like at the airports, only high sense capability......ring them down to the fillings in their teeth if wanted.....Jim Black, he was, was the head guard man, he was a very large solid built older fellow nearing retirement.....he used to brag on the kids that come in thinking they run the joint, he go one on one lockdown in their cells for a few hours......he was the only one to walk out....nuff said.....

now bacn to RR's I used to have a Lionel O ga train hobby, met up with a bunch of guys in '80 and we formed a train collectors club of almost a dozen of us, get together once every 3 months at alternate houses.....and of course go to York Pa. for the Train Collectors' Assn. meet, typically near end of year/holiday time, guys from all over the nation, mainly Lionel, but many others too, American Flyer being distant second in attendance......H O size was not that well represented......

When my kids were new, after the divorce, I had a 3 car garage in my 1/4 acre lot, back yard....concrete back yard.....one of the bays was filled in and heated for a train layout....~24' long, 11' wide at back end, 8' wide at control/doorway to the room.....5 trains at once, 3 large control transformers, ZW's......ran lots of Gargraves track, which comprised the large high speed loop of many layers where I ran a SCALE GG1 and passenger cars, when the rig was up and running, the noise was so loud had to shout to be heard......I managed to sell the entire setup for what I had in it, just a years before the market collapsed.....got lucky, but the kids were getting into teen years and not all that interested any more.....

Funny thing is, when their mom and I met, I had two 4x8 sheets of plywood in my 11th floor apartment operating Lionel trains, and a loop on the living area floor...... Ya, just gotta know summfin matter with her when interested in a clown who is mid 30's age, playing with Lionel trains in his high rise apt.......Same guy who stunk out the entire building when rebuilding a fiberglass boat hull in the parking garage.....

[69camfrk]

Originally Posted by LilRedCorvette

Loudoun County is wayyyyyyy too busy/crowded for me

Found this on Wiki:
Wreck of the Old 97 - Wikipedia

When I was young, even through teenage years in the late 70's, Loudoun county was still farm country, and we had friends there, that did just that. Guess all of that has been done and over for a while.

[87 Ragtop]

Originally Posted by LilRedCorvette

Great, another way for me to waste time during the day I've been occasionally watching the live stream of the 'crossroads of America' trains that pass through Ohio that someone else posted in another thread

Deshler is the town I grew up in. Lived with them for the beginning half of my life

[LilRedCorvette]

Originally Posted by 87 Ragtop

Deshler is the town I grew up in. Lived with them for the beginning half of my life

Saw a bunch roll through there today

Also saw them burning rope with diesel fuel to warm the tracks