Welcome to Great Rail Sites Volume 2! When I am not out in the field taking constant rail photos and video, or writing this blog (in rough draft form on paper, then here on the site), or uploading all my pics to Facebook from my phone, videos to You Tube from my phone (sometimes through the Viva Video Editor) or to my computer, then to Facebook, from my camera, and later to this site, I love to watch other railfan videos on You Tube.
That is where I found videos by today’s featured site Delay In Block Productions. http://delayinblock.com/ Using the term that means “If you stop or slow your train to below ten mph, you have to be prepared to stop at the next signal”, in late November 2011, Drayton Blackgrove of Jackson Michigan, who has had a lifelong love of trains started Delay In Block Productions. It was officially licensed in 2013. The goal? Very simple: to produce and share the best quality railfan videos available on the internet. And if I might add, not just videos of current railroads transporting their goods and passengers from Point A to Point B, but also to share the history, the heritage, and the people of railroading.
Since 2011 Delay In Block Productions has gone on to involve over 30 professional photographers. A few of them are listed on their website and you can visit it to view their full profiles, but they are: David Ferrell, Chris Campbell, Jim Stanton (who along with Drayton is one of my Facebook Friends), Jordan Hood, and Connor Short.
Delay In Block Productions website and You Tube channel feature trains from steam to diesel, streamliner to modern. They feature mainline railroads to excursion trains, passenger trains to freight. They feature current day railroads to fallen flags. Very simply put, no matter what you are looking for in railfan video entertainment, Delay In Block Productions that as of this writing had 421 You Tube videos and 321,150 subscribers just on the main channel not to mention their Trains For Children channel, has something for you! My favorite thing they do, is the narration. And, although I do my share of posting here on Legacies…On The Rails, as well as on my You Tube channel which is nearing 300 LOTR Fan Videos, and Legacies On The Rails Radio (Podcast), if I had the knowledge, skills, software and time that Delay In Block Productions‘ staff put into their work, there are some sites out there whose quality I hope to someday see Legacies…On The Rails eventually emulate, and Delay In Block Productions would definitely be in my top 5. They definitely get 5 out of 5 LOTR Railroad Cross-Bucks!
But I think the very best way to share with you their origin and ongoing work is to share some of their You Tube Videos, beginning with Drayton Blackgrove‘s own story.
This edition’s Equipment Profile is this boxcar that I recently photographed at the North Kansas City/Avondale, MissouriNorfolk Southern Yard from the “Fallen Flag” railroad of the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad.
The Illinois Central Gulf Railroad was, as Trains Magazine‘s April 10,2012 edition called it:
The railroad Abraham Lincoln so ardently championed in the 1800’s had changed dramatically in the ensuing century. On a mainly double-track speedway (enhanced with Automatic Train Stop in Illinois), diesel locomotives rushed goods from Gulf Coast ports and farms to a heavily industrialized North. Perhaps most surprising, the mighty Illinois Central by the mid-1970s was a cog in a larger machine — one component in a merged railroad (Illinois Central Gulf) that itself was part of a giant conglomerate with interests in real estate (La Salle Properties), financial services (Benjamin Franklin Savings), consumer products (Midas Muffler shops), and manufacturing (Waukesha Nuclear Castings). The railroad accounted for 31 percent of the income of parent IC Industries in 1973, a year when the ICG posted an all-time high revenue, thanks to strong grain, coal, and chemical traffic.
It ran from the Northeastern US to tthe Midwestern States from 1881-1988.
I am always encouraging you to accept and pursue a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ here on Legacies…On The Rails and hope you are doing that. I started attending a Men’s Study at our local Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (I am not a student, but simply attend a function there now and then) last night and it has me getting deeper into scripture to prepare to participate in the discussion. No matter how often you read God’s Word, you will always get more and more out of it!
I’m John Losh, “The Losh-Man” and until next time, when it comes to trains and everything that is railroading, just keep leaving Legacies…On The Rails!
I am happy to say that in addition to now having posted 13 previous blogs on this site compared to only four in 2016, and having become much more diverse in what I am posting about, this has been a very busy first four months of 2017 on the Rail-Fan front.
So far, it has had me in 12 different cities between the states of Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas: In Missouri: Birmingham, Buckner, Granby, Kansas City, (and several areas in Kansas City) North Kansas City, Parkville, Sibley, and St Joseph. Just Wichita in Kansas thus far. In Arkansas: Eureka Springs, Rogers, and Springdale. I also took note of cities that I could identify as having rail lines by seeing tracks from the highway, as well as other cities I want to check out either in person or via the internet eventually to see if they do anytime I was not the driver on our trips to Wichita, Kansas and Arkansas this year. I noted 42 on the recent trip to Arkansas. So, this leaves a lot more cities to visit on my upcoming yearly pilgrimage to the Losh-Worley Family Reunion that will take me from Kansas City to Willow Springs, Missouri July 30th to July 2nd, and then vacation time I have from July 10th-22nd, 2017. There are many more sites in Kansas City, proper to check out as well as cities I want to return to.
I have photographed and/or filmed 20 different models of locomotives thus far, not to mention passenger cars, freight cars, coal cars, tankers, bare tables, covered hoppers, center beams, coil cars, empty or loaded Intermodal well cars, etc. The locomotive models are: Diesel: AC4400CW, ALCO C420, ALCO SW1, C449W, C4460AC, D840CW, D944CW, ES44C4, ES44DC,ET44C4, FP-45, GP38-2, GP40-3, GP50, NW2, SD70ACE, SD70M, SD75M, steamers: 4-4-0 and 4-8-4.
I have photographed and/or filmed 35 different railroads or companies with rail equipment, current as well as Excursion Trains and “Fallen Flags“, Heritage Units, display or in current road or yard use: Arkansas & Missouri, Burlington-Northern, BNSF, CB&Q, Central Kansas Rwy, Canadian Malting Co Ltd, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, Caterpillar, Citirail (CREX), Chicago-Northwestern, Conrail, CSX, Denver & Rio Grande Western, Eureka Springs & North Arkansas, Ferromex, Frisco, GATX, GMTXLocomotive Leasing Partners, Grand Trunk-Western, Hannibal & St Joseph, KC Power & Light, Kansas City Southern, KC Southern De-Mexico, Kansas & Oklahoma, Kansas City Terminal, New York Central, Norfolk Southern, Rail Box, Rail Link Of Montana, Santa Fe, Soo Line, TTX, Union Pacific, Wabash. Now, mind you, these are just the ones I have been able to positively identify, but with all the various equipment you see on trains, it is sometimes hard to catch Reporting Marks on everything, or have time to look them all up.
In January through April, I did 29 of my now 36 Legacies On The Rails Fan Videos on You Tube. I was up to 261 LOTR Fan Videos overall by the end of April and am now up to 266 overall since the beginning of May. I also recorded Episodes #13, 14 of the Legacies On The Rails Radio (Podcast). You may recall my mention in my last posting that Episode 14 (in 2 parts) was recorded while riding a passenger car on the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad!
So stay tuned to Legacies…On The Rails the Blog, the Podcast and the You Tube for more! I’m John Losh “The Losh-Man” reminding you that nothing truly matters in life outside of a daily relationship with Jesus Christ and that knowing Him as your PersonalLord & Savior is the only way to know for sure you will spend eternity in Heaven. So follow Him each day of your life through His word, prayer, and involvement in a Biblical local church. And when it comes to all things railroad, continue leaving Legacies….On The Rails! I’ll see you next time!
Welcome back to another 2017 edition of Legacies…On The Rails! I truly appreciate you continuing to follow the blog and hope you are checking out the soon to be updated podcast on Podomatic.com as well!
As you know, this past weekend was destination Wichita, Kansas. The drive down on Saturday 2/18/18 after attending a birthday party was smooth and uneventful and as my wife drove first, I was able to make notes of some potential railfan sites, either for those of you who may not have been there, or for myself in the future, as I guarantee there will be return trips to Wichita. Those sites include:
I can’t recall the exact exit but it is shortly after SB I-35/Lamar Ave
I-35/119th Olathe, Kansas as the bridge goes over the tracks
SB I-35 just before Exit #148 (Hwy 131 to Lebo, Ks) tracks run under the highway
SB I-35/Burlingame Rd (Exit #131 to Emporia, Ks)
City of Cassaday, Ks
On the drive down, we ate at Braum’s Ice Cream & Burgers in Emporia, Ks. Check them out at http://www.braums.com/stores/emporia-ks-store-265/ . The food was good, their prices are reasonable, the facility was clean and the staff was friendly and quick with service. The only issue I had was the fact that instead of paper towels in the restroom, there was a hand dryer. Now for some, that may be acceptable but let me tell you why it is not for me, and I’m sure I’m not the only one that deals with this. 1. I’m a Diabetic and often go into restaurant restrooms to test my sugar before eating. I would like a clean, dry place to lay my supplies on the counter. Most people don’t clean up after themselves and leave the counter and the floor all wet. If there are paper towels, I can rectify this for myself and 2. I would also clean up after myself and leave the restroom better than I found it as is my normal practice. This is why I am giving Braum’s 4 out of 5 LOTR Railroad Cross-Bucks.
Once in Wichita, we stayed at the Quality Inn Airport. Check out their site by visiting https://www.choicehotels.com/kansas/wichita/quality-inn-hotels/ks041 . Our room was clean, modern, very spacious and nicely decorated, though the restroom was in need of some serious updating. The staff was very friendly, there was a full breakfast served each morning in their dining area whose ornate ironwork and trees reminded us of something you would likely see in the French Quarter of New Orleans. So, again, I am giving 4 out of 5 LOTR Railroad Cross-Bucks.
On Sunday 2/19/17, we attended the service at The Foundry Christian Church http://www.thewichitafoundry.com/ where the congregation and staff including my buddy Craig Coffey were all very friendly and welcoming, and we enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship and worship (giving 5 out of 5 LOTR Railroad Cross-Bucks)
Then went on to have lunch at Spangleshttp://www.spanglesinc.com/ . It was another clean, friendly place that in this case had that classic diner feel with lots of classic TV, Movie and Rock & Roll items on display. We were there to have lunch with with Craig & Cynthia Coffey, and we all took advantage of their Classic All American Meal package that came with a burger, fries, a soda and either a a sundae, shake or mud-slide. I had my burger with bbq sauce and Denise had the strawberry mud-slide while I had the Reese’s Peanut Butter mud-slide. I never had to use their restroom so I can’t comment on it but I am giving them 5 out of 5 LOTR Railroad Cross-Bucks .
We then headed to Downtown Wichita expecting to check out the Great Plains Transportation Museum. see their website by checking out the following link: http://www.kansastravel.org/wichita/greatplainstransportationmuseum.htm only to find out that I missed seeing on their site that they are only open Sundays from April to October. I took these pics from outside the facility.
At first, I thought they were the best I was going to get of the locomotives and rolling stock in their collection. But, thanks to a later visit to Hewitt’s Antiques Check them out at: http://www.hewittsantiques.com/www.hewittsantiques.com/Welcome.html where I picked up three HO Scale Spirit Of 76 Bicentennial train cars, and met some older railfans that also come to Kansas City on a regular basis in addition to having a regular first Friday of the month gathering at Hog Wild Barbecuehttp://www.hogwildpitbbq.com/ there in Wichita, they clued me in to a nearby ramp that would allow me to walk up and get pics of all the Transportation Museum’s equipment. Between the unique layout of the store, friendly guy running the place and the great info I picked up that led to these pics:
I am giving Hewitt’s Antiques 5 out 0f 5 LOTR Railroad Cross-Bucks!
Also tried stopping by the Wichita Toy Train Club & Museum: you guessed it: Closed.
I gave them my contact info, and hope to meet up with them when they come to Kansas City and even hope to get back down to Wichita for a weekend for one of their gatherings in the near future. After taking pics of all the awesome equipment, I was able to catch this BNSF led auto rack train that has also been shared on my Railroad Auto Racks Facebook page. It was appropriate to catch some Kansas City Southern 125th Anniversary cars on my 250th LOTR Fan Video. The reason the bottom of the the train is obscured is similar to the reason I only caught the trailing DPU’s of the coal train in St Joseph, Missouri.
Later, we walked the trails at Chisholm Creek Park http://www.gpnc.org/chisholm.htm and got some great exercise as we enjoyed their paved and wooden trails, streams, prairie land, and enjoyed watch a deer as another couple that were there were taking pics and video of it. Nothing better than a walk in a gorgeous park on an equally gorgeous day, and I am giving the park 5 out of 5 LOTR Railroad Cross-Bucks.
Dinner that night was at the Monterrey Mexican Grill. You can check them out on their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monterreymexicangrillwichita/ . They offered a clean enjoyable atmosphere with decor that made you feel like you are walking the sidewalk of a classic Mexican town, taking in all the business storefronts. The staff was friendly, and were quick with service. The food was excellent. The fajita meals Denise and I ordered were each big enough that we could have just shared one. I did have to go find our server when we were ready to go and needed our guest check, but she was again quick to respond and even got us refills on our sodas to go. And hey, there were real paper towels in the restroom (even if the paper towel dispenser was motion activated). I’m going to rant a bit here and say, have we grown so lazy, or so germophobic, (or both) as a society that we need motion-activated lighting, motion-activated sinks, motion-activated flushing urinals or toilets, or motion-activated paper towel dispensers? What happens when those fancy gadgets break down? I’m a firm believer in the following phrase (and say it frequently in many places that are part of my life) as Mr Scott said in Star Trek 3: The Search For Spock: “The more ya’ overtake tha’ plumbin’……tha easier it is ta’ stop up tha’ drain!” And when people rave about how much easier some things will make life, I again refer to Scotty “Aye, and if me grandmother had wheels, she’d be a wagon!” But anyway, I’m giving the Monterrey Mexican Grill of Wichita 5 out of 5 LOTR Railroad Cross-Bucks
On Monday 2/20/17, after breakfast at our hotel, we stopped at the Wichita Kmart that like most these days is going out of business where among many other things we bought, I purchased a Caterpillar Train Set that was originally $17.99 but with the discount was just $9.00. I have a Caterpillar Train Set in I believe O Scale and I’m not big into Caterpillar items, but I figured I am always adding to the other various areas of my train collection, so why not Caterpillar? I may even start a Facebook page for Caterpillar Train Collectors as I have done a search as I do before I start other pages to make sure my idea would not be boringly redundant, and there doesn’t seem to be one currently. I’ll update you in my next posting if I do. Not going to rate Kmart as the fact that they are going out of business, and you already know whet most stores in that process look like, it would be pointless.
On our way to have lunch at the home of Craig & Cynthia Coffey, I saw the Kansas & Oklahomahttps://www.watcocompanies.com/services/rail/kansas-and-oklahoma-railroad-ko/ train and though I wasn’t sure if it was coming our way or going away from us as it was on switching operations, it was something unique that I had never seen and that is always a thrill, so here you go:
Well, there you have it. The trip wasn’t a total bust, as I got a weekend away with my wife, got to fellowship with some great friends, get lots of exercise and still came away with several great rail pics, a couple videos and something else to report about here on the blog.
Again, hope you will check out the Legacies On The Rails Podcast on Podomatic.com and I will be updating it most likely on March 2nd, and that you will also check out all the LOTR Fan Videos on my You Tube Channel, as well as the following Facebook pages:
As always, this is John Losh “The Losh-Man“, encouraging you to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior if you have not already, and follow him through His word and prayer each day, stay in an uncompromisingly Bible believing, Bible preaching church, as these are the only way to truly stay on track. And, when it comes to trains, and everything that is railroading, continue leaving “Legacies…On The Rails!” I’ll see you next time!
With my Paternal Grandfather John Losh whose namesake I am and his brother Leonard Losh both having been career men with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, in honor of that fact, one of the railroad related Facebook pages I created is Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (Burlington Route).
This year, I began inviting participants in that page to share their own Q stories, or the stories of friends or family members that worked for the CB&Q, and giving me permission to also share them here on the blog.
Here are some recent stories that have been graciously shared and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to these fine folks for their willingness to share on the Facebook page and allow me to also share them here as well. I plan to make CB&Q In Focus a regular feature here on Legacies…On The Rails first in 2017 and beyond, as part of my strategy to get more consistent and creative with the blog after only doing 4 postings total in 2016. I plan to join the Burlington Route Historical Society this year so hopefully, that will lead to many, many more stories to share both here and on Legacies…On The Rails Radio (Podcast) in the future!
From Joel Stirek:
I grew up on the C B & Q. I lived a mile or so south just off Cass and 63rd. I went to Maercker Grade School btw. I used to ride my bike into Westmont, get some penny candy at the Ben Franklin, and sit in the shelter on the North side of the track watching trains. I loved exploring on my bike and always knew where I was by watching where the tracks were going. I loved watching the freight cars go by with all the railroad adverts, especially from far off destinations. Many more memories and thank you!
From Earl Mc:
I too grew up with the Q. Lived in North Berwyn and would ride the bicycle down to the Q to watch trains. One time in the afternoon I was going to go shopping for my mom at the National Food Store on Oak Park Avenue across from MacNeal Hospital. When I got to the intersection of Oak Park and Stanley Ave which ran parrellel to the tracks on the north side, the gates came down. I could hear the Zephyr coming from the east. I wanted to get a better look so I started to ride my bike across Stanley. I was between a car and the curb. Well the car turned right and I flew over the hood of the car into the middle of the intersection. I was dazed but saw the observation car go by! I got to the side of the street as the gates went up. Had to straighten the baskets on the bike before I could load up the groceries. Mom and dad never did find out about that adventure.
I am always looking for great sites with CB&Q material and as my wife and I took tomorrow off for my 48th Birthday (really, I’m just 29 for the 18th time) and were thinking of a Day Trip for some rail-fanning and thought about St Joseph, Mo and I started researching its railroad connections, found this site: http://www.stjosephmemorylane.com/railroads/railroads.html . It has tons of CB&Q pics and information, from equipment to Depots, Administrative Offices and more! The very first pic you see is of the CB&Q Silver Charger. It has a list of St Joe related railroad lines including:
CB&Q Burlington Northern BNSF Chicago & Great Western Chicago & Northwestern Chicag0, Rock Island & Pacific Hannibal & St Joseph Kansas City, Clay County & St Joseph Missouri Pacific Northeast Kansas & Missouri Rock Island St Joseph Belt (owned by Mo-Pac) St Joseph & Denver City St Joseph & Grand Island St Joseph & Savannah Electric St Joseph Short Line St Joseph Terminal St Joseph & Western Santa Fe Union Pacific Union Terminal
It has lots of great pics and other items related to many of the other railroads in that list.
I encourage you to go check out the site. I plan to email the site owner and see if I can get him to share about the site’s origins.
If you have not checked out my page Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (Burlington Route), won’t yo do so and send me a Member Request soon?
And until next time, this is John Losh “The Losh-Man“, encouraging you to continue to follow the Lord Jesus Christ every day of your life, and when it comes to trains, Continue Leaving Legacies…On The Rails!
Welcome to this first blog post of Legacies…On The Rails 2017! Hope you had a great year overall in 2016 and certainly a great year of railfan fun! I know I did and though I am going to be very brief in this posting because I want you to go listen to the first Legacies…On The Rails Radio (Podcast) of 2017 to get more of the details so you can actually hear them from me, rather than just read them here.
But, here are some of my final Legacies On The Rails Fan Videos of 2016:
And some recent photos, from ones that continue to celebrate the Heritage of “The Fallen Flags” to current day railroads:
But, though you can hear all of these on the podcast, here are a few stats from 2016:
I did railfanning in 20 different cities in 3 states: Missouri, Kansas and Iowa (complete list in the podcast)
I did 82 Legacies On The Rails Fan Videos that got 927 views in 2016. Got up to 233 overall.
I caught 19 different railroads, not counting the countless number of them represented in things like grain trains and other mixed manifests (complete list in the podcast)
I caught 23 different models of locomotives (complete list in the podcast)
I caught 21 different Heritage representing pieces of rail equipment (complete list in the podcast)
There were several firsts: my first all Ferromex grain train, my first live steam locomotive (UP 844), catching the new Kansas City Streetcar, my first Canadian National video and more (complete) list in the podcast)
My Railroad Bridges, Related Photos and Video Facebook group exceeded 1,000 Likes!
My Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (Burlington Route)Facebook group exceeded 220 members!
So,what’s next for Legacies…On The Rails in 2017:
Again, full list is on the Podcast but:
I am considering joining the Burlington Route Historical Societyhttp://burlingtonroute.com/ and trying to make their spring meet in Batavia, Illinois the weekend of April 7th,8th
Want to continue to add more states and cities to my railfan resume but it may be harder as we just realized The Legacies On The Rails Cruiser: my 2013 Kia Sportage that we bought in December, 2013 as a replacement for my 2007 Ford Focus that someone totaled for me, is now just less than 25,000 miles shy of hitting 100,000 miles and thereby being out of warranty. And that is even with having bought an extended warranty, so I have to watch my miles this year, but we’ll see.
Would like to ride more excursion trains, and document them here, on my Facebook page and on Legacies On The Rails Radio.
Be better about maintaining consistency in this Blog and the podcast as I only did three blogs last year and four episodes of the Podcast. Going to shoot for a minimum of one of each per month. Currently building a list of potential topics. Got a suggestion? Look me up!
Want to start doing more interviews for both the Blog and the Podcast. Currently building a list of potential guests to approach. Know somebody? Look me up!
See about promotional items: business cards (already have some but not for LOTR specifically) door signs for the LOTR cruiser, having my pics put on shirts, doing a 2018 Calendar.
Continue top develop my trains collection in pics, HO, O and other gauge pieces, (have recently picked up my first two tin train pieces as well as more HO pieces.)Again, full list of What’s Next? and much more is on the Podcast.
Oh, yeah, and in addition to here, and on Facebook as John W Losh II, and (816)-914-3578, (preferably before 1:30pm CT on weekdays), you can now also reach me at:
legaciesontherails@gmail.com .
Until next time, as always, this is John Losh “The Losh-Man” reminding you to continue to follow the Lord Jesus Christ on a daily basis, and when it comes to trains,
Continue leaving Legacies…On The Rails!
Legacies...On The Rails!!! 