What's it Like to Lie on the Tracks and Watch a Train Go Over Your Head at 75 Miles an Hour?

What's it like be beneath a train when it passes over your head at 75 miles an hour? Watch this video and find out. If you're impatient, skip to the 56 second mark.

(On a railroad forum, someone disputes whether the train is actually going 75 miles an hour. No matter; it's fast.)

As it turns out, this isn't the only train-passing-over-your-head video on the Web. There are others, like this one of a Norfolk Southern train going slowly over the camera. It gives you a chance to appreciate the wheels and the underbody detail in a way that the first video doesn't. Skip to the 3:26 mark to enjoy the show.

You can also enjoy this bottom view of a CPR train passing overhead. It's a little faster than the NS one, but the video is short--just 31 seconds.

Earlier I posted about drones taking great video of trains from above; now it's GoPro and other cameras taking interesting footage from below. From above or below, railfan photographers have got you, and trains, covered.

Note: I am not condoning unsafe behaviour around railway tracks. I am just pointing to videos that show an unusual point of view. 

Simple Before and After Weathering

Today was the annual fall Winnipeg Model Railroad Club train show. Even though I don't need anything, I can't resist buying at least one or two things--especially if it involves CP Rail rolling stock that I don't own.

And so when I saw a couple of old Athearn forest products cars at a table, I had to have them. Problem is, with build dates of 1965, they are way too fresh looking for my early 1990s era.

No problem; a bit of chalk and a bit of white paint to suggest paint streaks from the lettering and, suddenly, they can looked aged and weathered.

For the other car, I think I may try to rub off some of the weathering, as I did with the True Line Trains slab side hopper--make it look really old.

Hanging Around the Fort Frances Yard

I was hanging around the Fort Frances yard when a local came in. It stopped beneath a bridge, so I was able to grab a few shots. (Including from my handy drone--don't leave home without one!)

First Photos of Bowser's SD40-2 Locomotives

Bowser has just published the first sample photos of its new Canadian-style SD40-2 locomotives. Check out a few photos here, and more on their website.

Read more about Bowser's great-looking model on this blog.

Of Railways and the New Canadian Museum for Human Rights

This being the official opening weekend of the new Canadian Museum for Human Rights, it only seems appropriate to mark the occasion on this Winnipeg-based blog.

Before . . . .

But it is also appropriate for another reason; the Museum occupies part of what used to be known as the railway lands, or the old CNR downtown yard.

About 40-50 years ago . . . .

Today the area is home to The Forks, a wonderful meeting place for the people of Winnipeg, and the amazing Human Rights museum.

For a train guy, like me, the development of the area is welcome. But I do miss the trains that used to be found on this site.

The site today.