I cried when Great Northern merged with three other railroads in 1970 and became Burlington Northern. I loved those blue engines with the Mountain Goat on the side.
Then in the 1980’s they stopped using cabooses when technology advanced and they came up with FREDs (flashing rear-end device).
My mind wandered back to those early years and made me wonder where this caboose was headed for. I’m hoping it’s going someplace where it will be loved and appreciated.
Most Great Northern fans dislike those blue engines; to them the sky blue paint scheme represents the beginning of the end of the GN. One of our model railroads, the Midland Industrial, represented a spin-off from the merger so we ran cars and engines from all the pre-merger railroads but mostly Great Northern orange & green engines. And our last model railroad, the Plymouth Industrial, included former GN trackage in the Minneapolis to St. Cloud, Minnesota, corridor where Minneapolis Metro Area transporation planners are now making plans to run commuter trains. The GN may be gone but parts of it are alive and well.
ReplyDeleteJim, I too confess to being a train, nut, and my home road, The Lackawanna, then Erie-Lackawanna is gone to.My Grandfather worked for the Lackawanna for 40 years so I spent my teen years riding engines and trains everywhere, vacations were always by train with my Grandfather.I hope I get the chance to take my Grandson for a ride in the pullman on Amtrak before that to is gone. The great Northern original scheme of Orange and green was a classic, the Big Sky Blue didn't last long. If you get in our neck og the woods, look me up and we'll got to the Nat'l Museum of Transport in Kirkwood MO. Lot's to see there. even some GN stuff. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna..
ReplyDeleteI would make a zingy looking travel trailer, but I wonder what you would have to pull it with.
ReplyDeleteI love the old trains and it is so sad to see the old depots turned into museums, and painted and trimmed to look like something they never were.
It's being pulled to Caboose Heaven ... some town's visitor center. Taxpayers will maintain it and it'll have a great life!
ReplyDeleteMy train memory is that my dad bought "me" one for Christmas. It had a tressle, a bridge, little people, all the stuff....but I always knew he bought it for him, not me.
ReplyDeleteRiding a train is on my bucket list.