Seen on the UPRR, July 2005: 3985, 844, and 6936, Part 1 of 2 gothpapa 2026-09-24 | Seen on the UPRR, July 2005: 3985, 844, and 6936, Part 1 of 2
An American Railfan in the UK, Part 7: the longest day, Caernarfon to Bristol gothpapa 2020-08-31 | Continuing the account of our 30 day Britrail adventure in the UK in 2019. On the 9th day, June 22, we left Caernarfon, in Wales, at 10 AM with Bristol as our final destination. This would involve riding the 2' gauge steam-powered Welsh Highland Railway and the Ffestiniog Railway, a regional bus, and four different trains operated by Transport for Wales and Cross Country (it would have been five trains instead of the bus if mother nature hadn't intervened). This required 14 hours to cover approximately 400 miles, and involved six train changes, some to close for comfort. An unforgettable day! Hope you enjoy this account as much as we enjoyed the experience.
An American Railfan in the UK, Part 6: on to Porthmodog gothpapa 2020-07-31 | On June 21st, using our Britrail Pass, we travelled by Transport for Rails to Porthmadog to enjoy "Welsh Highland: Past, Present & Future." This the weekend special event featured a plethora of restored and reproduction 19th and early 20th Century steam at the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway Museum and the Ffestiniog Harbor Station of the Ffestiniog Railway.Things didn't go quite as planned. We intended to take an early train for the two-hour trip from Aberdovey, but we got a late start and missed it. The next train out had nechanical trouble and arrived two hours late. It ws a beautuful ride along the coast for sure, but we ended up missing most of the day's planned activities at Porthmadog.We still enjoyed what was left of our day there, watching the vintatge trains coming and going at the station and chatting with the railfans and staff.
An American Railfan in the UK, Part 5: Welsh Narrow Gauge, Talyllyn Railway gothpapa 2020-07-18 | June 20 2019, our seventh day in the UK. Another early start, no time for breakfast. Taxi to the Tipton station, three trains and three hours later, with a cup of instant Starbucks and a snack on the train, we are enjoying another Traditional English Breakfast, or maybe this is a Traditional Welsh Breakfast, in the station café at the Tallylyn Railway.We had reservations to ride the once-a-month special “Kettles and Cream Teas…a Victorian Train Experience.” The train consisted of the Railway’s original mid-1860’s era coaches and locomotive, which are brought out only on special occasions. It featured a leisurely 4.5 hour roundtrip over the line with photo runbys, knowledgeable costumed guides, lunch at Abergynolwyn (which I can almost pronounce), and a traditional cream tea snack and tour of the museum when we return to Tywyn.Planned overnight at a B&B in Tywyn didn’t work out for logistical reasons so we ended up at an over-our-budget golf resort B&B in nearby Aberdovey. “Just put it on the card, don’t tell me how much thank you.” Don’t know to this day what I paid for that night. But it offered a beautiful view of Cardigan Bay and great dinner and breakfast. We kinda felt like the Beverly Hillbillies though.
An American Railfan in the UK, Part 4: Black Country Museum gothpapa 2020-07-18 | June 19, 2019, our sixth day in the UK, dawned overcast and rainy, again. Our plan for today was to travel to Tipton where we would spend the day at the Black Country Museum. After breakfast, our hosts were kind enough to drive us to the Totnes train station. Once again, a trip of several miles through the hedgerows and picturesque little English villages.Departure at 6:53 AM on the Cross Country train to Edinburgh. Change to a West Midlands train at Birmingham for the short trip to Tipton. Taxi to the Station Hotel, in Dudley, where we checked in and left our bags, then on to the Black Country Museum. Dinner and overnight at the Station Hotel.
An American Railfan in the UK, Part 3: Round Robin on the Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat Co. gothpapa 2020-07-05 | June 18, 2019, our fifth day in the UK, dawned overcast and rainy, what we understood to be typical English weather. After enjoying a "Traditional English Breakfast," the first of many during our 30 days in the UK, we travelled by car from our Airbnb in Totnes to the train station in Paignton, transportation kindly provided by our hosts. This was a trip of several miles through hedgerow country. As a student of history and literature, I was well acquainted with hedgerows, but was not prepared for the awesome, amazing reality of them.The main activity of the day revolved around the Round Robin tour operated by the Dartmouth Steam Railway and Steamboat Dompany. This involved riding the steam train from Paignton to Kingswear, a ferry crossing of the River Dart to Dartmouth, a cruise of the River on the SS Kingswear, the only operational coal fired paddlewheel steamboat operating in the UK, then return to Paignton via ferry and steam train.Back in Paignton we took dinner at a pub near the train station, then returned to Totnes via GWR. We could have taken a bus, but it would have taken twice as long, and anyway we were travelling on Britrail passes.
mothers day 2020 gothpapa 2020-05-11 | A video tribute to the mothers in my family, especially my wife: mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and in her spare time a pretty darn good music teacher, flutist and accompanist on piano and organ. Oh, and a great companion through 50 years of marriage.Sound track is selected from the recording of her graduate recital at The Ohio State University School of Music, May 1966: Pergolesi Flute Concerto in G minor.
Chuck Selby Orchestra, Ionian Room, July 1948 gothpapa 2020-04-24 | My son recently found and purchased a three record set of the Chuck Selby Orchestra recorded live in July 1948 by WELD radio at the Ionian Room in Columbus, Ohio's Deshler Wallich Hotel. This video features side one with Chuck Selby's memorable theme (well, memorable to any of us who ever danced to the Orchestra) and a tune called "I May Be Wrong." For visuals I have included pictures related to the Deshler Wallich and the Ionian Room that I found on line, plus pictures and newspaper items of Chuck at various times in his busy and eventful life collected by my mother who was his number one fan as well as his little sister.
An American Railfan in the UK, Part 2: Upper Hartfield to Totnes, with a side trip to the RH&D gothpapa 2020-01-18 | (Part of an ongoing series of videos describing our 30 day jaunt through the UK. See An American Railfan in the UK playlist description for details.)June 16 and 17, 2019. On Sunday we stayed close to our AirBnB, Orchard Cottage.Then on Monday we hit the road and rails for a visit to the 15" gauge steam powered common carrier Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway before heading across southern England to Totnes in Devon.Travel included Metro Bus 291, then a couple of Southeastern Rail trains and a Southwestern Rail train on our BritRail Pass, plus bus, Underground and taxi . Nearly 400 miles and 9 hours of travel, not including time spent at the RH&DR. (The original upload was revised to slow down the scrolling text.)
An American Railfan in the UK Part 1: Road Meets Rail on the Blue Bell Railway gothpapa 2019-12-29 | Off for a long explore of the Hundred Acre Wood" I said as we departed on Norwegian Airlines for our 28-day adventure in the UK. Well, I always say that when I am about to go on a trip, but this time we actually did spend our first three nights at the Orchard Cottage AirBnB on the edge of the real Hunnerd Acre Wood.This video details the first four days of our adventure, focusing on our visit to the "Road Meets Rail" special event on the Blue Bell Railway, on Saturday June 15.
C&TS: winter specials, 1974 to 1978 gothpapa 2019-11-15 | This video utilizes 8mm movies and still photos taken by various participants to tell the story of the Winter Specials operated on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad out of Chama, NM by Scenic Railways, Inc. between 1974 and 1978.It features ex-D&RGW narrow gauge rotary snowplows OM and OY, and Jordan Spreader OU.The sound track, although kind of weird, is appropriate here. It was taken from a recording of what was laughingly referred to by some as The Chama Symphonic Orchestra, a "jug band" composed of various C&TS employees of those times as well as Chama, NM community members. We wiled away the long cold Chama winters by playing for dinner and drinks at the High Country Restaurant and Saloon.
Seen on the Union Pacific RR between Sherman Pass Summit and Cheyenne WY gothpapa 2019-05-25 | YouTube probably does not need still another video of UPRR Big Boy 4014 rampaging across Wyoming. But I won't let that stop me from sharing mine.May 19, 2019 was a miserable, cold windy, wet day with near zero visibility. I managed to get about 30 seconds of passable video. But my grandson, on his first train chasing expedition with camera in hand, got some pretty decent stuff so I thought should do him the honor of sharing it.
Hillcrest Railfest 2018 gothpapa 2018-03-31 | For the past several years, on the 3rd weekend in March, the Hillcrest & Wahtoke, a grand scale railroad located near Reedley, CA, holds the Reedley Railfest. Duirnig the Railfest weekend they operate all of their equipment and invite other grand scale railroaders to bring their cars and locomotives to join in the fun. I attended this year's event, although the only equipment I took was my camera. Which kept me busy enough. In this video I provide a brief description of the H&W, take you on a ride around the line, and show you everything that was operating during the weekend.
Trackside on the UPRR north pf Platteville, CO, July 24, 2016. gothpapa 2017-12-18 | The Annual Cheyenne Frontier Days Train heads north behind UP #844 and #1989, an EMD SD70ACe locomotive of the UP's "Heritage Series," painted in the scheme of a predecessor railroad, in this case the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.
It is well gothpapa 2017-11-22 | It Is Well With My Soul as performed by Maggie Holloway, piano; Maria Tomas, violin; and Nancy Butterworth, flute. Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Aurora Colorado, music ministry concert, September 23rd, 2016
A Day on the ATT&NW RR gothpapa 2017-10-27 | The Arborway T.T.&Northwestern Railroad is a spectacular grand scale railroad located near Steelville, MO. It does not operate for the general public, but is available for group events. It is maintained and operated by a "Friends of the Railroad" group that holds an open house on the last weekend in September. I have known about the ATT&NW for years and was finally able to attend the open house event this year. Five miles of 15" gauge track simulating a modern class 1 railroad, with a 3.5 mile round trip train ride behind steam or diesel locomotives. CTC with electric block signals allows for three or four trains to run simultaneously, plus an additional one or two on the inner loop. This video just hints at the experience.
Train Travelin: LA to the Bay, 1967 & 2017 gothpapa 2017-06-24 | In August 1967, I rode in the Southern Pacific Coast Daylight's parlor observation car from Los Angeles to San Jose. In June 2017, I rode AMTRAK’s Coast Starlight from Oakland to Los Angeles, in the former California Zephyr dome car Silver Lariat, now owned by California Zephyr Railcar Charters. This movie combines 8mm and video footage of each trip. When I made that trip in 1957 passenger rail service was on its last legs, and I never dreamed that I would be able to ride over that route again half a century later.Update, April 2, 2018: I just learned that AMTRAK has said they will no longer handle private cars such as the Silver Lariat on their passenger trains. Sad, but probably inevitable.
Seen on the Redwood Valley Railway, June 10, 2017 gothpapa 2017-06-18 | The 65th Anniversary event saw lots of steam on the 15" gauge 5/12th scale Redwood Valley Railroad, located in Berkeley, CA's Tilden Park/
Seen at the Colorado Railroad Museum, May 02, 2017 gothpapa 2017-05-07 | A new event at the Colorado Railroad Museum is called Steampunk at the Station. May 06, 2017 was the second year for it, and it attracted quite a crowd of steampunk enthusiasts as well as "normal" people. Both of the museum's operable steam engines were fired up and operated occasional doubleheaders.An additional attraction was the Salida Circus which entertained the crowds with a variety of aerial acts and magic shows. Several costume vendors were set up for the benefit of those of us who felt the need to start or expand our steampunk outfits (I bought a derby hat and a cravat to go with my coveralls). And of course there was food and drink. And to round it off, the weather was beautiful. A good day.
Pipe Train, Part 1: Morning in Alamosa gothpapa 2016-09-01 | On a beautiful June morning in 1968 Robert and Joan Thain happened to be in Alamosa, CO with Rob's trusty 8mm camera when they heard that the D&RGW was about to run a pipe train to Farmington, NM. Having nothing better to do that morning, they went out and took some movies. Or maybe they happened to be in Alamosa because they heard the pipe train was going out. Who knows? Featured are K-36 #483 and K-37 #493.Part 1 starts at the crack of dawn and shows the two locomotives being turned on the turntable and serviced in the Alamosa yard in preparation for the run.Recently, Rob trusted me with the movies he took that morning, just long enough for me to have them converted, and he gave me permission to share them with you here on YouTube. They are his property.
Pipe Train, Part 2: Alamosa to Antonito gothpapa 2016-09-01 | On a beautiful June morning in 1968 Robert and Joan Thain happened to be in Alamosa, CO with Rob's trusty 8mm camera when they heard that the D&RGW was about to run a pipe train to Farmington, NM. Having nothing better to do that morning, they went out and took some movies. Or maybe they happened to be in Alamosa because they heard the pipe train was going out. Who knows?Part 2 follows the train from Alamosa to Antonito, with scenes in the Antonito yard.Recently, Rob trusted me with the movies he took that morning, just long enough for me to have them converted, and he gave me permission to share them with you here on YouTube. They are his property.
Pipe Train, Part 3: Antonito to MP 305 gothpapa 2016-09-01 | On a beautiful June morning in 1968 Robert and Joan Thain happened to be in Alamosa, CO with Rob's trusty 8mm camera when they heard that the D&RGW was about to run a pipe train to Farmington, NM. Having nothing better to do that morning, they went out and took some movies. Or maybe they happened to be in Alamosa because they heard the pipe train was going out. Who knows?Part 3 follows the train from Antonito to MP 305. That's not easy to do even today. Scenes include servicing the engines in the Antonito yard and pitting the helper (#483) mid-train.Recently, Rob trusted me with the movies he took that morning, just long enough for me to have them converted, and he gave me permission to share them with you here on YouTube. They are his property.
Charlys Graduation gothpapa 2016-08-01 | Our granddaughter's graduation from Yampah Mountain High School in Colorado Springs, CO
polka nuts gothpapa 2016-08-01 | A fun afternoon with the Polka Nuts, known for their Dutch-hop style of music, playing for the Polka of Colorado club at the Denver Kickers Sportsclub, July 17, 2016.
CC&E: July 2, 2016 gothpapa 2016-08-01 | My son, Selby, granddaughter Hannah, and some friends working on the 15" gauge, 5/12th scale railroad at Strasburg, CO. This is a private family owned railroad, but any one with a serious interest is welcome to "work and play on the railroad" any Saturday we are out there. Selby learned to drive the train when he was in 6th grade, and now he is teaching his kids how to do it.
Ohio State Guard,1943-1945 gothpapa 2016-05-30 | Scenes of Camp Zaleski, Ohio filmed in 8mm by my father who was a member of the Ohio State Guard during those years.
Train-to-the-Plane gothpapa 2016-04-26 | RTD inaugurated its much anticipated A-Line commuter rail "Train to the Plane" service between Denver Union Station and Denver International Airport on April 22, 2016. Festivities included free rides on Friday and Saturday and at street fair at the Stapleton Park-N-Ride. They ran 4-car trains (the normal consists will be 2-car trains) both days to accommodate the crowds. This gave them an opportunity to simulate the anticipated peak holiday season crowds in real time. I had planned to ride but didn't feel like fighting the crowds. Did chase and take some video though. Will pay to ride next weekend.
Rifle Falls State Park, CO gothpapa 2016-04-07 | Sunday April 3, 2016 was a beautiful early spring day in Colorado, just right for a family picnic at Rifle Falls State Park near Rifle, CO. We weere visiting our granddaughter and her new family at nearby New Castle and they suggested it. I had never heard of it before, but I know we will visit it again.
To Think That I Saw it on Blake St. gothpapa 2016-03-13 | Denver St. Patrick's Day Parade 1916: went downtown to "The Parade" today, first time in years we have done that. It was good. Here are a few of the things I liked.
California Zephyr, October 2015 gothpapa 2015-11-06 | On October 23rd we rode AMTRAK California Zephyr, Train #5, from Denver, CO to Helper, UT to attend a wedding, returning on the 25th. The Fall Colors were really nice that weekend, a surprise that late in October, and we encountered the fist winter storm of 2015/2016 at Fraser/Winter Park. Here is a short video with highlights of that trip.
sunrise at Deer Creek, Ohio gothpapa 2015-10-22 | While at Deer Creek Lodge near Mt. Sterling, Ohio for my high school 55th reunion I filmed this beautiful sunrise this morning.
Seen in Antonito, CO: D&RG Pile Driver OB gothpapa 2015-10-05 | D&RGW steam driven narrow gauge pile driver OB, built in 1891, was included in the collection of historic rolling stock purchased by the States of Colorado and New Mexico in 1970 to be preserved as part of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. Like much of the collection it sat neglected for many years as the C&TS struggled just to survive. Then in 1999 the Friends of the C&TS took it on as a restoration project, and after nine years of hard work they succeeded in rendering it once again operational. It is, of course, a museum piece, but occasionally it is taken from the display track for demonstration purposes. This video was filmed during one such demonstration on Octgober 4, 2015.
Loading a Locomotive gothpapa 2015-09-30 | In the eaerly 1990's Uhrich Locomotive Works (ULCO) built a 15" gauge, 5/12th scale gas powered model of a Denver, South Park and Pacific Mason Bogie 2-6-6T for the Denver Zoo. It ran 364 days per year for over a dozen years. Then, almost exactly a year ago, completely worn out, it came back for a rebuild. ULCO took on the running gear while the body restoration was handled by a Denver area custom auto shop. Finally, as of September 29, the job is done and the #2 is on its way back to the Zoo. The fellows at the body shop designed and built a rather ingenious rig for loading and transporting the little engine.
Beaver Creek, CO: Octoberfest Scenes gothpapa 2015-09-08 | Spent this Labor Day Weekend at Avon, CO along with my sister and her husband and my son and his family. On Sunday we went up to Beaver Creek to enjoy a little bit of the Octoberfest. I enjoyed watching people drink brauts and eat bier after runnning up and down a mountainside at 8.000+ feet of elevation. I guess that is what passses for fun in some quarters.
Strasburg Hometown Days 2015: Making Ice Cream gothpapa 2015-08-10 | How they make ice cream in Strasburg, CO.
Strasburg Hometown Days 2015: Rumely gothpapa 2015-08-10 | The Uhrich Family's 1928 vintage Rumely Oil-Pull tractor makes it's 44th annual appearance in the Strasburg, CO Hometown Days Parade.
valley forge gothpapa 2015-07-04 | Three visits to Valley Forge: Mom and Dad in 1940; Mom, Clovis, John and Cathie in 1952; Nancy, Seth, Jakob and Hannah in 2015.
Fun with Colorado Whitewater Rafting gothpapa 2015-07-04 | For their birthday adventure this year, Hannah and Clovis went to Idaho Springs to enjoy Colorado Whitewater Rafting's Beginners Trip on Clear Creek. Selby joined us. Cori and Nancy cheered us on from shore and took the launch pictures and video. Our guide was "Captain Jack" -- or maybe it was Ron. He was good. It was Hannah's first raft experience and she did great. Clovis has done this before, and he only fell out once. That was refreshing. A good time was had by all.
A day in Colonial Wlliamsburg gothpapa 2015-07-03 | Some highlights of our day at Colonial Williamsburg, June 19, 2015.
matchlock drill gothpapa 2015-07-02 | A reenactor demonstrates loading and firing a matchlock at James Fort, VA.
Memorial Day, Columbus, Ohio gothpapa 2015-05-22 | Featuring scenes from four parades: 1943, 1944, 1945 and 1964, as filmed in 8 mm by three members of my family.
I Love Big Trains, revised gothpapa 2015-04-19 | This is a freshened up version of the video I did in 2009, which I described as "Another of my fabulously entertaining photages of choo-choo train scenes set to the popular James Coffey tune." I stretched it out a little bit (hope James doesn't mind that I repeated one of his verses a third time so I could get in a few more trucks, buses, planes and trains). I think this is an improvement, we will see. By the way, all the images were filmed between 1928 and the present time by my dad, my brother, and me.
Blow Out All the Candles gothpapa 2015-04-12 | My brother and I were both born in July (6th and 20th), so for many years our parents celebrated our birthdays simultaneously on July 4th so that they could get all the aunts and uncles and cousins together for a family event. And of course he took movies. I was in junior high before I realized that all the fireworks and hoopla of July 4th wasn't about me. Still haven't gotten over that.
Road Trip, 1940 gothpapa 2015-04-12 | Experience the look and feel of an American landscape long gone as you travel from Ohio to Hershey, PA over the brand new Pennsylvania Turnpike, and then down to the Shenandoah Valley in my dad's pride and joy 1939 Packard.
