My favourite rail car was always the short (60' ?) old fashioned steel uncovered hopper cars for coal and other stuff that wouldn't be damaged by rain. Like the Nickel Plate one at 3:23 right behind the green NP box car. In Canada's eastern coal country you'd have whole trains of them, albeit short trains.
This is great footage of pre merger era BN also really neat to see the Q in Montana during the late 60’s, not a lot of footage out there. Thanks for sharing!
I went on a camping trip with my parents, brother and sister in a 1967 Ford Country Squire station wagon from the Chicago area to the Pacific coast of Washington state. That was in 1968 when I was ten years old. On the way back we traveled on much of the highways of Montana I-90 and U.S. 10. Consequently, we paralleled a good part of the Milwaukee Road trackage in Montana through Missoula, Butte and Three Forks. What was frustrating was that while seeing miles of trackage with overhead catenary, I didn't witness one Milwaukee Road train (diesel or electric) until we turned south for Yellowstone National Park near Three Forks. There in the distance I could finally see the electrics at a siding meet. Thanks for showing this footage from the same period of what I missed on that trip so many years ago.
The variety of loco types those days and mostly EMDs, and today complete opposite. GEs almost everywhere and just GPs and bestseller SD40-2 are left from the old times! And EMD in general became a bit rare to spot in trains wilderness.
Great stuff and good weather! Thanks for sharing. A few notes: 5:08: That Q train is heading east, not west, so it would be No. 42 to Omaha (via Huntley MT). Denver trains by that time had been discontinued and would have left Billings to the west, then south via Laurel. 10:30: Butte hosted five RRs, not three: Butte Anaconda & Pacific, Union Pacific, Northern Pacific, Milwaukee Road and Great Northern. 15:40: Between Renton and Maple Valley WA on GN tracks. Now a bike trail. 16:34: GN's Portland-Seattle Pool Train with deadheaded NP dome, South Seattle/Argo 19:03: UP's City of Portland 31:50: Most likely Train 5/6, the last remaining mail train the Feds insisted UP operate (Omaha-LA), even if the mail cars were removed. MILW power on City trains to the coast was as common as UP power into Chicago; the business car was added just this particular for a local official.
UP and Milwaukee had a passenger pool power arrangement (or something similar), so that's why the Milwaukee engine is in UP colors with Milwaukee markings.
To explain the nickname "Skunk" for the California Western's passenger trains: When the first gasoline-electric motor cars were thus introduced on their Fort Bragg-Willits run in 1926, locals couldn't help but notice the overpowering smell of the gasoline exhaust as they passed by, with some comparing such to the smell of skunks. Now you know.
I'm not sure if I can reduce those commercials. This channel is not monetized even though I think it now meets the requirements. I'll see if there is anything I can do.
@ thank you for trying. That number of ads (every two minutes) for an unmonetized channel just shows how greedy YT is getting. Your footage is truly priceless.
Just amazes me how the BN. management the the Milwaukee road hired. Drove that Railroad into the ground. And was allowed to abandon what 1200 miles of track. Like nothing. Even snow plows were left behind. All carefully ORCHESTRATED. BN got all of S.P. s container business hmmm
That was a great paint scheme on NP second generation diesels.
Every train with a caboose, and no graffiti on anything! 🤠
My favourite rail car was always the short (60' ?) old fashioned steel uncovered hopper cars for coal and other stuff that wouldn't be damaged by rain. Like the Nickel Plate one at 3:23 right behind the green NP box car. In Canada's eastern coal country you'd have whole trains of them, albeit short trains.
Loved seeing the MILW freight with the E21 leading the 2020,4001 & 4005. Massive power set!
This is great footage of pre merger era BN also really neat to see the Q in Montana during the late 60’s, not a lot of footage out there. Thanks for sharing!
This is brilliant footage! Best of old times railroad video for my opinion! Greetings from Russian railfans!
I went on a camping trip with my parents, brother and sister in a 1967 Ford Country Squire station wagon from the Chicago area to the Pacific coast of Washington state. That was in 1968 when I was ten years old. On the way back we traveled on much of the highways of Montana I-90 and U.S. 10. Consequently, we paralleled a good part of the Milwaukee Road trackage in Montana through Missoula, Butte and Three Forks. What was frustrating was that while seeing miles of trackage with overhead catenary, I didn't witness one Milwaukee Road train (diesel or electric) until we turned south for Yellowstone National Park near Three Forks. There in the distance I could finally see the electrics at a siding meet. Thanks for showing this footage from the same period of what I missed on that trip so many years ago.
Thank you, I enjoyed every minute of your trip out west.
Glad you enjoyed it
that scene in seattle at the U P yard was where i worked in 1968
Excellent scenes and great narration. Classic captures. Thank you! Mike
Great stuff Guy! Thanks for posting this.
Spectacular!!!!!!!!!😊
Great job and thanks for sharing
Great to see 1st generation diesels in those classic paintschemes !
Nice video and commentary. Great seeing the locos and mixed freights.
lots of great action. Love the part with milwaukees little joes and UPs big blow ! gas turbines. fine video !
Always cool to see the original UBoats in action. Nice video!
Thank you. This was excellent.
Wonderful memories!
Railfan 80yrs in MN... thanks for your efforts,narration on this great,historic footage...👍👍
A most wonderful video. Back when trains were great. Enjoyed it very much. Thanks !!!!
Good stuff here, very watchable! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching
Wow. Great video. Lots of fallen flags. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Excellent and thanks for posting!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Miss the Northern Pacific days. Remember when the North Coast Limited stopped in our town.
Fun to see what all my most favorite subjects looked like, the summer of my birth!
Those Boxcabs were 52 years old, there are SD40-2s that old now.
Excellent!!
Great video! Enjoy seeing the fallen flags. Thanks for posting.
Thank you so much.
You're welcome!
A remarkable video!! Beautiful scenery, unique equipment, and excellent photography! (new subscriber, Virginia)
Great footage! Thanks for posting!
Classic footage
The variety of loco types those days and mostly EMDs, and today complete opposite. GEs almost everywhere and just GPs and bestseller SD40-2 are left from the old times! And EMD in general became a bit rare to spot in trains wilderness.
Love this footage. Thanks!😊
Great stuff and good weather! Thanks for sharing. A few notes:
5:08: That Q train is heading east, not west, so it would be No. 42 to Omaha (via Huntley MT). Denver trains by that time had been discontinued and would have left Billings to the west, then south via Laurel.
10:30: Butte hosted five RRs, not three: Butte Anaconda & Pacific, Union Pacific, Northern Pacific, Milwaukee Road and Great Northern.
15:40: Between Renton and Maple Valley WA on GN tracks. Now a bike trail.
16:34: GN's Portland-Seattle Pool Train with deadheaded NP dome, South Seattle/Argo
19:03: UP's City of Portland
31:50: Most likely Train 5/6, the last remaining mail train the Feds insisted UP operate (Omaha-LA), even if the mail cars were removed. MILW power on City trains to the coast was as common as UP power into Chicago; the business car was added just this particular for a local official.
foamer
UP and Milwaukee had a passenger pool power arrangement (or something similar), so that's why the Milwaukee engine is in UP colors with Milwaukee markings.
excellent get more
Awesome stuff indeed!!
To explain the nickname "Skunk" for the California Western's passenger trains: When the first gasoline-electric motor cars were thus introduced on their Fort Bragg-Willits run in 1926, locals couldn't help but notice the overpowering smell of the gasoline exhaust as they passed by, with some comparing such to the smell of skunks.
Now you know.
Great video!
Thanks!
The location you identified as Butte, MT is actually Livingston, MT; however, the location immediately following that IS Butte.
Did Guy Wicksall ever film any trains in Iowa in the 60's or 70's?
Many things are different but even back then it seems a lot of mainline freights were pulled by sets of 3 big GE's! Some things don't change...
Great video !!!!!!
Thanks!!
I notice all the jointed rail…
Nice video, Like.
Last place was not Fremont.
Great content, but WAY too many interrupting commercials.
I'm not sure if I can reduce those commercials. This channel is not monetized even though I think it now meets the requirements. I'll see if there is anything I can do.
@ thank you for trying. That number of ads (every two minutes) for an unmonetized channel just shows how greedy YT is getting. Your footage is truly priceless.
Impressive and enjoyable. What's the colour of the Pinetree F unit at 17 minutes: black or dark green?????
Thanks.
Black.
16mm?
Just amazes me how the BN. management the the Milwaukee road hired. Drove that Railroad into the ground. And was allowed to abandon what 1200 miles of track. Like nothing. Even snow plows were left behind. All carefully ORCHESTRATED. BN got all of S.P. s container business hmmm