Back again

[redtoon1892]

Not been on for a while as we have just returned from America after a very interesting trip to Memphis,Atlanta,Jackson,Knoxville,Nashville and Las Vegas. Seen the odd locomotive while on the road but as luck would have it one of the hotels was adjacent to the main lines through Nashville opp the old Union Station much to the dismay of my better half.
A very busy line and I was treated to a constant stream of CSX & Union Pacific freight trains usually with four or more locomotives on, also there was a yard close by so several CSX shunters working in pairs trundled back and forth.
I counted 149 huge coal trucks on one train pulled by four Dash 9s, it took over 1/2 an hour to pass.
Seen a few BNSF locos from the coach window, a preserved static display steam loco in Nashville, it was the last one built in the Nashville shops and a preserved line with several working steam locos and a few GP9s in Boulder City.
We also paid a visit to the Casey Jones museum in Jackson http://www.caseyjones.com/
which has a static display loco.
Sad to see the Union station building turned into a hotel, I was told it closed to passenger trains in 1973 and stood derelict for quite a while before becoming a hotel, it has several old Union coaches as a restaurant.
Was only asked once what I was doing while leaning over the bridge parapet to get a picture of the signal box, a patrol car pulled up but they were very pleasant, in fact the officer told me that the best time for spotting was between 4 - 6pm as that was the really busy time, and he was right, nose to tail freights in both directions.
Must make the effort and do a solo trip one day.