Union Pacific Railroad Celebrates 150 years by showing off Steam Engine

I never was much into trains.  I like riding them and watching them go by which is very cool, but it was never a hobby of mine like it is to some.

The Union Pacific Railroad is celebrating it’s 150th anniversary this year by showing off one of the last known steam engines in existence in our country: UP 844.  It was built in the 1940s.  If you aren’t into trains, seeing a steam engine will change your mind – they are definitely much different than a regular locomotive you would see now.  the whistles are louder, and they are much much taller.  very very cool.

It came into Little Rock, Arkansas two weeks ago so I had a chance to see it come into the Union Pacific yard than which was pretty cool.  It was there for two weeks and left this morning on it’s way to San Antonio, Texas.  It made a short 30 minute stop in Pine Bluff, Arkansas this morning after leaving the Little Rock yard.  We chased it for quite a ways to try and get great footage of it running down the track which was pretty cool.  We probably followed it for a good 2 hours or so.  Very very neat.  Included in this post are some photos I took the day it arrived in Little Rock. 

There is a 27 minute video available of it but unfortunately couldn’t post the whole thing to facebook, but you can see the 19minute video by clicking the following image:

 

If you want to see the full video just let me know and I will send you a disc with it.

 

                       

     

baby boomer things compared to modern day

As an amateur film-maker and videographer I have a desire for having an antique 8mm home movie camera. They aren't worth anything apparently but are really cool to own. I first had a desire for these things when I heard that when Steven Spielberg and George Lucas and numerous other baby boom film makers had one when they were kids or used there parents' and made little amateur home made films with them and sparked there interest and curiosity for film making. Both Steven Spielberg and George Lucas would build little tiny sets out of there toys and shoot film of it. I did that once with my mom's camcorder when I was about 12 years old with a hot wheel's set, lol.  That was back in 1992, lol.

I'd love to find me a home movie camera that still works with some actual working film and make one decent film with it - and than play it on a projector, so I can have that cool nostalgic experience of shooting a home movie. I plan on bidding on a few of these items someday on EBay, but I saved the search so I can bid on something another time, I guess I haven’t bid on any yet since I really don’t know what to look for.  but I'd like to get one that is completely operational and find some actual film for it (found some listed on eBay one time) that is still good and somehow find someone who could develop it. And if I could just make one great film with it - I do have an idea for one. I'd be using a vintage camera - why not shoot a vintage film somehow. That'd be really neat

This is why baby boom nostalgia fascinates me more than anything of my own generation - all the cool looking things and the real artistic talent showed before I was even born. That's one thing that bugs me enough to depress me sometimes - I missed out on seeing a lot of great things when they first were out because I was born late, there's no art in car design anymore, no art in film and no art in buildings. No art in writing no art in music anymore. Seem like in the baby boom era and earlier people were artistic in what they did - kids even had real imaginations which lead them to true greatness and made something of themselves when they got older. I really don't see that now. We have become a society of people who don't care and hustle hustle hustle - screw creativity just get it done. A society of not how great it sound or look or be but how fast it gets done.

I bought a CD today, it was a compilation of different artists covering Buddy Holly songs titled “Listen To Me”.  It came out last year.  I first read about it in Goldmine Magazine when it first came out.  When you turn the CD over, on the back it says "benefiting the next generation of music's greats" - I guess the CD was made for a benefit. But where are these greats? Pop radio used to be where true art was played even - Beatles, Motown, Stax, blues stuff - all played on pop radio back in the day. What's on it now? Britney spears, lady gaga, hip hop, some alternative rock. And guess what? It all sounds alike and recorded the same way. And most singers' voices have a recording feature called "auto-tune" used on them, and the music is all synthesized. Even the lyrics aren't even creative anymore. I have nothing against the new stuff, I like it too but that music just doesn’t excite me like the older stuff.  I miss the songwriting of the George Gershwins, Cole Porters, and Irving Berlins. I have a feeling that in 20 or 30 years that type of stuff will be forgotten.

I see old neighborhoods, old parts of towns like we saw today when we stopped in downtown Pine Bluff, Arkansas to view the steam train when it stopped there this morning and it just makes me think "wow, look how things looked back than" - I see places like towns along route 66 and it just amazes me also.