A Opportunity of a Lifetime...

Stunning!

Great shots.

Looks great!

Now that is something to look at. Very awesome indeed. Thanks for sharing.

Incredible photos! Thanks for sharing!

Pat

Nice job!

Didn't know that Strasburg has heavy enough rail to support 611.  Although modern freight cars carry a pretty heavy axle load (Strasburg handles interchange freight traffic).

Beautiful images!  Thank you for sharing.  Wish I could have been there to see it in person. 

The Strasburg has a history of heavy equipment on it.  The PRR locomotive collection at the museum across the street traveled over the Strasburg when it came from Northumberland.  Also, I believe D16sb 1223 transported a Conrail GG1 in 1976 to have some bearing work done in their shops.

I would say that their rails are fine. When I was out there in 2016, none of the rails broke from my behind.

Lovely images.

The last two are "over the top" good!

Ed

Your last shot is dy-nam-ite! 

Thanks fellas for the compliments! Here are some more: 

N&W #475 races by the Verdant View Farm crossing on the morning of October 5, 2019. 

"Power": N&W #611 shakes the ground outside of the Verdant View Farm on the morning of October 5, 2019 displaying for a few seconds most if not all of the power behind that 300 psi boiler.

"50 cents worth of memories": Norfolk & Western #611 thunders by the Verdant View Farm on the morning of October 5, 2019. This picture was taken from the viewing platform of the silo at the Red Caboose Motel. For a donation of 50 cents, you too can take in a gorgeous Lancaster County sunrise with perhaps some steam involved.

"Morning with an M": N&W M Class #475 peacefully shuffles along as her saturated exhaust lifts itself high into the sky on a sunny and cloudless morning next to the farms doting the landscape on Road to Paradise.

You are quite the talented photographer!

Mike, that silo picture is phenomenal. At first I thought drone, but hey, if there is something to climb, that works great. Fantastic photos, I hope I can get some great ones next week. One thing I need to do is get a plug in for my computer for my phone. It's such a PITA to go through the way of flipping on the phone instead of plugging in.

Michael J Wilson,

Your work is beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing. I could never be there is person, but your work allows me to have the experience vicariously. Those of us who cannot travel for one reason or another benefit from the work of talented and generous photographers like you. 

Amazingly beautiful pictures!!  Perfectly captured angles and lighting!  

Thanks again everyone for the kind words!

Here are some more: 

N&W #611 thunders by the classic railroad crossing at the Verdant View Farm as two hot air balloons and their likely passengers take in a higher elevation view of the activities off to the North.

Two N&W locomotives under the ex-PRR catenary? Where's a GG1 when you need to really mess with people's heads? 

A crew photo before the rest of the day's activities... (Pictured L-R: (#475) Dan Potts, Brent Lefever, and Mark Young; (#611) Not sure of the gentleman on the engineer's side running board, but below him is Fred Mattison and to his left is 611 CMO Scott Lindsay and above Scott is Fireman Cheri George. 

N&W #611 stomps her way around Long's Curve (notice the singed branches of the trees that are trackside coming out of Leaman Place Junction). 

N&W #475 follows at a rapid pace hauling the photographer's train which also acts as a second mixed train to photograph...

Stay tuned for more! 

I'm not sure anything looks better than red oxide cab roofs and open green cab doors...

smd4 posted:

I'm not sure anything looks better than red oxide cab roofs and open green cab doors...

#475 just came off her 1472 day inspection so her paint job is still very shiny and fresh. I have pictures from last year before her 1472 inspection and her cab roof and inner cab paint isn't nearly as nice. A few more months of chronic exposure to coal smoke and soot should dull it down.