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Or... West Coast, eat your heart out, lol!

 

So, can we actually expect NKP #765 over Horse Shoe Curve?!?!

 

TO: ALL NORFOLK SOUTHERN EMPLOYEES


Norfolk Southern employees soon will enjoy opportunities to ride
behind steam-powered excursion trains.

NS’ “Employee Appreciation Excursions” will be operated on weekends
this summer and fall in recognition of the corporation’s 30th
anniversary. Each of the railroad’s 11 divisions will host several
excursions.

The tentative schedule is:

June 2-3, Georgia Division
June 9-10, Piedmont Division
June 30-July 1, Virginia Division
July 14-15, Central Division
July 21-22, Lake Division
July 28-29, Dearborn Division
Aug. 4-5, Pocahontas Division
Aug. 11-12, Pittsburgh Division
Aug. 18-19, Harrisburg Division
Sept. 8-9, Illinois Division
Sept. 15-16, Alabama Division


The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and the Fort Wayne Historical
Society are providing the steam locomotives, equipment, and services
to make these excursions memorable, fun, and of course, safe.

Southern Railway 630 will be used for the trips on the southern part
of the system. No. 630 was built in 1904 by the American Locomotive
Company at Richmond, Va., and is one of the three locomotives that
will be used in NS’ 21st Century Steam program over the next four
years.

Nickel Plate Road 765 will be used for the trips on the northern part
of the system. No. 765 was built in 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works
in Lima, Ohio, and is familiar to many railroaders, having been in
excursion service on and off since 1979.

Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Originally Posted by Zephyr:
Aug. 11-12, Pittsburgh Division

Aug. 18-19, Harrisburg Division

Nickel Plate Road 765 will be used for the trips on the northern part
of the system. No. 765 was built in 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works
in Lima, Ohio, and is familiar to many railroaders, having been in
excursion service on and off since 1979.

This might explain Rich's coy NKP 765 reference to the Horseshoe Curve from a week or two ago.    Looks to be a grand time for many rail fans that either ride or just take pictures along the route.

Originally Posted by Keystone:
This might explain Rich's coy NKP 765 reference to the Horseshoe Curve from a week or two ago.    Looks to be a grand time for many rail fans that either ride or just take pictures along the route.

Just to clarify...these trips are for Norfolk Southern employees and their families. These are not public trips and no tickets will be available to the public.

 

Yes, the 765 will be on Horseshoe Curve later this summer. NS is assisting us in the installation of cab signals so the 765 can lead the train. The NS main line from Cleveland through Pittsburgh, Altoona and on to Harrisburg is all cab signal territory. Without cab signals, the 765 would have to be towed behind a diesel equipped with cab signals.

 

And here's another little detail...NS 8100 (the NKP Heritage Unit) will be tucked in behind the 765's A-Tank on all these moves.

 

Norfolk Southern is obviously very proud of their heritage and the fact that this is their 30th birthday. These trips are a very tangible way of showing that. We (the 765 crew) are very pleased to be a part of this exciting program.

Looks like a trip to Altoona is in order this summer....haven't been up there for a few years and this is a **** good reason to go! While I assume this isn't public knowledge but  is it possible that a rough time estimate would be given when the train will be looping the curve? I would LOVE to take a photo or two and just enjoy the sight of the 765 running the curve. I'm no NS expert and don't know the system and trackage except Horseshoe Curve...any chance steam will be getting closer than Altoona to Washington DC area? 

Originally Posted by Unseenthings:

So where does that leave the public for NS rides this summer?

No where!  The NS is doing all this for their employees, shippers, and community/political personnel. Just like the Union Pacific. You have to be an "invited guest" to ride the train.

 

Besides, it is against the law for class one railroads to sell tickets on passenger trains, ever since congress started Amtrak. The railroad may lease their train to private organizations who can then sell tickets to the "public".

It dosn't bother me that I can't ride. If they did offer tickets then yes I would ride. But the fact they are running these excursions in the first place is A no.1 in that we get to see these fine machines in action on high iron.

 

Now that the schedule is out, does anyone know what districts within these divisions they will run? I hope the Ga. div. is the Atlanta North dist. between Atlanta and Chattanooga.

 

CofG

"The Right Way"

Well Rich, I said that if the 765 came to Harrisburg I would try to come out of retirement. I just made a phone call to see what I need to do other than pass a Physical and Book of Rules to get set back up running. Of course if and that is a big if I go back out on the road I will have to re-qualify the territory I plan to run. Passing the physical will be the biggest hurdle. After that I asked about getting tickets to ride the train on one of the legs, Pittsburgh or Harrisburg. Hope to know something soon. My supervisor is going to look into everything for me. Maybe I'll see you in August.

P.S.  Anyone at liberty to share which engine will be on the Pokey runs?  Could be either, but I can't help but notice that it's in the middle of the 765 schedule.

 

was wondering the same thing myself.  I was lucky enough to get to see the 8100 in Portsmouth yard this morning and it truly made my day.  The thought of it and the 765 together is almost more than i can handle.   I have several crappy iphone pics im gonna have to start taking my camera with me when i go in the yard

Here are the steam locomotive assignments by division:

 

June 2-3, Georgia DivisionSRR 630
June 9-10, Piedmont DivisionSRR 630
June 30-July 1, Virginia DivisionSRR 630
July 14-15, Central DivisionSRR 630
July 21-22, Lake DivisionNKP 765
July 28-29, Dearborn DivisionNKP 765
Aug. 4-5, Pocahontas DivisionNKP 765
Aug. 11-12, Pittsburgh DivisionNKP 765
Aug. 18-19, Harrisburg DivisionNKP 765
Sept. 8-9, Illinois DivisionNKP 765
Sept. 15-16, Alabama DivisionSRR 630




Originally Posted by OGR Webmaster:

Here are the steam locomotive assignments by division:

 

June 2-3, Georgia DivisionSRR 630
June 9-10, Piedmont DivisionSRR 630
June 30-July 1, Virginia DivisionSRR 630
July 14-15, Central DivisionSRR 630
July 21-22, Lake DivisionNKP 765
July 28-29, Dearborn DivisionNKP 765
Aug. 4-5, Pocahontas DivisionNKP 765
Aug. 11-12, Pittsburgh DivisionNKP 765
Aug. 18-19, Harrisburg DivisionNKP 765
Sept. 8-9, Illinois DivisionNKP 765
Sept. 15-16, Alabama DivisionSRR 630





VERY cool.  Be nice to see 765 this close to the southeast again.  This should be pretty gratifying for the FWRHS, especially after that big overhaul knowing the steam scene at the time (or lack thereof).  Time to make Lima and NS proud.

Originally Posted by Hartman:

I'm one of those people that could never afford a ride on such a trip even if it was open to the public.  BUT, I sure will try to be out there getting some pictures of the event!


The trips last fall were cheap.  I think the Chattanoga trips were $30 (including the $20 admission to TVRM's Railfest), and the long trip was about $65 or so.  Considering NS ended up providing a free boxed lunch AND dinner (the latter of which was NOT planned for and arranged at the last minute when we ended up running very, very, very late for a variety of reasons) as well as unlimited drinks and snacks on the train, and--of course, the chartered bus return, it was incredibly good value for money.

Originally Posted by CWEX:
On the 21st century steam site it states the 2012 schedule will be announced soon....so I guess just keep checking back periodically....

These 2012 trips are not officially part of the 21st Century Steam Program. That program is the public trips. I'm not sure that there will be any public trips in 2012. The 30th Birthday Celebration will keep all the steam crews and the railroad pretty busy this year.

I am just hoping to get to just see the 765 on the Curve and maybe somewhere closer to home.

 

Riding is not as important to me, since I find that riding behind steamers in enclosed cars is nowhere near as fun as open air cars (which you won't see on the mainlines) where you can better see the engine, hear the engine working and smell the coal smoke (and get covered in cinders ).  Of course, being in the cab is even better. 

 

Andy

Originally Posted by Andy Hummell:

 

Riding is not as important to me, since I find that riding behind steamers in enclosed cars is nowhere near as fun as open air cars (which you won't see on the mainlines) where you can better see the engine, hear the engine working and smell the coal smoke (and get covered in cinders ).  Of course, being in the cab is even better. 

 

Andy

 

No guarantees that it will be the same, but vestibules were open on the public trips last fall.  They were closed however on the private trip to Alcoa.

 

Hopefully, they will allow them to remain open on any future public excursions.  Nothing like getting pelted with cinders at 40mph while listening to the whistle and stack talk.

Kevin

Originally Posted by MartyE:

Steam through West Park again on the North Side?  I sure hope so!  We already had these beauties through.

 

 

PRR 042

Quite possibly. If there is a dome car in the consist, it may be a bit sketchy. I've seen the NS OCS run through the (Amtrak) station downtown with the dome car, as well as on the Mon Line. Amtrak's Capitol Limited makes it in there with Superliners on a daily basis. But anything that won't make the tight clearances between CP BELL and CP WING will go around the city on the Mon Line. It will also depend on traffic on either the Fort Wayne, Pittsburgh, and Mon Lines.

Originally Posted by OGR Webmaster:
Originally Posted by Keystone:
This might explain Rich's coy NKP 765 reference to the Horseshoe Curve from a week or two ago.    Looks to be a grand time for many rail fans that either ride or just take pictures along the route.

Just to clarify...these trips are for Norfolk Southern employees and their families. These are not public trips and no tickets will be available to the public.

 

You don't know how many train chasing, picture taking, railfans are now going, Whew,  now I don't have to listen to any complaining about not supporting these programs by not buying tickets.  

Oh yeah I know what you guys are scheduled for is not "public" trips.  I was just referring to the "public" schedule, but I didn't think about how busy things were going to be this summer for the crews.  The 630 is scheduled for several trips I see, I wonder if they have the bearing problems figured out.  I remember a while back you had said that with the 630 having been in a wreck some years back that the frame is not straight....must be a royal pain in the bleep trying to figure out measurements and such.
 
Originally Posted by OGR Webmaster:
These 2012 trips are not officially part of the 21st Century Steam Program. That program is the public trips. I'm not sure that there will be any public trips in 2012. The 30th Birthday Celebration will keep all the steam crews and the railroad pretty busy this year.

 

Good to hear that big steam is running over some historic routes again even if it's only for employees.  I don't have a problem with that.  You can never see these beauties anyway when you're stuck in a coach behind them.    Much better to watch it go by.  Kudos to NS for keeping up their heritage.

 

Ray

Originally Posted by Mike CT:

There should be a photo in there somewhere.  It would be interesting to know the routes.

Is Altoona Harrisburg Division or Pittsburgh Division?  


back in the conrail days i think the pitts. division started at slope or alto interlocking[alto is located on the west end of whats left of altoona yard].  i heard alto tower was being phased out this year,if not already.-jim

per Eastern Rail News, this is the employee excursion schedule as of right now--subject to change.  Most trips will be very short.  A few will have a bit more mileage to them.

 

 

SR 630

June 2-3 Inman to Austell, GA (Atlanta, GA area)

Atlanta North District MP 140.8H to 134.7H

 

June 9-10 Salisbury to Barber Jct, NC

NS Asheville District MP S0.6 to S11.5

 

June 30-July 1 Roanoke to Walton, VA

NS Christiansburg District MP N261.7 to N297.6

 

July 14-15 Knoxville to Coster, TN

NS Knoxville Terminal MP A130.7 to A125.0

NS Coster Line MP C0.0 to C2.5

 

September 15-16 Irondale to Downtown Birmingham, AL (14th St)

NS East End District MP 791.8 to 798.2

 

 

NKP 765

July 21-22 Bellevue to Colsan, OH

NS Sandusky District MP S96.4 to S62.9

 

July 28-29 Homestead to Airline Yard, OH (Toledo, OH area)

NS Toledo Belt Line Connecting Track MP TB5.6 to Tb1.2

NS Chicago Line MP CD286.9 to CD290.8

 

August 4-5 Williamson to Naugatuck, WV

NS Pocahontas/Williamson District MP N459.7 to N470.3

NS Kenova District MP N470.3 to N484.3

 

August 11-12 Conway to CP Wood, PA (near Pittsburgh, PA)

NS Fort Wayne Line MP PC22.6 to MP34.8

 

August 18-19 Enola to CP Capital, PA (Harrisburg, PA area)

NS Port Road Branch MP EB73.0 to EB73.7

NS Pittsburgh Line MP PT110.9 to PT105.1

NS Harrisburg Line MP HP112.9 to HP111.3

 

September 8-9 Luther to Robertson, MO (St. Louis, MO area)

NS St. Louis District MP S8.3 to S16.9

Originally Posted by bbunge:

It will be fun to hear what visiting whistle ends up on 765 for the trip(s) over the curve.

If I have anything to say about it, the ONLY whistle the 765 will carry for all 3,671 miles of this 2012 schedule is her correct NKP whistle. But I may be overruled on that...

 

Some of those destinations in the previous post for 765 are subject to change. I think one or two of them have been changed already.

Originally Posted by OGR Webmaster:
Originally Posted by bbunge:

It will be fun to hear what visiting whistle ends up on 765 for the trip(s) over the curve.

If I have anything to say about it, the ONLY whistle the 765 will carry for all 3,671 miles of this 2012 schedule is her correct NKP whistle. But I may be overruled on that...

 

Some of those destinations in the previous post for 765 are subject to change. I think one or two of them have been changed already.

 

May I nominate that shreaking hooter off the 2789 in North Judson?  I think there were a couple of times where that thing might wake the dead.

Originally Posted by MartyE:

So I guess the my question would be, will the 765 come through Pittsburgh at any point this summer?  One would assume since Pittsburgh is between Indiana and Enola, it's a possibility and if so could you give us a heads up?


I'd say it's pretty likely at some point, especially with the announcement of it running Horseshoe Curve at least once.  You've got it coming from Williamson to Conway, and then back from Harrisburg towards the St. Louis area.  Of course, the inbound COULD be through Roanoke and Hagerstown if us southern folk might be so lucky.

Originally Posted by MartyE:

So I guess the my question would be, will the 765 come through Pittsburgh at any point this summer?  One would assume since Pittsburgh is between Indiana and Enola, it's a possibility and if so could you give us a heads up?

You can't get from Conway Yard to Harrisburg without going through Pittsburgh.

 


 

Originally Posted by 765-TrainFest:

Rich, what is the schedule looking like for the 765 around the Chicago area?

Toledo or St. Louis...that's as close as we get to Chicago.

Originally Posted by OGR Webmaster:
Originally Posted by kgdjpubs:
May I nominate that shreaking hooter off the 2789 in North Judson?

NO!


haha.  Had a friend refer to that as the castrated elk whistle.  Don't ask me how they came up with that one, and honestly don't want to know either.

 

For anyone who didn't get a chance to hear it (not sure if it was on 765 more than one day or not), it would go from the mellow C&O hooter and break into this ear-piercing squeal without a moment's hesitation.  Very reminiscent of that thing on Cotton Belt 819 in the 80s, which had a similar quality to it.  As they say, it needed fixin'!

Originally Posted by OGR Webmaster:

Marty, that means we start at Enola, run west a mile or two, go across the river, run east a couple miles, turn on a wye and go back to where we started. It's a short trip.

 

Getting into the wye at CP Capital could be interesting. It's on a 16-degree curve (very sharp) on a 2% grade.


If you must keep the trips short, the other options I see would be:

 

1. Originate from Rutherford Yard (HP 108) and run west across the Rockville Bridge to CP Mary and turn on the consist there and return (although once back at Rutherford you would still need some way of turning the engine for the next trip)

 

2. Pull just west of Capital on the Harrisburg Line and shove the train onto the Lurgan Branch around the east leg of the wye at Capital.  Then at least you wouldn't have to fight the sharper leg of the wye up hill......still a sharp curve to negotiate no matter what direction you are traveling (derailed many of 11R in that curve).

 

Of course the BEST option would be to extend the trip to Reading (HP61) and then you could either turn the train at Tulp or Oley.  At least that trip would give her a chance to stretch her legs a bit!

 

One other thought: back in her days on the Nickel Plate, I believe I read that 765 was known as the "Queen of the West End" cause of her reputation as being one of the best running 700s west of Bellevue......maybe after this summer she'll be known as the "Queen of the North End" on Norfolk Southern!

 

Here's to a successful year and looking forward to seeing 765 top the Alleghenies with the throttle to the roof, reverse gear down in the corner, and the pops lifted!

Last edited by Form D

New NS steam program is a mixed bag:

 

Great for chasers and video/photo buffs, but otherwise rider unfriendly. 

 

In NS's defense, insurance liability realities would make it very difficult to run  group-sponsored public excursions.

 

The ticket prices would be out of reach of most families, given present economic circumstances. 

 

Just glad I was able to ride many trips (1974-1994) during the GLORY days of the Southern/NS steam program! 

 

Check out Jim Wrinn's "Steam's Camelot" for a nostalgic remembrance of this wonderful era complete with a plethora of color photographs.

Originally Posted by OGR Webmaster:
Originally Posted by Keystone:
This might explain Rich's coy NKP 765 reference to the Horseshoe Curve from a week or two ago.    Looks to be a grand time for many rail fans that either ride or just take pictures along the route.

Just to clarify...these trips are for Norfolk Southern employees and their families. These are not public trips and no tickets will be available to the public.

 

Yes, the 765 will be on Horseshoe Curve later this summer. NS is assisting us in the installation of cab signals so the 765 can lead the train. The NS main line from Cleveland through Pittsburgh, Altoona and on to Harrisburg is all cab signal territory. Without cab signals, the 765 would have to be towed behind a diesel equipped with cab signals.

 

And here's another little detail...NS 8100 (the NKP Heritage Unit) will be tucked in behind the 765's A-Tank on all these moves.

 

Norfolk Southern is obviously very proud of their heritage and the fact that this is their 30th birthday. These trips are a very tangible way of showing that. We (the 765 crew) are very pleased to be a part of this exciting program.

Rich, will you be able to be away from work for all those trips??

Originally Posted by ironlake2:
Rich, will you be able to be away from work for all those trips??

I'm not sure...I'll have to ask the boss.

 


 

Originally Posted by Tyler Martin:
I was kinda wondering along those lines too...will the Ft. Wayne crew get to operate the locomotive with a pilot on these trips, or will Bob Saxtan run on these?

Fort Wayne engineers will run the 765. Bob may join us for a trip or two. I hope he does...I haven't seen him for many years.

Having several young children, I will find it difficult to be at Horseshoe Curve in Altoona (2-1/2 hours drive) at a specific time.  Odds are, I will miss the one minute window that the 765 will actually be on the curve.  DAMHIK.

 

However, I live close to Pittsburgh.  So my question is similar to MartyE's.  Will there/Is there a map which very clearly shows the route(s) the 765 will be taking?  I have no idea where these yards are that you gentlemen are referring to, and no idea where the tracks are laid.  It would be a lot easier to know where to plan on going to watch the run-by if I had a map clearly showing the tracks, not just roads.

 

The trips from Conway Yard [ adjoins Conway, PA ] will run "west" [ geographically north ] to CP Wood, which adjoins the town of Homewood -- NOT the Homewood section of Pittsburgh, thank heavens.  Homewood is just north of Beaver Falls on Rt 18, and immediately adjoins the Turnpike interchange.  So from Conway the trains will pass "through" [ = next to ] Freedom, Rochester, New Brighton, and Beaver Falls, eg PA routes 65 and 18.

    From Rochester to Homewood is uphill;  speaking generally, the gradient increases:  it's 0.39 % at New Brighton to 0.95 at Homewood.  The train will probably run on the 'westward' track because of the track layout of the wye at Homewood, at least in the outbound direction, and I'm guessing back also.

    I would suggest you reconnaissance the area beforehand;  I can't think of a map that would be that helpful.

    Hope that helps.

 

Have fun -- but don't trespass.

 

Best regards, SZ

 

 Edited to add:  The 'westward track' mentioned above is the one [ of the four ]nearest the road between Freedom and New Brighton.  It seems like the logical* choice -- but we're talking about a railroad here, and NS to boot, so logic doesn't apply.  Where they load / unload at Conway is a factor, too.

 

   *Based on the track / turnout layouts at Rochester and Wood.  There used to be a restriction that you couldn't go from 1 [ the 'eastward' track ] to the wye at Wood, which would suggest at least one direction would have to be on #2, the 'westward' track.  I seem to recall that when Conrail turned excursions there they went west on the west, and crossed over to go east on the east.  But that's from memory.

Last edited by Steinzeit
Originally Posted by springoflife:

Having several young children, I will find it difficult to be at Horseshoe Curve in Altoona (2-1/2 hours drive) at a specific time.  Odds are, I will miss the one minute window that the 765 will actually be on the curve.  DAMHIK.

 

However, I live close to Pittsburgh.  So my question is similar to MartyE's.  Will there/Is there a map which very clearly shows the route(s) the 765 will be taking?  I have no idea where these yards are that you gentlemen are referring to, and no idea where the tracks are laid.  It would be a lot easier to know where to plan on going to watch the run-by if I had a map clearly showing the tracks, not just roads.

 


Steinzeit gave the general stuff.  Pull up yahoomaps or Bing maps for the track layout.  Both show the tracks if you zoom in enough, or you can go to the aerial photos part for a better view.  That said, nothing beats a bit of on-the-ground reconnaissance work.

 

Have fun,

Kevin

Originally Posted by R Nelson:

Ahh, the chance to photograph the 765 westbound out of Elkhorn Tunnel on the Pokey!  Or even around the Huger Tunnels at Superior!  Cool.......

 

unless the schedule changes or they route 765 down through Bluefield to Roanoke and up to Hagerstown on the way to PA, they aren't going to get that far down the Pokey.  Current stuff doesn't have them coming any closer than Matewan.

It's too bad the Amtrak station in Norfolk isn't ready yet, I'd like to see some more steam come down this way.

 

Here's a photo I found of where the new Amtrak station is being built:

 

http://stavely.org/ryan/files/.../Norfolk_Station.png

 

The red icon at the top is where our light rail train "The Tide" stops and the green icon on the right is where the new Amtrak station is being built.

 

Last word on The Tide was that ridership has exceeded all expectations since they started less than 1 year ago.

Originally Posted by Steamer:

NS Steam Program rider unfriendly...yeah...

Say what? I guess it all depends on your definition of what "rider unfriendly" is.

 

These trips are being run for NS employees and their families. These folks are NOT railfans. They enjoy trains and railroading, but they are not fans. An all-day train ride would not be a very enjoyable experience for this audience. And, if only a single trip per day was run, there is no way that NS could provide enough seats so that everyone who wanted to ride could go on the train. For example, there are over 1,000 engineers working out of Conway Yard alone! That doesn't even count the car knockers, diesel shop mechanics, the MOW people, signal department, etc.

 

By running multiple short trips, the ride is an interesting 2-hour experience where Daddy (or Mommy) can show the family where he/she works. More people have the chance to ride because we can fill the train at least twice.

 

Say it again...100 times...maybe it will sink in. These are not railfan trips. These are not Railfan trips. These are not railfan trips. These are not Railfan trips. These are not railfan trips. These are not Railfan trips. These are not railfan trips. These are not Railfan trips. These are not railfan trips. These are not Railfan trips.

 

Get the idea?

 

 

Oh...one more thing...I also know where the 765 is going in Illinois. We're just passin' through...on the way to Missouri.

Originally Posted by John Mills:

If The 765 doesn't go thru Chicago then it looks like it will go thru Danville and Decatur,IL and I should have a good chance of watching it go by.  Is the public discouraged from watching the engine go by?

In all likelihood, going thru Chicago is out of the way mileage wise. I'm sure Rich will have the definitive answer on that.

 

As far as the public being discouraged from watching, the answer is a definite "NO", you are not to be discouraged; however, you are encouraged to always use common sense and abide by their rules when you railfan near any railroad.

 

Do yourself a favor and register with the NS Protect The Line Program and enjoy your railfan opportunities when you can, but most importantly as Safely As You Can.

 

Also, if you have any doubts, and even if you don't, read as much as you can at the Operation Lifesaver website, BEFORE YOU GO RAILFANNING !!!

"The 765 has been in Pittsburgh before ..."

 

Not to mention the four 1993 Amtrak speed trips from Akron to Station Square & back; albeit dressed up as if she were of C&O lineage. Having the pleasure of working those trips I got to know and enjoy what 79mph really was for extended periods behind the Big Berk. We was haulin' some butt on those trips !!!

What was I thinking? How could I have forgotten those trips!

 

When we got set to leave Akron on the first trip of this series, I asked Ken Griffin, the CSX Road Foreman aboard the 765, how fast he wanted me to run, since there was no mention of speed in our orders. He said, "This is a passenger train, ain't it?" "It sure is." I responded. Ken said, "Then let's go."

 

The rest is history.

You can't begin to imagine how jealous I am....
 
Originally Posted by Bob Lyndall:

"The 765 has been in Pittsburgh before ..."

 

Not to mention the four 1993 Amtrak speed trips from Akron to Station Square & back; albeit dressed up as if she were of C&O lineage. Having the pleasure of working those trips I got to know and enjoy what 79mph really was for extended periods behind the Big Berk. We was haulin' some butt on those trips !!!

 

Originally Posted by OGR Webmaster:

The 765 has been in Pittsburgh before. We ran trips from Orrville to Pittsburgh on Conrail back about 1982-83 and we ran on the P&LE from Struthers to Station Square in Pittsburgh in 1985 and 86.

 

I have not prepared the crew schedules yet, so I don't know if I'll be running or whether I'll have someone else assigned to run that day.

How many engine crews are there?  From my experience as Conrail Engineman/Fireman WAY BACK WHEN, I presume you have to QUALIFY on the physical characteristics of each DIVISION with a Road Foreman even for these excursions???

Originally Posted by mlavender480:

The steam crew doesn't necessarily have to be qualified as long as the hosting railroad provides a qualified pilot to ride with them.  A good pilot will know the territory well and be able to keep the engineer informed ahead-of-time on what is coming up.

BINGO. Exactly right, Mike. That is how all the big steamers get over the road these days, including the Union Pacific engine.

 

NS will have a crew on the train, plus there will be a company officer on board the 765 as well.

There are no passenger trips out of Cleveland.

 

Here's the updated (and corrected) schedule:

 

July 21-22 Bellevue to Bucyrus, OH (2 trips per day)

 

July 28-29 Toledo, OH
Homestead Yard to Airline Junction (3 trips per day)

 

August 4-5 Williamson, WV

Williamson to Ought One (1st trip each day)

Williamson to Naugatuck (2nd trip each day)

 

August 11-12 - Pittsburgh, PA (2 trips per day)
Conway to CP Bell and turn on the OC Bridge (1st trip each day)

Conway to CP Wood (2nd trip each day)

 

August 18-19 - Harrisburg, PA (2 trips per day)
Enola to CP Capital

 

September 8-9 - St. Louis, MO (2 trips per day)

Berkley to St. Peters, MO

 

We will move over the Cleveland line on a deadhead move, when we deadhead from Conway to Bellevue on Tuesday, August 21. No, I don't know what time we will be through Cleveland.

Ought One is a railroad name and is quite literally in the middle of nowhere in the hills of West Virginia on the WV/KY border. The wye there is on two bridges over the Tug Fork River. There are no roads anywhere near it. Because it is a railroad name, it will not come up in Google Earth or other mapping programs.

This is a satellite view of "Ought One." If you zoom out on that map, you'll see what I mean about it being in the middle of nowhere.




Berkley, MO is near the St. Louis airport and St. Peters is NW of St. Louis.
Last edited by Rich Melvin
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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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