IRM celebrated EMD's 100th anniversary this weekend. I took the boy. We enjoyed ourselves.
Anyone have any knowledge of, or ever visited the Cripple Creek & Victor narrow gauge RR? Thinking about checking it out on our visit to Colorado.
It doesn't look like a particularly scenic ride, but but also seems pretty cheap for a coal-fired steam trip.
In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :
They run a bunch of European narrow gauge steam locomotives, which includes a really neat Orenstein & Koppel-built 0-4-4-0T Mallet.
That alone seems worth going to see. The track is laid on the old right of ways of both the Florence & Cripple Creek and the Midland Terminal.
In reply to NickD :
Especially for $17/ticket it seems crazy to pass it up!
In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :
Yeah, for a 4-mile trip? That's pretty reasonable. They also have a Henschel 0-4-0T+T (tank and tender) and an H.K. Porter 0-4-0T. They have a second 0-4-4-0T Mallet, built by British firm W.G. Bagnall, that they are working on. I wonder if either of those 0-4-4-0s are the one that was supposed to go to Steamtown USA originally
NickD said:In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :
They run a bunch of European narrow gauge steam locomotives, which includes a really neat Orenstein & Koppel-built 0-4-4-0T Mallet.
That alone seems worth going to see. The track is laid on the old right of ways of both the Florence & Cripple Creek and the Midland Terminal.
Looking at this again, I just realized that the front engine has an inboard frame, while the rear engine has an outboard frame. I don't think I've ever seen that before.
In reply to Appleseed :
I need to get out to IRM one of these years. Maybe next year for their Diesel Days celebration, when they fire up just about everything that runs and let people take the throttle. It makes a pretty good venue to celebrate EMC/EMD's big 100th anniversary, since they have both the very first GP7 (C&NW #1518) and the very first SD7 (SP #1518). And, no, that's not a typo, both units were coincidentally numbered #1518 by their owners.
If GM had stuck to their guns though, they could have held the celebration at their own corporate museum. When GM renamed Electro-Motive Corporation to Electro-Motive Division, they had a big press release and part of the news was that EMD would have it's own corporate historical collection. EMD would set aside one example of each major model, and they even had dioramas showing the large display that would go with each locomotive. That museum never came to be though, and even the dioramas and most of the press material for the proposed corporate museum were destroyed.
I read an amusing anecdote about when #1518 was donated to IRM. C&NW had chopped the nose on the #1518 when they rebuilt it in the 1970s, also renumbered it to #4311, but when they decided to donate it to IRM, they decided to rebuild it to as-delivered appearance with the high nose. The rebuilt nose was pretty much an empty shell though, there was none of the internal components like the sand hopper, even though it still had the access hatch for the hopper. When it was moved Dead-In-Tow to IRM, it passed through a service depot and a C&NW employee who was operating essentially on autopilot, not noticing the age of the #1518, opened the hatch and poured a bunch of sand in to fill the hopper that wasn't there. IRM employees said that after delivery, and discovery that the nose was full of sand, they cleaned it out as best they could, but for decades afterwards the #1518 would still shake sand loose from the front every time that they coupled it.
SP #1518 is much less prettier. It was put through SP's GRIP (General Rehabilitation and Improvement Program) process in its Sacramento shops in the 1980 and was stripped to the frame and came out as basically a new unit. Whatever hadn't been changed on it during previous maintenance work was lost during the upgrade to an SD7R. The unit received a reconditioned 16-567C block, modified to receive 645E liners, making it a 16-645CE, all-new electrical components and controls upgraded to Dash-2 standards, new traction motors, a full light package on both ends, and a modernized carbody with a slight hump behind the cab for the new electrical equipment. The dual controls, winterization hatch, Nathan horns, and dual fuel tanks were all removed and the dynamic brake blister remained, but the grids were internally disconnected. It was sidelined by mechanical issues in 1997, then UP recognized it's historical significance and set it aside during the 1998 merger. UP donated it to IRM in 2003 and IRM crews got it up and running in pretty short order and it operates on special occasions. IRM has the money set aside for a full restoration but is torn on what era, number, or configuration it should be restored to, since essentially nothing except the frame is left from the demonstrator that left LaGrange in 1951. It was delivered with dual control stands and the big "ash can" Gyralite and Black Widow liver, which seems the most appropriate look to restore it to, but modifications to the carbody would mean that it wouldn't be historically correct, so repainting it in fresh Bloody Nose seems the way to make it look most historically correct.
Define irony : museums trying to make their articles look as pristine as possible, and model railroaders trying to make pristine model look beat to hell.
If I could only replicate that patina...
In reply to Appleseed :
"Over-weathering ruins the realism."
NickD said:In reply to Appleseed :
"Over-weathering ruins the realism."
If you model the Espee, there's really no such thing. Seems like the folks at SP's shops made sure the glass was clean, and that was it. (Although they occasionally didn't even go that far...)
Recon1342 said:NickD said:In reply to Appleseed :
"Over-weathering ruins the realism."
If you model the Espee, there's really no such thing. Seems like the folks at SP's shops made sure the glass was clean, and that was it. (Although they occasionally didn't even go that far...)
The scorching hot climate and all the tunnels and snow sheds over Donner Pass did a number on SP units. Same at D&RGW. PRR was also pretty bad about cleaning their equipment, even going back to their steam era. Even a major overhaul didn't guarantee that one of their locomotives would get cleaned. Southern equipment running on the Rathole Division would get pretty ratty looking. And Clinchfield's diesels were notoriously filthy as well, between coal dust, brake shoe dust and soot from the tunnels.
More grungy Clinchfield power at the Erwin, TN shops. That weird satellite dish-looking thing on top of F7A #801 is a Hancock air whistle.
The sole torpedo tube GP7 on the Clinchfield roster. It was originally built for Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis, then was folded into the L&N roster, and then sold to Clinchfield in 1965.
"They pull the same tonnage, dirty or clean," was a quote attributed to a Clinchfield operating official from the 1970s, and it shows on these GP38s at Dante, VA.
Clinchfield's sole FP7, #200 (later CSXT #118), at the Splashdam coal tipple at Splashdam, Virginia with an excursion.. Despite it's decrepit appearance, this was still an active customer at the time. This was to be an Erwin to St. Paul round trip behind antique Clinchfield 4-6-0 #1, but she came up lame with a broken eccentric. At the last minute, the railroad offered the sponsor, the East Tennessee NRHS Chapter, an alternative: a diesel trip from Erwin to Elkhorn City and back, with many additional photo stops, behind the #200, and with an added bonus by adding office car #100 on the rear, which #1 would not have been able to pull. Some of the folks from out of town arrived that morning to learn of the change, and were quite upset, and the club, in a real class move, said that if they rode and didn't have fun, they would refund their fare. After a long day of photo stops in great weather and cab rides in #200 offered to anyone interested, there was no one demanding a refund.
A freakish creation belonging to the Haysi Railroad, a 7-mile switching railroad that served various coal mines around Haysi, VA and interchanged with Clinchfield, Seaboard Coast Line, and L&N. In 1970, Clinchfield sold an F7B to the Haysi, which then added a window and control stand on one end, remote control, footboards and a reverse light. Haysi #1 spent several years switching coal cars at Haysi as the sole motive power, until Haysi leased four SD18s and four SD9s from the DM&IR
On the subject of Clinchfield, today, in a move that generated a lot of ill will instantly, CSX announced that for a third straight year they will not run the Santa Train, which was a tradition started by Clinchfield in 1942. CSX cited the typical crew shortages (that they created) and sUpPPly ChAiN IsSUeS for the reason for cancellation this year. Meanwhile, Clinchfield somehow managed to run theirs during WWII. Funny though how CSX always has enough man power to run their business cars around the system and somehow that particular non-revenue move doesn’t hinder the supply chain. On top of that, it supposedly only take one person to run a train. That’s what CEO Jim Foote said, so maybe he should just volunteer to run it himself and it’ll free up that crew. It's also a one time train on a line where they no longer run even run coal trains, just a daily local, so I can't see it affecting traffic that much. In an era where railroads, and particularly CSX, are drowning in bad publicity, does CSX really want more bad PR? Apparently so. The general consensus seems to be that CSX is planning on just cancelling it for a couple years straight and hoping to discontinue the whole thing without anyone noticing
The comments on Facebook were particularly scathing. One person joked that CSX issued a statement to the STB that the Santa Train would disrupt Gulf Coast traffic even more than Amtrak service (particularly amusing considering it runs from Shelby, KY to Kingsport, TN). Another said that maybe all the executives got on Santa's "naughty" list and will not receive anything this year so canceling his train is their way of getting back at him. Another wrote that, in a letter to the presidential advisory board, CSX disclosed that the Santa Train does not contribute to company profits as Santa gives things away for good behavior - not good purchasing power. There was a suggestion that maybe CSX should do a Festivus train instead, where they complain about how the quarterly earning results have disappointed them again.
The most impressive running of the CSX/Clinchfield Santa Train was the 50th anniversary in 1992. CSX somehow managed to convince Union Pacific to lend them UP #3985 and then letter and number it as Clinchfield #676 for the event. The reason for borrowing #3985 was that Clinchfield did own a couple of Challengers that had been part of an order of UP 3900-series Challengers, which were then diverted to D&RGW because of WWII and sold to the Clinchfield afterwards. Steve Lee and crew ran the #3985 farther east than she had ever been, added new number plates and magnetic lettering, and put on a helluva show. It wasn't without incident, with an attempt to turn "#676" on the Kingston wye failing and putting a couple tender axles on the dirt and a tight passing siding resulting in the left running board getting crumpled on a coal hopper, but the event is still legendary. To this day, I can't think of another time a modern Class I railroad borrowed a steam locomotive from another Class I railroad's corporate program.
This Friday I leave for my trip out to Edon, Ohio to ride behind NKP #765 on the Indiana Rail Experience. I was already excited enough just for a 100-mile round trip across three states behind NKP #765, but then it got better when they announced that Little River Railroad would be running 25-minute round trips out of Hillsdale during the 3-hour layover. Due to the photos on Facebook, I assumed they were just bringing out Little River Railroad #11, the world's smallest standard gauge Pacific, which was special enough, but now after reading some of the comments, they're actually bringing out #110 and Little River Railroad #1, an 0-4-0T of age and provenance unknown to even them, and will be running doubleheader trips with them. And then last night, Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society announced that on Sunday, in place of #765's usual Nathan 5-chime whistle, they will be using the whistle off of Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis #576. This is to celebrate the 80th birthday of NC&StL #576, which is undergoing an operational restoration in Nashville.
In a similar vein of using a whistle to raise funding/awareness for a project, Western Maryland Scenic Railroad ran a special charter trip for the T1 Trust and used the new-construction PRR 3-chime that will go on PRR #5550 on C&O/WMSR #1309. That makes that whistle the first part of T1 #5550 to see usage. Those PRR 3-chime whistles are a very gentle and melodious-sounding whistle. Kelly Anderson used to say that the whistle on PRR #1223 would lull you to sleep.
WMSR is also running a benefit dinner train with #1309 on October 14th to raise money for PRR #1361's restoration, and will be wearing the PRR 3-Chime off of #1361 for the event. It will be a one-price, no-assigned-seating, all-first-class accommodations in coach, lounge, and dome cars, with a pre-departure reception, two night photo opportunities, raffles for cab rides in #1309, a cash bar, and live music. Attendees will have the opportunity to visit the cab and blow #1309’s (1361’s) whistle. Seems like a pretty neat event for $361 if you have the scratch.
PRR #1361 remains the big restoration project that I'm really waiting on to get finished. It's the best chance at seeing a PRR steam engine with a fire in the firebox and it deserves a shot at running again after spending decades as a perennial hard luck case. No word on where they are going to run it, although the Nittany & Bald Eagle seems a solid bet, since that was where she ran back in '87. Same with the Northern Central/Steam Into History. I could possibly see an appearance at Colebrookdale Railroad too, since they're big on PRR heritage and they run a lot of Gothic Era heavyweight equipment. Alan Maples, president of the Everett Railroad, is part of the board in charge of the new restoration and the Everett is just a hop, skip and a jump from Altoona, but I think #1361 is a bit too big and has too high of axle loadings for the Everett. I'm guessing she'll do a stint at Strasburg, but watching an 80" drivered Pacific running tender first at 5mph is a bit anticlimatic. That being said, if Strasburg offers In-Cab Experiences for #1361, and it seems likely they would, you can bet your ass I would go down there for the experience. Reading & Northern, well, Andy Muller doesn't seem too keen on bringing in guest locomotives.
You'll need to log in to post.
