CHESSIE LIVES!!! On the way home from a Dark Sky Star Party at Spruce Knob, WV, which turned out to be an overcast wash from the one night I was there, I came across a gem on the way home that made the whole trip worth it. As I crossed a RR crossing near Petersburg, WV, in the valley I saw sun glinting off roof tops. I decided to park and shoot photos, as the morning fog and sun coming off the mountains at 9:00 AM already made for an intriguing shot. When the train closed in, I thought my eyes deceived me, but they did not. Second in line was a Chessie painted GP9, with B&O reporting marks still on the side. The engine's paint job was crisp, so it has been given some love. This must be the very last Chessie painted engine. It made the four hour overnight trip well worth it.
That was a consist of the South Branch Valley Railroad. They are owned by the State of WV, and run both freight and an excursion train, the Potomac Eagle. Nice shot!
Are they keeping that Geep intact for historic purposes? Or just have not come around to painting it as yet?
With this info, I'd imagine they are leaving it as such. Pretty cool to see a Chessie still earning revenue.
Very cool to see that. I saw an old Chessie caboose at Radnor Yard in Nashville today, but all markings have been painted over, and it is very very faded. It's used as a shove platform now. I'd love to see more kitties riding the rails again.
http://www.potomaceagle.info/train.php boxcab, they are indeed keeping that GP9 intact and painted in Chessie colors as part of the excursion aspect of the railroad. They also have a B&O F7, another Geep, a C&O F7 ... check out the link or just Google "Potomac Eagle" for more info and pictures of their locos and passenger equipment. And YES, still earning revenue! My wife and I were fortunate enough to win an all-day trip on it this past summer. I recommend it highly.
If you all like it..... help me out by going to the website... http://www.railpictures.net/photo/450858 If you even want, if you are a member, vote it for a people's choice Tired of seeing other people get them. And I think its a pretty good photo, with the mist in the background and all.
Wow, I think my heart skipped a beat when I looked at your photo. It's great to see the Chessie kitten lives on. Thanks for sharing.
Holy cow. That's awesome. I'm going to have to make a trip up there and find that thing. For a minute, I wondered if your photo wasn't a carefully done model shot.
