We chased the UP 844 today from Navasota to Magnolia. We watched it on the run at downtown Navasota, at a crossing just outside Navasota and another crossing at Stoneham. It stopped at Magnolia, where my kids got an up close look. More photos are on my new website www.CandLGW.com.
Stopped in Spring Tx for about 15 minutes: Why we railfans aren't much liked sometimes: At the station in Houston:
Thanks for the coverage from down in Texas. I'll bet the crew likes the weather down there better than what we had in Cheyenne when they left
Here's a link to my photos on another site from the Denton area. Viewing Album: UP 844 Heritage tour - Railroad Picture Archives.NET also posted them on railimages: txronharris Gallery - RailImages.com Chased her to Roanoake and called it a day. It was really cool to see a steam locomotive in person for the first time. Hopefully UP will send another through Texas soon.
Here it is parked in Houston on Monday. Today it headed south, first on the BNSF to Algoa then on the old MoPac line heading southwest to Bloomington. Here it is turning onto the BNSF mainline to Galveston in Alvin. And coming to a stop at the old Santa Fe depot in Alvin.
I chased UP 844 from Prescott to North Little Rock.It will be on display tomorrow in North Little Rock and leave out Fri.My first ever steam videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nARnVZrk7E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIdflILQXak http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGmsruCq1ps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQKG5XqxZkY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NtGDqQk548 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgzTR4enPL4
844 made the editorial page of the Corpus Christi Caller Times today with a letter to the editor (from Lionel hobbyist John Lott Bluntzer) patting UP on the back for sending the steamer down to South Texas. He figures first time there has been a steam train in the Corpus Christi area for 50 years. Bluntzer also thanked the newspaper for its advance coverage of routes, time schedules, etc for folks to see the train, and its front-page color picture the day after. I missed the train myself because it was sidetracked for other trains to pass, well over an hour late and I had to abandon trackside to go to class. When I was 20 (45 years ago!), I skipped a class to ride behind a steam-powered SCHEDULED/ REVENUE mixed train on the Moscow, Camden and San Augustine, and I don't regret it. But now I am a teaching assistant and it would be too obvious if I skipped. I got to see the American Freedom Train steam through Flatonia for several short but exciting seconds in 1976. Oh well, maybe the 844 will come back again in another 40 or 50 years. (But will I?)
Funny, Every time I chased her I couldnt go the speed limit either. Didnt really matter what the weather was.<G>
844 came thru Wagoner yesterday, stopped briefly for servicing, and headed north on the former MoPac to Coffeyville, KS. Here is a video of the Valley Eagle Heritage Tour approaching Wagoner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJmajPN5_-c And another of the same train at track speed between Wagoner and Inola: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMTZbXNx75M Yes, that's an airplane following.....I first spotted it at Wagoner. Hope he had enough fuel.....
