Well thank you LS! Unfortunately computers break down and I've been without mine for the last 8 days. I was having a TB fit! My hands have stopped shaking now. LOL! LOL! LOL!
I actually got to crack the throttle and move a B&M Consolidation a short distance at the tender age of 14. We were on the 2-mile long passing/interchange siding between Hoosick and Petersburg Jct., NY ... and no Bulls were anywhere in sight
The trouble is, some of us did not appreciate steam enough until we realised it was dissappearing fast, and had to rush around photographing as many as possible whilst they were still around. The saddest sights were rows of withdrawn engines building up in every available siding, as they could not cut them up as fast as they were retiring them
Hank Was that a 2400 or a 2600/2700? Gil - Ex B&M signalman. [ 27 January 2002, 03:39: Message edited by: signalguy ]
YOU NEVER HEARD REAL STEAM? YOU WANT TO SEE REAL STEAM? For those of you who did not know real steam up close and personal, nor hear the steam whistles, May I very highly recommend this VHS tape? "Steep Steel & Slipping, Stalling Steam !!! Vol II" Main Line Motion Pictures, Post Office Box #24480, Richmond, Virginia 23224 (They take personal checks) Vol.I is OK, but Vol.II contains all of Vol.I's footage and more. 20 different locomotives! There is no other video like it, there are over 100 wheel slips or spins. Every scene is either a hard pull up a notable grade, or a hard start wheel spin! It has #611 on Saluda grade, #1218 starting in West Virginia, and one where Western Maryland #734 starts a coal drag from a dead stop while headed up a 2.4% grade!! The stack blast sounds like cannon fire! Engine #734 gets into a sag with all the heavy weight passenger cars rolling down on him, and he tries to back up, but just spins. He makes several tries, and you will see the engine actually slide down hill with the drivers locked! I wont spoil it by telling how he got out of this mess! There is NO MUSIC to drown out the real serious sounds of these steam engines on full sound film: No's- 611,614,261,18,1218,2102,1278,1223,4960,12,190,734,7,722,142,4825,2860,475, & 2765 so turn your volumn up, it is an action packed video you will enjoy in stereo! (It plays just as well in mono, you just do not hear the engines pass by like with stereo.) I paid $29.95 plus $3.00 shipping, and it comes in a hard protective case, not a paper sleve! There are some late model and really old steamers on this tape, but I can truthfully say, "No dinosaurs were killed in the making of this video!"
STEAM? Is there anything better? Born and raised in Altoona, PA during the 40's and 50's. Sat on my Grandmother's front porch almost everynight (30 feet from mainline) watching the big steam starting out of Altoona and heading up the mountain to the Horseshoe curve. The steam would come past full out, making the windows raddle and ciders coming down like rain. Watching the steam around the Horseshoe curve is still etched in my memory. My last steam ride was on the tender of a Baldwin 2-6-0 traveling high in the mountains of Ecuador Southamerica about 6 years ago. Sat behind the engineer as we swayed down the rail at about 50 MPH. Even had a emergeny stop for a cow on the tracks!. ...Eddie
I was born in October 1956, when steam was all but gone. My best memories of steam were of UP's 8444 in 1984 and 1985 (still had this number back then), and 3985 in Aug. 1992 and June 1995. Not to mention the steamers on the ES&NA in Arkansas, and the slim-gagers here in Colorado. I'm envious of those who saw and ran steam back in the day, but I'll be the old poot who will be regailing my grandchildren with memories of the CB&Q, Rock Island, Frisco, Katy, CGW, and so on (albeit all in diesel). I'm grateful for those with memories of the age of steam.
Please Gil, have a heart I was only 14, and was so excited and nervous, I'm lucky to remember it was a Consolidation I do remember that it was assigned to a local freight out of Mechanicsville. It was either daily or tri-weekly, that turned somewhere between Hoosick Falls and North Adams, depending on drops and pickups. I think its last year was '49 or '50, when it was replaced by a switcher in Black with Red and White stripes. The switcher was probably an Alco S-2, because I don't remember any EMD SW-9's in Black, just Maroon and Gold. Where were you assigned? There was an engineer who lived in Hoosick with his two sisters. I don't remember his name, but he was qualified on all F's out of Mechanicsville. Every time he came through Hoosick, he would blow a distinctive pattern just to say "Hi" [ 28 January 2002, 03:46: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]
Hank I was in the signal gang several times, 2nd trick maintainer on hump in Mechanicville in 49, maintainer at several places, gang foreman and Asst. Supvr. from 65 to 71 on Conn. River from Springfield to Berlin, NH when I went with FRA. Gil
One of my greatest thrills was driving an 0-6-0 tank locomotive from Cardiff General Station (in Wales), to Cardiff Canton locomotive depot. At three in the morning! (The station pilot crew were going off-duty, and let me put the locomotive away for them) I had been on the engine for several hours. Great times Not sure what would have happened to the crew if anyone had found out
This is the type of locomotive I got to drive This was photographed at Severn Tunnel Junction (also in South Wales)
Heck, I am 14, and I choose to live in what remains of the age of steam. I still like diesels some, but no GP something or another can take the place of even a lowly 0-4-0 of some type, much less a 2-8-0 or a 4-8-4. I choose to live in the age of steam, and I love it.
