Stuff I missed just recently--the Ohio Central held a photo special featuring their 4-8-4, former GTW 6325, and Western Maryland put on a spectacular show with 734. There are photos out there on the net. This one is courtesy of and taken by my friend Mike Morgan, of 6325 putting on a show. Darn, I'm sorry I missed this. Send me more Mike. See why I love steam in Winter?
The stack steam plume can be really spectacular. Especially if the engineer and fireman are on top of it all. Boxcab E50
There's something about a nice warm steam engine on a cold day that really gets to you! Nice shot! Russ
I must have a problem with my little smoke unit. I just can not get it to smoke like that Fitz! Do you suppose I need to hook it up to 220v?
The UP does not usually operate their engines when it is cold but when they came down from Wyoming to Houston they had plenty of it to start with. Steve Lee said they sometimes have visibility problem when the speed is low and a tail wind blows the steam in front of them. The worst problem was when they had to drop the fire in St. Louis to replace a circulator tube in the fire box. When they fired the engine back up a few days later every appliance with condensed steam vapor in it was froze up. They had to use all kinds of strange heating devices like torches, hair dryers and electric blankets to thaw out the pumps and dynamo to get it all working again.
Watash, I'll bet 220V would make it smoke like that, just for a little while. Russ, I love your Flushing comment which you have had on your sig for a while. Makes me want to add : "We're going to Drain, Oregon." There really is a town named Drain, and man, we need to drain it right now. Continuous rain for days. Russell I had read reports about all of this canvas and stuff all over 3985 and speculation of some secret stuff. Then when I read that the temp was 6 degrees or so I figured they had to do some thawing.
We could also use a Drain here in NYC, except we would have to melt all of the frozen precipitation that we have had first. Second year in a row that we are above normal for precipitation and snow! Russ
I've been to Drain, Oregon. Seemed like a nice little place. There once was nice wooden depot, with a train order signal. I can just envision a steamer pounding past years ago. And daydream about finding an SP train order copied there for my collection.... Boxcab E50
Mike sent me another, 6325 leaving Dennison. Other places on the net where folks have published pix of this event, they have all mentioned how bitterly cold it was. Sure looks like it from this steam plume.
