You are so right. I was looking at steam fantrip pictures on a non-railfan website that featured pictures as you describe, with smoke and steam everywhere. Someone had posted "These sure looked nice, but too bad they polluted so much." Arrrgh! Talk about MISINFORMED.
I don't remember seeing much, if any smoke on the NYC's Harlem Division commuters, or at the Hudson Division Harmon engine terminal when the Hudsons and Niagaras were starting the massive heavy weights after changing from GCT electrics. Believe me, those engines were pounding. I never heard drivers spin at Harmon. Though to be honest, when my father's commuter engineers opened the throttle at 7 AM, those K and J drivers spun quite often. Hey, how many of you guys could handle a steam throttle at 7 AM every morning after just a few hours sleep? Wonderful memories. Jim, what about you on the Mohawk between Albany and Little Falls?
At the stack, most of what people are seeing is water vapor (steam), with some soot (inert) in it. The cooler the outdoor temperature, the more it stands out.
Wasatch Mountain Railway 2-8-2 36, Vivian Park, UT, 1978 (Beyer Patton) Wasatch Mountain Railway 2-8-2 100, Heber City, UT, 1978 (Beyer Patton)
Rayonier 2-6-6-2T 110, Heber City, UT, 1978 (Beyer Patton) CP 4-4-0 60 "Jupiter" aka V&T 22 "Inyo", Promontory, UT, 1978 (Beyer Patton)
That place would be fun to model. A small yard, some trackside industries and other structures, etc. And the occasional grand lady paying a visit!
Passing the tank at Hermosa, CO, July 11, 1982 (Beyer Patton) At the Silverton Depot, July 11, 1982 (Beyer Patton)
It could have been an old ROW, but now it's just a scenic road. https://goo.gl/maps/v1KPVbKRveVD3fam7 Russ, do you know if this is an old ROW?
I just looked at all my old maps and books and can't find anything. There were a bunch of wagon roads spreading out from Silverton to service the many mines in the district. On the Google Map image you can see a lot of mine tailings on the mountainside above that road that you pinned. However that road is on the other side of town. The grade in question is highway 33 on the face of Kendall Mountain. https://www.google.com/maps/@37.808...PNFCCq-cdrfZBFpKTNnPT!2e10!3e11!7i3840!8i1920
I did a little digging. There were two railroads out of Silverton aside from the Rio Grande. One was the Silverton RR, running to a place named "Red Mountain. (Twelve miles.) The other was the Silverton Northern RR, which extended to Animas Forks, (fourteen miles), with a couple of branches. If anyone would care to play with Google maps, etc.......
