That's just awesome! Great perspective!
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| Posted by Rick on May 21, 2014 | |
Beautiful shot. The diesels are "helping grandpa along" - it is like seeing a former star athlete using a walker :)) Anyway, it is still working and that is the main thing. Thanks for posting this
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Rick, I have to agree with you. For years, restored steam locomotives ran without the assistance of a diesel in the consist. I can understand having a diesel in the consist to provide electrical power for the cars and to help with the braking on hills. But having 2 diesels is more than that. There's ample electrical power between the 2 diesels to power a small town. I counted 16 cars in addition to the 2 diesels and there appears to be more hidden at the rear. The total weight of the consist may be more than the 2-8-0 can handle considering the grades in that area. Either way, I feel a diesel does not belong in the consist. "Grandpa" did just fine for many years all by myself. If that was me, I'd be insulted.
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Fan-F'in'-Tastic! I've got to get me one of those drone thingies. :-)
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Kind of sad, considering British mainline steam engines can still haul 8+ coaches without a diesel to assist. I was fortunate to ride on A4 Sir Nigel Gresley. Not only is the engine 75 years old, it also holds the record for the post WWII speed record for steam. I wish our preservation of steam engines here in the US was as robust as in Britain.
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Great shot - though, even upon opening "full res" it looks like a thumb view. Quite daring with the UAV, eh?
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The 630 can pull this consist I'm sure, but on stiff grades she'll be down to less than 10MPH. The diesels are merely to keep the train at the 40 MPH speed limit. It is important that the speed is maintained as all freight traffic must stop for the excursion. Even at 40 MPH, a busy mainline like the CNO&TP gets congested real quick!
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