Nice video of these two with plenty of smoke, some great lighting, and side by side
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Me and the wife were lucky enough to ride behind the 1225/765 doubleheader back in 2009.
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Look at all the smoke. 
I don't like photo charters.
Great video c.sam! Thanks for posting it.
Rich, I focused on the locomotives themselves. Absolutely splendid locomotives!
I would like to ask, do locomotive operators try to limit the unnecessary smoke for the photo run-by? Fans may want to see it, but I believe you have explained the cons of operating a locomotive that way.
I just appreciate seeing a machine like this in motion and the people who make it happen.
On these private photo charters, the participants have paid big bucks to get a series of exclusive photos, often staged with period freight cars, automobiles and people in the shots. They don't care whether we are operating the locomotive efficiently or not. All they are interested in is shooting dramatic pictures, and they always want lots of smoke. But they are the customers and the customer is always right...unfortunately. 
A day working a photo charter is harder on the locomotive and crew than running all day at 40 mph and pulling 18 cars upgrade around Horseshoe Curve.
As silly question for Rich or whoever, but are the whistles different on each loco or is the PM whistle just more "worn" so to speak?
Originally Posted by RickO:
As silly question for Rich or whoever, but are the whistles different on each loco or is the PM whistle just more "worn" so to speak?
Different whistles as I recall.
Two totally different whistles...
Ok for us uneducated folks. Rich what makes the photo excursions harder on the engine than a normal excursion as you mentioned?
Originally Posted by bluecometk:
Ok for us uneducated folks. Rich what makes the photo excursions harder on the engine than a normal excursion as you mentioned?
Think of the effect of drag racing with your car all day. Pedal down through the gears, hard stop, reverse, repeat. Then add overfiring to make smoke. Looks good. Sounds good. Not so good on the machinery. Boiler pressure is going all over the place with the throttle wide open, then closed.
On most of the excursions, you are not working at maximum capacity, and even then, it's generally a mostly-steady rate for miles on end--as opposed to start/stop every mile or so. Two totally different worlds.
Kevin
Kevin, that's a great explanation.
The hardest wear on the boiler is caused by temperature changes. When you work wide open for 60 seconds, shut off, back up easy, sit for 10 minutes while the photographers move, then go wide open again for the next runby, the boiler endures some drastic temperature changes. Do that all day - 20 to 40 times - and you have really beat up the locomotive.
Running 250 - 300 miles at 40 mph is MUCH easier on the locomotive than all the starting and stopping involved in a day on a photo charter.
Thank you for the training. Feel a little stupid now, I should have been able to figure that out for myself.
Thank you both again.
That was an awesome weekend... the changing whistles was a touch.
Here are some of my videos from time and money well spent in Michigan. (I only shot video on Saturday which was #765 only)
Rob
