Chesapeake & Ohio 614 Excursions

Chase the 614T during the "testing" for the proposed ACE3000.  Never ridden behind her.

I chased the CHESSIE SAFETY EXPRESS 614 in September,1980 from Sand Patch to Rockwood,PA., where the engine was serviced and turned for the return trip to Cumberland,MD. where the excursion originated.
I also have pics of 614 at Confluence,PA., but I think that was a ferry move west to Pittsburgh.

Most of my pics that day are pretty bad, but this one is interesting; 614 rests on the Rockwood wye as the unique fire engine from Rockwood VFD pumps water from a creek up to 614's tender

I "chased" the 614 three times, and made videos of all three.

On the B&O out of Cumberland over Sand Patch and 17-mile grades

On the C&O James River Line plus pacing her up Alleghany Mountain.

On the C&O out of Huntington, WV on the C&O New River line to Hinton, testing for the Ace 3000 project.

I rode behind her once. I had a great time but unfortunately she blew a piston ring or at least that's what I was told. The rest of the trip was diesels. This was o e of the trips to Port Jervis. 

Think she'll ever be under steam again in our life time?

I watched and videoed almost every run the #614 made running on NJT in the Bergen County area. Awesome machine. I never imagined the #614 would end up stuffed and mounted but I guess it could have been worse.

Chased and rode behind her in 1998 Hoboken trips.  I was in the open window coach.  Actually, it really was a NO window coach!  I can't decide if that trip or the New River trips in an open window coach were better!

Both were pulled by Limas with that great shot-gun exhaust, and both I will never forget.  It was also fun to watch the looks on people's faces when they saw me after riding all day in an open-window coach!

Standard Gauge posted:

Chased and rode behind her in 1998 Hoboken trips.  I was in the open window coach.  Actually, it really was a NO window coach!  I can't decide if that trip or the New River trips in an open window coach were better!

Both were pulled by Limas with that great shot-gun exhaust, and both I will never forget.  It was also fun to watch the looks on people's faces when they saw me after riding all day in an open-window coach!

 

 

 

 

 

I probably have you on video during that Oct. Noreaster! Man was it raining.

Some nice pics here: http://www.rgusrail.com/vacorhc.html#coj3a614 although I'm not a fan of the green. 

Sadly, I don't remember much of the trip...I was only 4 or 5. I do remember waiting to board in Battle Creek MI in light rain, looking from the observation platform, and getting a cinder in my eye.

During my railroad career I was fortunate enough to ride the cab of C&O 614 on the Chessie Safety Express in 1979. A couple of things immediately come to mind about that trip. One was the fact that although I had overalls on over my jeans and my shirt was tucked in, when I stepped into the shower afterward, there was soot on my skin under the elastic waistband of my underwear. It was just everywhere. Another vivid memory was while running along with 19 coaches at just under 60 MPH, I looked out the cab window at the drivers and was amazed at how effortlessly they were turning. There was no doubt this locomotive was capable of much faster speeds. 

Along the same lines, I had the opportunity to ride the cab of NKP 587 many times during it's runs for the Indiana Transportation Museum. Although never at speeds above 40 MPH, it left me with pretty much the same impressions. These experiences taught me a lot. I was raised by a family of enginemen. My Grandfather, father, and all three of his brothers were all engineers. All the talk and stories around the kitchen table when I was a kid about how miserable steam locomotive cab conditions were….. hot in the summer, how cold they were in the winter, how much work and acquired skill these machines required was all true. Never once did I step down from the cab of a steam locomotive without thinking "I'm glad these **** things are gone" speaking solely from the aspect of my earning my living as locomotive engineer at the time. I loved to ride and observe these locomotives, but they were/are extremely labor intensive to maintain and operate. I'm thankful some are still here and hope they never disappear, as they truly are something very special to see in operation.

I could go on but I do not want to detour this thread. The 614 was an awesome locomotive.

Hudson J1e posted:

I rode behind her once. I had a great time but unfortunately she blew a piston ring or at least that's what I was told. The rest of the trip was diesels. This was o e of the trips to Port Jervis. 

I was on that trip as well...a bummer but at least it was on the return trip.

What an amazing locomotive. There is nothing quite like seeing the big 4-8-4's at speed.

yankspride4 posted:

Hudson J1e posted:

I rode behind her once. I had a great time but unfortunately she blew a piston ring or at least that's what I was told. The rest of the trip was diesels. This was o e of the trips to Port Jervis. 

I was on that trip as well...a bummer but at least it was on the return trip.

What an amazing locomotive. There is nothing quite like seeing the big 4-8-4's at speed.

I too was on that same trip!

Hello,

Thought I'd share these photos with you.   I don't have the ability to just scan my old photos into the computer,  so I took photos with my digital camera of the old photos and downloaded them.   My old photos were taken with a Minolta XG-7 35mm and are much sharper than the copies.   Back on July 11-12, 1981,  I was a journeyman maintenance machinist working the 11-7 midnight shift at US Steel's Homestead Works.   It was a very hot week with daytime temps in the 90's and night temps in the mid-upper 70's.    My buddy(another train nut working the same shift as me) and I both knew about the Chessie Safety Express being in the Pittsburgh area for a few days,  so we decided to use our motorcycles for some train chasing.   Immediately after finishing our "dead man shift",  we rode to Pittsburgh and the old B&O Grant St passenger station/freight terminal complex along 2nd Ave.   It was already a hot, hazy start to the day as can be seen in the first group of photos.   The large bridge in the background is the Liberty Bridge and to the left of the trackage is the Parkway east/west.   The entire B&O Grant St complex is long gone,  having been replaced with the Allegheny County jail and a rails to trails route.     We arrived just in time to get some photos of the local Chessie GP-9(that was used for switching that area) departing the station with the passenger train on it's way to the B&O Glenwood Yard and shops(Chessie yard & shops by this time) to be coupled to the 614,  which had been kept at Glenwood overnight.    We learned that the next stop for the Express would be at the old B&O station/yard in Connellsville, Pa,   so we rode like maniacs in order to be there and get setup on the Pa state route 201 bridge that crossed over the tracks entering Connellsville.

The following photos were taken at Connellsville, Pa.   There were quite a few patrons riding the train that day.   I'll always remember that beautiful whistle and the ground shaking/vibrating when she pulled out! 

Thanks for looking at the good old days.

Nick