Hello everyone. I'm a past member of the forums, but recently rejoined and hope to become more active in the future. While I'm a fan of mainline steam like many of you, I also enjoy researching the various details and other information which make each excursion, as well as the groups which operate them, unique. Recently I picked up a copy of Pentrex's St. Louis Steam Celebration, and there were a few interesting things which caught my attention, particularly about the Cotton Belt 819. First, I was curious as to why the engine was not able to make the Trains photo shoot with the 844, 1522, and 1218. Judging from the sun angles, the engine appeared to have arrived in East St. Louis either midday, or early afternoon. While I understand that it took some time to clean the engine, it still appeared that it could have made the photo shoot since it was held later in the afternoon. Second, it was noted that the engine was to travel from East St. Louis back to Pine Bluff in one day. That seemed unusual considering that the inbound trip took two days. What was the reasoning behind this?
Josh
