M J Breen posted:Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:Question about the inspection, how long does that typically take assuming everything is A-Okay with 611 from top to bottom?
42
Going off the top of my head - I think that's a nod to "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" if I'm not mistaken. "The answer to everything is 42."
For Art's benefit ...
trumptrain posted:Great photo M.J. Breen! So 611 is fired up during the move.
Absolutely.
I was thinking that the 611 was going to be pulled dead in tow.
A steam locomotive can not be towed dead, unless the main rods are removed, which then limits the towing speed because the running Gera would be out of balance. The lubrication for the valves and pistons is carried by way of the steam, i.e. water soluble valve oil, thus it is much easier to simply fire up the steam locomotive, and work a little bit of throttle so that the valves and pistons are always lubricated during movement.
LOL - missed the Hitchhiker allusion! GOOD ONE! ☺
Should be in Dillerville/Lewis yard waiting to get on Amtrak at CP Cork in Lancaster.
Don’t panic - and I remembered to bring a towel.
They are on Amtrak now and headed for Paradise Interchange.
At the Paradise Interchange
Dang it, missed I coming through my area
jhz563 posted:Dang it, missed I coming through my area
#89 is coming to pick up 611 from the interchange as of 5:15pm.
You folks can watch the whole action right now on the Strasburg Rail Road's LIVE webcams (the have two of them now).
Well, at least I saw it on webcam at Leaman place.
M J Breen posted:jhz563 posted:Dang it, missed I coming through my area
Ugh, I even found a way to leave the office. I got to the tracks at 2:45. It must have rolled through about 2:30.
Oh well, it has to come back eventually 
Hot Water posted:trumptrain posted:Great photo M.J. Breen! So 611 is fired up during the move.
Absolutely.
I was thinking that the 611 was going to be pulled dead in tow.
A steam locomotive can not be towed dead, unless the main rods are removed, which then limits the towing speed because the running Gera would be out of balance. The lubrication for the valves and pistons is carried by way of the steam, i.e. water soluble valve oil, thus it is much easier to simply fire up the steam locomotive, and work a little bit of throttle so that the valves and pistons are always lubricated during movement.
Thanks Hot Water! Great info and I much appreciate it!
Video courtesy of my friend Tyler who owns the Red Caboose motel.
Caught her first hand. She’s now in Strasburg down by the shops. She partly doubleheaded with 89 up through the 4.5 miles. She’s finally here
611: BEAUTIFUL, as always! ☺ I have ridden behind her many times, but my spouse actually got a cab ride at speed on one excursion! While a friend was "babysitting" her one night in Chattanooga in 1984, I was able to shovel some coal onto the banked fire and work the injector! I last rode behind her on an excursion from Charlotte To Asheville and return on October 31, 1993.
Great video, can't wait.
M J Breen posted:Video courtesy of my friend Tyler who owns the Red Caboose motel.
Neat to see 89 providing some dynamic braking so 611 has to work a little harder...
Her front prow is now off and the smoke box open from what I have seen and heard.
@Railroadiana Collectors Association steam locomotives do not have dynamic breaking. That applies to diesels only.
Southern6482 posted:M J Breen posted:Video courtesy of my friend Tyler who owns the Red Caboose motel.
Neat to see 89 providing some dynamic braking so 611 has to work a little harder...
Nope. The 89 wasn't doing anything. However, the Engineer on 611 apparently may have had a small amount of train brakes set.
I wish 611 could have come to Pennsylvania without a mainline excursion ban as they could have run longer excursions to Rockville Bridge and return using the modern coaches that were used during the more recent NS excursions minus the five red ones NS sold off. NS apparently kept the generator coach Tennessee for some reason. Oh well, I’ll be riding behind it for the second time on Strasburg in September. First time was the 102 mile excursion from Manassas a few years ago. What prompted NS to say no to more excursions and to make Amtrak host future 611 excursions then Amtrak started the charter ban thus preventing 611 from running any more public excursions on NS? On Strasburg you get open windows though.
Steam locomotives don't have dynamic braking
Hot Water posted:Southern6482 posted:M J Breen posted:Video courtesy of my friend Tyler who owns the Red Caboose motel.
Neat to see 89 providing some dynamic braking so 611 has to work a little harder...
Nope. The 89 wasn't doing anything. However, the Engineer on 611 apparently may have had a small amount of train brakes set.
Steam engines don't do dynamic braking.
Robert K posted:I wish 611 could have come to Pennsylvania without a mainline excursion ban as they could have run longer excursions to Rockville Bridge and return using the modern coaches that were used during the more recent NS excursions minus the five red ones NS sold off. NS apparently kept the generator coach Tennessee for some reason. Oh well, I’ll be riding behind it for the second time on Strasburg in September. First time was the 102 mile excursion from Manassas a few years ago. What prompted NS to say no to more excursions and to make Amtrak host future 611 excursions then Amtrak started the charter ban thus preventing 611 from running any more public excursions on NS? On Strasburg you get open windows though.
Wick Moorman, the reason the second Steam Program and Heritage Units existed/exist, retired from NS as CEO. The new CEO pretty much didn’t think it was worth having, so he cut it. Amtrak is a similar story. I believe (I’m not certain) that the pro-steam CEO retired or was removed and replaced by Richard Anderson, an ex- Delta Airlines CEO/board member. He wants to run the railroad like an airline with out the unnecessary entities such as a steam program. The PTC implementation also killed off steam for a while until a package can be installed into such locomotives. It wasn’t just NS and Amtrak, but also PTC mandates issued by Congress.
Has she left Strasburg? I live really close to the Lancaster Yard and I could’ve sworn, along with a family member, that we heard a Whistle or something blowing for the crossings? Did she leave around 3:00 AM last night??
She has one more weekend scheduled in Strasburg. There are still events going on, and many are sold out.
My family and I were there last weekend. Great seeing her for the first time. And I must say they kept her and 475 busy all weekend.
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