NKP 765 2015 Summer Steam Schedule

Scranton, Pa is a very good possibility for me.  Thanks for post Rich.

Thanks for posting, Rich. Three weekends in a row in PA/NY: great!. I assume 765 will be staying somewhere in the area, rather than returning to New Haven. Now to see if I can get time off from work....

David

You assume correctly.

New Haven is a 3-day deadhead move from Allentown!

May be the last steam over the "old" Portageville bridge across the Genesee gorge in Letchworth.  Should be a unique photo opportunity, particularly from down in the gorge looking up at the bridge.

Right now I'm planning on chasing from Hornell (CP-Cass) through Addison to Gang Mills.

Poppyl

Should be a fairly easy shot to get.

We'll be speed-restricted to 10 mph over the bridge.

Assuming I'm not bankrupt from York and still alive, I'll ride the 611 trip out of Manassas.

I'll be the one to ask. There was rumblings about the speed limit for steam increasing from 40. Has it happened/anything happen or is it still at 40?

Not the route I was expecting, but at least Allentown is on the schedule! I was expecting a trip toward Harrisburg and back on the former Reading lines. Looks like the only wye in Allentown is in the yard at the former roundhouse site, and it can only turn the 765, not the entire train. Will this trip be diesel free, or will it have diesel helpers like the curve trips? Why to Pittston and not to the Steamtown site? Steamtown has a working turntable that could turn 765. The next weekend is from Scranton to Binghamton, NY though. The Allentown trips will be running over Reading and Northern tracks between Old Penn Haven and Pittston, NS owns tracks from Allentown to Lehighton and Old Penn Haven. Reading and Northern owns from Lehighton to Mehoopany (between Scranton and Sayre, PA). NS will now own the rails from Scranton to Binghamton. CP sold the line from Sunbury, PA to Schenectady, NY. Good, because E. Hunter Harrison from CN who took over CP hates steam, sort of like CSX. He was at BN in the 1980's when they had a strict no steam policy. They denied movement of steam locomotives to Expo '86 in Vancouver, BC.

Are you never happy?

Living my entire life along the Allentown to Pittston route and never getting to see steam along the route (I was born right around the time of the last steam trip over the route), I am ecstatic about this! I'm hoping that when they say weekend, it means that there will be trips both days! I'd love to chase them.

I may also ride the Scranton to NY trip.

We will be sure to catch it on its way out of Fort Wayne through Ohio. Do you know if it will deadhead via Wellington on the Wheeling or if it will be on NS all the way east? Either way we will catch it!

Will 765 be stored at Steamtown during the timeframe around these Scranton trips? I might be in the area close to that timeframe but not when they're actually running, darn it...

The Summer of Steam!

I am so happy about the schedule. I'll for sure be on the Scranton trip. I've wanted to see the 765 as long as I can remember.

Hopefully will be able to catch on the trips with the 611 out of Manassas. 

Can hardly wait!

Wellington is not on an NS route. That's the Wheeling & Lake Erie.

It's an all ex-NKP route from Fort Wayne to Ashtabula.

Probably stored at Steamtown, but we're not sure yet. I have some meetings up there right after York that should finalize a few things towards the end of the schedule.

Steamtown just posted on their webpage that the work on the turntable should be done by May. I understand that the Pittston Wye would be more convenient, but if 765 ends up being stored in Steamtown for any amount of time, it might be an option.

She's taking the Youngstown Line from Youngstown to Ashtabula. Does that mean if the 765 departs Youngstown leading, will it be leading back south from Ashtabula back down to Youngstown? I assume they will. I do know they can turn her around at the NS and CSX diamond in Ashtabula. The Youngstown line has connections to the CSX Lake Shore Sub and the NS Lake Erie District. By chance will they have 765 on the NS Lake Erie District between Cleveland and Ashtabula during one of these trips?

As for the 611, I kind of wasn't surprised about the trips in June and July in Virginia. It's the first trips since 1994. So short trips for the beginning are good. I see her running most of the NS lines on the east coast later in the year and definitely next year 2016.

Look 3 posts above this one...

"It's an all ex-NKP route from Fort Wayne to Ashtabula."

Thanks Rich. You did anwser my question. Thanks. This should be a good year for steam.

Cane we get the 765 to travel the entire length of The Hudson River Line from the from Riidgefield Park, NJ up through NY? Or even on the NJ Transit Pascack Valley line from Hoboken? 

Would be a great site for Northern NJ market

If not, then it is a road trip

Gonna wear that thing out again!

Rich, 

As for speed, is the limit still 40 or is it being bumped up a bit? I remember discussions, perhaps from you here, that there was consideration/talks about increasing the speed limit. 

Definitely will make it on either the Youngstown-Ashtabula or Buffalo-Corning excursion. I'm leaning towards the Buffalo-Corning one personally, be more scenic and interesting in my opinion. Will look into catching 765 when it's in my neck of the woods regardless.

Rich, so will you be the engineer on 765 or does Norfolk Southern have their own crew for these excursions?

It's going to be a good summer for excursions.

From the Fort Wayne face book page.

We have our own qualified engineers and firemen on the 765. NS supplies a pilot crew, but our people actually operate the locomotive.

I am one of four qualified engineers on the 765 crew. I'm the "Senior Engineer" which sounds very important, but it just means I'm the oldest guy on the crew. I'm also referred to as the "Old Fart" engineer by some of our younger guys.  

I hope to get up to Scranton and see the old girl, I was going to ask if you thought about taken her to DC. Then again maybe you should not, they would steal all the brass off it then jack it up and steal the wheels too! Union Station is two blocks away from the Capital, 465 politicians she would never stand a chance.

Manassas is pretty darn close to Washington - only 30-40 miles. Considered the "metro area" depending on who you talk to. 

765 in allentown......dreams do come true......

last steam train ride I was on we derailed in Delaware Water Gap......

will try for tickets......

My question is that when you guys park the 765 at night over at steamtown will you put up a fence around it so they cant turn it into diesel town?   

Hey rich How about coming to spencer n.c.A lot of people would love to she and hear 765.I count myself as one of them.Even thou I am from monroe n.c. 65 miles away.Heck I own in my o gauge collection 5 models of berkshires.Let there an erie ,c&o,l&n,a lionel 736 and a scale premire 765.The other locomotives are what you would call the mohawk(mountain type to us southerners). 

Rich, There is a wye track at Scranton between the Pocono (DL) main and the CP Rail Main .

Len.  

I am very excited about the great opportunity to have a chance riding on the 765 and J611 this year. I am sure that getting tickets is going to be a challenge. 

My wife and I drove 4 hours to Altoona Pa and Horseshoe curve just to see and hear 765. What a great treat it was! 

It has been a long time since I purchased steam excursion tickets, any idea what the cost will be for the trips this year? I am thinking $80 - $100. ?

Bob

Can we get her on the River Line - ?? Right by West Point and a wonderful view

Last time I checked the river line is a CSX line.

Is it too much to ask if there will be a deadhead through Pittsburgh?

Rich,

Don't you mean "drive" the locomotive 

Larry

We won't be anywhere near Pittsburgh this year.

Don't you mean "drive" the locomotive 

THAT'S IT! You're outta the club! 

American engineers OPERATE locomotives or they RUN locomotives, but they darned sure do not DRIVE locomotives. But I think you already knew that, eh?  

im pretty sure clyde was referring to the ex-nickle plate route when he said" on NS all the way east"-jim

Well, you're going to Allentown. The city that Billy Joel sang about. I hope to be able to ride it since I live here. I rode part of that route before with Reading and Northern, but the track south of Lehighton is rare mileage that is normally freight only, there hasn't been a excursion on that part since the 1980's. As well as the part through East Jim Thorpe that the Lehigh Gorge tourist trains do not use. South of Lehighton and track 2 for several miles north through the Lehigh Gorge is owned by NS, and the rest to Pittston is Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern, NS has trackage rights for Allentown-Binghamton freights. You know, the last time you were in Allentown Ronald Reagan was president. But then, you were just passing through, not boarding there. You know, the "horrible" convention trips from NJ to Reading? I assume boarding will be near the yard in Allentown? There is a wye there, on the east end of the yard on the old roundhouse site that NS built to turn diesels, but it can't turn an entire train. It can probably turn 765 plus the aux water tender and maybe the tool car. Will there be any open window coaches on the trips, including the Scranton to Binghamton trips and Nicholson? Steamtown has used open window coaches on excursions to the Viaduct before, even just a few years ago. But CP owned the rails then now NS bought the line from Sunbury, PA to Schenectady, NY.

Looks like it will be one of two places to board - Scranton or Allentown - either way I can't wait - not since I purchased the 765 from Lionel featuring Mr. Melvin's voice