NKP 765 "special announcements after July 4th"

Your guess is as good as mine. I don't know what the "...special announcements..." might be.  Our Norfolk Southern schedule begins on July 20, so perhaps they are just going to "officially" announce our schedule.

I'm not sure what you mean by "...the rumored 765 trips all over the NS system..." We are going to run out of Bellevue, Toledo, Williamson (WV), Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and St. Louis this year. That already covers most of the northern half of the system.

Mr. Melvin, perhaps I was just imagning things...lol. I thought I heard a rumor awhile back that 765 was possibly going to go all over the NS system over the next couple of years. It has been 18 years since the south has seen "big" steam. And while the 630 is nice, she certainly isn't in the same category as 765! I really dont see why NS couldn't use the 765 in the same capacity that they used 611. It does not appear that 611 will be restored any time soon, if ever. Meanwhile the 765 is capable of pulling long trains great distances and is much more modern than 630 or 4501. Nickel Plate Road is a part of NS's heritage, so it would be entirely appropriate for it to venture all over the place just as 611 did. I wish you guys the best of luck this summer and I hope that folks really support this 21st Century Steam program.

If the 765 is invited to participate further in the 21st Century Steam Program, it will not be until next year. We have our hands full this year with the schedule we will run as part of the Norfolk Southern 30th Birthday Celebration.

If invited to run more trips for NS with the 765, I suspect that the plan would be for us to cover the northern half of the system while the Tennessee Valley Railway Museum would cover the south. TVRM does a great job with the 630, and by next year they may have SRR 4501 ready to go!

Regardless of which engine runs where, NS is to be congratulated for honoring their rich and colorful history by looking back to the steam era. Sharing these living, breathing pieces of history with people who have likely never seen a steam locomotive before will build memories for the folks that see them that will last a lifetime.

Running these trips is not easy for the railroad. They interfere with the normal freight business, use up extra crews and are generally a problem for the operating department. All the more reason why NS is to be congratulated for undertaking this big program.

Rich,

Is the operating schedule available on the Fort Wayne web page?

No it's not, Jim...at least not yet.

If and when NS goes public about our schedule, then we'll update our site accordingly. This is Norfolk Southern's show, so they lead the way on PR and announcements.

Do you think the Berk might be able to "Alleviate" some of the Operating Office's freight issues by working some revenue freight?