NKP 765 Youngstown trip discussion thread

 

A few pics from Saturday's run. 

 

 

Arriving Youngstown to pick up the 700+ passengers.  Notice the pop valve lifted.

 

 

Arrived in Ashtabula.  Hundreds of folks checking out the 765.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a great day on the rails.  I loved seeing all the young people who had smiles on their faces and couldn't believe how big the 765 was! 

 

Our morning engineer was Rich and the *only* time the train had any bumping from slack was when the diesel on the rear towed us out onto the main in Youngstown and around the wye and out onto the main in Ashtabula.  They only used the diesel to assist with reverse moves. 

 

The 765 did all the work, no diesel assistance needed.   

Has the tender been modified?  The "NYC & StL" script is missing at the top.....and there appears to be a "metal top" fixed above coal load.

Thank you so much to all who have posted the GREAT pictures from Saturday.

 

The rest of us certainly are enjoying them!   Azgary

No the NYC & StL lettering is still on the tender, its just covered in coal dust.  The coal bunker has an extension on the top in order to allow more coal (6 ton I believe).  It is a way to give the 765 more mileage between service stops and to keep from having a diesel assist to stretch the coal supply on longer trips. 

 

Rich,

Can you advise date and approx. departure time for the ferry move from Youngstown to Buffalo via Erie. I want my grandson to see the engine. Also, will you stop anywhere for servicing...like Conneaut?

Anyone hear an update on the guy who fell getting on the train and needed the ambulance sunday? They said it was a possible broken ankle? The train ride was great, best $129 I spent. Only problem I see they need to do a better job loading and unloading, I saw several folks fall as the stairs on the rocks are not the best idea, especially for aging train people.

I am very sorry...I just got back to the office after being on the road with the 765 for five days and just saw this. Right now they are just east of Conneaut.

 

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You saw "...several folks fall..."? No way. Absolutely not possible. ANYONE falling would represent a MAJOR incident for us and Norfolk Southern. I was there, too, remember. Why are you always trying to stir the pot and start trouble...where there is none?

 

Only one person had an issue getting on or off the train all weekend. It was a gentleman who tripped while getting on board the train in Ashtabula on Sunday. He did break his ankle, but he was released from the hospital a few hours after being admitted. When the train arrived in Youngstown, I got in my car and drove to Ashtabula to bring him and his wife back to their car in Youngstown. They were both in good spirits and doing just fine. I even joked with them about the fact that we still owed them half a train ride!

Well here is my first video of a total estimate of 10 videos I'll be uploading. I'll probably upload the 2nd tomorrow which is from Route 167, 4 Miles east of Jefferson.

 

Great pics. Thanks. I am looking forward to the Pocono trip (Jim Thorpe-Bethlehem).

Rich,

No problem. Caught up with the train at Girard, PA and my grandson saw it as well. Whoever set the valves on 765 certainly knew what they were doing. That engine is running, as they say, "straight as a die"!

The 765 sounds great for sure.   It's great to have steam alive in this day and age and to have one of Lima's finest doing the honors.

Here's my next upload.

 

Nothing like hearing well-timed Baker Valve Gear on a big locomotive at speed.

 

One other item you might find interesting. Over the winter the mechanical crew overhauled the throttle, bringing it back to print. It's now a one-hand operation throughout the quadrant. No more two hands and a foot against the backhead to get the throttle open.

I was unfortunately unable to catch the deadhead move as I had originally planned, in addition to my excursion on Saturday I went to the Williamsfield crossing 3 times, each with a different party, and that reduced my desire for such an ambitious undertaking. Oh Well.

 

However, I'm going to be in Buffalo/Attica this coming weekend so hopefully I will see you guys then. Want to get my family to go to "Steam in the Valley," in October, make it my 21st birthday present if I can convince them, not the normal present a soon to be 21 year old would request . And if that doesn't work out, then, fine I'll do it myself.

 

Lastly, I find it very nice for lack of a better term to see people who are not rail fans/o-gaugers/railroaders impressed and/or awe inspired by the sight and sound of a steam locomotive, in this case 765, they are also impressed by model railroading too. Every crossing we went through there would usually by 10 -15 people, perhaps even upwards of 50. I've gotten a bunch of family members who now want to see it, I took my uncle and cousin (who's a natural photographer) to see it go by yesterday and they loved it, hopefully I can satisfy the others at some point.

Rich,

As I recall, there was a need to "wash out" the multiple throttle at intervals, and at times to grind the valve seats. The "pilot valve" that equalized the steam pressure on both sides of the header that made the six pots easier to open made all the difference. And I believe that the packing to the external throttle rod was also inspected and replaced if necessary. I did not hear any "rod clank" when the engine was drifting, so my guess is that the engine may be in better shape than at any time in recent memory.

Can you advise the max grade from Ashtabula south to near Carson? I have heard 1.5% and also 1.8% but do not know which is correct. I do not have this profile in my files.

You are correct, big steam and perfectly adjusted Baker gear are un unbeatable combination! 

Hello everyone !! Just thought I'd share my sighting of the 765 earlier today !! I was coming out my back door & heard a whistle blowing for the road crossing on N. Amboy road here in Conneaut.! I knew right away exactly what it was, the 765 !! I wanted to go to Ashtabula all weekend to see it but have been down with a pinched nerve in my should & a lot of pain, so I was really excited to to see it go by ! I then called my buddy who lives up in Conneaut , close to the track & I guess he had all the neighbors out there watching it go by !! He was excited too !!  I'm retired now for about 6 yrs. , from CSX, a Carman & have seen most of the big trains go through but this was really special as I thought I wouldn't get to see it at all.

Thanks !!

John

Anybody catch this action in Erie??   Love to see some vid at the Erie station !

Rich,

 

I have a question. How fast was the 765 going when you crossed over Route 322 in Williamsfield? It's okay if you can't remember...

If we were moving right along, it was 40 mph. That is top speed for steam on NS.

Coming from a Bessemer fan here, I heard that there were 642 passengers on the Saturday trip, if only there was one more..... if only the B&LE still had the Black and Orange tunnel motors and they were heading south under the ex NKP line at Conneaut creek.

Here's my 3rd upload.

 

My 4th upload. One thing about this video, the horn on NS SD40-2 #3479 does not sound good. I believe it's a Nathan K3LA, but only 2 horn bells are sounding. My best video recorded in my opinion of the 765 is going to be my 6th video. It has the 765 working hard upgrade at Plymouth Road 4 miles south of Ashtabula right in the location mentioned by Rich of the grade southbound out of Ashtabula.

 

You didn't leave that opening graphic up long enough to read it...

Rich, my 6th video I'll have the title about 15 seconds up instead of the 5 seconds I've been using. I will on my next video after this one below which is the 5th video, I'll make the opening longer. But because I already uploaded the 5th video, I don't want to go back and delete it. I appologize for this video opening so short, Rich. Next video will be longer.

 

When you build the opening graphics, READ IT YOURSELF to learn how long to leave it up. You cannot just use an arbitrary time. You have to leave it up long enough for viewers to read the whole thing.

Rich, the video below is 20 second title. The 7th video, which will be from Rotue 322, I'll make the title the time I read it. As for this video below. I was very busy this morning and just made the video in quick time. Any of my videos from now on after this one below I'll make the length of the time I read it. If someone can't read the title long enough in this video or the other previous videos, pause the beginning of the video and then play after your done. I'm only saying this for the past videos I've put up of the 765. As a side note Rich, I bet it was a lot easier this time on Carson hill then last Thursday because of the helper. But this time you didn't have the 6 to 8 gondola fulls of coal. Also in this video below, I was more interested in taking the pictures then video as you can see my pictures from Plymouth Road, at the bottom the first page of this topic.

 

 

The diesel at the rear of the train was NOT a helper.  It was only used to pull the train backwards through the wyes. 

Just a side note, it was used as the helper on Carson Hill. The reason I know this is because when the Engineer in NS #3479, (Which he has been on the railroad for 44 years), he told me and few other people standing there while the passengers were getting back on, that he, like you mention, helps pull back the passenger. He then said to me and the few other people there that for Carson hill they would help the 765 since the last time on that Thursday was really hard for the 765. So even though if he for some reason didn't help the 765 on any of these trips besides the pulling the train back, I just mention it's a helper unit. I classify it anyway even if it wasn't helping that much.

My 7th video at Route 322. 3 more to go after this one. Should have all of them up by Sunday. 

 

No, it was NOT.

 

I spoke with the engineer before we went up the hill. I told him that if we wanted any help, we would let him know over the radio. We never called him.

 

After these trips were over, I confirmed with him that they were just along for the ride up the hill, with the SD40-2 idling all the way to Youngstown.

 

That diesel was back there because of all the reverse moves we had to make on this trip. Even though they called it a "helper" all day on the radio, it was not used as a "helper" on any grades.

 

I know...I was there. 

Ok, thanks Rich. This did help a lot. Now I know. Come to think of it, he did mention to help the 765 on Carson, but he mentioned he probably would be idiling. Here's my 8th video below. As a side note in the video below, all the people you see in that group, most of them put penny's on the track. That's why the gentleman next to me said there really close to the track. In my opinion, they were. I was far back enough. I don't like taking video upclose of trains. It's to dangerous.

 

9th video below. 10th video will be either done later today or tomorrow.

 

Here's my 10th and final video below. The video below the 765, is how I felt when chasing the 765. In the part of the video with the Thomas Through Through The Magic Buffers, the cool part of the song starts at 3:49, but the best part of the song in my opinion is at 4:57. Thank You Rich & The Entire Crew for this past weekend July 25th & 26th for succesful outing. The day I went to chase the 765 was on the 25th.

 

 

 

And here's a bonus video below. At 5:55 in the video below is dedicated to the 765. Also the 611, 4014, 1361, Etc.

 

 

And we always remember this....    As to what the meaning is,  "Well Ya Comin & One Thing About Trains, It Doesn't Matter Where There Going, What Matters Is Deciding To Get On"

 

 

 

Outstanding videos of the 765. 

Tom, the opening graphic on video #6 is wrong!

 

You say that the SD40 was "...helping a little..." and that the 765 was "...not working as hard..." as our first trip up that hill. BOTH statements are incorrect.

 

The SD40 was NOT helping at all...zero...zilch...nada. It was IDLING. You already knew that before you published this video. You should edit the graphic and re-edit this video.

 

And I had the 765's throttle "on the roof" (that means wide open for those of you in Rio Linda) so the 765 was working as hard as it could on that hill.

 

You are doing a nice job on these videos...MUCH better than your earlier videos. But you need to get your facts straight before you publish these videos on the net.

Rick

I thought the sd40 was there helping back up and pull through the wye? So then it would be helping?



       

Rich, I tried correcting the video. I added annotations to the video to go over the original title. I hope this helps. Also thanks for the compliment about my videos. As a side note, I do have a question to ask you. What got you involved into O Guage 3-Rail? I just ask since I've never seen a topic on here about it.

Ya rick, what got you into 3 rail? How come we never see pictures of your layout or collection? It would be nice if you participated like the rest of us.