Western Maryland Scenic Cab Ride

That is good to hear! Rough riding eh? More like working hard aint it?

How was the Diesel?

Heat depends on a lot of things, if the loco's moving or not, ambient temperature, breeze, humidity, etc.

There were days at IRM when it was cooler on the ground than in 1630's cab on a 90 degree, calm and humid day.

Rusty

I remember at T-fest last year when my kids and I were in the cab of the 765, first off it had to be darn near a 100 degrees outside as it was, but in there I almost instantly was dripping with sweat from the heat of that fire.  But it was a dry heat ya know.... 

The engine rides very rough. While the engine was certainly barking coming up the hill, it was not working as hard as it does/has in the past. It was a 4 car train with no diesel not to mention the passenger count was rather sparse (which I found surprising considering there was a big street fair in Cumblerland taking place at the time. I would have thought more people would be riding the train). 

RUnning the diesel was a wonderful experience. We went up to started on the bridge over Wills Creek and ran west up to City Junction, maybe about 1/2 - 3/4 of a mile. I did that 3 times before handing her over to the engineer and next participant. Once up in the cab, before I started running, I was given a brief overview of the controls and told general, basic things about running an engine like this and the operation of the throttle, air brakes, etc. The track was a bit rough and provided plenty to get a good feel for the engine. Included in that short stretch was some curvature and up and downhill running providing plenty of chances to use the throttle and the brakes. I was surprised how quickly it responded, particularly when the engineer told me to put it in emergency on the straightaway. After a slight delay, the engine stopped FAST. I would have thought such a huge machine would take a lot more to get going and stop and I also would have thought the controls needed much more force to move. Lots of fun if you ever get the chance to participate in such a unique opportunity. 

Happy Birthday Matt!   My wife & I rode the diesel cab a couple years ago.  She really enjoyed it, much to my surprise. 

I'd like to do the steam engine cab ride soon.  Imagine they only take one person at a time? 

Bill,

Thanks. Hope all is well on your end. Two is the max for steam cab ride. I stood behind the fireman's seat and my uncle stood in the gangway between the cab and tender (which is constantly moving around). Quite a trip! Make sure you wear safety glasses...I just managed to get the last cinder out of my eye. I didn't think I'd need the glasses until we got to the Narrows and got hit by them and my left eye filled...needless to say I wore the glasses the rest of the trip with an itchy left eye and a smile on my face! Already thinking about doing it again before school starts for the year. 

In GP30 502, I noted, in addition to the engineers seat, the fireman's seat as well as a second in the middle, for, I assume, cab riders.