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 Post subject: shoulda been there
PostPosted: Mon Nov 10, 2003 7:17 pm 

The TRAIN convention was small but very nice. Hosts provided a couple fine days entertainment including a tour if the CSX Locomotive Shops. Good food. Pleasant weather mostly. Bar a block away in the old B&O station with Guiness on tap and a 2-8-0 out front.

I expected to see more of the folks from the northeast and mid atlantic there.

Next year's venue will be Kansas City.

dave



irondave@bellsouth.net


  
 
 Post subject: Re: shoulda been there
PostPosted: Mon Nov 10, 2003 10:18 pm 

> I expected to see more of the folks from the
> northeast and mid atlantic there.

I met a couple others from the Interchange but didn't see you, Dave. Then again, Howard and I were only really there for Friday. I wasn't too impressed with the Internet seminar, but then I could probably have taught it myself. For someone with little Internet experience it would have been quite helpful. The other seminars were EXTREMELY informative. I picked up a number of ideas and made a bunch of contacts. Overall a VERY good experience.

The traffic jam Thursday PM was a nightmare. No problems for a couple hundred miles, then with barely 10 miles to go we hit a wall of traffic. After 2 1/2 hours in the parking lot they called I-64, I made an illegal U-turn and wound our way around the tie-up over some of the narrowest, twitingest back roads I've ever been on. Is there such a thing as a straight road in WV?

Howard and I skipped the last seminar so we could get over to Durbin. We rode the Salamander's last run for the season on Saturday, then rode the Durbin Rocket on Sunday before heading for home via Staunton. Both trips more than exceeded our expectations.

The Edwards car on the Salamander rode a little on the rough side. Howard blamed the track, but I thought it was more a case of having overly stiff springs on the car. The track sure LOOKED good -- immaculate ballast for the most part and excellent alignment. I'd never seen a 33 degree curve on anything but a streetcar line before -- I figure you could accurately model that bend at High Falls with a 24" radius curve in HO. Now THAT'S a sharp curve! Even with no foliage on the trees, the scenery was gorgeous. The crew was extremely friendly, especially Tom, the engineer. They recognized that we weren't clueless tourists/foamers while still following reasonable railroad safety rules. An excellent balance of courtsey to "visiting dignitaries" and safety practices. I can't praise these guys enough!

Sunday AM we hit Durbin. The D&GV is now my favorite tourist/preservation railroad. Again, an excellent blend of safety and permissiveness with a fantastic crew. After taking some pix and video, I made friends with Pat the Cat. Now, I'm definitely a dog person, but I don't really mind cats as long as they're not trespassing in my yard to chase the birds. This kitty must have liked me, because as I knelt to pet her she first jumped in my lap, then climbed onto my shoulders and refused to get down!

The D&GV's track is my idea of the ideal shortline -- weedy and kinky but safe for the low speed they run at. Howard and I found the kink around the fallen tree particularly amusing. "We'd never do that," Howard claimed, so I reminded him of the kink we put in the track at Ruff because of the now-demolished barn there. The Climax was fascinating -- first time I've ever seen one under steam. The D&GV had me thinking about researching some newspapers in the Elkins area to see if any of 'em needs a graphic artist. Then I remembered the stories about four feet of snow on the ground and decided that I'll stick to SC and the RR&W.

Don't know if we'll make next year's convention, but I'd sure like to!

scrmcurator@netzero.com


  
 
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