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 Post subject: 25 Years Ago Yesterday: "Four Score and Seven...."
PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 10:39 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:51 pm
Posts: 11481
Location: Somewhere east of Prescott, AZ along the old Santa Fe "Prescott & Eastern"
Twenty-five years ago yesterday, the 125th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address was marked in a way that was seemingly audacious back then, and that would be unthinkable today:

Strasburg Railroad was hired in to operate a steam train, with PRR "7002" and vintage cars (including the then-newly-built dining car Marian), over Chessie/CSX ex-WM trackage from Hanover, Pa. to arrive at the former Western Maryland station in Gettysburg, carrying a Lincoln reenactor who then proceeded in a procession to the National Cemetery to reprise the famous Gettysburg Address. The run, with Linn Moedinger at the throttle in bowler, included a stall on wet rail in rain half way between Hanover and Gettysburg--leaving me to stand on top of a covered hopper up the track in the cold drizzle and hear the pyrotechnics from afar while waiting for my shot.

Photos from that day: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/archiv ... x?id=87463 Mine are somewhere over in the fireproof vault. I'm still trying to remember how I got wind of that somewhat "hush-hush" event before the Internet--probably direct phone tag from a Conrail dispatcher a couple days before. I remember calling off of work that day on short notice.

Image


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 Post subject: Re: 25 Years Ago Yesterday: "Four Score and Seven...."
PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 12:13 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 9:54 am
Posts: 1016
Location: NJ
Agreed on the 'unthinkable'; "You say its a STEAM locomotive? What kind of couplers does it have? ...(edited in) Does it even have air brakes?" How times have changed... And standing atop a covered hopper to get the shot? We've all done it, but it seems like in past lives.


Last edited by EDM on Tue Nov 19, 2013 1:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: 25 Years Ago Yesterday: "Four Score and Seven...."
PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 12:18 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:51 pm
Posts: 11481
Location: Somewhere east of Prescott, AZ along the old Santa Fe "Prescott & Eastern"
And look at that well-dressed gent RIDING THE BOTTOM VESTIBULE STEP in that photo! I can tell you, from being there that day, that said train is not backing up slowly, but headed east at a reasonable, Strasburg-like speed!


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 Post subject: Re: 25 Years Ago Yesterday: "Four Score and Seven...."
PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 1:31 pm 

Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2004 9:42 pm
Posts: 2875
Wood cars, truss rods, friction bearings (I assume).

Just how much laughter would ensue if you asked CSX to run this now?


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