Well, the first day of steam operation on the Naugatuck Railroad has finished up. Clear blue skies and 70 degree temps only were the icing on the cake for a great day of steam railroading.
FC 75 is one powerful and gutsy little locomotive!!! She took 3 CNR 80-foot, 72-ton heavyweight coaches up the 1.2% grade to Thomaston Dam, including a couple of starts right on the grade (after letting off this foaming photographer and a few others).
75 was the first steam locomotive ever to traverse the "new" line north of Thomaston, up and across the dam, as the 9 mile line relocation was built in 1960.
And 103's whistle produced spine-chiiling echos across the valley from the dam.
One bit of humor (at least to me): during the return trip to Thomaston shop, the move stopped on the shop lead track to line and lock the mainline switch. That spot is right next to a road, and here comes the TPD patrol car, blue lights flashing, and TFD a few hundred feet behind the cop. The smoke had been called in as a "fire". The cop proceeds to ask one of the crew "Do you have a fire in that thing?" "It's a steam locomotive", was the crewman's reply. "I know that, but is there a fire in there?" the cop demanded. A few shakes of head and rolls of eyes and we continued down the lead track.
Some photos will be posted here soon, possibly on Friday or Monday. Not of the cop car though.
Howard P.
Old Dirty Shirt, CT
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