This came through on railpictures.net. Imagine 3 steam trains racing side by side for 20 miles. Some preservationists might look down on racing steam trains but I'm sure it stokes the fire for young people.


http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 12&nseq=24

Not really "racing", Tom. More like "parallelling at a brisk pace".
Absolute line speed there is 115 kph, but most preservation groups prefer not to go over 100, to reduce wear and tear on rolling stock.
All trains have to have speed recorders fitted and operational, so despite the chance of a bit of adrenalin rushing through the veins of the drivers, they're all responsible enough not to do anything silly.
Cheers, Bob

I figured as much. It is pretty awesome that there is a place in the world where three steam locomotives can run side by side at a decent speed for any distance. I don't foresee it happening here any time in the future.

Have to make do here with memories for some of us of the Berkshire side-by-side from Huntington to St. Albans during the '91 NRHS convention, and the unforgettable run-by at Hurricane....

Here is a Youtube video of the very exciting event in Australia.
I searched for "maitland steamfest" on Google VGideo.
These 3 steam trains really are MOVING -- WOW !!!
--- Daniel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waClVBF_ba0