Footage from YouTube from July of 1977 on a trip between Birmingham and Chattanooga; who else is recognizable in these clips?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmw4lD6xzdw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12IfXXa_gOE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v0W24vra5A

Besides "The Boss", I can definitely spot Howell Edmonds, Doug Karhan, Sarah Purdie, and Lillian Bistline. Possibly Chuck Jensen also, but I couldn't tell for sure.

Well, Doug Karhan for one. I should know the tall fellow's name as I think I've met him once on a trip to Summerville in which he rode in the cab. Howell Edmonds maybe?

Gary Gray or Mark Ray are sure to recognize 1 or 2.

Sure enough! I posted, then saw where Gary posted a few minutes earlier...

I just want to know who all will admit to getting a little teary eye'd.....

Not necessarily teary eyed, but surely emotional. For beginning in 1966 (yes, I know about 750's Peach Blossom trips), under the tutelage of Walter Dove and Lloyd Ash, 4501 began the program by which Southern repealed dieselization for what turned out to be 28 glorious years. I was born too late to experience the entire 28 years, but I was old enough to enjoy the last quarter of "the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome" as was aptly demonstrated by 611, 1218, 4501, little 610, 1522, 587, and 765 on the high iron mainlines of Norfolk Southern.

As a fitting post-golden age of modern railroading moment that lasted for a couple of years, 614 (and NYSW 142) gave some grand performances rivaling many of those experiences, mainly due to their high speed running.

Mike

I was lucky enough to experience the full 28 years. As a child, my first "standard guage" ride behind steam was in 1966 on the N&W, when a certain green locomotive was heading back to Chattanooga after a starring role in Richmond Va. I was trip chairman on the last runs of 611 out of Roanoke.

Glad to see these clips bring back memories. I also have to say I like the YouTube poster's user name ("Love To See Steam," as do about all here).

Here we go, mining more memories from "Love"s" site or channel (and I hope his captions are accurate):

No. 610 in 1978, either on a break-in run or ferry move, Atlanta to Birmingham:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHSA3F1a ... re=related

No. 2839, Birmingham to Chattanooga, April 1979; in the opening shot, the engine has steam coming out of the valve heads, almost as if there were another set of cylinder cocks there. Was this engine so fitted, or did it have leaks of some sort that day? These steam jets don't show up in later shots.

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... VIcp0rE5w0

No 2839 again, Nov. 1979;lot of people shots at the beginning of Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... RLNX_A-dt4

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... QCyVaY0FFs

No.2716, Birmingham to Chattanooga, Oct. 1981; Bill Purdie shows up at the start. Wish this had better sound (it's dubbed, and to the point of distraction at that), and check out the crazy pacing in the second clip at about 1:45:

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... hCjC2NFsgU

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... ocJ85vZggg

No. 630. running light, 1976:

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... soE1Ro6yXQ

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... eB4PQJ3Wrw

No. 4501, cab ride, 1976; both the opening of the first segment and a large chunk of the second illustrate how movie film was a pricey thing for many people then, with multiple sets of "memories" on one reel. And check out the sideburns and crazy shirt on one of the crew members! Those elements set the period as solidly as if we were looking at other film shot in the 1930s.

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... eHNA7LOajY

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... daESrvXHy8

This was posted once before; tire replacement in Irondale in 1977:

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... Y8QADB791M

Ex Reading 2101, as AFT 1, in rust and primer, apparently in a break in run; more shots of 630, more work at Irondale, did we need haircuts back then:

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... MVlDy2mDKA

No. 4501 and friends in 1978:

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... 5iB-brCMgk

That's a lot for now; have fun.

As something of a "historical" note for the younger readers here, note the (for then) extraordinary length of the train behind 610, at a time when the Southern steam program was usually running ten-car excursions behind 4501 or 722 or 630. The steam program's first foray into "big" excursions had occurred the previous year or two with the use of SP 4449 between American Freedom Train runs in 1976. The success of these longer, bigger, faster trains set the stage for the eventual use of C&O/"SR" 2716, CP "Royal Hudson" 2839,and eventually N&W 611 and 1218 in the 1980s and 1990s.

That is odd... It can't be the original break in runs, the date is much too late. I seem to vaguely recall that 2101 spent some time at the Southern's steam shop while the 4449 was pulling the train? Would that location be reasonable for this video?

As for the paint job, that was apparently during the transition from the early and rather plain scheme...
http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=321358

and the fancier 1976 paint scheme, with relocated NKP inspired number boards on the nose, and the great seal on the tender:
http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=217077

"That is odd... It can't be the original break in runs, the date is much too late. I seem to vaguely recall that 2101 spent some time at the Southern's steam shop while the 4449 was pulling the train? Would that location be reasonable for this video?"--Bob Harbison

I think you are right about this. If you look at the tire-changing clip in the last post, there is someone there in an AFT jacket (who had been identified when this was posted before), suggesting that clip and the T-1 break-in clip are from about the same time period.

Back to "Love's" site, and back to 1974, with the 722 and S&A 750; this is one I wish had live sound, but alas, it's silent. . .

Interesting (and wonderful) that "Love" (or actually his dad, I think "Love" was just a kid then) thought to take lots of people pictures; that's something I have to admit I wouldn't have thought of doing at the time. Bill Purdie and others at 4:22:

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... wP7mWGVWyw

And now we go back further, to 1971, and a movement billed as the "Walter C. Dove Homecoming Special." This is actually from John Craft, and one of the things that stands out in this one for me is how much the railroad's physical plant--tracks, line poles, interlocking towers, stations, etc.--looked like it was from the steam era, despite this being on one of the most progressive and well-maintained roads of the era. And I am also impressed at the 12-wheeled, Pullman-green coaches that were in the excursion program; they looked right at home with those steam engines.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE9lf4ZA_iA

Also from John Craft, the 722 and the 4501, in 1973 and 1976:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpn6C6Sv ... er&list=UL

No. 2101 as AFT 1, apparently after the overhaul at Irondale, in the fancy paint:

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... ePCj1j8qGI

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... pfTnhnkuPA

No. 611, in tow to Irondale for the overhaul that would bring her back to life:

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... 19euJnXBvg

T&P 610 again, this time in 1978:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHSA3F1aa0E

And in another clip from 1977:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEjaFKkCYYg

Finally, a reminder of how the contemporary becomes history; the Auto Train, as operated by Amtrak in 1976, complete with boiler-equipped SDP-40-Fs (darn, it's been so long, did I get the model right?):

http://www.youtube.com/user/lovetoseest ... 8H17B_LaFQ

Have fun.