While sitting here listening to a recording of Southern 610, I was curious as to what is the best steam locomotive performance you have personally witnessed? It can be anything from am 0-4-0 to an articulated. I know people have long memories, and I thought it would be interesting to hear the responses....

Recently? 765 climbing Horseshoe curve.
In my life? probably the 611 doing a runby between Detroit, MI and Montpelier, OH, when I was a kid.

Without a doubt, DM&IR 2-8-8-4 No. 222 on Proctor Hill with a long string of ore cars.

Show off.

614T with 89 empty hoppers between Hinton and St. Albans, WV, Jan. 26, 1985.

For me, ex-Reading 2101 on the Chessie Steam Special on Sept. 10, 1977; notable not only for the performance of that 4-8-4 under Ross Rowland's hand upriver on something like a 27-car train that was heavyweights with plain bearings, but for the overall railroad performance of meets and passes as we seemingly dodged freights on the triple-track section between Charleston and Huntington, and for running at track speed at night on the yellow blocks of a freight on the return with a former C&O engineer (Rowland having "outlawed" by that time). There was even a fair distance on that return trip where we could see several block signals along the Kanawha River, as well as the marker lights on the caboose of the freight ahead of us. Great example of heads-up railroading, and a glimpse of what it must have been like when the 20th Century ran in multiple sections up the Hudson. Made me a main-line steam fan forever!

Hello,

Recently, likewise, the 765 on the Curve.

....In my life, the 2102 on its only recent trip (1988?) on ex Reading Gettysburg line. The spot was Wolf Pit just south of Gardeners, PA. The 02 was heading north in reverse (no booster) behind the GRR Alco. Upgrade, on a curve in a downpour, a few miles per hour with the 02 trying to get its footing. The crew finally got the train up grade by pouring sand on the rails from bags standing on the pilot of the Alco. The 02's stack talk was amazing, with its long smokebox, it boomed like cannon fire.

Earth, wind & fire!

Regards,

Randy

N&W 611 slipping to a stall on Saluda grade within site of downtown Saluda, and then (after a crew member climbed on top the boiler and shifted the sand around in the sand dome) re-starting the train without much more than a quarter-slip and marching right into town with it.

611 anywhere marching around with the usual 20+car passenger train!!!!! The best possible......


To give credit to a smaller chooch, the 1702 going up Red Marble with Greg Dodd running WIDE open throttle at about 15mph for 20 or 30 minutes.... Echoing through the smokey mountains, was nice.

Cheers, Jason

CPR 2839 at track speed going through Orange, VA in both directions on an Alexandria-Charlottesville excursion.

Wesley

CN 4-8-2 #6060 regularly hauling heavy passenger trains at 80+ mph between Toronto and Niagara Falls, Ontario during her CN excursion career... she sounded more like a jet aircraft than a steam locomotive at those speeds...

Steve Hunter
Cardinal, Ontario

all great performances there, DM&IR is just amazing..

from a recording, 2124 on an Iron Horse Rambles, waiting for cleared traffic has a whistle chat with an 0-6-0...funny!

Roaring Camp and Big Trees #2, an 1899 Stearns built Heisler and former Westside Lumber #3, with a fully loaded train heading upgrade. You can't beat it!

Mojave Northern #2 (0-6-0T) pulling two Santa Fe heavyweights at the California Southern Railroad Museum (later OERM) in Perris. I don't get around much...

Reading and Northern 425 double heading with CPR 2317 on a Steamtown Moscow trip back in 1996. The sound of the two of them taking the train up the hill was incredible. It certainly didn't hurt that 425 was sporting a Reading 6 chime either.

Kevin O