http://www.trainfestival2011.com/

More info regarding excursions and additional attractions to come.

Thanks for the heads up. 8 steam locos so far, but only 765 and Levithan have been confirmed. They going to make us wait for the other 6.

I'm noticing a trend, what is it about Levithan that they don't pull excusions? It is because it's private and they don't want/can't pay insurance?

Ya never know... remember it was 7 for Owosso in '09, and the Daylight made it into 8. It could be 9 in the works for all we know. Good things are in store, because this is "silently" advertised as a bigger event than Owosso.


Believe it's not currently up to FRA specs for pulling trains, but the owners are working to get the aforementioned credentials from the fed.

She was to pull a caboose or something at Monticello last year but I believe there was an issue with couplers (she's built with link and pin). Did I hear that the owner was working a period passenger car?

Joshua

[quote="Unseenthings"]Thanks for the heads up. 8 steam locos so far, but only 765 and Levithan have been confirmed. They going to make us wait for the other 6.
<snip>

Do you honestly think that the organizers could have all the locomotives for an event taking place in July 2011 confirmed by October 2010???

Jim Tatum.

It's a steam locomotive and the only way to reasonably move it is over privately held track, what could go wrong? You can't have a engine "confirmed" the day before it's expected to arrive...
Alot of our candidates are in pieces right now, so yeah can't confirm them either.
But a "if the stars align and things go as planned and nothing goes wrong" non-official wish list would be nice....

Of course I'll be the first to agree that they aren't doing that because they don't want to get anyones hopes up.

IAIS is listed as a sponser, but their loco's are suspiciously absent so far, you would think they would know about them by now.
BNSF a sponsor, but no NS? Seems odd considering...
BTW, love the "bring lots of film" on the website, who's using film?

The same folks who were still doing Kodak carousel slide shows ten years after the rest of the media world had gone to PowerPoint. And who are still stockpiling slide projector bulbs. In other words, railfans. (I'm wagering some guy at TrainFest 2011 will be shooting Beta videotape......)

Heck, I still have about a thousand flash bulbs in the next room, at a point when multiple sync strobe flashes are replacing Lumedynes......

Doesn't look like NS even goes to Rock Island.

Seems they have trackage rights
http://www.nscorp.com/nscportal/nscorp/map.html

Who/what is "Prestige Rail Marketing"?

Howard P.

Howard,

Part of Prestige Creative Marketing http://www.prestigecreative.com/index.php Claim to have been big in logistics and marketing in last year's Owosso festival.

Jim Tatum.

Hmmm, I must be on the wrong website. I thought RYPN was about Railway Preservation.

Well, how best to showcase that which has been preserved to the general public than a major event to attract lots of attention?

Well, let's see....the topic of the NS/TVRM steam program generated about a gazillion posts and hits, and that's all about steam excursions and displays, not the preservation of historic equipment in its historic livery to be mulled over by the SERIOUS railf....er, sorry, preservationist. But the Train Festival 2009 and Train Festival 2011 AREN'T about preservation???

Speaking of preservation, there couldn't have been anything LESS authentic than the all-day steam excursion I rode from the TVRM to Summerville, GA, and back last year, what with the air-conditioned cars - coaches, dining car, and sleepers pulled by a 2-8-0 built to be a freight hauler. Preservation????

'Splain me, Lucy! This oughta be good.

Jim Tatum.