Robert,

If you were told that 765 could go the moon, would that be enough? The answer is the same on every forum and page on which you post your questions. There's no one in the universe that could tell you a 100% guarantee what any engine will do next year.

There's a reason you've been banned or muted on other forums - please don't give this place the same reason.

Robert,

No one really enjoys being a cynical pessimist, but in this case, no matter what someone else may have posted here earlier, or what fans may want, IF there is a NS steam excursion program in 2015, we enthusiasts are--most likely--NOT going to have any real influence on the trip plans.

Unlike decades back when Southern worked in conjunction with NRHS Chapters and other groups to offer "turnkey" excursion charters on a schedule worked out somewhat like a team's baseball schedule, it appears NS, like UP, is calling all the shots with this revised program, deciding themselves what lines have the capacity to allow an excursion, what markets would be feasible, where the railroad needs marketing and PR hype, etc. For all functional purposes, 765, 611, etc. are simply hired subcontractors.

The 1988 NRHS convention mainline trips were, indeed, to put it bluntly, an unmitigated disaster, even prompting one wag to crank out crude computer-printed bumper stickers saying "I Survived the 1988 NRHS Convention". But the bad-planning and lack-of-communication factors that were largely responsible for those debacles will most likely be eliminated simply by the "centralized planning" nature of a railroad-planned, railroad-sponsored, railroad-operated program.

Every railfan (and, seemingly, every high-speed-rail advocate) is driven to foaming salivation at the prospects of their chosen locomotive/train operating out of their hometown to their desired destination for their convenience, and too many of them are being obnoxiously vocal in expressing their fantasies online, often in outright demands instead of dreams. Lord knows I would love to have the opportunity to ride a steam excursion from Harrisburg to Renovo, or up to Scranton over the former PRR line that NS just acquired from the CP/D&H--not for the least of reasons because not only is it my home area, but the traffic levels on those lines are low enough that freight impact is almost non-existent, and it's therefore a seemingly practical and sensible (and scenic) proposition. But I learned in the 1980s and 1990s to shut the heck up and take what's offered then and there--because it's all "Camelot--for one brief, shining moment....."

Now, if you'll excuse me, it appears that my presence as a railfan obligates me to demand an excursion custom-tailored to my "rare mileage" needs. Hey, MARC and CSX, operate an excursion from Baltimore Camden Station to Frederick and back over the Old Main Line so I can finally get that mileage off my map after 25 years!

Oh, I guess how it works is Facebook business pages have the ability to remove the posting privileges of a user while still allowing them to view the page and others comments. But there are some group pages like 21st Century Steam that are closed, you can't even see any posts if you are removed from the group. But I can see the posts on NS Steam excursion page. So Kelly you already know who I am from my username. What other Robert K would ask the same thing over and over? I did enjoy riding behind 765 last year, I literally had to beg my mom to do it in Feb 2013 due to the driving distance to Lewistown from my house near Allentown and the cost of the trip and she has breathing issues but she rented a battery oxygen unit for the weekend. I guess the point is that nobody knows what the plans are next year and those that claim to have insider info aren't aliwed to say anything. Well, we're almost in December so it's only 2-3 months until 2015 excursion announcements if TVRM starts their excursions early like in March. So, I will refrain from asking or begging where 765 is going in 2015 and I will wait for the official announcement or if someone else leaks any info. Apparently some posters on here heard things that they aren't supposed to talk about because NS hasn't set a schedule yet for 2015 excursions. Even Rich Melvin at ogr said so. He said when NS releases the schedule then we'll know. The thing is we can't really travel really long distances due to my mom's condition so any NS steam excursion needs to come within 150 miles of me. I can ride Strasburg or Bel-Del in NJ or Reading Northern 425 anytime but an NS steam excursion is special because who knows how long NS will operate the program even after Wick retires, a new CEO who hates steam can kill it in an instant, and some of the trips are very rare one time events like the curve trips that might not happen again for a few to several years if at all. Most of the trips this year were about 500 miles from me like the Virginia trips with 630, Kentucky trips with 630, 765 from Detroit to Fort Wayne. Maybe next year will bring new routes and an excursion or two to the Mid-Atlantic region.

No, I'm actually 40. The reason for the 150 mile comment is because I live with my mom and she would say no to a train trip too far away like 400-500 miles away such as Tennessee, Cincinnati, etc. You don't understand our circumstances. I'm not trying to be selfish, but rather saying that most of the NS trips are out of reach for me. I was lucky to make the Curve trip because Lewistown is about 140 miles from me. Reading and Northern like at Port Clinton and Jim Thorpe is much closer to me. And some of the NS trips are quite long, Curve was 160 miles but some of the others were over 200+ miles round trip. I don't know if my mom or the man who lives with us could handle one that long. I could, but I can't travel by myself or with my brother because of our disabilities. We have mild autism. It's my mom's health, the driving distance that are the main issues. We could handle Harrisburg or Philly but not Knoxville, Chattanooga, Cincinnati, Cleveland, etc. Before my mom's health declined, breathing issues we went on long trips like vacations but can't really now because she needs oxygen machines and tanks, for the curve trip we rented a battery operated oxygen machine to travel with. I'm going to end it with this since there's nothing further to discuss about next year's NS trips yet. I'll shut up now.