It's now less than two weeks from the SC RR Museum's Opening Day, and it looks good that the track will be finished all the way to Rion. Actually, the track to Rion *is* finished, the spot that's making us all nervous is behind the Mack Trucks plant. The contractor is nearing completion, though, and assures us that while he'll be coming down to the wire, the work will be finished on time.

Test/training trains are scheduled to run this coming weekend, 5/29. These will also include some brush cutting. I have a feeling that we're going to be pushing through the trees for the first few run days. I'm seriously thinking about taking our bush hog out to Rion on Opening Day and cutting between trains, since I'm going to miss the training trips on the new track and therefore won't be certified on it yet for Opening Day.

We've got four trains a day scheduled for the first and third Saturdays starting June 5. Call the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce at 803-635-4242 for more information, or you can try the Rockton depot at 803-635-9893. The last time revenue trains operated into Rion was sometime in the middle 1970s.

Almost the whole railroad between Rockton and Rion has been rebuilt with new crossties and a good bit of new rail. The corroded 85# through the Greenbrier Cut is now 100#, and the badly kinked 80# through the woods behind the former Mack Trucks plant has been replaced with 100# and 90#. I've found myself wondering where I am the last few weeks and where the old familiar "Rusty, Rickety & Weedy RR" has gone. We've also gotten most of the display passenger train at Rockton repainted outside and have painted our office trailer to match the other buildings at Rockton.

Anyone here, please stop by, ask for me, and mention that you're on the RYPN Interchange. I'd love to meet some of the faces behind the familiar names here.

mconrad@msmgmt.com

Nice post. But it would help if you said what the "SC RR" is, and what state the railroad is located in.

> It's now less than two weeks from the SC RR
> Museum's Opening Day, and it looks good that
> the track will be finished all the way to
> Rion. Actually, the track to Rion *is*
> finished, the spot that's making us all
> nervous is behind the Mack Trucks plant. The
> contractor is nearing completion, though,
> and assures us that while he'll be coming
> down to the wire, the work will be finished
> on time.

> Test/training trains are scheduled to run
> this coming weekend, 5/29. These will also
> include some brush cutting. I have a feeling
> that we're going to be pushing through the
> trees for the first few run days. I'm
> seriously thinking about taking our bush hog
> out to Rion on Opening Day and cutting
> between trains, since I'm going to miss the
> training trips on the new track and
> therefore won't be certified on it yet for
> Opening Day.

> We've got four trains a day scheduled for
> the first and third Saturdays starting June
> 5. Call the Fairfield County Chamber of
> Commerce at 803-635-4242 for more
> information, or you can try the Rockton
> depot at 803-635-9893. The last time revenue
> trains operated into Rion was sometime in
> the middle 1970s.

> Almost the whole railroad between Rockton
> and Rion has been rebuilt with new crossties
> and a good bit of new rail. The corroded 85#
> through the Greenbrier Cut is now 100#, and
> the badly kinked 80# through the woods
> behind the former Mack Trucks plant has been
> replaced with 100# and 90#. I've found
> myself wondering where I am the last few
> weeks and where the old familiar
> "Rusty, Rickety & Weedy RR"
> has gone. We've also gotten most of the
> display passenger train at Rockton repainted
> outside and have painted our office trailer
> to match the other buildings at Rockton.

> Anyone here, please stop by, ask for me, and
> mention that you're on the RYPN Interchange.
> I'd love to meet some of the faces behind
> the familiar names here.

Hi
It is the South Carolina Railroad museum just outside of Columbia SC. It runs on the old Rocton and Rion shortline.
Andrew Martin
TWVRPS

> Nice post. But it would help if you said
> what the "SC RR" is, and what
> state the railroad is located in.


amartin@wlu.edu