Im not trying to be mean or anything like that(dont misunderstand), Im just curious about this.
The SP 745 is making another run from New Orleans to Kansas City, MO right now and the only talk on this forum about it is one thats way down the list with hardly any responses.

It would seem to me that there would be more interest here because its a new group running a newly rebuilt steam locomotive on mainline track - doing almost the impossible in this day and age and yet there is almost no talk about it on this forum.

Why?
Is it because most of the interest here is focused on the North East and West Coast? Is there some other reason I havent figured out?

I would not conclude that lack of conversation means lack of interest.

My guess would be that it reflects this Board's loose and informal tradition of having conversations started by people with the organization in question, or else by people with a specific question. Perhaps no one has such a specific question (I for one don't have any). Also, we haven't been favored with an announcement from LASTA in the form of a Brief or a posting here. Such a Brief would of course always be very welcome.

At least from where I am, the lasta.org website is currently not accessible, so I cannot really comment on what, if anything, they did on their website to promote the trip. Judging from comments in other threads, not much. No route information or schedule was provided as far as I can discover.



Well yes, except according to another thread here it's being TOWED to Kansas City behind a KCS diesel, with steam up to provide lubrication, not power. A towed steam locomotive, while interesting, isn't going to generate the kind of excitement that a steam powered trip might.



To tell you the truth, I really don't know. Even Milwaukee Road 261, which has run mainline excursions EVERY year since 1993 without any whining or complaining about how hard it is, gets less attention here than a Reading 2100 getting stuck on a hill on the west coast. So I really don't have any good answers for you, other than to suspect that the LASTA group isn't promoting their activities very well.

Doug

A fine demonstration of human nature I fear. It's our own little version of the old complaint that all the news is always bad--for whatever reason, we thrill to controversy and pass off good news with a shrug. I think in the TV news business this is boiled down to the aphorism "if it bleeds, it leads."

Not a phenomenon unique to RyPN or railroad preservation.

I have often wondered the same thing, but it is true that the 261 gets very little attention. 261 made several trips last year, including a trip to KC for the opening of Union Station that went almost unnoticed.

According to the LASTA website, 745 is stuck on a siding between New Orleans and Alexandria with another bearing problem. It was being towed to KC by a diesel. Hope they can get it fixed. Bearings were a big problem last year.

Alan,

I have been searching for any information on the #745 move for the last day or two. According to a post on "Trainorders", #745 came up "lame" near Gonzales, LA, on the first day of the trip. Nothing else has been posted as to specific problems and what will be done. I find the news sad as they have worked hard on the locomotive and they should have been able to bask in the glow of their accomplishments. Let's hope they can recover. I, for one, wish them well.

As for the lack of coverage of the "event", historically the railfan internet boards seem to be inhabited by a predominance of eastern and western fans with less input from the central and southern contingencies. Over the years I have just "written this off" to the demographics of the users and I don't try to read anything to the coverage of certain event or the lack of same. I think that #261's track record of operating every year since she was rebuilt has made her wanderings seem rather common place. As long as FO 261 keeps filling their trains and continues to run, it doesn't really matter how many photos get published or how many threads are posted on discussion boards. Published photos and words don't measure the success of an organization, what is left for the bank account after all of the bills are paid does.

Don C.







Don C.

The LASTA website says today that an R4 bearing was running warm so they were going to take down the rods on both sides and tow it to KCY. There stopped near Sorrento, LA, and were planning to be on the move Friday morning.

Don C.

The web site sometimes gives out current information, but it was very vague about what route the engine was taking and provided no specific information about consist and whether or not the engine was going to power the train itself. Also, as others have noted, no one connected with LASTA has sent out announcements to the various railfan websites. The group could appoint a publicity officer to get the word out. It's hard to keep a website up to date, but doing so is as effective as anything else as far as publicity goes.

A good well writen press release with good color photos is not hard to put out in the digital age. The group should be getting all of the press it can as means to attract new support. Every form of support is badly needed for these types of thngs. Personal, business, civic groups, and of course the railraods who own the track. They need to get someone signed up to be "PR" person for the 745 and get to work.

Also entirely possible that the group themselves prefer to keep a slightly low profile for now.
Perhaps they are vague in the website for a reason.
They know they have a new and untested engine. They're probably keenly aware of what happens on the internet when something goes wrong. Therefor, the fewer people watching, the better.
Maybe.
Mark D.