Just an outsider looking in here, but I'm really curious about why the Tacoma 2100 operation is selling what I consider to be some pretty good cars for this sort of excursion operation, and using what I'd consider to be rather unsuitable equipment to put excursion passengers in.

Those CPR cars are high capacity (90-100 seats), open window, decent looking (paint 'em CPR wine red and they look like they did rolling behind CPR 4-6-2s), and reasonably modern (1952-built, as I recall). The double-deck CNW cars are just as unsuitable for the same reasons. Call me an old fossil, but I strongly feel that when you offer a ride behind a steam locomotive, the idea is to experience the thing (hear it, smell it, see it)-- otherwise, why go through all the agita of messing with a steam chooch? And, having to maintain (92-day inspections, air work, etc) another locomotive, the F40, simply adds to the expense, and noise for HEP purposes (noise that drowns out the T-1).

There are FRA exemptions in the Part 223 glazing standards for historic and excursion equipment, so "windows" as an "issue" is a smokescreen, in my opinion.

Is there something radically wrong with the CPR cars? If so, how can they expect to sell them off?

There are others on this list who have more time around T-1s than I do, but I would think 2100 could take 5 of those CPR cars up that hill unassisted, and once they start putting more than 400 tushies on each train, THEN you might think about a helper (maybe something neat like an RS-3 or F9?) to move more cars on each train.

I'll crawl back into my Preservation Cave now.....

Howard P.
MP 6, NAUG

Its easy for us with "insider" information on railroading to take issue with some of the choices, but we truly don't matter. What does matter is the response of the general public to this offering. I don't even try to second guess the public anymore - I have seen what I deem travesties succeed by huge margins. If you don't agree, explain "reality" television.........eat nasty stuff and lose a popularity contest. Isn't that just an average day at work for most of us? What would make anybody want to waste their off hours watching more of it? Yet they tune in in droves, go figure.......

Whether this will be a "Survivor" or a sadly underappreciated "Sports Night" is anybody's guess. Either it will catch on or not. I would hope the operators are doing some market research to see how to best reach their market and define the most saleable product.

Technically, the T1s pulled a lot of tonnage over some pretty rough grades in Anthracite country, but they weren't held to 10 MPH. I wonder what the TE curve looks like without the booster? Reckon not a lot at 10 but jammin' at 45.

I'd also be very interested in what the oil firing system has evolved into, and how it seems to be working. Oil in a Wooten firebox must have presented some interesting challenges.

dave

Where does one find out about these coaches??

Go to Ozark Mountain Railcar's website (Google it) and they're listed under coaches in the passenger equip for sale area. Nice cars, roller brgs, E couplers, etc. They have 6 of them listed. Capacity is given at 109 seats each.

The oil system is working very well now. I had some doubts about it at first, but she steams nicely.