[Monkey Face]

Thanks! I’m always interested in trains.

When we left Alaska (I was 5) we flew to Seattle, and from there, took the train to Salt Lake City. I don’t recall the mode of transport from there to the town 10 miles south where I grew up, but I recall leaving the confines of the motel room to run to the meadow west of the motel to see the trains. Black steam engines.

The engineers always waved to us and blew the whistle. The house we moved into was on the top of the hill, about two miles from the same track, but in the winter, if conditions were just right, I could hear that whistle blow...

[Covenantor]

Ok...that's it...I'm out of here. Nite

[Monkey Face]

That was 60 miles south. Sorry.

[NoCmpromiz]

Back when I was younger than my present 34.. we used to ride our bikes to the south end of town where the C&O main tine spread out into 3 tracks. Often we would find a train sitting on the center track (which was actually a 2 mile long siding) and we would talk to the train crew. Every once in a while we would get invited up to the cab and sometimes got to ride up there as they switched or whatever it was they were doing. I'm sure that by now those C&O guys are retired even if they did keep working into the CSX era. And that event would never happen today - they would be fired for that.

As I said, most of the remaining Erie trackage is now owned by Norfolk Southern after the Conrail sale. Norfolk Southern recently bought some new locomotives painted in the colors of the former railroads that once owned the tracks that NS now operates. Naturally they have one painted as an Erie unit. Here's what a modern locomotive would look like in Erie paint...

And here is their 'family portrait'.. ;-)

Now while we are talking trains, for many years I was down on Norfolk Southern Railroad because back in the 90's then cancelled their steam program and stuffed and mounted their two remaining operatable steam units. NS stood for 'no steam'.

That attitude continued for many years as the once proud steam units rusted away in 'preserved' status. Then a miracle occurred. Whether in response to public pressure or just a rare shot of corporate smarts, they announced that they were going to return their crack passenger locomotive number 611 to steam with restoration to be done at the North Carolina Transportation Museum roundhouse in Spencer, NC down in Tax Chick's territory. Restoration work on the 611 began on June 2nd, 2014.

Not mentioning any names, but there have been some railfans ('ferroequinologists') who have been waiting for this day. So here, alive and breathing is Norfolk and Western J-class 4-8-4 locomotive number 611...

The former No Steam Railroad has published the schedule if anyone is interested... ;-)

Class J 611 homecoming to kick off Norfolk Southern 21st Century Steam excursions

Thus ends the train trivia for the day...