“Self-serving PR stunt”?
A little bit. There are practical, safety, and regulatory reasons for this. The train’s destinations are posted on the web-link from the original post, the routes are there also.
Believe it or not, this marvel beast built in 1941 requires a LOT of maintenance to keep it safely on the tracks. I get frustrated that there are so few whistle-stops. However, every time they bring this thing to a halt it takes a while to slow it down and then get it moving again.
The reason the overnight stops are closed to the public is because the guys on the train are working 12-hr shifts+ to inspect, oil, grease, refill, fuel, etc.
The company lawyers will not allow the public in the railyards. For good reason. That is a truly dangerous place!
There are trainspotting sites and forums where people track the 4014 and other special trains. Sometimes you need to catch it on the fly as it passes through, but they always slow down before they get to a town or city. That’s the time to catch it in action, feel the rumble, and smell the smells.
I think it takes about three days to get the boiler up to pressure, and maybe five days to shut it down. When it stops overnight, they keep the boiler ‘at idle’. Lots of steam, lots of heat, not a safe place for someone that doesn’t know what they’re doing.
Picture a democrat with a hot oven in the room. Dummies just can’t stop themselves from touching it. Heh heh.
Thank you for all this information. I am sure it would take a lot of effort to set up viewing sights and see the train in action. It’s something I certainly would have traveled a bit to see.
I do some genealogy and most people have no idea how important trains were to our economy and our infrastructure. So many of us have ancestors who worked for railroads. They even had their own retirement program like social security.