Martin,
Little news has surfaced this summer. #1293 has visited Byesville and #33 has purportedly been used surreptitiously on a couple unannounced night freight runs, but nothing else. As you know by now, the Ohio Central has new ownership as of last week's acquisition by the Genesee & Wyoming regional conglomerate. The fate of the steam program with this ownership change is unknown to outsiders, but there is information that Jerry Jacobsen retained ownership of the steam fleet and is formulating plans for those assets. There have been no announcements and the truth of this information is unvalidated at this time. Ohio Central (G&W?) is sending #1293 up the Wheeling & Lake Erie to Cuyahoga Valley once again this September, this time for two weeks on the heels of last summer's smash hit in the National Park. This visit includes one public trip, one private trip, and a public steam festival the weekend of September 24th-25th (date needs verification). This festival is oriented toward families, not railfans or steam acolytes. There will be one hour trips, cab visits (not rides), vendors, food, and much more. The Cuyahoga Valley National park is a great success story, and even more so in lean economic times as people travel shorter distances and use this park for recreation. This will be a very, very popular and crowded event. Last year I observed several thousand visitors standing trackside as the train passed various vantage points in the park. I anticipate this year will increase this by double. I believe the event is officially posted on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic railroad website.
Eco disasters welcome here :DThere was a one page story in an older trains about how steam helped the enviroment.I think it was by Bert Pennypacker and it was a 70's era issue.
Bags of Kingsford? hm for our Heisler I would say at least 100 to get her started so for one of the big girls? YIKES!! So Tinman you going to cook brats on this fire? lol. I think we would have to hit a few Walmarts,local stores,and then peoples garages to get a Berk going at track speed lol.
Yes we are on time but this is yesterdays train
route_rock wrote: Eco disasters welcome here :DThere was a one page story in an older trains about how steam helped the enviroment.I think it was by Bert Pennypacker and it was a 70's era issue. Bags of Kingsford? hm for our Heisler I would say at least 100 to get her started so for one of the big girls? YIKES!! So Tinman you going to cook brats on this fire? lol. I think we would have to hit a few Walmarts,local stores,and then peoples garages to get a Berk going at track speed lol.
For those of you moaning and groaning about gas prices and your car, in my limited experience, a mid-sized oil-fired steam locomotive gets somewhere in the range of 0.1 mpg. No, you can't burn gasoline, but you can burn Diesel, or bunker oil, or (often cheapest option) used motor oil. But that will still cost you maybe $2 - $3 per gallon from commercial sources, so if you don't get it donated, you are looking at around $25 / mile. And that's just for fuel.
But of course the cost of liability insurance is a huge issue too. To operate on common carrier tracks, you are going to need probably a minumum of several million dollars in it, which is going to cost you tens of thousands of dollars a year. And that's just to operate, as in crew-only; if you want to haul passengers, the costs go way up.
Here is an article that was printed in the local paper. The Licking County Port Authority is just worried they won't be allowed to turn the rails into another mis managed bike trail. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008809120305
They are currently fighting a battle over the Central Ohio Scenic Railway. The local Foundation bought the rights to the line in '84, then cancelled the lease on the railroad, ripped up and sold the rail and started paving a bikepath through peoples yards. It's in the courts now, and being that the local gov't has ties with the foundation the outcome is sure to be biased.
The Ohio Central has been sold, but from all reports so far, Jerry has kept the steamers. I can't remember for sure, but I think it is one of the rr conglomerates that has bought the O.C.
R. Staller
Last weekend at Byesville.
Just got home from a trip that uncluded Sugarcreek and I had a chance to drive by the new site that JJJ is building to house his toys. In place are four parallel sidings for car storage; each long enough for 8-10 passenger cars. The rumored turntable is not site in three pieces and construction of the turntable pit is on going. The former Amtrak unit is on site with about 12 cars which I believe were out with 765 earlier this summmer. Construction of the actual roundhouse hasn't begun. Trying to record only the fact of what I saw.
tinman1If they r a lookin for somewhere to put a couple of these oil leakin, smoke belchin, eco disasters, I suppose they could store a couple at my place. How many bags of Kingsford would it take to fire one up?">
I think about 50 bags should be fine but it would be the best quick start fire up I would have ever seen... ROFL
...getting the marshmellows....
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