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Reading & Northern 2102 Test Run With Hopper Cars!

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Posted by BEAUSABRE on Sunday, May 1, 2022 1:39 PM

Except Agincourt was fought in a sea of mud (we're talking Flanders folks - within 100 miles of the Paschendaele of Great War infamy), 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38490600

not on a bright clear day with firm footing. 

So Branagh's film was more accurate

Bur Olivier's was more inspirational

And the Arrow Storm sends chills down my spine every time I see it (Henry V brought 300,000 arrows with his army - the paperwork (it's an army, gotta have paperwork) still survives)

https://youtu.be/u0PSkfYl39E

 

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Posted by BEAUSABRE on Sunday, May 1, 2022 1:51 PM

Flintlock76
Reminds me of a review I read years ago concerning a Pennsylvania Railroad video: "An odd choice of music as the video begins, an orchestral arrangement of 'A Might Fortress Is Our God,'  or maybe if you're a Pennsy fan you won't think so!"

DPM famously compared the PRR to the Roman Empire - both dominating their world, being incomparably magnificent in their glory years and building monumental structures designed to last centuries - in a Trains essay

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, May 1, 2022 2:24 PM

Flintlock76
Interesting choice of music for that slide show, the Church of England version of "Nearer My God To Thee."

What would you have preferred?  An instrumental version of "All Quiet Along the Potomac At Night"?

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Sunday, May 1, 2022 3:10 PM

Overmod

 

 
Flintlock76
Interesting choice of music for that slide show, the Church of England version of "Nearer My God To Thee."

 

What would you have preferred?  An instrumental version of "All Quiet Along the Potomac At Night"?

 

 

Nah, the overture to "Tannhauser."  For some reason it makes me think of steam locomotives, not a medieval knight with "issues."

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Posted by kgbw49 on Sunday, May 1, 2022 3:50 PM

Coal-hauling 4-8-4s courtesy of Richard Leonard's Random Steam page:

Reading T-1

https://www.railarchive.net/randomsteam/rdg2101_dvl.htm

Western Maryland J-1

https://www.railarchive.net/randomsteam/wm1406.htm

 

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Posted by kgbw49 on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 1:19 AM

I wonder if T-1 5550 will be able to run on Reading & Northern occasionally in the future?

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Posted by kgbw49 on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 1:20 AM

2102 in 2022 - kudos to the photographer on this one!

https://railpictures.net/photo/801549/

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 6:21 AM

kgbw49

2102 in 2022 - kudos to the photographer on this one!

https://railpictures.net/photo/801549/

 

What can I say?  WOW!

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 4:27 PM

kgbw49

I wonder if T-1 5550 will be able to run on Reading & Northern occasionally in the future?

 

Assuming it gets an invite it's most likely a case of curvature and clearances.  As far as I know there's few places on the R&N the Reading T-1 can't go.  Whether the same would apply to a re-born PRR T1 is a "wait and see" situation. 

The big question for T1 5550 is where they can run it to it's maximum speed and performance. The PRR T1 wasn't made for ridge-runnin' in coal country like the Reading T-1 was.

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Posted by kgbw49 on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 5:50 PM

True that. And I know it has a much longer rigid wheelbase as a 4-4-4-4 compared to most, if not all, 4-8-4s, and certainly a longer rigid wheel-base than 2102.

What would be fun is if Amtrak let it run under catenary on portions of the Northeast Corridor on weekends, depending on curvature and turning facilities. I would think it would clear the wires. I know T-1s did not run on the Northeast Corridor in regular service, but it seems most excursions on mainlines lately have been under Amtrak's auspices. At the same time, even those have been few and far between.

But hope springs eternal. Someday there will be a multi-billionaire who is a steam fan!

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Sunday, May 22, 2022 8:52 PM

It just gets better and better, here's R&N 2102 with 100 empty hopper cars up, and 50 loads back!  Wow!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzKt-2MsqmI

 

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Posted by kgbw49 on Monday, May 23, 2022 7:14 AM

A 4-8-4 in revenue service in the 21st Century!

Sublimely epic!

And the ease with which 2102 handles these trains is a testament to her designers, builders and rebuilders for sure.

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Posted by daveklepper on Monday, May 23, 2022 8:32 AM

Reading T-1s regularly hauled freight nder Reading wire and shokld be perfectly at home under PRR wire.  I hope Amtrak grabs the idea for its own benefit..  and then the PRR T-1 when it is finally built and tested.

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Saturday, May 28, 2022 9:14 AM

The R&N's gotten busy already!  And this is one impressive consist!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfp5QLrnC34

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Posted by kgbw49 on Saturday, May 28, 2022 9:47 AM

Wow - Nineteen cars in the "City of Everywhere" Express! Quite the Reading Ramble!

(Hmm, I wonder if Steve Martin is riding? He is a Ramblin' Guy, after all.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIGO8wub74E

 

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Saturday, May 28, 2022 11:56 AM

Flintlock76

The R&N's gotten busy already!  And this is one impressive consist!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfp5QLrnC34

 

 
The ROW does appear to have some vegetation problems hanging over the tracks.  That  is not good for passenger car windows.
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Posted by Flintlock76 on Saturday, May 28, 2022 5:03 PM

I guess they have to break in the ROW one way or another?  Wink

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Posted by pennytrains on Saturday, May 28, 2022 5:23 PM

Heavyweights and full domes should take care of everything the northern misses.  Whistling

Big Smile  Same me, different spelling!  Big Smile

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Saturday, May 28, 2022 6:43 PM

pennytrains

Heavyweights and full domes should take care of everything the northern misses.  Whistling

 

There ya go!  Thumbs Up

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Posted by kgbw49 on Sunday, May 29, 2022 8:24 AM

More ramblin'. About 2 minutes.

Looks to be track speed from the way the rails are singing.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FdAxToXzDJE

 

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, May 29, 2022 8:39 AM

blue streak 1
The ROW does appear to have some vegetation problems hanging over the tracks.  That  is not good for passenger car windows...

Nothing a few passes with tree mowers adjusted to loading gage wouldn't address... Whistling

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Tuesday, May 31, 2022 8:12 AM

Overmod

 

 
blue streak 1
The ROW does appear to have some vegetation problems hanging over the tracks.  That  is not good for passenger car windows...

 

Nothing a few passes with tree mowers adjusted to loading gage wouldn't address... Whistling

 

 

Here's a very good video of last weekend's R&N 2102 excursion.

Go wide-screen if you can and at the 13:30 mark you'll see they did do a little foliage trimming!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjxAtQIE9kY

 

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Wednesday, June 1, 2022 10:59 PM

Overmod

 blue streak 1

The ROW does appear to have some vegetation problems hanging over the tracks.  That  is not good for passenger car windows...

 

There is vegetation that grows too fast.  ''''''''''''''as one who is fighting it a sidewinder should cut back at least 2 feet from loading guage. Or maybe use that helicopter triming that was posted.

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Wednesday, June 1, 2022 11:01 PM

 

 

There is vegetation that grows too fast.  ''''''''''''''as one who is fighting it a sidewinder should cut back at least 2 feet from loading guage. Or maybe use that helicopter triming that was posted.

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