Maybe your right, the public doesn't care. But wait a minute, over the years we've seen the public care about mood rings, pet rocks, cabbage patch kids and beanie babies...

They could care

I'm sorry, but seeing a 4-8-4 loafing around a yard, or seeing, better yet, experiancing a 4-8-4 at 60mph+ is apples and oranges. For the fan who doesn't ride, they're missing much more than the picture taken at a grade crosing. The sound a mainline steam locomotive makes when she gets up to her power curve is something that's hard to discribe. Yes, the day isn't to far off that these last mainline steam locomotives will be loafing around in yards like circus elephants, but the fact is that when you experiance a mainline steam locomotive doing what it was designed for, you will always from that point on look at her as a powerful beast, and a 5mph loaf will only get you half of the story.

The 3751 has very reasonable tickets for thier trip. I would urge those who can to give them support. Please remember, this locomotive is currently "homeless, working for food".

Smokebox

Several years agoI rode a steam excursion in a sealed up air conditioned coach, twenty cars from the locomotive. I couldn't tell what in the world was pulling us. So please tell me why having steam up front is important. When we got on the train the locomotive was out of view waaaaaay at the front, and when we got off it had already been uncoupled from the train and was on its way for serviceing. With the exception of the runbys I would have not ever seen the locomotive pulling us if I hadn't specifically sought it out the day before the trip.

So I ask again, why is it important that there be steam on that train? Run diesels and save a load of money since the steam locomotive seems to be mainly for the benefit of the non paying fans at trackside.

todengine@woh.rr.com

> Take comfort in the security that with age
> comes increasing thickness of skin. If
> nobody dislikes something you are
> accomplishing, you are simply getting
> nothing much accomplished.

Thanks Dave: I needed that this week. Hopefully things will go with the opening this weekend, though.

TJ
> Dave


Port Huron Museum

tjgaffney@phmuseum.org

> So I ask again, why is it important that
> there be steam on that train? Run diesels
> and save a load of money since the steam
> locomotive seems to be mainly for the
> benefit of the non paying fans at trackside.

In the case of the 3751, the NRHS convention (presumably attended mostly by those who greatly appreciate and some who support big steam), is in Arizona. And to show her off to there, you gotta get her there, hence a steam excursion advertising big steam from L.A. to the Grand Canyon.

wyld@sbcglobal.net

The trip a few months ago that we had with the 4449 had a route with many curves that enabled you to see the locomotive at work while sitting in a sealed up coach. Vestibules and our baggage/consessions car offer big doors to also see and hear the locomotive.

No complaints from our last trip....other than those at trackside that had "ruined" photos because of a helicopter that we contracted with "got in thier way".

Smokebox

> Several years agoI rode a steam excursion in
> a sealed up air conditioned coach, twenty
> cars from the locomotive. I couldn't tell
> what in the world was pulling us. So please
> tell me why having steam up front is
> important. When we got on the train the
> locomotive was out of view waaaaaay at the
> front, and when we got off it had already
> been uncoupled from the train and was on its
> way for serviceing. With the exception of
> the runbys I would have not ever seen the
> locomotive pulling us if I hadn't
> specifically sought it out the day before
> the trip.

> So I ask again, why is it important that
> there be steam on that train? Run diesels
> and save a load of money since the steam
> locomotive seems to be mainly for the
> benefit of the non paying fans at trackside.