All the talk of Ross Rowland, the AFT, and 614 brought back some strong personal memories.

My only exposure to big-time excursion riding behind mainline steam was two trips behind 614 on the historic B&O Baltimore Division and Cumberland Division East End from Baltimore Camden Station to Martinsburg W.Va. and return, if memory serves in 1980 and 1981. The first trip ran via the Capitol Sub and the Metropolitan Sub; the second via the Old Main Line.

Both these trips ran under the banner "Chessie Safety Express," and were intended to pomote grade crossing safety as well as provide a good time for all.

I still remember hanging out a Dutch door as we climbed the eastbound ruling grade on the Met at Barnesville--I came back looking like a racoon in reverse; coal-soot-black every part of my face except for a patch around the eyes where I had the safety goggles on. My mother was half amused and half mortified.

I still have photos I took on these excursions, but they are pretty poor to put it nicely--I had just gotten my first SLR and had a whole lot yet to learn.

I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has some better quality images of these two specific trips--I'd love to talk with someone who has such an image about getting a print for my study wall.



eledbetter@rypn.org

I shot tons of stuff of the Chessie Steam Specials with 2101 and The Safety express with 614. 2101 of course ran as AFT 1 for the years 1975-76, and for the Chessie in 1977 and 1978. The 614 operated 1980-1981 as you indicated, and again for a month in 1985 on the coal trains. I just got into video about the time of coal trains,
so prior to that I shot movies and slides, plus some pentax 6 x 7 shots. I have a nice shot of 614 under one of those nice cantalever signals departing St. Albans, WV on a Huntinton-Hinton trip in 1980-81. Another favorite of mine is a shot leaving St. Albans from a different day which I have posted the url for on my web site.
Enjoy! Good Times!
Greg Scholl

614 shot in St. Albans, WV
sales@gregschollvideo.com

Nice shot, Greg! That's just the consist I'm speaking of. Many thanks.

I'd still be interested in anything anyone might have specifically from the B&O trips.

eledbetter@rypn.org

The last scheduled trip of 614 in 1980 was from Cincinnati, and after the trip they had to make a one-way deadhead(no passengers)to Hagerstown. We chased it over the old B&O. Unfortunately, it left Cincinnati late, and by the time it got to Parkersburg it was getting dark.
En route my car bottomed out on a back road and the exhuast was falling off, so at Parkersburg we met up with Dave Corbitt, and arranged to use his dads car.

We chased it east in the darkness as 614 headed for Grafton(recent article in Trains or Railfan on Grafon), and wished we had some daylight for this neat section which is no longer a through route.

We could not find a room in town, so we pretended to be railroaders and got a room at the railroad wye for about $6.00 apiece. It wasn't much of a place but we got some shut-eye. Grafton was cool looking in those days, and the coal tower was still there.

We headed for Newburg Grade, and waited for what we hoped would be a great show. Finally after fixing a flat on Dave's dad's car, the train came with 4 diesel helpers on the point. Boy were we crestfallen. Steve Wickersham(engineer) was waving as us and Dave got the message. We haded to Amblersburg, and waited. The helpers had been taken off at Rowlesburg, and now 614 was tackling Cranberry unassisted. We could year it coming for 20 minutes, and regretted not taking the service road west to meet. What ensued was one of the most spectacular chases of an excursion train we have ever had. We chased 614 up the service road to Terra Alta and the 614 was down on her hands and knees the whole way nearly stalling several times.
There was only one other guy in a sports car, and he ran out of film. We shot something like 20-25 different locations in 5 miles, which took 45 minutes. My movie camera was on the blink so I took only slides(dismal weather), but Dave shot 16mm films while I drove mostly. Wickersham was seen with his hands together as if to pray they made it. This was the day after election day 1980. That was probably the last time steam ran on this section.

Sorry for the windy post but there was a lot going on, and a great memory to share of 614!!!
We had one more year after that.
Greg Scholl

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Before I get blasted for being a chaser weezel or freeloader, I thought I would relate another experiece. One year either 80 or 81 the NRHS that I belonged to sponsored trips from Cincy, and I worked one. This trip went from Cincinnati to Lima up the old B&O Toledo Division. It was a pretty long trip as many of these were.
On the way back it got dark south of Dayton but we were tooling along at a decent clip. Around Middleton we came to a grinding halt. Apparently someone had left a switch open into the Armco Steel lead, and we were headed into that siding, and even went over a derail. Nobody was hurt and we got out and headed for Cincinnati a bit later than we already were. This became known as the DERAIL trip to Lima.

Interestingly, the next day the trip was to Louisville, and I chased that one. We were up on Banklick grade, at a nice trestle, and 614 was barely moving up the hill, and after clearing the trestle the train stopped. It seems the derailer from the day before had broken a sander ahead of the main driver, and 614 could not get sand down for traction on the grade. A diesel helper was called to assist to the top of the grade. As a precaution they had a diesel helper on the return trip.
A side note, my wife to be fell in bank lick creek after getting the shot, and later had to dry out with a hand dryer at a KFC on an already moist type of fall day. At least after that I realized she was a Keeper!
Greg Scholl

PS. I do have sound movies of that second trip.

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Erik,

I'll have to do some digging. I seem to recall shooting some pictures of the 614 at Barnesville. I was tagging along with a couple of much better photographers from the Potomac Chapter, NRHS . . .

I also volunteered as a car host once or twice but I don't think I took my camera along then.

Alan Maples

AMaples@aol.com

> Erik,

> I'll have to do some digging. I seem to
> recall shooting some pictures of the 614 at
> Barnesville. I was tagging along with a
> couple of much better photographers from the
> Potomac Chapter, NRHS . . .

> I also volunteered as a car host once or
> twice but I don't think I took my camera
> along then.

> Alan Maples

If I understand correctly, the 765 was the first of the modern steam locos to pull the fall New River Trains, while 2101 and 614 had pulled Huntington-Hinton trips at other times of the year. Is there a particular reason neither the 2101 or 614 didn't pull the NRT?

JBeutel611@aol.com

> If I understand correctly, the 765 was the
> first of the modern steam locos to pull the
> fall New River Trains, while 2101 and 614
> had pulled Huntington-Hinton trips at other
> times of the year. Is there a particular
> reason neither the 2101 or 614 didn't pull
> the NRT?

Thats not correct. First steam on the New River
may have actually gone to lesser known engines owned by (name escapes me at the moment)with one of the 2 Pacifics. I think they snuck in a trip in the mid-70's, or maybe just a USF&G insurance trip run.
Anyway 765 first ran the New River trip in 1985 I believe, or maybe a year earlier. 2101 and 614 were done with New River trips by then except for the 614 Coal runs in 1985. 765 ran in 1985,1986,1987,(not sure about 88-90)1991(convention), not sure about 1992, 1993 as 2765, and in 1994 Milw 261 ran the New River trains, being the last steamer to run down there. Someone else can fill in the blanks. I know one year (88-90)they ran the F-units.
Greg Scholl

Videos

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In 1981 or 82 614 and the Safety Express came through Wilmington, DE where I live. I had went to my favorite place to watch trains near where the Reading W&N branch crossed the B&O mainline, a place called Elsmere Jct. On 614's return trip she hit the diamond faster and harder that any train I had ever seen. I was in the same spot that I had watched hundreds of trains from and I was scared. She was going as fast as trains I was used to seeing over on the North East Corridor and I did not get that close to the tracks over there.

Forgotten Delaware

> In 1981 or 82 614 and the Safety Express
> came through Wilmington, DE where I live. I
> had went to my favorite place to watch
> trains near where the Reading W&N branch
> crossed the B&O mainline, a place called
> Elsmere Jct. On 614's return trip she hit
> the diamond faster and harder that any train
> I had ever seen. I was in the same spot that
> I had watched hundreds of trains from and I
> was scared. She was going as fast as trains
> I was used to seeing over on the North East
> Corridor and I did not get that close to the
> tracks over there.

Yeah, I can relate to that with both 2101 and 614!
Greg


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Didn't mean to post the same pic again, it just happened to be there from the last time, and I didn't bother to scroll down that far.
Greg

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> Thats not correct. First steam on the New
> River
> may have actually gone to lesser known
> engines owned by (name escapes me at the
> moment)with one of the 2 Pacifics. I think
> they snuck in a trip in the mid-70's, or
> maybe just a USF&G insurance trip run.
> Anyway 765 first ran the New River trip in
> 1985 I believe, or maybe a year earlier.
> 2101 and 614 were done with New River trips
> by then except for the 614 Coal runs in
> 1985. 765 ran in 1985,1986,1987,(not sure
> about 88-90)1991(convention), not sure about
> 1992, 1993 as 2765, and in 1994 Milw 261 ran
> the New River trains, being the last steamer
> to run down there. Someone else can fill in
> the blanks. I know one year (88-90)they ran
> the F-units.
> Greg Scholl

I didn't know about the small engines in the 1970's, but is a specific reason (perhaps relating Rowland's maintenance/operational schedule or C&O/CSX), but why did the 1977-1981/1982 NRT not use the 2101 or 614. I'm primarily interested in the reason for 2101 and 614 running Huntington-Hinton during the summers, but not in the fall, especially since the C&O let Rowland run is engines throughout the spring and summer of those years. If the reason is unknown, I can understand it.

JBeutel611@aol.com

> I didn't know about the small engines in the
> 1970's, but is a specific reason (perhaps
> relating Rowland's maintenance/operational
> schedule or C&O/CSX), but why did the
> 1977-1981/1982 NRT not use the 2101 or 614.
> I'm primarily interested in the reason for
> 2101 and 614 running Huntington-Hinton
> during the summers, but not in the fall,
> especially since the C&O let Rowland run
> is engines throughout the spring and summer
> of those years. If the reason is unknown, I
> can understand it.

THEY DID RUN IN THOSE YEARS!
The 2101 ran summer and FALL NEW RIVER trips in 1977 and 1978. It burned in the winter of 78-79. Thus neither it nor 614 ran in 1979. 614 was swapped to Rowland, and it was ready to run by 1980, and ran the New River Trips in 1980 and 1981, and that was the end of the Chessie Steam stuff with 614. Hope that answers your question.
As for the smaller engines, I was referring to the Showalter 4-6-2's, number 1238, and 1286. They were in Covington, VA and ran the Hot Springs Branch for a couple of years. We went down there circ 1975 I beleive. I heard the Chessie used one of the engines on at least one occassion for an insurance group pulling a special to White Sulphur Springs. I don't think these engines ever pulled a New River Special, unless it was one of these private trips. Someone from the Huntington Chapter NRHS might know more about definite years for New River Steam. NKP 765 probably ran more years than any other down there including at least one of those USF&G specials. Rich Melvin talks about nearly sufficating in Lewis Tunnel with an empty hopper train on the return of one of those outings during the middle of the night.
The C&O had real flaver back in the 70's and early 80's. 765 last used the Hinton turntable in 1986. Used to be coal towers at several locations and steam-era standpipes like at Hinton, Quinnamont, Thurmond, Handley, and perhaps others. When 614 ran, she fit in nicely on her old trackage!!! Probably the most spectacular stuff down there was the 1991 NRHS convention which featured side-by-side running of 1225 and 765, and a couple of other trips on the former N&W with 1218, which was its last appearance on the western end of the N&W!!
Greg Scholl


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Eric,

I rode that same trip out of Baltimore, shot slides at Baltimore, the runby (I think at Weverton), Harpers Ferry, and at Martinsburg.

I can make dupes of the slides if you want.

Jim Dent

> All the talk of Ross Rowland, the AFT, and
> 614 brought back some strong personal
> memories.

> My only exposure to big-time excursion
> riding behind mainline steam was two trips
> behind 614 on the historic B&O Baltimore
> Division and Cumberland Division East End
> from Baltimore Camden Station to Martinsburg
> W.Va. and return, if memory serves in 1980
> and 1981. The first trip ran via the Capitol
> Sub and the Metropolitan Sub; the second via
> the Old Main Line.

> Both these trips ran under the banner
> "Chessie Safety Express," and were
> intended to pomote grade crossing safety as
> well as provide a good time for all.

> I still remember hanging out a Dutch door as
> we climbed the eastbound ruling grade on the
> Met at Barnesville--I came back looking like
> a racoon in reverse; coal-soot-black every
> part of my face except for a patch around
> the eyes where I had the safety goggles on.
> My mother was half amused and half
> mortified.

> I still have photos I took on these
> excursions, but they are pretty poor to put
> it nicely--I had just gotten my first SLR
> and had a whole lot yet to learn.

> I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who
> has some better quality images of these two
> specific trips--I'd love to talk with
> someone who has such an image about getting
> a print for my study wall.


jdent1@optonline.net