I decided to leave normal PC soapbox at home today.

My "giggle" post is meant as lite hearted fun...mostly. I have 1.5 hours a day slotted for the gym...and I know friends and colleagues that don't have that extra time.

I will come clean....totally planning to travel from NYC to Harrisburg to see 765. :-)

Any chance they might take the special event into account that day and run the funicular more often than half-hourly?

There are definitely quite a few snakes along the right of way.

I remember taking a vertical hike towards the right of way a few years
back and had no issues getting up but after observing a couple of guys
walking the right of way with large FILLED bags of rattlers I was very
concerned about my return trip. Lots and lots of snakes - left, right and
under nearly every rock, I almost wished I had never known.



Be safe!

It would seem a great idea for someone to set up a grand stand to watch
the event within the park's grounds by the Curve.

In regards to Casey's (NS) spot on the Curve as posted - out of curiosity,
is that a legal to get to spot? I assumed it was gray area - prefer you don't
but not a big deal if you do. I've seen many ATV's up along prime locations
and always wondered if those spots were public or private, including the
trails above the Curve which offer good vistas looking West.

/Mitch

Wish I could make it, even just to SEE it, alas I have to work. Hey, some of us have to keep the trains running in August...

As for diesels, eh, such is life. I just spent several days chasing the 844 in Colroado. There were two diesels behind it, but I went and had fun anyway, especially since the Rio Grande and the Burlington weren't running their 4-8-4's while I was there!

Dave

An embarrassingly typo-heavy [update: now corrected] "flyer" and a website page just crossed my e-mail, informing me that, among other things, the "powers that be" are charging $20 per day to go up trackside to the Curve (normal price $6) on both days the train is due past, or $10 down at road level; this, of course, includes admission to the Railroaders Memorial Museum that day, but I'd love to know how you're supposed to tour the Museum in-between dashing back and forth up the road to see if 765 is close-by yet:

http://www.railroadcity.com/news_altoon ... .php?id=43

http://www.railroadcity.com/docs/curveflyer.pdf

Holy smokes, that's a lot of typos...

Not sure why they haven't uploaded the final PDF yet -- that was the version approved for content, and doesn't have the final graphics or proofing. I imagine it should be swapped out shortly.

KL

It appears to have been.

I'll stop looking for a copy of the song "M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I" now....

Can you say "gouging the public". They could better justify the stiff admission price if they at least sold the premium admission in advance so you would know for sure that you could get to the top before driving all the way there on speculation. For that kind of money they need to limit admission to however many can safely fit along the fence one deep so everyone gets a decent shot. I'd pay $20 for that guarantee. For 6 bucks I was willing to take my chances. I'm sure they are going to try and cram as many people as possible in though.

I tried to put the link up on O Gauge Railroading, but they pulled the post for some reason. They really are charging $20 each day and there are no reservations.

The museum staff confirmed yesterday that ARRM life members do NOT have to pay the $20, but you're still first come, first served and the gates open at 9 AM. Tempting as it would be to see her go around the Curve, this might be a better time to go to Cassandra (wonder if the bridge would hold us all?) or Gallitzin (ditto.) I'm not sure what's going to happen with the pace line coming down the hill on Glenwhite Run, either. That's not the best road for people to be driving crazy on.

The Value of Steam You Can't Ride

As NKP #765 barnstorms around the Norfolk Southern this summer on employee-only trips, some new and noteworthy things are being tried to raise interest in a train most people can't ride.

Yes, there is a good use of mobile and social media. UP has done a good job out west with this, but we haven't seen it much in the east.

Looking deeper, the whole notion of publishing the ferry move schedule is a huge reversal from the common practice of not wanting to draw attention to these runs. Honestly, I can't remember this much excitement over ferry moves since the American Freedom Train.

And now we find tickets being sold just to watch (not touch or ride) her at Horeshoe Curve. Outside of some  photo charters and the larger railfair parades, there isn't a precedent for selling tickets to just watch a steam train.

And that's pretty cool, if you ask me. Because I want to spend more money? No, because I love the idea that just the mere presence of an operating steam locomotive is drawing such interest.

What NS is doing this summer is a "big deal" and  by putting the locomotive up front on publicized ferry moves, they are maximizing the impact it can have.

We talk about the next generation...  it is events like this that can plant the seeds far beyond the limits of a narrow caucus.

Rob

The point, at least for me, is photographing a steam locomotive Westbound on the Curve, something that was not supposed to happen again in my lifetime. I was on one of the solo 2102 trips in the Fall of 1976 around the curve, my photo of 2102 alongside the K-4 from on-board is one of my prized images, and I'd like one of 765 passing the Geep that is there now. That was my goal from the start. Guess it's time to plan on an all-nighter on Sunday night to be in the parking lot by dawn.

The flyer is just a sample of what we hand off on board the train for passengers during the employee runs. Everything else is responsibility of the museum.

Oh, I agree about being happy with the tremendous interest. This is what we've all been waiting for since...well, pretty much 1976. I just don't want anyone to get there only to be disappointed and/or angry when a little advance notice and planning could make a lot of difference. If there's a huge crowd at the Curve and you can't get in, knowing where else to go could keep the trip from being a bust.

For those coming from a distance or unfamiliar with the area:

"Top" most likely means "up the funicular or steps", while "bottom" most likely means "down at the building or in the parking lot". I can confirm that with the staff tomorrow, but for now that's what I'd assume. You should be able to see her from the bottom if you have to. I don't know how many parking spaces there are or how feasible it will be to try to park all night nearby.
If you're not familiar with Glenwhite Run, it's a narrow two-lane road (through spectacular scenery) with some shoulders available near the Curve, but not much elsewhere. There's one dirt road about a mile below the Curve to the north of the paved road (the reservoirs are on the south side) that may or may not allow parking; I haven't tried to park there and don't know who owns it. Take a look at it on Google Earth and you'll see what I mean; the chase line is going to have to have some restraint and respect to get everyone through safely and I would expect a police presence (if only because the cops will want to see her, too.)

If the Curve is full, it should be possible to park at Gallitzin, though it will no doubt be very crowded on the day she's westbound. On her eastbound trip, if she uses the New Portage tunnel, there's a ton of parking at the baseball/softball fields as she approaches the tunnel. I don't know whether the old Erculiani's Restaurant has reopened or whether their parking lot is still available for those who want to catch the tunnel exit.

When she is westbound, there are only about a half-dozen spots at the City Building and that many more across the side street beside the caboose. However, there are spots throughout town. If the Martin gas station doesn't mind, it's possible that some people can park down there, but we all need to watch the do-not-pass-go markers that show where NS property begins. I would assume--and there's that word again, but it's the usual traffic pattern--that she'll come out of the two-track tunnel on her way west.

In Cassandra, if the fire department doesn't have anything going on, parking shouldn't be a terrible problem. I'm assuming John's motel is booked up, and he doesn't have a ton of extra parking there anyway. If you drive all the way to the overlook, there are only a few parking spots.

Cresson might not be quite as visually neat, since the track is straight and elevated, but being there beats missing her entirely and it's a nice town to be in. There's a LOT of trackside parking and we've found the merchants pretty lenient about having us park in their lots during big events. The bank lots may not be an option because it'll be a business day, but there's usually enough on-street parking to help with that.

I'm curious to know whether anyone else is at all tempted to catch her going through Johnstown. From the top of the Incline, town looks like a giant model layout. If the weather's good, it could make an interesting picture if there's no hope of getting up top at the Curve.

The Rt. 53 overpass might or might not be a good spot, depending on the weather and the crowds. Also, there is a wide-open view of the tracks from 66 (the toll road between I-70 and 22), but I wouldn't try stopping there unless she's in plain sight and you just want to pull over, grab a shot and get going again. Eastbound, she may be running straight into morning light, or if it's later in the day you may not get that angle. It all depends on timing.

Down in Altoona proper, there's plenty of parking at ARMM and the pedestrian bridges should be open. The trackside walk will get you a picture through the fence. I haven't been there this summer to see how far the way may be blocked by the roundhouse construction. You can get pictures from the third floor, but they won't be magazine shots. However, once again, if that's where you can get space, take it.

I'm so steam-deprived right now I don't even want to wait for the westbound. With my mobility problems, I can't fight my way through a crowd, so I'll see where I can cram myself into some nook or cranny out of the stampede and wait on Her Majesty.

There are already reports being floated that a chartered helicopter/airplane "ruined" numerous videos of a very recent ferry move of 765: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=405099

Anyone know whether WTAJ Johnstown/Altoona has a "news chopper"?