It's an overcast morning in Lowbanks, but nowhere near as dark as the mood of the Conductor on the morning mixed. His train is already 17 minutes past its scheduled departure time, mail and baggage have been loaded and the passengers are restless.
On the headend, the hogger looks back along the train and checks his Hamilton for about the tenth time, anxious to get underway. Meanwhile, the fireman chucks a scoop of coal through the butterfly doors of the firebox, trying to keep the needle pegged at 200 lbs. without setting off the pops, as he knows his engineer will be on the throttle the moment that he gets the highball.
Seconds after the firebox doors clang shut, there's a long moan of a steamboat whistle, blowing for its approach to the Lowbanks station, followed by two quick longs, a short, and, as it hurtles by at well-over the posted 15 mph limit through the station, the final long for the grade crossing near the stockyards.
This is the reason the 27 and her train have been cooling their heels on this dreary morning. It's an Extra of high-priority reefers off the TH&B interchange, in the charge of EG&E Mohawk 4807.
As she hits the Lowbanks crossing, already doing over 30, even though the tailend has yet to clear the station, the hogger is hooking her up, building momentum for the grade that begins at the far end of the Maitland River bridge.
Motorists are startled by the sight of this unexpected visitor, and surprised by her speed.
Some familiar roadnames flash by:
Then some less often seen:
And then, for our rural venue, some glimpses of faraway places:
And finally, snapping the awestruck drivers back to reality, the caboose rockets past.
Meanwhile, the headend has gained the far end of the bridge...
and started into the grade...
a gloved hand is on the whistle cord for the next crossing, as the Extra leans into the curve...
under a clear stack, and still gaining speed, in spite of the grade...
As the loco rolls across the bridge at Chippawa Creek, the engineer makes a reduction on the brake pipe, keeping the throttle open, as he stretches the slack for the curving entry into Elfrida. There's another train in the hole on the passing siding here, but her crew gets only a perfunctory wave as the throttle artiste on the 4807 is busy hooking her up into the company notch for the assault on the grade to Cayuga Junction.
It's plain to see that there'll be no water stop here today, and one speeder that'll not be stopped either.
A final glimpse as the Extra rolls through South Cayuga. She'll stop for water near the Dunnville Station, then roll through the High Yard, across the Grand River bridge, and back onto home rails, for the dash north.
The 4807 is a modified Bachmann USRA Light Mountain, and her train is made-up of cars from Athearn, Intermountain, and Red Caboose, many of which have just been built or modified, and painted and lettered.
Wayne
On the headend, the hogger looks back along the train and checks his Hamilton for about the tenth time, anxious to get underway. Meanwhile, the fireman chucks a scoop of coal through the butterfly doors of the firebox, trying to keep the needle pegged at 200 lbs. without setting off the pops, as he knows his engineer will be on the throttle the moment that he gets the highball.
Seconds after the firebox doors clang shut, there's a long moan of a steamboat whistle, blowing for its approach to the Lowbanks station, followed by two quick longs, a short, and, as it hurtles by at well-over the posted 15 mph limit through the station, the final long for the grade crossing near the stockyards.
This is the reason the 27 and her train have been cooling their heels on this dreary morning. It's an Extra of high-priority reefers off the TH&B interchange, in the charge of EG&E Mohawk 4807.
As she hits the Lowbanks crossing, already doing over 30, even though the tailend has yet to clear the station, the hogger is hooking her up, building momentum for the grade that begins at the far end of the Maitland River bridge.
Motorists are startled by the sight of this unexpected visitor, and surprised by her speed.
Some familiar roadnames flash by:
Then some less often seen:
And then, for our rural venue, some glimpses of faraway places:
And finally, snapping the awestruck drivers back to reality, the caboose rockets past.
Meanwhile, the headend has gained the far end of the bridge...
and started into the grade...
a gloved hand is on the whistle cord for the next crossing, as the Extra leans into the curve...
under a clear stack, and still gaining speed, in spite of the grade...
As the loco rolls across the bridge at Chippawa Creek, the engineer makes a reduction on the brake pipe, keeping the throttle open, as he stretches the slack for the curving entry into Elfrida. There's another train in the hole on the passing siding here, but her crew gets only a perfunctory wave as the throttle artiste on the 4807 is busy hooking her up into the company notch for the assault on the grade to Cayuga Junction.
It's plain to see that there'll be no water stop here today, and one speeder that'll not be stopped either.
A final glimpse as the Extra rolls through South Cayuga. She'll stop for water near the Dunnville Station, then roll through the High Yard, across the Grand River bridge, and back onto home rails, for the dash north.
The 4807 is a modified Bachmann USRA Light Mountain, and her train is made-up of cars from Athearn, Intermountain, and Red Caboose, many of which have just been built or modified, and painted and lettered.
Wayne
you COULDN'T have done the "trip" with a better engine Wayne