Steamtown NHP Railfest 2010

I drove up to Scranton on Sunday to attend their annual Railfest and ended up taking a lot of pictures. ; Here's a teaser until I get the rest edited and uploaded:

 

can't wait to see the rest Michael

 

thanks guys! ; I hope to have them all edited in a couple of days provided that work doesn't get in the way.

 

I really like this!

 

Before I get to the pictures, let me start with a little background on why I made the 3.5hr drive to Scranton on Sunday. ;

As you all know steam locomotives are high maintenance machines, even more so when you take into account the government regulations concerning inspections of locomotives. ; Every 1,472 days of operation[nb]"Day of operation" is defined as any day where the pressure in the boiler is higher than ambient air pressure. ; Days of operation are also commonly referred to as "flue time"[/nb] or 15 calendar years, whichever comes first, a steam locomotive has to undergo a major inspection[nb]Railroads like the ones at the Disney Parks are exempt from this rule because they are not connected to any other railroad that is under FRA jurisdiction. ; Therefore they only have to comply with state boiler codes[/nb]. ; This inspection includes removing all of the appliances (brake pumps, feedwater heaters, blowers, etc.) along with all of the boiler jacketing and lagging and all of the flues in the boiler. ; All of that is done to allow access to the entire boiler so they can preform tests to check the thickness of the metal in the boiler and make any necessary repairs to ensure safe operation. ; Also while the locomotive is torn apart, any issues with the running gear are addressed.

So, as you can imagine, this whole process can be very time consuming and very very expensive. ; Steamtown currently has a couple of full time mechanics on staff due to budget cuts and they have two locomotives in the shop undergoing major restoration, one of which has been there for 11 years (Baldwin Locomotive Works #26) and the other (Boston & Maine # 3713) has been torn down but the rebuild hasn't really started. ; So, when I found out that the Canadian Pacific #2317 only had 2 days left before she ran out of flue time and those days were going to be used this past Saturday and Sunday as part of their annual Railfest, I knew that I had to go see this locomotive before she ran out of time. ; And its a good thing that I did because the current estimates that I heard from multiple Steamtown train crew and rangers is that they don't think the 2317 will be in the shop for the inspection for at least 10 years. ; That is also assuming that they finish the BLW 26 soon, that the rebuild of B&M 3713 doesn't hit any major snags, and that their other operable engine (Canadian National 3254) doesn't have any major mechanical problems.

I got there early and went straight to the Roundhouse to watch the engineers and firemen get the two steamers ready for the day's operations. ; Here, Engineer Seth Corwin oils around on #2317:

 

Next, we move to the other side of the locomotive where a crew member watches as the fireman preforms a blowdown on the feedwater pump to ensure that the lines are not clogged and everything is operating properly:



After about 10 more minutes, all of safety checks are complete and the paperwork is filled out so its time to back her out onto the roundtable:



The locomotive to the left in that shot is the CN 3254. ; We'll get to her later. ; More tomorrow...

 

great work again. looking forward to more

 

Love em!!!

 

Love your train pics and the info.

 

I really like the composition of the first photo. ; Nice job.

 

thanks guys!

 

Three more for today:

After rolling the 2317 out to the turntable, the entire Steamtown train crew (engineers, firemen, conductors, brakemen and mechanics) assembled on the turntable for a group shot. ; This was one of several special events marking the last day of operation for the 2317:



After taking her out to the ash track to clean the fire, we find the 2317 waiting for the passengers to board for the first Scranton Limited trip of the day:



Meanwhile, back in the roundhouse, the other operable steam engine, Canadian National 3254 is almost ready to back out onto the turntable:

 

#2 and 3 are my favs. really like the b and w treatment you give the train pics.

 

;
Thanks Howie! ; I'm just running them through NIK Silver Efex to convert to B&W and I'm bumping the contrast in Silver Efex as needed.

Thanks Dennis! ; The weather was perfect. ; It was sunny with awesome light until around noon and then the clouds closed in which helped me with my cab ride shots and the shot of 2317 through the roundhouse doors.

 

Steamtown is one of the few places that still allow cab rides[nb]most have stopped giving cab rides because of their lawyers and/or insurance companies[/nb] and one of a handful that sell the tickets at a reasonable price. ; So, I got there when the ticket office opened at 8:00am and managed to get one of the 5 cab ride tickets that day. ; Here's a couple of shots from the cab of 2317:

The 2317 has a stoker which feeds coal into the center of the firebox which makes the fireman's job easier since he only has to shovel coal into the corners of the firebox. ; Here, Fireman Chris feeds the beast:



After firing, Chris checks to make sure he has a good fire and an even bed of coals:



Here we see Engineer Seth blowing the whistle for a grade crossing while running in reverse back to the roundhouse to pick up the next set of passengers:



More to come...

 

Thanks Jeff! ; If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend it. ; Its something that every railfan should do at least once. ; Seth had the old girl really moving that day and I was surprised at how rough the ride was. ; Photography gets a lot more difficult when you are trying to keep your balance without anything to hold onto.