08-04-2011, 09:50 AM
My experiences with steam have been very limited but I have a clear memory of how I felt when the American Freedom Train rolled through my town in Upstate NY headed by a 4-8-4. As the steamer thundered through the local crossing with its steam whistle blaring, I felt the power of it as the ground shook. Steam from the side of the loco briefly obliterated my view and then it suddenly got sucked away and I had a chance to see the driver wheels and the side rods moving. Suddenly it was by me and, as the ten or so special display cars on the train rolled by, I heard that wonderful steam whistle again fading in the distance. I was captivated!
Ralph
Ralph