Mainline steam, tomorrow

[nkp_174]

(Were you using your group's own rails or on a Class 1 line? Forgive my ignorance about these things...but do you have to schedule a section of track from companies like CSX or NS to run your train? Do you have to pay for the usage?)

First, I should state that I am a tag-along. I've just had the privilege of learning about it all from my dad and from being around the crew. I am not responsible for any of the successes.

The trips are in concert with the Hoosier Valley RR Museum. They have access (or own?) ten miles of the C&O's old mainline to Chicago. While physically much of it is capable of use at 40mph...it is only legal for 10mph (freight) and 15mph (passenger). That is due to legal hoops and $$$ involving the establishment of higher speeds. Still, a nice show was put on by using the dynamic brakes on the diesel...otherwise, the locomotive wouldn't have done any work with such a light train.

The deadhead from Ft. Wayne to North Judson was on NS...the old NKP. NS was good to work with. The standard practice is that if a mainline railroad will allow it, you pay for the cost of the crew (whether their crew is just in the cab or actually in the engineer's seat has varied over time...running a steam locomotive is not the same thing as a diesel...not at all) as well as freight rates for moving your train. At present, neither NS nor CSX is interested in the liability of passengers. The key is to either operate on smaller operations (such as short lines and regional railroads) or to become Amtrak certified and operate Amtrak specials...such as the 4449's trip from Portland, Oregon to Owosso, Michigan for Train Festival 2009.

EDIT: I've uploaded the video to the blog in my sig.