Official Naugatuck Railroad thread (NAUG/RMNE)

[Otto Vondrak]

Some photos from last weekend: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 005&type=1

[KevinM]

I was able to make it down to Thomaston last Saturday to shoot a few pix and ride the noontime trip. Here are a couple of shots from that day:

Preparing to tie on to the consist with the U-Boat alongside: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 204&nseq=1

The 4PM trip approaching the Reynolds Bridge on the way to Thomaston: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 350&nseq=0

I really wish I had known about the Torrington operation beforehand. I grew up in the Torrington area and would gladly have taken a day off from work to come down to see a steam engine operate in the old home town. Maybe the museum will do that again someday.

/Kevin

[Otto Vondrak]

I was able to make it down to Thomaston last Saturday to shoot a few pix and ride the noontime trip.

Nice photos, Kevin! Thanks for sharing!

I really wish I had known about the Torrington operation beforehand. I grew up in the Torrington area and would gladly have taken a day off from work to come down to see a steam engine operate in the old home town. Maybe the museum will do that again someday.

Please realize it wasn't so much an excursion, but a demonstration to the city fathers and to the state. Given the amount of interest we seem to have generated, there might be room for discussion for next year. But the tracks will require some rehab before passengers can be carried to Torrington.

-otto-

[Otto Vondrak]

A reminder to come ride with us Sundays (12pm and 2pm departures) and Tuesdays (10am departures) through the end of July! Buy tickets at www.rmne.org and visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/naugatuck.railroad for more updates!

-otto-
RMNE Volunteer

[Jeff Smith]

Keep up the good work, volunteers! RMNE put this up on their FB page.

http://www.countytimes.com/articles/201 ... V.facebook

Pincus said Franklin Products, which owns the land abutting the rail lines, is expanding and they need to oust the rails. The rails are owned by the state of Connecticut, but Pincus’ organization maintains the portion it uses — and it will use the rails it pulled up Saturday.

Pincus said the volunteers would load the rail, refurbish it, and use it for the organization’s continued work in Thomaston. During the summer and fall months, the museum runs tourist excursions from Thomaston Station to Watertown, with occasional passenger shuttles to East Litchfield and Torrington.

[TomNelligan]

So what exactly got pulled up/recycled in Torrington? Was this siding trackage or part of the mainline?

[CannaScrews]

It was a siding just south of Water St.

The top image is a postcard from 1908-1915.

The bottom image shows it before removal.

Note for you modelers - the switch stand and points are on the bridge.

[Otto Vondrak]

End of summer locomotive report published:

http://naugy.blogspot.com/2012/08/end-o ... eport.html

-otto-

[oibu]

Someone please post if 2019 becomes regular power soon! Also hoping for the return of 529.

It may pull trains, and the public may not care, but I just can't justify the time or gas just to see a 2nd-Gen GE in rehashed P&W paint.

[Noel Weaver]

Someone please post if 2019 becomes regular power soon! Also hoping for the return of 529.

It may pull trains, and the public may not care, but I just can't justify the time or gas just to see a 2nd-Gen GE in rehashed P&W paint.

Maybe you ought to consider some support to this outfit. A little bit of labor or a few dollars or both would go a long way and you could photograph locomotives and trains too. If you don't want to justify the gas or time, you will miss out on a great ride and a good bunch of people and that will be YOUR LOSS.
Noel Weaver

[H.F.Malone]

Mr. oibu, are you planning to simply drop by and photo the locomotive-of-the-day (if it meets your specifications)? Or are you planning to support the continued operation of same by buying a ticket, and riding one trip, photo-ing the other?

It is simply good manners and "the right thing to do" for railfans to support these operations (particularly the smaller, all-volunteer ones) by at the very least, purchasing a ticket (even if one chooses to "chase" the train).

OK, that said (which is a rehash of similar from the 2011 thread), there is a good chance you just might find what you're looking for during the next few weekends.

[Otto Vondrak]

Someone please post if 2019 becomes regular power soon! Also hoping for the return of 529.

It may pull trains, and the public may not care, but I just can't justify the time or gas just to see a 2nd-Gen GE in rehashed P&W paint.

Glad you're considering making a visit to get some photos, but we really need your financial support also so that we can keep running trains for you to photograph. I hope you understand the point we're trying to make. Buy a souvenir ticket, or buy a gift from our gift shop. Every little bit helps, and we do appreciate it.

-otto-
RMNE Volunteer

[daylight4449]

Someone please post if 2019 becomes regular power soon! Also hoping for the return of 529.

It may pull trains, and the public may not care, but I just can't justify the time or gas just to see a 2nd-Gen GE in rehashed P&W paint.

Glad you're considering making a visit to get some photos, but we really need your financial support also so that we can keep running trains for you to photograph. I hope you understand the point we're trying to make. Buy a souvenir ticket, or buy a gift from our gift shop. Every little bit helps, and we do appreciate it.

-otto-
RMNE Volunteer

But Otto, what about the constant need for volunteers? oibu, if you really want to see 2019 running, why not try and drive to the shops and put in some hours to get 2019 squared away for regular running again? Or maybe try to help with the Maine Central 557 or any of the other first generation power that are seeing some basic care-taking or restoration? Aw crud, where did I leave that flak jacket

[Cosmo]

But Otto, what about the constant need for volunteers? oibu, if you really want to see 2019 running, why not try and drive to the shops and put in some hours to get 2019 squared away for regular running again? Or maybe try to help with the Maine Central 557 or any of the other first generation power that are seeing some basic care-taking or restoration? Aw crud, where did I leave that flak jacket

Credit where credit is due, Dylan,
...that is a fine point you just made.

[oibu]

You guys are NOT going to win any support for RMNE or any other tourist museum operation with these piss-poor attitudes... pretty sure you guys did this same thing last year when I asked a similar question. The sympathy wore out the first time... now you're just driving business away.

It's a 3+ hour trip each way and a full tank of gas there and back. I'm not going to waste my time on a P&W GE. I can see those for free plenty of other places.

I'm not going to get anything meaningful done by showing up one morning as a complete stranger and saying "can I do something for a couple hours to help?"

I have volunteered my time and dollars to other similar causes. They were friendly, gracious, and glad for the help or support. Not demanding of it.

I would buy a ticket, and hopefully spend a couple bucks in the gift shop too, IF there was something worthwhile to go see. Do not confuse "won't waste the time and money to go see a toonerville trolley operation" with "won't do anything to support the cause".

ANd yes, it's MY time and money. I'm NOT going to waste it driving all over hell's creation to see some piece of crap that I don't even want a photo of, much less ride behind or spend any time watching or pay good money for.

With all due respect, see previous comment about pulling trains. I do understand the balance between moving and trains and historic preservation, that the trains need to roll, that most of the general public doesn't care, yada yada yada. But if it's all behind a fence or disassembled in teh shop, there's not much to see. Yes, operating historic locos takes time, money, and may not always be possible. But if you're advertising yourself as a musuem/historic operation, you shouldn't be surprised when a lack of anything historic to see or ride behind wears out its welcome. Out of all the locos on hand that have been operable in recent history, for at least 2 or 3 years now NONE have been in consistent, reliable, regular operation for most of a season. Remember the old line about "Dieseltown USA?" Get something worth the trip up and running and you'll have another paying customer. That may just mean putting the time, $, and focus into one or two projects at a time instead of having 15 projects all going side by side and having none of them ever done. A lot of arifacts have eventually been lost simply because they spent too much time in pieces rusting away while someone was "restoring" them.

Until then, don't come across giving the impression that you're an outfit I don't even want to give any money or time to, becuase then I just MIGHT pull up, snap my photos, and drive on to the next desination and spend my time or money there instead. Plenty of groups and operations have things I want to see. Blaming me for not getting all (or any) of yours up and running is not going to encourage me to run in your direction instead of theirs. RMNE/NAUG is within an hour or so of some of the densest population in north america- so If you can't find or retain volunteers closer than 3 hours away despite having one of the largest potential pools of volunters of any historic preservation group in the nation, I think I might just have an idea why.

I didn't come on here to attack you for not having historic power in service, I asked when it might be. Think about it.