Hey everyone,
To demonstrate how much I've been keeping up with the steam preservation aspect of our hobby lately, I can tell you that I just found out a week ago that Wilmington and Western was planning to run for the first time today it's refurbushed and now operational after some time, 4-4-0 #98 (hanging my historian and steam enthusiast head in shame at that). And, not only were they to do that, but they were to also run at the same time, 0-6-0 #58. Two steam trains, one headed by a particularly historic locomotive that hasn't had a fire in it's box for years, and all of this on a fall day...how this managed to slip my mind, I don't know...and even more puzzling is the fact that it just clicked in my head this morning, at about 11:00AM, the significance of this event. So, with that, I left straight from Glassboro for a day down on the W&W, with perhaps a little CSX Philly Sub sidetrip in the mix. Here's the details of today's trip:
I didn't get to Greenbank until almost 1:00PM...a full 4 hours later than I'd have liked to be there, had I not had obligations to attend to in the morning, and had this event not completely slipped my mind. Upon my arrival, W&W #58 (the 0-6-0) was just preparing to leave with a westbound trip up the line over the very small segment that is intact at this time. In this scene, they are crossing Greenbank Road headed westbound:
http://members.aol.com/jjmdimunno/WW58_Greenbank.jpg
About this time, I was hearing a negative buzz among the railfan swarm that was all over Greenbank today...that negative buzz was concerning the status of the 98. I was hearing everything, from some kind of firebox problem, to some type of leak somewhere, to something wrong with the electrical, and finally the brake problem, which turned out to be true. I still don't know the details on this...someone else here can probably fill us all in because I don't really know what the problem was. In any case, the general buzz around was that the 98 wasn't going to be able to finish out the day. At this time, I didn't even know where the 98 was, so assuming that they had taken it back to the enginehouse and were finished with it (a lot of other people assumed the same), I began the walk back to my car, got in, started up, and just before pulling out, heard the sound of a whistle different than that of the 58. To my delight (and the delight of others), it was W&W 98 approaching westbound from Landenberg Junction, where it had apparently been sitting. After making one of those little trips west from the station over the in-service track, the 98 returned to Greenbank where she got into position for her meet with #58. She idled for a few minutes, the star of today's show, which is when I shot this photo of her at a single rare moment when the flock of admirers had moved away from her not yet lettered side:
http://members.aol.com/jjmdimunno/WW98_Greenbank.jpg
A few minutes later, the whistle of 58 could be heard approaching from Landenberg Jnct westbound, and for a brief moment time stood still as the two iron horses met each other at Greenbank Station. Hundreds of shutters snapped simultaneously as the two locomotives passed each other, while some other onlookers simply watched in amazement at the timeless display of power and grace that is associated with a steam locomotive:
http://members.aol.com/jjmdimunno/WW58_98_Greenbank.jpg
I stuck around a bit more and shot some more photos as the two continued their short trips between Landenberg Junction and just west of Greenbank Station. After that, I decided to call it a day at the W&W. While the rain had been falling for some time by now, I don't think that even a massive thunderstorm could have put a damper on the general atmosphere there today.
And that's all for today folks, take care.
Mike DiMunno
www.SJRail.com: All about South Jersey Railroads!
To demonstrate how much I've been keeping up with the steam preservation aspect of our hobby lately, I can tell you that I just found out a week ago that Wilmington and Western was planning to run for the first time today it's refurbushed and now operational after some time, 4-4-0 #98 (hanging my historian and steam enthusiast head in shame at that). And, not only were they to do that, but they were to also run at the same time, 0-6-0 #58. Two steam trains, one headed by a particularly historic locomotive that hasn't had a fire in it's box for years, and all of this on a fall day...how this managed to slip my mind, I don't know...and even more puzzling is the fact that it just clicked in my head this morning, at about 11:00AM, the significance of this event. So, with that, I left straight from Glassboro for a day down on the W&W, with perhaps a little CSX Philly Sub sidetrip in the mix. Here's the details of today's trip:
I didn't get to Greenbank until almost 1:00PM...a full 4 hours later than I'd have liked to be there, had I not had obligations to attend to in the morning, and had this event not completely slipped my mind. Upon my arrival, W&W #58 (the 0-6-0) was just preparing to leave with a westbound trip up the line over the very small segment that is intact at this time. In this scene, they are crossing Greenbank Road headed westbound:
http://members.aol.com/jjmdimunno/WW58_Greenbank.jpg
About this time, I was hearing a negative buzz among the railfan swarm that was all over Greenbank today...that negative buzz was concerning the status of the 98. I was hearing everything, from some kind of firebox problem, to some type of leak somewhere, to something wrong with the electrical, and finally the brake problem, which turned out to be true. I still don't know the details on this...someone else here can probably fill us all in because I don't really know what the problem was. In any case, the general buzz around was that the 98 wasn't going to be able to finish out the day. At this time, I didn't even know where the 98 was, so assuming that they had taken it back to the enginehouse and were finished with it (a lot of other people assumed the same), I began the walk back to my car, got in, started up, and just before pulling out, heard the sound of a whistle different than that of the 58. To my delight (and the delight of others), it was W&W 98 approaching westbound from Landenberg Junction, where it had apparently been sitting. After making one of those little trips west from the station over the in-service track, the 98 returned to Greenbank where she got into position for her meet with #58. She idled for a few minutes, the star of today's show, which is when I shot this photo of her at a single rare moment when the flock of admirers had moved away from her not yet lettered side:
http://members.aol.com/jjmdimunno/WW98_Greenbank.jpg
A few minutes later, the whistle of 58 could be heard approaching from Landenberg Jnct westbound, and for a brief moment time stood still as the two iron horses met each other at Greenbank Station. Hundreds of shutters snapped simultaneously as the two locomotives passed each other, while some other onlookers simply watched in amazement at the timeless display of power and grace that is associated with a steam locomotive:
http://members.aol.com/jjmdimunno/WW58_98_Greenbank.jpg
I stuck around a bit more and shot some more photos as the two continued their short trips between Landenberg Junction and just west of Greenbank Station. After that, I decided to call it a day at the W&W. While the rain had been falling for some time by now, I don't think that even a massive thunderstorm could have put a damper on the general atmosphere there today.
And that's all for today folks, take care.
Mike DiMunno
www.SJRail.com: All about South Jersey Railroads!
~Mike DiMunno
CSAO Beesley Point Secondary - MP 8.69 (Magnolia, NJ)
Moderator: Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines :: Penn Central
CSAO Beesley Point Secondary - MP 8.69 (Magnolia, NJ)
Moderator: Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines :: Penn Central
