This is Pre-1991 NRHS Huntington Convention footage. CSX was testing PM 1225 to see if it could make the long journey to West Virginia along with NKP 765. What makes this rare footage interesting is PM 1225 pulling a regular CSX GR Q-Train, MSTRP (SRI) was borrowing NRHS Bluewater's combo passenger car for use as a tool car, and had a real working B&O-CS (Chessie System) bay window caboose on the rear end.
This video was of a test run of 1225 hauling freight from Howell to Plymouth, and the following day from Plymouth to Grand Rapids in preparation for 1225's trip to West Virginia. It was not in the original plan to take the freight at Howell, to Plymouth, but the cars were there for a local pick up the following Monday. Way to many grain loads, plus the Michigan Northern B unit caused the train to stall on Ann Pere hill.
Sometimes I wonder why 1225 hasn't been given mainline chances.. then I realized some of the following.. she tends to have her bad days. From a bad batch of coal to an unexpected problem. She also doesn't have standard roller bearings. She just got *or is getting them* for her pilot truck wheels, trailing truck wheels, and all of her tender wheels. Hopefully when she has them in, and seeing as how steam friendly CSX has been with another 2-8-4 down in Kentucky.. maybe a Berkshire/Kanawha meet-up is bound to happen with 1225 getting everything she would *realistically* need to be moved on Class-1 railroad tracks.. Just want to see 1225 get the chances 765 does. Makes me sad.
Well, kind of. The last steam engine to run on CSX tracks was 261 on it's way to and from Steamtown in 1995 and 1996 (Seeing as 261 stayed nearly a whole year in Scranton). Interestingly enough, 1225 was meant to go to Steamtown with 261 for the Grand Opening in 1995, but CSX would only allow *one* steam loco on their tracks during that year.
Zephyr4501 the last steam locomotive to run on CSX is CP 2816. CP 2816 ran from Buffalo NY all the way to Chicago to meet with MIL 261 for the doubleheader in 2004. Even though this usually never happens, they had a SOO SD60 put in front of her for insurance reasons (just in case of an car crash). This was back in the summer of 2004. And also CSX allows 765 every year to travel to CVSR. 765 has run on a few miles of CSX's trackage to reach the interchange with the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. So technically 765 is the last one to run on it but still if you want to put it as an actual long distance, then it would be CP 2816.
Well, I'm referring to a full excursion to run on CSX tracks without a pilot diesel attached. Not ferry moves. Of course, I understand that the 765 has to use a few miles of CSX tracks to reach the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic, but those few miles are within yard limits. In terms of running a mainline trip with no diesel attached that's *not* a ferry move without a pilot diesel, 261 was the last one. Because ever since 1996, they have NEVER allowed a steamer to run a mainline trip on it's own, period. True, 2816 _could_ count as an exception, but that's only because 2816 is CP's own engine, and they could have struck a deal with CSX for that occasion, considering they're another Class 1 railroad. CSX won't allow a volunteer owned and operated steamer onto their mainline at all, because of insurance and other matters.
Now NS seems to be turning sour toward steam excursions. It seems that there are no 611 excursions scheduled for this year so far. But they will still allow deadhead moves like with 765 and 611. 611 is at Spencer for the winter, and NS will most likely allow it to return home this spring. But, once it gets to VMT it will most likely stay parked for a while. Wick Moorman retired from NS a few years ago so without him in charge, the reason to keep steam excursions going isn't there. Also NS probably saw what happened at CSX with EHH cutting it to the bone so now NS wants to be profitable and cut as well and they want to look good for Wall Street and the shareholders. A steam program is a luxury, a frivolous expense that doesn't help the bottom line. It's NS's railroad, so they have the right to deny VMT the use of their tracks for steam excursions.
