This was the longest New River Train the 765 ever pulled. 35 cars which includes auxiliary water tender and tool car. I remember we slowed to a crawl around Hawks Nest. I car hosted those trips from 1986 to 1994. A lot of fun!
It was always the highlight of the year, chasing and riding. I also remember riding on the Parkersburg to Clarksburg train. Those dome cars barely cleared the curved tunnel. We crawled through and spotters rode inside with flashlights to check clearance though the glass domes. Then we hit a small landslide with a puff of dust. No damage to the loco. Fun trips.
What makes me sad is seeing those EMDs pulling the train! They're getting to be like the 765 herself. Once common as flies on Class 1 RRs, now they're a rare breed too!
Correct Craig, 1992 was the year of several scenes from this video. I also shot the same locations especially the runbys across the river from the Cabin at Thurmond. Those were the Best trips in the East every year.... Something I grew up with and dedicated so many years following to bring her back to life for her third career back on photo charters and NS steam program... Thanks for sharing the good old day memories.. JR
5:27 this might have been what the late Tom Stephens was talking about in FWRHS's tribute video to him. In case you haven't heard the story, while running one of the New River Trains, the 765 derailed in Hinton, so CSX just called out some diesels to pull the train instead. CSX didn't want FWRHS to rerail it themselves, but they did, and caught the train before it got back to Huntington.
This was the standard procedure for excursion trains to Hinton. The steam locomotive would be taken off the train and turned at the wye at Meadow Creek and then refueled. The passengers would then proceed the last few miles to Hinton pulled by diesels. The steam engine would then back to Hinton and take the train back west.
At least that was standard protocol AFTER the Hinton turntable was taken out of usage after 1986. Also, the incident Tom mentioned where they eventually rerailed 765 and caught back up to the train happened in 1986 as well, or at least I **THINK** it happened in 1986. I'm ready and willing to stand corrected if I'm wrong about that.
Back in the good ole days of steam on the mainline. Especially this C&O mainline. Great place to run an excursion train. Never get to see these great sights again. Too much has changed for the worse especially the sight of the ugly as F Seaboard signaling everywhere instead of the C&Os and most towers are long gone as well...
@@mattdotsonrailfanproductio266 I haven't seen it stated anywhere it would most likely be stated, so I doubt steam's in the very near future for the New River Trains.
She can only have two whistles on her at a time, but FWRHS always used the second whistle valve for guest whistles so that's why you can hear a different second whistle at any given time. Now, her primary whistle has *_*SUPPOSEDLY_** been the same since 1979, just tuned differently, though I could be wrong with that train of thought. [( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)] Of course, in 2009 and 2018, they swapped 765's primary whistle for C&O 2789's and her sister engine 760's respectively. Edit: Corrected spelling.
I also find that it also takes 3 Amtrak diesels to pull just 30 coaches/cars nowadays. If only 765 could pull the New River Train again. Although, C&O 614 could pull it if Iron Horse Enterprises (614's current caretakers) restore it. That would be a spectacle to see. Alas, that may not come to pass. Don't get your hopes up too much or too down. You never know what could happen.
Amtrak uses 2 or more diesels for a few reasons. 1: Having an engine face each way allows them to pull the train both ways without having to turn them at Meadow Creek, and thus saving time. And 2: Having multiple units assures the train can run at the maximum speed constantly. The 765 was known to slip constantly and had to be worked as hard as she could to keep the train at least moving. Im sure 1 diesel could "pull" the train, but it would probably have the same issues as 765 did with slipping on the constant curves and not being able to obtain higher speeds. So it makes sense.
They usually put a guest whistle based on which railroad they're operating on. The last guest whistles that they used were of an old Pennsy K4 Pacific and Wabash steam locomotive when it went over Horseshoe curve back in 2012, and that was before they put a black box recorder under the engineer seat and as a result, nixed the guest whistle for the 2nd valve
