My take on Thursday's OCS run!

[John Owens]

Veechdale-
http://jowens.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2655712

Waddy-
http://jowens.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2655713

Talmage-
http://jowens.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2655714

Harrodsburg-
http://jowens.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2655715

Norwood-
http://jowens.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2655716

Burnside-
http://jowens.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2655717

Sunbright-
http://jowens.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2655718

Clinton-
http://jowens.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2655719

And an added bonus, the T34 local at Clinton-
http://jowens.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2655711

All in all, Emmett and I had a pretty good day chasing this train across Kentucky and Tennessee! I had a blast seeing familiar faces and meeting several new ones.

John

-Also attached is a report from the end of the day... We did Burnside to the State-Line in 23 minutes, I believe it's a new record!

[butch]

John, great pix.  Put me down for Veechdale as my favorite.  And by the way, your time "may" not be a record...

[E.M. Bell]

Good stuff John! We seem to have done well in not getting the same shot, even standing in the same place.

Butch might be right about that record. He was WAY behind us leaving Burnside, and still caught up with us and the train. I hate to say it, but Ron may have outdone us all on that leg. He left Burnside the same time we did, and still beat them to Parkers Lake...I don't think we ever even saw his tail lights! Not bad for a little Toyota Prius

[Ponce de Leon]

I brought four extra chipmunks to run on the treadmill of that Prius for the OCS chase. They ran their little ol' legs off between Tateville and Parkers Lake. I beat him there by no less than 45 seconds----so he was dry cleanin' the earth up the hill.

[John Owens]

Thanks for the comments, guys and gals!

John

[lwjabo]

I caught the Peach Blossom special out of Atlanta to Chattanooga one spring. This must have been in the late 1980s. The 611 was the power and it had snowed. Yep a late snow in North Georgia. It was cold at Peachtree Station and no snow but as we crossed the Chattahoochee there was at least 2 inches of the white stuff every where. It was so bad they did not stop the train at Phelps for a run by. This was not my first steam but the first time with 611. It top all the hills at track speed. Something the 4501 would only do without a train. Plus the fact it did not require it to be hand fired made for a nice trip for all those working. My first time on the 4501 was lite just the tender cars. The engine was at the food terminal next to CT in Chattanooga. We backed it out and they were not in a hurry for it and we went in for every thing. We went on the law at the old North Yard south of Howell. Just as we tied the last hand brake. It was hot weather and the firemen wanted to hear the boiler pop. They would keep piling in the coal as we topped every hill. Plus they kept taking things apart every time we went into a siding. Even when I told them we want be here long. One time it cost us another 20 minutes after the north bound cleared. Not one of my favorite trips.