Disappointing weather caused the truncating of one night's operation and the cancellation of another night's entire event. The dampened enthusiasm also caused a shortage of pictures but Joanie M. came to the rescue with a large group of pictures covering trains in motion, people, and other "things."
10/06
Some interesting views of the trains passing with the ominous sky in the background.
Brakeman Kendall O. hanging off the rear platform of a caboose.
The staff readies the two locomotives. A quick swap of the 6's headlight was in order. During the Old Threshers Reunion, we had mounted the 2's proposed headlight on the 6, but there is a limited amount night time running at OTR. Most of Haunted Rails is at night and a 100% reliable headlight is a must. Until the 2nd weekend, the temporary installation was not 100% reliable.
Looking backward from inside a caboose.
Various pictures of our staff on duty.
It is unknown exactly who Ken C. made friends with this night.
10/20
Matt C. supervises Brian B's firing of the 6.
Getting ready for the night's running.
An enthusiastic newly promoted fireman, Matt W. cheerfully dances over some air hoses on his way towards the locomotive.
10/21
The brakeman refused to dismount from the 6's pilot causing us to work around him for the rest of the evening.
Kendall O's pup refuses to move. He's been told to not bring his pets to the railroad.
10/29
Boiler washing.
No. 6 was put away for the winter. No. 12 received its end-of-event cleanup in anticipation of the 2017 North Pole Express.
After draining, the boiler is pressurized by the portable diesel air compressor. The compressed air is used to dry the steam lines and appliances.
The following video shows the locomotive being moves back and forth on compressed air. Notice how much water vapor is vented from the cylinder cocks.
From this point on, the pictures depict out-of-ordinary situations on and in the railroad. The pictures are a mixture of people in costume and props.
-Steam.airman
