Our theme in our search for
steam in 2022 was beasts in the east.
With the restorations of both Western Maryland Scenic Railroad #1309 and
Reading & Northern #2102, we knew we would be headed to Maryland and
Pennsylvania. In all, we would capture
six locomotives under steam during the year.
Our program begins with a cab
ride aboard Southern Railway 2-8-0 #401, back after her F.R.A. mandated boiler
inspection and overhaul. Four cameras
were mounted on the locomotive, and the crew’s banter is part of the show as
they go about their work. During the
July weekend we were filming, #401 was sporting the Illinois Central steamboat
whistle the producer donated to the museum.
In late August, we traveled
to capture Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 #765 pulling a pair of weekend excursions
from Edon, Ohio, to Hillsdale, Michigan.
Waiting for the train in Hillsdale were both locomotives of the Little
River Railroad based in nearby Coldwater, 4-6-2 #110 and 0-4-0T #1. The pair of small locomotives pulled several
out-and-back trips during #765’s layover.
On the Sunday run #765 was sporting the whistle of Nashville,
Chattanooga & St. Louis 4-8-4 #576, currently under restoration in
Nashville, Tennessee.
During the last weekend of
September, we headed to Cumberland, Maryland, to capture the Western Maryland
Scenic Railroad’s newly restored former Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2
#1309. Despite being in her first year
of operation, the big compound articulated had the look of a locomotive working
for a living: well-groomed but not spotless.
She also put on a great show of smoke and steam through the weekend,
particularly when we filmed her departing Cumberland in a thunderstorm.
We wrapped up filming the
first weekend of October, as we filmed Reading & Northern 4-8-4 #2102
pulling a fall colors excursion from Reading to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. We heard that the big T-1 was loud, and we
certainly found that to be the case as she has to be the loudest steam
locomotive we have ever seen! Climbing
the grades around Tamaqua, Hometown and Nesquehoning, the locomotive put on
some of the most dramatic performances we’ve ever witnessed. Those performances are included in their
entirety, and we daresay they are the highlights of the show.
It’s two hours of the best steam footage we’ve ever captured!