Steam & Excursion > Gettysburg RR 1988

Short video of Gettysburg RR (CPR 4-6-2 #1278) September, 1988

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Good grief!!!!!

Listen to the poor air pump destroying itself! Also, the cylinder cocks don't appear to be open on the Engineer's side.

I rode behind the 1278 the summer before the big accident with it.  They ran the entire trip without a fireman - just the engineer, and the engineer's 10-year-old daugher sitting in the fireman's seat.  I thought then I should complain to the FRA about their operating practices, but I didn't.  That taught me a lesson about not trying to stop unsafe operating practices, even if I didn't work on that railroad.

Chris.

That air compressor didn't sound any better in 1992.

When my friend Kurt stopped by, the fireman didn't show up and they made do without.  He filmed in the cab that day, and the engineer asked him if he wanted to fire.  Having no experience in such things, he declined.

In hindsight, one has to wonder how they made it as long as they did without something happening.  I've seen footage of that engine with water jetting from leaks in the feedwater heater piping that sprayed anyone riding in the first car.  It probably sent more water airborn than into the boiler.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

What a jackleg operation.  Its a wonder they didn't have a disaster even bigger than the crown sheet failure.  Seeing stuff like this makes my teeth hurt.  I'm glad they got rid of the little ex-Frisco 2-8-0 before they blew it up too.
Surely they don't still exist?

The Gettysburg passenger operations no longer exist.  Back in the late 90s or extremely early 2000's, Pioneer Railcorp took over and began running their own passenger trips using a pair of (either) E/F units (I can't remember - as a student of Gettysburg College, I saw them first coming in and test running while on campus - was really cool).  After a few years of that, the passenger operations were shut down.  Pioneer still runs freight operations frequently on the branch between the CSX interchange at Gettysburg and the NS interchange at Mt. Holly Springs.

All of the steam engines, however, still survive.  Jerry Jacobsen has the 1278 at the AOS roundhouse, the Frisco 2-8-0 is at the Steam Railroading Institute (with long-term restoration plans) and the 3254 is at Steamtown.

Jim Lipnitz
Morrisville, PA
Big Jim Video Productions

Had anything on that locomotive been lubricated in the past year?

i know the Ohio Central crew tried to talk to them, but were ignored.

Rebecca Morgan
Jacobsburg, OH

OHCR1551 Wrote:
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> Had anything on that locomotive been lubricated in
> the past year?
>
> i know the Ohio Central crew tried to talk to
> them, but were ignored.

Why would they want to waste money on lubrication, if it was still working?

Even a steam non-expert like me could tell there was something wrong with that engine.

Ouch...

Rich Melvin
Columbus, OH
My Web Site

Poor engine.  Poor Gettysburg operation.  Wish there was a new passenger/steam operation there with today's regulations and practices in place.  Oh well.

Jim Lipnitz
Morrisville, PA
Big Jim Video Productions

My favorite quote from the NTSB report on the crown sheet failure...

"The engineer told Safety Board investigators that he removed the original feed-pump gage after it failed and that when the replacement also failed, he had decided not to replace it. "

Also the injector didn't work...

*sigh*



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/16 06:55 by ats90mph.

bigjim4life Wrote:
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> Poor engine.  Poor Gettysburg operation. 

"Poor engine",,,,,,,,YES!

"Poor Gettysburg operation." NO!  As a result of their incompetence, more than one person was pretty seriously injured in that crown sheet failure due to low water.

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> bigjim4life Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Poor engine.  Poor Gettysburg operation. 
>
> "Poor engine",,,,,,,,YES!
>
> "Poor Gettysburg operation." NO!  As a result of
> their incompetence, more than one person was
> pretty seriously injured in that crown sheet
> failure due to low water.

My meaning was not intended towards the operators.  I agree with what you said - they were careless and incomptent.  I meant more in terms of the railroad overall, the tourist dollars the train brought in, passengers visiting the battlefields and riding the train, etc.  It's a shame that part of it is gone (not a shame that those people aren't operating anymore, good riddance).  It's a shame that the Pioneer Lines didn't keep going with passenger operations.

Jim Lipnitz
Morrisville, PA
Big Jim Video Productions