Eastern Railroad Discussion > NKP 765 - You Have Come A Long Way

It was a damp, cloudy September 22, 1979 morning when Paul Woodring, Mark Perri, and I saw NKP 765 for the first time. The night before Paul and Mark had phoned me to say "They're firing up a Berkshire in Fort Wayne. Do you want to go?" We rented a car for an all night drive and got to New Haven, Indiana at daybreak. She sat there with steam building up in her boiler while anticipation built up in our hearts. Later that day she ran her first trips up and down a small section of siding with a few refrigerator cars and a caboose in tow, and she transported each of us to an alternate-reality 1940's scene. Thankfully we were there.
Image one: NKP 765 is being fired up on 09/22/1979 in New Haven, Indiana.
Today (10/05/2015) NKP 765 was heading home from the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad's "Steam in the Park 2015". First she traveled east on the CVSR to the W&LE where she headed east to wye in Mogadore, Ohio. After wyeing in Mogadore, she headed west on the W&LE to Bellevue and home from there on the NS. While Mark was not there, about a hundred feet behind me, Paul Woodring was videotaping NKP 765.
Image two: NKP 765 heads east on the W&LE at Mogadore prior to being wyed.
Image three: Heading west through Copley, Ohio on the W&LE,  NKP 765 hurries back to New Haven. 
Thank you to all who made NKP 765 come alive and bring precious memories to so many people.
Bob

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I first saw her just a couple months after you as a 9 year old kid on a snowy December 1st, 1979 in Bellevue. There are few moments that I recall from my childhood that I remember as vividly as hearing that whistle for the first time. 

Isn't it amazing how steam locomotives have a special power to capture us in a delightful way?
Bob

Bob, thank you for the past & present photos.
John

refarkas Wrote:
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> Isn't it amazing how steam locomotives have a
> special power to capture us in a delightful way?
> Bob

Absolutely. Being a kid in Bellevue I just took trains for granted and when I saw the 765 it changed all that. That day got me interested not only in steam locomotives but railroad history in general.

Gumcoach Wrote:
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> refarkas Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Isn't it amazing how steam locomotives have a
> > special power to capture us in a delightful
> way?
> > Bob
>
> Absolutely. Being a kid in Bellevue I just took
> trains for granted and when I saw the 765 it
> changed all that. That day got me interested not
> only in steam locomotives but railroad history in
> general.

Funny, same here! I first saw her in Sandusky in December of 1979. Same story, got me interested in steam locomotives, railroad history, railroads, etc.

I will never forget that day, especially hearing her whistle for the first time.