Steam & Excursion > SP&S 700 Holiday Express, Dec 2014

The Holiday Train was in exceptional form this season. Warm sunny weather, and they ran about 1000' further north than in other years, which appeared to be a higher speed section of track than the rest of the line.

Ted in OR

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Interesting. I couldn't help but notice how far the valve gear is hooked up at the 09 second mark. Seems strange for such slow speed operations, in my opinion.

Pretty cool video though, and thanks for posting.

Man I love the 700 she is a true beast ! And a great whistle too !

A couple of guys on the crew like to "make a show" coming under the Ross Island bridge. Think peeling out in your 1965 Mustang. <g>
I'm told that this is for the benefit of the encamped observers along that section of the railroad. It also gets the attention of the folks on the bridge and across the river -- the event's best advertising.

You can't go on like that very long, though, you hit 15 MPH pretty quick.

The speed of the Holiday Express is kept very low because Santa can't get to everyone if the trip isn't at least 35-40 minutes.

Coming home from Vancouver, WA from the BNSF Christmas event, it was fun coming off the 30 MPH restriction on the bridge and coming down the 79 MPH section through the cut just south of Columbia Blvd. We settled down at a modest lope pretty quickly (nowhere near track speed), but it was fun getting there. The Travellers Rest was right behind the tender.

I was surprised there were so few folks out foaming for the Vancouver event -- though it was a pretty miserable day, weather wise. It *was* a 4-8-4 making a mainline move .....

-David

When does the 700 fall due for her 15 Year? Is her running gear in good shape?
Something like these events is going to the zoo and watching an animal pacing back and forth in a cage. She needs to do some trips.

Frisco1522 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When does the 700 fall due for her 15 Year? Is
> her running gear in good shape?
> Something like these events is going to the zoo
> and watching an animal pacing back and forth in a
> cage. She needs to do some trips.

I believe she is due for he FRA 15 year this coming summer, i.e. July or August?

Her time is up in August.

"I was surprised there were so few folks out foaming for the Vancouver event -- though it was a pretty miserable day, weather wise. It *was* a 4-8-4 making a mainline move ..... "

I was surprised that the event didn't have better publicity -- I didn't know about it, I would have been out over the cut watching her go by had I known.

Seems that the 4449 had a very active twitter feed on the run to Michigan a few years back. Does the 700 have a Twitter feed? It would be just the ticked for a mainline move that could hit delays anywhere -- folks would know where she was and reposition themselves accordingly.

Glad you all liked the video,

Ted in OR

"I believe she is due for he FRA 15 year this coming summer, i.e. July or August?"

When the 700 goes out of service, what will the largest operable steam locomotive be -- ATSF 3751? (A quick google search doesn't tell me).

The 700 has been the largest for a couple years now hasn't it? Though it's not billed as such.

Ted in OR

> When the 700 goes out of service, what will the
> largest operable steam locomotive be -- ATSF 3751?
> (A quick google search doesn't tell me).


>
> The 700 has been the largest for a couple years
> now hasn't it? Though it's not billed as such.
>
> Ted in OR

Depending on timelines, likely N&W 611, but possibly AT&SF 2926 (biggest 4-8-4 in pretty much every category)

Posted from iPhone

Ted,

There was coverage in the Columbian (Vancouver, WA newspaper). They give this event good coverage every year. We leave the press up to BNSF, because it's their show and their party. We do announce it on our web site and newsletter to members. We don't have a Twitter feed, although we have a very active Facebook page (as do the Friends of the 4449!) Last year one of our crew filmed the trip back to ORHC in the cab and edited to a real fast time lapse. It can be found among our files on the web site and I think it was posted at the time on our Facebook page. It summarizes the experience mentioned by Mr. Cautley, but in better weather. I must say, the weather for this Vancouver event was very miserable, and it kept some of the visitors away this time, I am sure!

Hi Sedaker,

Thanks for the info. Maybe you can get the 4449 Twitter whizes to step in and give real-time updates on your next mainline move.

BTW, I'm on the Facebook page, but there wasn't an announcement in the news feed about the mainline run to Vancouver.

I figure, it's the largest operable steam locomotive in the world, it's making its only mainline run of the year, there's probably folks out there besides just me that would like to see it.

I know you're an all-volunteer group (& I'm a due-paying member of the ORHF, so I contribute in that way) and it's hard to keep up with social media and all, but it would definitely help build support for the SP&S and ORHF programs if you were able to enlist some of the furloughed SP 4449 social media folks to help publicize any upcoming runs. For instance, if you're firing up for National Train Day, see if the 4449 media team can get a Twitter feed going for the moves over to Union Station and back. Like "We're held up for the signal at the Steel Bridge, looks like it will be a few minutes before we proceed."

(For instance, On National Train Day in 2010 year some friends and I hung out at the Naito Parkway grade crossing waiting for the 4449 to highball east out of the station -- rare opportunity to see mainline steam in action -- but we eventually gave up because we had no idea how long it would be until they would highball the station. With the trip east to Michigan, I understand that roadside fans were kept up to date on the variables in the schedule).

Cheers,
Ted in OR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/15 18:20 by gobbl3gook.

Also, in the press releases you might add "largest operating steam locomotive in the world!"

The UP Challenger got a lot of press based on that claim back in the day, you folks might as well take advantage of the spotlight while you have it.

The Columbian article says nothing remarkable about the locomotive itself...
http://www.columbian.com/news/2014/dec/17/bnsf-railway-annual-christmas-steam-train-santa/

Granted, Portland/Vancouver take the 4449 and 700 for granted in many ways, so its hard to get the media to step up when it's similar annual events year after year. But, when you have some new title or distinction, might as well fly it proudly.

FWIW,
Ted in OR

gobbl3gook Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Also, in the press releases you might add "largest
> operating steam locomotive in the world!"

>
> FWIW,
> Ted in OR

You might want to tred lightly on that claim. The only reason that SP&S 700 is "the largest operable steam locomotive in the world" RIGHT NOW is, SP4449, UP844, AT&SF 2926, and N&W611 are not operable YET.

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> gobbl3gook Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> You might want to tred lightly on that claim. The
> only reason that SP&S 700 is "the largest operable
> steam locomotive in the world" RIGHT NOW is,
> SP4449, UP844, AT&SF 2926, and N&W611 are not
> operable YET.

I thought that was his point. Take advantage of the truth while it is true.

All the "Empire Builder" cars almost made me home sick......Great engine and operating staff.........
...Swede....Albany,Or.

To follow up on my previous commentary -- I stopped by the ORHM today, and renewed my membership.

A docent was walking a few folks through the museum, and mentioned that the SP&S 700 was the largest operating steam locomotive in the US. That the Union Pacific had two larger ones, but that their steam program had been at least temporarily discontinued.

So, kudos to the docents for staying on top of the current superlatives.

Ted in OR