Steam & Excursion > WMSR Passenger & "Freight" on a Rainy Sunday - 02 October 2022

We stayed home Saturday due to the rain, but the boy wanted out of the house on Sunday.... Felt like a Western Maryland Scenic kind of day.

Glad we went as we photographed some switching movements that the #1309 chasers didn't get....

1) #1309 with the day's excursion leaving the shop complex in Ridgeley, WV.

2) and 3) Recently repainted "Stampede Pass" in the Western Maryland Red & White.

.... More to Follow ....



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/22 16:28 by DTWilson.

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After the #1309 and it's train cleared the yard lead, a crew started switching some boxcars and the caboose with GP30 #501.

1) and 2) The Switching was done to bring out the caboose to be used later in the day for a movement to City Junction in Cumberland, MD.

3) We left Ridgeley in time to catch #1309 westbound at the Market Street Bridge.

.... More to Follow ....

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Since we heard on the scanner that the #501 crew was going to lunch then go after the cars they need, we decided to head up to Helmstetters for a few shots.

1) #1309 at Cash Valley Road....

2) and 3) A wet #558 on the rear of the Frostburg Flyer westbound on Helmstetters Curve.

..... More to Follow ....

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After lunch and photographing a few CSX movements we hear #501 heading for City Junction....

1) #501 picking up some of the hoppers stored at City Junction.

2) A wet Western Maryland caboose ....

3) #501 shoving back passing a few relics from days past at Market Street in Cumberland, MD.

A wet but fun day.... the boy was happy and that's all that matters.

Tim W.

 

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Great series of pics.  Thanks for posting.  The 1309 looks pretty awesome but that GP30 is a gem as well.
Would love to see this operation someday.

Thank you as always Tim for all the great photos and coverage of the Western Maryland Scenic Railway.  Your photos are always some of the best posted on here.  You have no control over their operations, nor does anyone else; however, the only thing that keeps this line from looking like the good-ole-days on the WM is the condition of the tracks in that there are so many weeds growing now, which of course never occurred when the real WM was in operation.  But I realize that it costs a lot of money to spray and control the weeds growing in the right of way.  Thanks again.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

A steam sprayer is a good method of killing trackside weeds.
Its typically a lateral pipe across the engine ( front or rear),
with closely spaced slots aimed down at the weeds and at a height
aboout even with the pilot's footboards.

With hot steam spraying, cruise along at a slow speed....and presto, the weeds
will wilt and die.

Not a costly operation and not a poisonous spray ...
Service can also be marketed as a profitable, environmentally safe,
weed control program to other carriers.... gotta' be less costly than using the
weed poisons.

Gee now,  where are they gonna' find a steam source for such a purpose?

W.

 

Looks like a former Vista Dome Coach from the North Coast Limited.

Note the absence of the spot for the coal stove stack on the rear roof (fireman's side).  That was a Great Northern Great Dome Coach feature, signaling this is a former NP, CB&Q or SP&S Vista Dome Coach.

All great photos! Thank you.

All plant have a thin wax surface which prevent the leaf being dehydrated and die and that can be washed off without steam, just with 210 degree hot water or steam. Few weeds grew in mainline track that got frequent shots of steam from cylinder cocks. 
A suggestion would be to put a large canvas cover over a push cart ahead or behind the 1309, which end would be best to receive a pipe from the boiler, and the canvas would hold the hot steam on the weeds long enough to kill them.  The  roots will continue to live so they  may grow back till you give them a repeat heat bath.  It does not prove to be cheap but it will do the job.  Baldwin made a 12 wheel boiler with the canvas covered area under the boiler and sold it to a sugar plantation in Philippine Island, and it was 3' gauge.  It was called a Weed Destroyer.    




wcamp1472 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A steam sprayer is a good method of killing
> trackside weeds.
> Its typically a lateral pipe across the engine (
> front or rear),
> with closely spaced slots aimed down at the weeds
> and at a height
> aboout even with the pilot's footboards.
>
> With hot steam spraying, cruise along at a slow
> speed....and presto, the weeds
> will wilt and die.
>
> Not a costly operation and not a poisonous spray
> ...
> Service can also be marketed as a profitable,
> environmentally safe,
> weed control program to other carriers.... gotta'
> be less costly than using the
> weed poisons.
>
> Gee now,  where are they gonna' find a steam
> source for such a purpose?
>
> W.
>
>  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/07/22 05:57 by PlyWoody.

Thanks for the great post.....