Steam & Excursion > The History of The High Iron Company 1966-1973

New Amazon Listing – hardcover, 8 ½ x 11, 225 pages, 200 + B&W and color photos with great coverage of NKP 759 and other engines, 14 chapters, Steam in the Snow, Golden Spike Centennial Ltd, Horseshoe Curve, and much more! Search = hank webber. Order your copy today!   
 

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Hank's book is remarkable.... he wrote it documenting the people 
aspects of how our small group became a GIANT, in the excursion 
world, after Reading stopped running the Rambles.

Hank has focused on people, experiences, and his life-lessons 
working to facilitate Ross's Excursions.  Hank has stayed away from 
the technical aspects of locos, and focused on experiences, people and 
railroaders.  This is a behind the scenes look at a remarkable group 
of folks and the relationships that made that era, and Company unique.

You will get an inside look at how Ross built the Premier Excursion Company
that operated over American Class 1 railroads, and led to the American Freedom Train,
and the rest.

Hank's book covers the early days, the people, the locos and the excursions 
where our customers were 'family'.  Ross is a Master at capturing folks' imaginations,
and having simple excursions become reunion-like, among the ticket-holders
and the HICO team and crew members.  We were a BIG steam-family!

It's amusing, funny and deeply human in capturing all of ours' imaginations,
and some highlights from the wonderful excusions from that unforgettable era.

This will sell-out, FAST !

Wes Camp



 



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/24 08:51 by wcamp1472.

I've been privileged to have seen an advance copy and can testify that it is very well done and loaded with great photos of our steam adventures. Photos of the crowds that came to trackside to cheer the Golden Spike train on its journey and several great pictures of actor John Wayne with that train sure evoked some great memories.

    Highly recommend it to any student of the steam excursion fraternity. Congratulations to Hank Webber for a job well done.  

     Ross Rowland 

Enjoyed meeting and saying “hello” to the three of you at Pittston this past Saturday! I am looking forward to the book.
611 Doug

Posted from iPhone

Have eagerly awaited this book and understand what it took to have it written and published. Purchased my copy earlier today!
Rode my first High Iron trip with NKP #759 on the CNJ from E'port, NJ to Jim Thorpe, PA and return in 1968. Photo runby at Bloomsbury, NJ. Great High Iron trip and great ride especially in the open car Mountain Lookout! 
Congrats Hank for a job well done.

rr caboose



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/24 15:43 by rrcaboose.

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In the photo above, we were still learning about NKP 759.
The Real learning came during 1969's Golden Spike Centennial Limited 
where we had NKP experienced steam crews that coached us on
how to fire and run the Big Berk under all kinds of train weights & conditions.

From Buffalo to St Louis, and back to Pittsburgh, the NKP crews & firemen, all,
used the same techniques and methods... I learned A LOT ...

( After PGH, we were on WM RY to Baltimore, and PC...PC from Baltimore,
   back to Penn Station, NYC, with Centennial-Blue GG1 ).

Our 14 passenger cars were nothing, compared to a Berk designed &  drafted
for 80-car freight trains, screaming at 60, or Better!  The light-train drafting volume
required useful firebed configuration, and techniques. We had 100 sq ft of grate,
and about an "8% train"  ( roller bearing coaches gave very little resistance)
 ... virtually no strong draft..

1968-69 was only 10 years after last of NKP steam, many of our 1969 crews
had years of running the 700's.  Thank God, they were still around,

Their techniques were simple, but crucial.  At speed, even an 80 car freight,
on flat track profile produces very light drafting volumes...drawbar pull is relatively 
light, but consistent.

W.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/24 19:04 by wcamp1472.

Just purchased a copy!!

Posted from Android

Just ordered a copy. At the age of 13 had my first mainline steam excursion August 20,1967 on the HICO trip from Easton, PA to Wilkes-Barre, PA with CPR 1238 and 1286. Here departing Jim Thorpe, PA . All these years later this location still seeing big steam.

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Even before the internet and today's rapid communications,
HICO's ticket sales went at lightning speeds, 
Typically, sold out in 5 to 7 days, 

Ross can give the numbers of people we carried, on the trains 
What aided the trips was Ross had two ' Attendants' per car.
Each car became its own family! as the day wore-on.
Many families rode multiple trips, and partied together.

And the CNJ trips were mostly open-window, commuter cars.
14 to 18 cars.

Our fans were our biggest supporters.
A great era.

​W.

(  We never got 1238's exhaust steam injector to operate satisfactorily...).

 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/24 18:02 by wcamp1472.

All the trips sold out and most of them sold out quickly upun being announced. Our typical train was 12 o/w coaches ( 66 seats sold in each) and 3-5 PV's ( total of 100 1st.class seats ) and a snack-souvenir car and a baggage car carrying tools/supplies etc. Total train15-19 cars depending on terrain. 

    One of the interesting lessons we learned was even though they were identical in design the 1286 was an extremely good steaming engine while her twin sister the 1238 was VERY difficult to keep hot. We tried everything imagineable but nothing worked. 

    Great times, great memories. Ross Rowland 

Ordered mine!

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

Just placed my order.  It will be here Friday.  Great for weekend reading.

Picture from my first High Iron Co. trip.  I was 6 years old.  Elizabeth, NJ to Jim Thorpe and return.

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Thanks Wes. The recent news from Amazon is THE BOOK is a Top New Release, #2 in railroad pictorials, #3 in railroad history and is now on sale!!

I think Betty is interested too!

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

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Betty is beautiful!

Seems like a friendly cat!

​W.


 

wcamp1472 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Betty is beautiful!
>
> Seems like a friendly cat!
>
> ​W.
>

She is quite a screwball, so she fits in here perfectly!

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

Hank, your book is already sold out at Amazon. That was fast! Faster than me even.

Is there anywhere else I could order a copy? Thanks either way.

• Tom

Posted from iPhone

I believe that the 'book' exists in software at Amazon, and that the printed 
edition is an order to a book-printer for a certain number of issues, hard-bound.

Its a marketing decision by Amazon about how many hadrdbound's are
produced.

I'm sure Hank is working with Amazon on the "availabilty issues".
I think Amazon was caught, flat-footed about the popularity of 
Hank's work.  They hadn't experienced such a demand from a
'narrow-interest' subject like "trains" ... HAH !

Just in time for Christmas gifts!  
They HAD BETTER get more hadcopies printed !
It will be a big Best Seller!

 Congratulations, Hank !

​W.

( There have been reports of sloppily assembly of the printed pages...
   Carefully review your copy and send defective copies back to Amazon.
   Let Hank know of your defective books, and he'll also tighten the screws 
   on Amazon,
    Their 'publishing arrangements' ain't cheap, so their products 
    ought to be First Class, for the prices they charge!)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/24 02:39 by wcamp1472.