Steam & Excursion > Pre-Winterail excursion: More fun with P-p-p-porky…

Winterail excursion: More fun with P-p-p-p-p-porky…
 
Nice to see roustabout’s video of the Albany & Eastern/Santiam Excursion Trains pre-Winterail excursion with Santa Maria Valley 2-6-2 #205 on the A&E line between Lebanon and Sweet Home, OR on March 27.
 
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,6156134
 
I don’t know what the break-even is on a trip like this, but from a rider’s perspective, it seemed like a good number of riders – well patronized but not overcrowded.  Riding in the open car behind the engine on the eastbound run was a great time.
 
1) Just after arrival at the station in Lebanon.
 
2) Note to self – don’t stand next to the cylinders when the engine is about to move…
 
3) …which I promptly forgot at the first photo runby at Sweet Home.

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4-5) They did double runbys at both photo stops, which was welcome.  This is the first runby at Sweet Home.
 
6) Behind the photo line, down closer to the 18th Ave. crossing, a funny guy in a funny hat on a funny bike was trying awfully hard to go viral. 

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7) The second runby east of Sweet Home covered in roustabout’s video.
 
8-9) There are no turning facilities at Sweet Home, so the engine cut off and ran around the train here before pulling the train back to Lebanon tender-first.

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10) Burning up the right-of-way east of Liberty, OR along US-20.
 
11) A friendly wave to the open car riders from a UPS driver crossing behind the train west of Liberty.
 
12) Passing the local freight at the Weyerhaeuser mill.

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13) Crossing Old Santiam Highway coming back into Lebanon.
 
14) Unloading at the depot.
 
15) GP9 1750 was on hand to escort the steam locomotive and excursion consist back to the servicing area.  They’re shoving down Olive St. between Fourth and Third St. here.
 
I hope everyone enjoyed Winterail as much as I enjoyed the pre-Winterail excursion!

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First-class coverage - Great variety of interesting scenes.
Bob

Nice shots!  Looks like folks were having a good time with Porky.

It is truly a pleasure having Porky and Aaron Zorko with his excellent crew in our local area.  Rick Franklin has made this little railroad a railfan's delight with the assortment of freight and passenger power plus Porky.  

Great bunch, looks like a fun ride. What, no "That's all folks!" send-off? :>)

JG

There looks to be a very large lumber mill in east Sweet Home, with rails still there.  But............no business from them???

Nice pics!!

coach wrote:

>>  There looks to be a very large lumber mill in east Sweet Home, with rails still there.  But............no business from them???

That's a veneer plant, Murphy Veneer, according to Google.  Apparently not currently a rail customer.

Unfortunately, the Mill City Branch doesn't appear to be very active either.  The rails at Crabtree were pretty rusty.

Jeff Gast
Greenwood, Indiana