Steam & Excursion > Forty or More Years Ago - N&W 1218

(Redo/Repost) N&W 1218 is speeding towards the camera on August 15, 1987. She is south of Bellevue, Ohio and putting on quite a show.
Bob



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/26 12:32 by refarkas.

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That summer was a wonderful experience... my first, with both the #1218 and #611 working together and separately with a variety of trains... passenger & freight.

Greg Stadter
Phoenix, AZ

 Nice one, Bob.  1218 was a class act.
Gordon
 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/26 20:39 by gbmott.

Yes, Bob, that is a great photo back when the Norfolk Southern operated some great steam fan trips.  Thanks for sharing the photo with all of us.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

That's a great photo, Bob.

Thanks for the nice photo.  It's too bad this locomotive had to be stuffed and mounted.  It surely must have a lot of life left in it.  I know it costs a lot of money to maintain and run, but so do all the other engines that are running.  If it was not practical to run it all the time, it seems like it could at least be run, if only occasionally.  I'd bet there are a bunch of people knowledgeable about it's condition and able to run it.  With a national treasure like this locomotive, it seems like there could be some reasonable lieniency as far as the fifteen year boiler inspection goes.  If anything, it should be kept limber and properly lubed as the SP 4449 was, so future generations may be able to light it's fire again.  I guess I'm just bummed that I wasn't able to go see it run, when it was.  Work has a nasty way of getting in the way of life.

Craig Hanson
Vay, Idaho

Fantastic shot, wish I could have seen it live.

Tom

Great photo! Hard to believe she was only with us for 5 years under steam. I only got to ride behind 1218 once, but this is the engine that got some coal smoke into me veins about a month after this photo was taken. I was somewhere with my uncle and we were heading back home through Ludlow, KY when we spotted smoke. My uncle went to investigate, thinking there was a fire and there sat 1218, just in from an excursion to Danville, KY. I even got invited into that cab. Of all my railfan experiences, I remember that evening when I was 10 years old most vividly. That chance encounter led to my life long passion for steam.

Beautiful! I never did get a chance to see it in person.
GK

That's about as nice a pic of 1218 as I've ever seen!  Many thanks for the post of an engine I never saw.

Bob