Steam & Excursion > Cotton Belt 819

Next in my series of steam engines having chased is Cotton Belt 4-8-4 819.  I only saw it twice.  The first was from Pine Bluff, AR to Tyler, TX for the Rose Festival.  The second was the St. Louis NRHS convention but given high humidity, high sun and generally miserable conditions, I don't have any photos worth posting.   Here are images from the Rose Festival trip.  As you can probably deduce,  I seldom pass up a bridge shot.

1.  Leaving Pine Bluff, AR  11/5/88

2.  South of Rison, AR  11/5/88

3.  Camden,AR  11/5/88

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4.   Waldo, AR  11/5/88

5-6.  Maud, TX the next morning.  11/6/88

 

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7.  Greeting the train in Tyler, TX  11/6/88

8-9.   Gonna be late for dinner.  Tyler, TX  11/6/88

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A first-class set. There are too many great photos to choose a favorite.
Bob

All those killer shots just make it sitting unused seem more of a shame!

Out 

callum_out Wrote:
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> All those killer shots just make it sitting unused
> seem more of a shame!
>
> Out 

Yes, a real shame. A shame that their "organization" heads crapped in their own mess-kit. A shame that anybody that knew anything about working on or maintaining her all departed. 

I love the two night photos.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

I only saw this engine 2 times also.  First was April 1988 Pine Bluff to Fordyce, that they ran annually.  This was before they started the Tyler trips I believe.  The second was the NRHS convention as you mentioned.  It really rolled on the trip to and from St. Louis.

I think your first bridge shot near Rison could be the Saline River Bridge.  I know I shot that bridge in April 88.  It was the most significant feature in that area!!!

Good to see your photos.  You should have a good selection of N&W stuff eventually, as well as SP 4449 of course, and UP!!!

Greg

gregscholl Wrote:
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> I only saw this engine 2 times also.  First was
> April 1988 Pine Bluff to Fordyce, that they ran
> annually.  This was before they started the Tyler
> trips I believe.  The second was the NRHS
> convention as you mentioned.  It really rolled on
> the trip to and from St. Louis.
>
> I think your first bridge shot near Rison could be
> the Saline River Bridge.  I know I shot that
> bridge in April 88.  It was the most significant
> feature in that area!!!
>
> Good to see your photos.  You should have a good
> selection of N&W stuff eventually, as well as SP
> 4449 of course, and UP!!!
>
> Greg

I'll get to the N&W.  As for 4449 I've got three Logans so will take some sorting to pull decent stuff.

I've really enjoyed all of your excellent steam shots you've posted the last few days !
Top of the line images (and great scans also).
Gary

HotWater Wrote:
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> callum_out Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > All those killer shots just make it sitting
> unused
> > seem more of a shame!
> >
> > Out 
>
> Yes, a real shame. A shame that their
> "organization" heads crapped in their own
> mess-kit. A shame that anybody that knew anything
> about working on or maintaining her all
> departed. 

That's a prime example of a fine engine, fit for service and not run correctly, snotty management who pissed the UP off and now it sits.  St. Louis Steam Train Assn. thought about asking to lease it when 1522 was down, but everyone told us it would be a waste of time to ask.   I'd love to run her as  I speak Fluent Baldwin.  Will never happen.

Return trip of 819 to Pine Bluff from St. Louis NRHS Convention: WORSE STEAM EXCURSION EVER (at least after reaching Ilmo).
Multiple A/C failures in passenger cars plus the whistle was blown off into the fields around Stuttgart, I recall.  Delay ensued.
Meanwhile, sorties of "tri-motor" mosquitos attacked passengers trying to get a breath of fresh air in the vestibules.

The Tyler and Athen trips were much more enjoyable.

Very nice set of images!  I wish I'd made the time to see 819 run when I had the chance.
GK

Beautiful engine, beautiful train and beautiful shots.

How long was 819 active?

PVSfan Wrote:
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> Return trip of 819 to Pine Bluff from St. Louis
> NRHS Convention: WORSE STEAM EXCURSION EVER (at
> least after reaching Ilmo).
> Multiple A/C failures in passenger cars plus the
> whistle was blown off into the fields around
> Stuttgart, I recall.  Delay ensued.
> Meanwhile, sorties of "tri-motor" mosquitos
> attacked passengers trying to get a breath of
> fresh air in the vestibules.
>
> The Tyler and Athen trips were much more
> enjoyable.

I was on that trip and you have correctly described it . The toughest train trip of my life. I do , however believe those were four - motored skeeters according to the late, great Murrel Hogue. --Kelly

High quality slides ! Thanks for posting. 

Great stuff. I made it trackside for a couple of trips to Fordyce and Tyler, including the first trip where she derailed on the old wye, 5 of the 8 drivers on the ground and no diesel to help rerail it. Returned late and tender first.  Standing trackside as she roared by at 70mph was a ground pounding experience.

Dad's great uncle, W.T. Miller, designed that engine as Supt. of Pine Bluff shops and later, Supt. of Motive Power for SLSW. Did not know this until I visited Pine Bluff to chase the engine to St. Louis.

Frisco1522 Wrote:
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> That's a prime example of a fine engine, fit for service and not run correctly, snotty management who pissed the
> UP off and now it sits.  St. Louis Steam Train Assn. thought about asking to lease it when 1522 was down, but
> everyone told us it would be a waste of time to ask.   I'd love to run her as  I speak Fluent Baldwin.  Will never happen.


Don, I visited the 819 on March 10th and Mr. Wellenberger (the docent who was very kind to open the museum for me on Tuesday, a normally closed day, but the only opportunity I had) told me that they were planning to start a fund raising campaign this summer to cosmetically restore the steamer.  It appeared that, following their abandoned operational restoration effort, a lot of parts still need to be put back on, especially in the cab, as well as cleaning up and painting.

I had been visiting my mother-in-law who lives 21½ miles SE of the 819 in Grady, the first passing track south of Pine Bluff.  For the last 26 of his 68 years as a pastor, my late father-in-law pastored Grady Baptist Church which sits across Grady Avenue (old US 65) from the UPRR SSS Grady.  My mother-in-law still lives in the parsonage which often vibrates when a train passes.  I saw a lot of unit oil trains passing though Grady the three days I was there.

Great statement:  "I'd love to run her as I speak Fluent Baldwin."  I love speaking that language also.  From the first steamer I ran over 62 years ago, a Baldwin Prairie, to the largest steamer I've run, a Baldwin Northern, its a great language!

Image #9 is awesome!

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