What I am saying is that the future looks pretty bleak and we are never going to see a high-speed open vestibule excursion again. In my opinion there’s no reason to restore any more big engines because they are all dressed up and nowhere to run. With the exception of the big boy all of the stuff you mentioned is mostly small potatoes. And quite frankly the big boy is mostly smoke and mirrors because Ed is afraid to actually work it hard because he is afraid he might break it.


Foamer w/glass half full (of beer) Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sign of the times Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I think it is reasonably safe to say that
> mainline
> > steam is dead thanks to Delta boy at Amtrak.
> Also
> > we can’t forget big insurance and greedy
> lawyers
> > and the Sue happy public of this country. I
> > believe it is also pretty much certain that the
> > 2017 Portland to bend Oregon trip of SP4449
> will
> > be the last time that Doyle and hot water bring
> > 4449 into Portland on the mainline and that’s a
> > sad thing.
>
> Well if you view mainline steam as only being
> SP4449, I do not have sufficient data to say that
> you are incorrect.
>
> However:
>
> 1) The Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 is currently
> making its way through the Midwest and a pair
> excursions is tentatively scheduled to occur in
> October. Who knows what next year will bring.
>
> 2) Last year, a series of excursions with the
> Nickel Plate 765 was operated on Metra's ex-Rock
> Island Line between Joliet and Chicago, Illinois.
>
> 3) New Hope Railroad #40 was operated on a
> Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority
> ex-Reading Company line in May 2019 in observance
> of North Wales 150th anniversary. The excursions
> were very short distance, but it was still
> mainline steam.
>
> 4) The Reading & Northern has operated its #425 in
> recent years over its lines in Northeastern
> Pennsylvania. Former Reading 4-8-4 2102 is
> undergoing restoration for operation in the near
> future.