Re: The Tweetsie RR heritage weekend

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jameswaite
No. 12 is a loco which has appealed to me for a long time and I'm trying to weigh up the pros and cons of making a long journey to visit the event!

One of the neatest experiences at Tweetsie is #12 starting the full 5-car train after the town stop, then walking it up the 4+ percent grade to the Fort Boone stop. It only lasts a few moments, but is awesome and you can experience it again 30 minutes later. You won't get to experience #12 doing that during the Heritage Weekend since #190 stays on the regular train while #12 pulls the EBT coach. (#190 is also awesome on the 4+ percent, but you indicated you are more interested in #12.) OTOH, the Heritage Weekend is the only chance you can experience riding behind #12 in a real coach as well as take a non-stop trip around Tweetsie's loop.

As far as I know, the only time you can really expect #12 to be on the regular train is during the "Ghost Train" weekends (Boo!) During our visits, #12 seemed to always be running during the day of those events because they don't take #190's costume off each day.

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et&wnc
I highly doubt 12 will be in it's ET&WNC markings, as it wasn't when they had the annual convention of the ET&WNC historical society this summer (sadly, 12 was down for a maintenance issue at the last minute and not in steam for the group).

Lee's post reminded me that they once relettered #190 into its Army lettering. They put the correct lettering on the tender and cab, but left the bright green paint as is. The locomotive looked really great in black-and-white photos and also gave the world the chance to see a "Russo Loco Army Special".

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Chris Webster