KevinM Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Kevin Gilliam Wrote:
>
> > Most mainline steam in the US produces copious
> > amounts of cinders at speed. I always found
> that
> > goggles and a bandana worked well, leaving the
> > forehead only to take the brunt of the
> onslaught.
>
> That's why I always prefer the confines of an
> ENCLOSED coach, when riding behind steam. I have
> never quite understood the phenomenon of sticking
> one's head out of an open vestibule.
>
> /Kevin Madore
It's the best experience with steam you can get short of being in the cab. Some people really enjoy it, others don't. To a certain extent, I kinda liken it to dogs sticking their head out of the window in a car. Just listening and watching the engine work for mile after mile at speed, it's a rush like being on a rollercoaster. Feeling the wind on your face, and the speed and the power. It's a totally different experience than you get being inside a sealed passenger car.
I can remember riding behind the 611 coming south out of Danville, VA on a rainy day. There's a fairly steep hill pulling out of the river valley with several back to back reverse curves at the bottom of the hill, then straightening out for the rest of the climb. We had a stop at the bottom of the hill, and with the wet rail, it was a battle to get through those curves down at a walking speed with drivers slipping trying not to stall. Then, as soon as the train got out of the curves and the track straightened, that engine took off like a rocket. Listening to it and feeling the acceleration and the power. The faster we went, the more power that engine developed. It was a very real example of what superpower steam was all about. As they say, diesels don't do this! If you were in a sealed car, you would have missed all of it.
