Re: Lots of purdy colors....and a GREEN loco

John West Wrote:
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> [attachment 40076 MWRfiveengines1000.jpg]
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> Too bad the green loco is a diesel.
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> JBWX

That's just a cool photo, John! With the exception of the presence of the diesel (M-1), it looks like the days of old, when you'd see a steady stream of little trains clawing their way up the mountain. Even I don't have any photos that capture 5 trains simultaneously.

The fall of 2008 was the last hurrah. I climbed the hill three times that year to photograph the end of 140 years of regular steam. At the time, I couldn't help but think about how O. Winston Link must have felt as he took his last shots of the old M-Class "Mollies" on the N&W Abingdon Branch. Although The Cog did run regular steam for a few weeks in early 2009, the 2nd and 3rd diesels came on line sometime in June of that year and suddenly, it was over.

Six steamers were operational in 2008. Two have since been stuffed and mounted. One (#4 dressed as #8) is in nearby Twin Mountain. The other (#10) is in Fabians, at the entrance to the road leading to the Base Station. They tried to sell the #3 on eBay at one point, but there were no takers. It probably should have been donated to the Smithsonian. I believe it is still on the premises, although stored outdoors. The #6 is apparently kept indoors, but has not operated. No idea what the plan is for it. The two engines that still run are the #2 and the #9. Those were the two that had feedwater heaters and were apparently significantly more efficient than the others. The #2 and #9 are the two engines shown in the photo that I posted from early 2009.

/Kevin