Re: A few shots on board the 08/24 168/425 Osier Turn, Evening in the Yard

Hadder Wrote:
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> I believe I saw in the trip with Glenbrook and
> Eureka there was a box car behind the engines. I
> see here it was replaced with an RPO. Any reason
> for this? I'm guessing the box car is lighter
> than the RPO, so it goes with the smaller
> engines.
>
> Eric

Hi Eric,

The box car is a potty/concession car, and yes, it was substituted for the RPO on trains headed by the Eureka/Glenbrook combination as it is lighter than the RPO and also contains 3 toilets vs. just one on the RPO. Eureka and Glenbrook have substantially smaller tractive effort than the little coal-burners, so every bit of weight they can shave off the consist helps ease the load on the wood-burners. Today, we ran with the potty box, a rider gon and two coaches for a Big Horn turn. That worked very well. What we are all waiting to see is what kind of consist these two engines can manage on the 4% when they get to Chama. Twenty years ago, if I recall correctly, Eureka was pretty much at her limit with just a long caboose.

Today’s trip was a photo excursion, and the images were quite nice. When I get home, I will post an album of the best ones. Tomorrow is an Osier turn, which may turn out to be a challenge from a photography standpoint. I think most folks would be fine with just another Big Horn turn. The wood-burners take significantly longer to cross the railroad because they have to wood up and water pretty frequently.

/Kevin Madore