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| The Crystal Ball | ||
| by Jim Wrinn 1 April 2000: | ||
| "April," poet T.S. Eliot said, "is the cruelest month." Ole T.S., however, must have never contemplated what that first full month of Spring means to those of us who love steam locomotives. It's party time! Starting this month, more and more engines start emerging from their winter slumber. By mid- to late-June just about everybody who is running steam should be out and about this year. Here's a quick look at the quarter ahead: | ||
| The B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore is the place to stop this month. The last weekend of the month--that's April 29-30 for those whose calendars were destroyed in the Y2K catastrophe-is live steam weekend at the B&O's stately Mount Claire shop complex. The featured attractions are the operating replicas of the "Tom Thumb" and "LaFayette," but the true star is the "William Mason." The Mason is a classic 4-4-0 rebuilt extensively in the 1920s for promotional work and most recently steamed for the movie version of "The Wild Wild West." But she dates her initial inception to a beautiful day in 1856, so that marks her as the oldest steam locomotive still steaming. | ||
| As predicted in the January Crystal Ball, Ohio Central's Jason Johnson advises that ex-Grand Trunk Western 4-8-4 6325 won't be out of the shop in time for early June trips. Perhaps, he notes, this September, but at least sometime this year. | ||
| Elsewhere, think carefully about timing a trip to the Bluegrass State to catch L&N Pacific No. 152 at Kentucky Railway Museum. The dainty Rogers (1905) is scheduled power on the following dates: May 27-29; June 17-18; July 1-4; September 2-4 and 9-10; and October 14-15, 21-22 and 28-29. (152 was recently designated as the "Official Locomotive of the State of Kentucky" by the Kentucky Legislature in Frankfort, a town 152 knows well.) | ||
| Looking further ahead, the Crystal Ball understands that work is progressing steadily on ex-Southern Pacific 2-6-0 1744 for Rio Grande Pacific's new tourist line just across the mighty Mississippi from Jackson Square in New Orleans. Look for operations to begin as early as fall. | ||
| While searching for steam this year, keep in mind that the following states are currently barren: South Carolina, Virginia, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Kansas, Idaho, and North Dakota. If it weren't for the good folks who privately own Passumpsic Heisler No. 1, you could add Vermont to the list, and Florida would join the ranks if it weren't for The Mouse and his narrow gauge trains; Nebraska qualifies by virtue of visits by UP 3985 and MILW 261 in June. Enjoy your steam this spring! | ||
| I'll be updating this column for July 2000. Got any tips, corrections, or suggestions? Send them to crystalball@steamcentral.com. | ||
| Jim Wrinn, who's STILL older than your webmaster, writes this exclusive column for SteamCentral. On days when he's not writing for The Charlotte Observer, you might find him tinkering around BC&G 2-8-0 No. 4 (aka 604) or Graham County Railroad Shay No. 1925 at the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer. You can reach him at crystalball@steamcentral.com. | ||
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