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  • A&A this weekend 7/24-25

  • All about the Arcade & Attica Railroad
All about the Arcade & Attica Railroad

Moderator: Benjamin Maggi

 #831379  by JT76
 
Will 18 be running this weekend?? I havent been up there since i was 12 years old, and i think its time to pay a visit. Also, my Gf had never seen a steam locomotive until last weekend when i randomly cut down Scott st in Hamburg and we got a look at 4483, now she is obsessed with seeing one in action.
 #832178  by JT76
 
took the 230 pm trip on sat. Had a great time, the railroad is even better than i remember it! new track work looks great, i didnt think i was on the A&A for a second :) Coaches look great in green, time for a more "classic" paint job for 18 and the depot to compliment them. Took some pictures and videos, i will have to post them up later on
 #832212  by JT76
 
here are a couple of my favorites from this weekend, enjoy!

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a shot of the new track work, never thought i would see the A&A look so great... some of the rail at curriers was dated 1892!
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 #833080  by Mountcastle
 
I was there, too, last weekend, only I opted not to actually ride the train, this time: I just wanted to watch old No. 18 in action with camera in hand.

I made a point of getting there early enough to watch the noon train depart, as I worried that the second train might, for once, be diesel-powered, per the website. Turns out I had no need to worry: as usual, both trains were under steam. Not a diesel in sight.

No. 18 is just spectacular, it goes without saying, but I still find myself a bit uncomfortable with her altered "face"; it's a nose job that went wrong, in my opinion. Oh well; I'm sure it had to be done for some reason. Too bad they couldn't have more precisely replicated the original smokebox door, though.

As I say, I went with camera in hand:

Full Steam Ahead: 18 charges out of the depot and past the static display under a truly impressive head of steam...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hclF4-S1POo

Raging Creek: the train crosses an unusually high and wildly rapid Cattaraugus Creek...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmYkjuBb-7M

Raging Creek 2: the returning train, taken from the "other" side of the trestle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dtwokD5Egs

Switch: a shot of the train arriving at Curriers and switching, filmed near the second switch...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3pF4KWRFkc

Fire Hall: the train rolls past the parking lot of the Arcade Fire Department...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvbtkfSWAgY

All Alone: inside an empty Boonton coach while waiting for the train...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlAGcm8d9hg
 #833207  by jgallaway81
 
The front door was rusted all the way through.

I managed to snag a couple pictures of the door's remains when I was at the shop on Friday the 23rd.

Its a shame as there was a blast plate on the door as well that should have taken the brunt of anything the engine threw at it. It looks like the door was destructively sandblasted from the inside until there wasn't enough metal left to weld a patch to... but even a patch would have left an ugly mar on her face.

As for the shape of the new door, it definitely doesn't matcher her normal elegance. Unfortunately it was probably a good deal cheaper to fabricate than to try to recreate the original.
 #833542  by JT76
 
I assume you recorded those videos this past sunday? After riding the train sat i continued on to Ellicottville and spent the night at my cabin, on the way home sunday I was tempted to stop by myself to take more photos but woke up a bit late. We had A LOT of rain out that way sat night-sunday, i have never seen the creek that high!
 #833633  by Benjamin Maggi
 
I am not sure I would have noticed the different smokebox front if someone had not mentioned it. I am just glad that #18 is running. Can you imagine what people would have complained about if they had pulled her from duty because they were taking time to build a restore/recreate a new smokebox front?
 #835131  by Mountcastle
 
I suppose they would have complained about diesels, then, wouldn't they? Fortunately, no need to. Not so far, anyway; not this year.