Jon Searles' photos with the keyword: alco

As with all classic American train shows, the Steamtown Grand Reopening had to have a "Parade of Steam" featuring everything steam that could turn a wheel. Here's 261 doing its runby.

This shot is the best that I could get in this situation, unfortunately, as the crowding at the Grand Reopening of Steamtown was the largest that I had ever seen at a rail-related event up to that time, and still rivals anything that I've seen since. Even given that it was my best, I still ended up with a guy with a tripod. Notice that he's taking a video of a stationary object. Right.... I also had to crop this to hide a stain on the print that I scanned this from. Anyway, Reading, Blue Mountain, & Northern 425 is also visible in the background on the right.

Here's a final shot that I got of 261 as it departed Pocono Summit in a runby.

This is the second shot that I took of 261 on its farewell runby out of Pocono Summit.

Here's 261 doing a final photo runby on its departure from Pocono Summit, PA, which it backed up for to maximize the effect. Notice all of the tour buses, as the NRHS was regrettably forced to resort to bus transport in a country without an effective intercity rail passenger service!!

The 1995 NRHS Convention Special out of Steamtown terminated in Pocono Summit, but we were given a few farewell shots of 261 as it sat in Pocono Summit awaiting departure, which was done in the form of a runby.

Here's a detail shot that I got of 261 as it awaited its final departure from Pocono Summit. Although I don't remember for certain, the children protecting their ears on the right suggest to me that 261 was blowing its whistle at the time, perhaps in preparation to leave.

Here's 261 on its second runby a few seconds after Picture 5. It wasn't breaking any speed records, but it was doing a good clip for such a short running start. Again, kudos will go to whoever can figure out the correct location for me, as "Pocono Summit" is really a placeholder, and probably not accurate.

This shot, of former Milwaukee Road #261, was actually a photo runby, with two encores! There's nothing quite like a 4-8-4 being gunned. :-) The excursion was the finale for the 1995 NRHS National Convention.

This was taken at the 1998 National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) National Convention, although not in Syracuse, where the convention was based. Rather, I took this in Thendara, NY, at that time the northern end of the Adirondack Scenic Railroad, after having worked (as a Trainman) on the first public passenger train (at least to NRHS members from around the country) to run from Utica to Thendara since 1981. The locomotive (this one, as well as ex-NYC #8223) had been run around, and I took this picture of the cab before reboarding for the trip back to Utica.

The modern Adirondack Scenic Railroad originated with the Adirondack Centennial Railroad, a project of the Utica & Mohawk Valley Chapter of the NRHS, in 1992, and was transferred to the Adirondack Railway Preservation Society in 1994, becoming the Adirondack Scenic. I was involved in the project as early as 1990, circulating fliers advocating the preservation of the line, and was very surprised to see our small, relatively informal preservation effort balloon first to the idea that we could restore the line ourselves, and then further to the reality of running a tourist railroad, then to hauling 62,526 passengers in the first year with 4.5 miles of track, four coaches, and two locomotives, to hauling 76,803 passengers in the second year, making us the most successful tourist railroad in New York State and ranking us very high nationally. The Adirondack Scenic is still around today, although I'm no longer involved with it, but when I took this I still was. This was former New York Central #8223 with a special Utica-Thendara move at Woodgate, as the sun was going down. Note that the copyright date on this photo is wrong. That's because my records were wrong when I posted it.

This is my oldest photo on Flickr!! I scanned it with my black and white Caere Omniscan, but it was originally in color, and I have every intention of eventually getting a color scan. I think I already one somewhere, if the drive it was on hasn't been wiped by one thing or another. This was my first National Railway Historical Society excursion while actually a member, and it was sometime in the summer of 1990. We went from Utica, NY to Sherburne, and had a really good time. Notice the dome cars on the train! The locomotive was at that time the last operating ALCO C430, but in reality a few have been bouncing in and out of service, including this one, and they're heavily rebuilt by now, especially this one!!