#346 At the crossing - a photo on Flickriver

The tea kettle made it up the hill and is headed onto the sweeping downhill curve at the Colorado Railroad Museum's Christmas steam up. #346 was climbing the hill to the tank and burning coal unlike the oil (of any kind) that #844 uses. Only Eddie got in the way for this shot toward Delay Junction down the track! The scene is still rather void of the crush of onlookers this morning. Nobody his cheated the fence yet; not even Eddie! I rather like this shot down the line at the second crossing because the train had already turned into the early morning sun on the curve. There would still be shade on #346 this early. It seems the engineer is on the throttle a bit late considering it is now on the downhill drift. In any case, this looks pretty real to me.

This is a Colorado December day that is far from unusual. It even kind of foretold of the coming of a very short spring and glaring summer. Are you ready for some steam? The early excursion was not quite full but is grande for an early Sunday morning run by.I did a significant amount of editing to try to keep the remaining white snow and the black engine shadows in range, hoping to make a bold enough statement from the original that I found unretouched in my awaiting work directory.

I found this great venue further down the line from Delay Junction and the tank where Eddie, and only Eddie, is beginning to blot the sky. If I leaned a bit, I could lose the fence and rope to keep spectators from becoming a squash plant. We picked the Christmas steam up on Sunday fully knowing it might not be terribly busy. Steam is a winner in winter even if most of it can be explained, The cylinder cocks were open on the first run (earlier postings). They open them to bring the pistons and cylinders up to an equalizing temperature for extending the operating life. The engineer didn't do many steam displays when up to operating temperatures and pressures; perhaps he was a preservationist? I kind of expected the blow down valve could be opened along here too even though just once a run would probably be OK for us photographers. They also may have sanded the flues slightly to clean them and make a more impressive exhaust show what with extra coal and lubricants. There is steam trailing from the electric generator situated boiler top just in front of the cab. I think they are running the headlight. Show-offs? Fine by me, but someone forgot to open the blow-down valve under the cab! The usually spiffed engine is already sooty from Saturday's run. I suppose a wash and wax is in store for #346 when done with the show of runs and rides.

Taken on: December 10, 2011

Tags:

#346

Run By

Colorado Railroad Museum

Christmas Holidays Steamup

Denver & Rio Grande Engine #346

Origin1881

Golden

Colorado

RockyPix

Rocky

Mountain

Pix

W. Michel Kiteley

f/16

1/160th/sec

24mm

24-70mm f/2.8G

Nikkor

Normal-Zoom

Hand

Held « less

Sets appears in: • D&RGW #346

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