One would expect a main line steam locomotive and 13-car train to drift listlessly down grade through the curves while passing the restored station at Cresco, Pa., but not here. Engineer Rich Melvin is pulling against the brakes to keep the train stretched for passenger comfort. As a result this scene was as tremendous as the photo implies, a sharp crack of the exhaust, the dust from the sand and the smell of brake shoes from her hasty pace startled this small group of chatting photographers. As the hind-end cleared our perch with clouds of dust following it, we all marveled at what we had just seen. For lovers of reciprocating machinery, it was worth the entire day.
