Fall peak has arrived in western North Carolina as Great Smoky Mountains 2-8-0 #1702 heads west out of Bryson City with the railroad’s ever popular Nantahala Gorge Excursion.
Curving up and around the privately owned and man-made Shalona Lake just south of Rockwood is train 463 with K-28 473 and K-37 493 leading the final push up to their station stop.
Doubleheaded train 463 crosses over US 550 and begins its assault on Hermosa Hill, with both firemen getting in position to sand the flues of the locomotives for the first time of the day.
Train 463 to Silverton is 10 miles into their 45-mile journey to Silverton as they pass the decommissioned wooden DRGW water tank at Hermosa. It was general practice to space these tanks every 10 ... (more)