Adieu, old friend. With CN 7470 safely tucked into her stall in the North Conway Roundhouse, a crew member checks the clearance on the front coupler, before closing the doors on the engine's 7th "Steam in the Snow" excursion. Unless someone decides to charter this locomotive next spring, this event was the last scheduled run for the Conway Scenic's only steam engine. Her FRA Form 4 expires in July of 2014 and in order to run again, she'll need a complete, 1,472-day boiler inspection, which typically involves removal of the flues, a full ultrasonic survey, and a recalculation of her working pressure. Of course, such an inspection could involve a lot more, if the ultrasound reveals any conditions that don't meet the FRA's requirements. The railroad has not announced when or if they'll commence that inspection, so it may be a while before we again see "Steam in the Snow" up in the White Mountains.
A continuously growing album of photos that IMHO reveal the awesome and seldom-seen beauty of the railroad world from the dimming of day to dawn's early light! From dusk to dawn, trains roll on! (I'm still finding gems of sunset-to-sunrise surprises!)
