Steam's Return

10/23/06
I knew the OC's 1293 would be returning to Zanesville on Monday, because it had to. There is no other way to get back to Coshocton. A crew member told me Friday that it would be in steam, too.

I had some appointments to deal with Monday morning, and I just assumed I missed the 1293's return trip when I went into work later in the morning. But as I was sitting in the office, I heard a familiar whistle, and went out to find the train.

There was no sight of the train at the yard, and no puddle under the hydrant used to fill the steamer on Friday. I figured I would have plenty of time to get to the scenic overlook that affords a view of all of down town- and the OC's bridge over the Muskingum River. Something made me look at the bridge from ground level.

That is when I found the 1293. Going across the bridge. Guess they didn't need any water.

Back to State Street. I didn't really have any other options. Not that it is such a bad place to take pictures of steam engines in snow flurries.

The train sat at State Street for a minute, and then backed down the connection and up the former WLE. I raced over to Keen St to get a shot of the train backing up. There is a funny crossing here, as the tracks cross two streets in the middle of an intersection. I told the guy who got off the train about the photo I put in the paper, and asked if they would back all the way to Coshocton. He told me they would run the engine around in Armco Yard and then head north.

After shooting the train going away, I headed back to the office. I told the City Editor about the steam engine, and she said she had heard it, but didn't seem all that interested in using it was wild art, despite the 2000 hits on the web gallery and two reprints we had sold. Oh well. I figured I would get a shot I had hoped for anyway, just in case we needed some wild art (slow news day art, for lack of a better term)

I rolled down an alley beside Armco and watched the 1293 hook up to it's train. As it started to pull, I headed north along West North River Road to the fields I had shot the train crossing the first time around, and I had shot the coal train passing several times before, most recently in the post titled 'heavy train in the heavy rain.' Before I did though, I shot the train passing the marina, and then curving into the woods along the road. And then north, to the field, where three other people were waiting to see the train.

A steamer looks somewhat awkward running backwards, but it was still pretty cool to see. As the train disappeared down the straight stretch of track along the road, it almost looked timeless.