A visit to see a Big Boy

 

The Big Boy was at Steamtown for 2 weeks, and we decided to visit the site on the third to last day it would be on site.  There would be a long drive ahead of us, but this would be our last chance to see the last operational Big Boy before it leaves for Philadelphia to celebrate America's 250th birthday.

But first....

RQS and I decided not to go to church today.  It would be a no-brainer for us, as the church is not air-conditioned, and we wanted to be as comfortable as possible before arriving at Steamtown.  Waking up at 9 am, we were out the door by 11:30, knowing that we'd be on the road for 2.5 hours.  It would be an exhausting drive for me, but I didn't know it before I started out.

Normally, I avoid the "Goat Path" (a twisting mountainside road near me) leading to the Bear Mountain Bridge.  Today, I had to take this road to the bridge, and then take a long, boring drive along the Interstate to reach Scranton, PA.  There are very few landmarks between Middletown, NY and Scranton, PA, and I was driving with only 5 hours of sleep.  It was an effort to stay awake, as I needed to walk around to keep my blood flowing and make sure that I'd have the energy to finish this 125 mile drive.  But, we made it to Steamtown by 2 pm.

One can usually enter the park without reservations, and unlike many Federal Historic sited, without an admission fee. (Steamtown's management decided NOT to charge admission fees, as 85% of these fees would go into the collective Federal budget.  Instead, Steamtown gains revenue by selling excursion rides on steam trains, where they get to keep 100% of the ticket sales.)  I remembered to buy tickets ($1.00/pp) for this event, and I was able to drive into the park after showing my ticket.  And then the fun began....

I was a little over dressed for the day (wearing a shrug to cover my shoulders) so I was very warm while at the park.  Since there was a 300' line to go inside the engineer's compartment of the Big Boy on permanent display, we decided to first go to the main building and see the exhibits there. Following that, we went outside to see the Big Boy that would be here until month-end.  We spent 90 minutes at a museum to see a living relic, a machine built in 1941 that was brought back to life by a corporation who wanted to preserve its heritage.  We consider ourselves lucky, as this would be the only time in my life that 2 Big Boys would be in the same place at the same time.  Sadly, this might be only time this great locomotive might get this far east, and it was well worth the effort to get here to see it being prepared for its next move.

Around 3:45, we were back on the road again, and I heard a weird noise coming from my car.  Could something have gotten stuck in a tire?  Who knows?  But it was Sunday, and I didn't want to call AAA for roadside help, and then have to make it back home with either a "Donut" (temporary use tire) or by other means of transit.  Instead, I kept my car in motion for 2 hours until we crossed the Hudson river.  The noise had thankfully gone away on the trip back, and we were able to fill up the gas tank and stop for dinner before driving the final 30 minutes to my house.

It was a long day, but well worth the effort to get out of the house. 

 

Steamtown's "Big Boy" #4012 Videos: 

Big Boy #4012 Cab Tour

Big Boy #4012 on Turntable 

Big Boy #4012 Returning To Exhibition

 

PS: The song for today is Harry Chapin's "30,000 pounds of Bananas."  Anyone who has driven in to Scranton on one of the long hills coming in to town will understand why I bring up this tune. 

 

I'd rather have been in Scranton, PA today.

 

The Union Pacific Big Boy - #4014 is a unique survivor of the scrap heap.  Instead, it was put into static display when it was retired from service, and rehabilitated for use to show of the Union Pacific railroad's heritage.  This weekend, it traveled through Pennsylvania to reach the Steamtown museum for temporary display and boiler servicing.  Yesterday and Today (as I write this) were the only two days this machine would be available for close up public inspection before it is taken in for servicing.  Sadly, I couldn't make it there today, as I had a lot on my schedule for the day.

- - - - - -

Before I got to any of the items on my docket, an old acquaintance messaged me.  Six years ago, we had a nasty falling out (I won't say more on that), and now we are able to have a good chat again.  It's a nice thing, and I hope that we'll have more of these chats in the future.  One bit of good news - her family is going well, and she has someone nice in her life.  (Again, I won't say more about this.)  Sooner or later, we will finally meet again.  Although things won't be the same as before, it will be in a better place than it once could have been. 

The first thing on my docket was lunch with SJM.  We had changed the date, and our time was limited by appointments on both of our calendars.  She discussed family affairs, and I talked about my brother finding a job, the sale of the family homestead, and the current political situation.  When I mentioned that I want to take RQS to Hawaii with me presenting as Marian, she advised against it - she is especially sensitive to what is going on with our government officials.  Next, I talked with my financial advisor.  He gave me some bad news regarding tax liabilities from the sale of the family homestead, as well as other things I'm not in the mood to mention today. 

Just before dinnertime, I had to facilitate a co-op board meeting for the purpose of interviewing an applicant. I set things up, and all went well.  Yet, I noticed something unusual - without my face on screen, people were comfortable talking over me.  This was a problem in my last project with the bank, where I had to manage a group of people remotely with no visual contact.  Without today's Zoom technology, my voice alone is ineffective for a male voice.  It's not in a timbre which commands attention.  At least, it was a pleasant meeting for all  involved..

As one can see, there was no way I could have gone to Scranton today.  But, damn, I wish I could have been there to see the Big Boy! 

 

 

Someone is getting forgetful, and it's not me.

Today, RQS had to go home after a weekend at my place, and things started off relatively normally for a Monday.  Both RQS and I would get showered and dressed, and I would drive her to the train station to go home.  And our routine followed along this path until I got home.

For the next 2 days (as I write this), the one functional "Big Boy" locomotive UP#4014 would be available for viewing at the Steamtown National Historic Site.  And then, UP#4014 could be serviced by both Steamtown and Union Pacific personnel until the end of the month, when UP#4014 would make its way to Philadelphia for America's 250th anniversary.  If I had made my plan to drive to Scranton, PA immediately after dropping RQS off at the station, RQS would not be able to communicate with her family - she had left her cell phone charging in my bedroom, and the earliest I could get it to her would be Wednesday.  If I couldn't get it to her then, it would be another 11 days before she'd have her phone in her hands.  (You can imagine what it would be like if you couldn't return phone calls for 2 weeks!)  So, I decided to drive to her place before I'd be affected by rush hour traffic jams.

It was a perfect day for me to wear a summery dress with a denim jacket - the weather was warm enough for a nice dress, but cool enough to want something to keep me warm after the sun goes down.  So, I figured that I'd get to RQS's place by 3 pm, surprise her with her phone, and then have a couple of tacos with her before driving back home.  And the dress was the most comfortable thing I could wear when walking to the taco shop.

But back to RQS's place....

I used my keys to enter her building then knocked on her door.  It was the most pleasant surprise she could have gotten.  A couple of hours later, we were eating tacos, and I was ready to drive home.  And that's where the 2nd forgotten item was left in the wrong place.  She forgot to take her keys when she want to the pottery studio.  Luckily, she has a neighbor who has broken in to her apartment (with permission) in the past, so that she could get into her apartment.

I'm glad I could have been there for her today, and that her neighbor was available to help her as well.