21-06-19 VIDEOS: Fire Up 113

For anyone who previously viewed my photo set on the special June 2021 CNJ #113 excursion, they may have noticed the limited number of photos taken during the main line portions of the trip. This was because I was busy taking video due to the somewhat limited nature of the photo angles available on board the open gondola car. I also have enough video to warrant their own special post.

We start off with GoPro footage from the first gondola behind CNJ B-7 class 0-6-0 #113. I'm sort of a newbie to the whole special steam excursion scene, but I know enough to bring a GoPro on an extension wand, which nobody else seemed to think of. This first video captures the first half of the outbound run from Minersville station, where the trip originated, to Cressona Yard.



Here is the second half of the outbound trip from Cressona to the Reading and Northern shoppe and office complex at Port Clinton.



At Port Clinton #113 pulled off the excursion train and ran to MULLER interlocking where it reversed back on the main track to get serviced at R&N steam locomotive facility.



At the steam facility there were a number of switching moves to put the open gons back behind #113 for the return journey.



The last such move involved #113 pulling the train ahead to clear a switch, dropping a clear signal indication at CP-CLINT.



Finally the train was reversed back through the R&N diesel shoppe and office complex and after getting a Restricting indication at CP-PULPIT, #113 got a running start on the upgrade back to Minersville. The video follows along the old Reading Main Line to the yard limit sign at Milepost 79 (from Reading Terminal in Philadelphia). You can hear how hard #113 is having to work as well as see the black smoke from the repeated intervention of the fireman to add more steam generation capacity.



Unfortunately, a mere 30 minutes before the end of the trip it began to rain which made further media creation impractical. I was able to get one last video clip of #113 basting through the Schuylkill Haven station at "speed".



I hope you all enjoyed these. Tune back in next time as I stick around in the area to catch the regular Reading and Northern steam excursion locomotive, 4-6-2 #425, at the rebuilt HAUCKS interlocking.