Thanks Jamie! Overall, it did turn out to be a pretty decent chase even if it wasn’t the easiest one. Definitely glad I came out for it though and it was super worth it to once again witness history in the making with 2102! And yeah, that deer and I stared at each other for at least 5 or six minutes before 2102 arrived lol, it was very interested in me. Thought it was a nice touch to show some wildlife, because that is part of the experience too. Glad to hear you had a fun day as well!

Ah I remember you guys lol; no worries about having you join at that spot, glad you were able to beat it there to catch it despite the unwanted thorns. And thanks, I was pretty happy with how this video turned out, hope for more excursions next year

Thanks! Yes I was very pleased with both of those shots as well; and believe it or not I drank close to 5 big bottles of water that day!

Thank you very much!

You're welcome collin

Glad to hear you had a good time!

Thanks Seth! It was a pretty awesome day!

Thanks!

Thank you!

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it; and yeah, that was pretty unique in Tunkhannock!

Don’t tell me your the guy riding in the blue ultralight that flys around during most excursions there lol. Cuz if so, I’ve caught you three times already 😂 (I really wonder how great a view of the trains is from the air though. Also i hope the person that is flying it never stops, it makes the experience so unique seeing an air vehicle next to a train)

@@gabetrain8834 negative. i'm the guy with the biplane over at the airport........ the powered parachute dude is friend, Patrick.

Thanks man! And oh geez I didn’t realize I caught you guys lol; glad you made it to get on though!

Quite the coincidence lol

Thank you! To be honest, I wondered the same thing. A few minutes before they departed the engineer did open the cylinder cocks to blow out most of the condensation, so there is a good chance that most of the moisture got out then. I also watched as he went by and saw the throttle was just barely cracked open, so not much steam was going to the cylinders anyway. So, I’d say a combination of the two. Just goes to show how powerful 2102 is that it can move a 17-car passenger consist with the throttle only cracked!

​@@PANortheasternRailfanIt's because the track is actually downgrade through Nesquehoning toward Jim Thorpe Junction, so basically they coasted the train out of the station without applying much power

I think what it really came down to was the tight schedule of the day, as well as the fact that if 2102 would’ve taken the consist around the wye, then it would have to run around the train as well, which would’ve took even more time. It definitely could be done though if they wanted to in the future, but this time made sense to just turn 2102

@@PANortheasternRailfanI didn’t think of it that way. You are right it can be done but too many moving parts needed at the wye to prevent the need to run around. This is also what the car host on Hickory Run was referring to during the May Ramble as she said we would be facing backwards on the way home to Reading and I was confused as heck. I guess she got her trips mixed up. I’m waiting for the Ashland trip in July. Will you be chasing that one or not worth it?

@@James-Railyard I might get a couple shots of it; since I chased the RDC charter in April I don’t think I’ll do the whole day, but I could catch some of it.

It's because RJ Corman owns one leg of the wye and somebody decided not to let passengers on that section. To turn the coaches would have required the passengers to ride on the track. RBMN in recent years has almost never run passenger trains over any section of track that they do not own. In fall 1987 and 1988 the 2102 and PRR and Reading diesels ran excursions over Conrail as well as Sept 1985 with 2102 with Reading Tech and borrowed BM&R coaches and two ex-Reading coaches. Something like that can't happen again over NS. The NS 21st Century Steam Program (2011-2015 and 611 only 2016-2017) was an exception. I rode behind Fort Wayne 765 from near Bethlehem to Pittston on Aug 22, 2015 and the entire train turned on the Pittston wye. They loaded Subway sandwiches onto the train at Pittston to hand out for free. I guess lunch was included with the cost of the tickets.

@@robkrasinski6217 but the cars are usually empty when the cars are turned. In Jim Thorpe the cars are turned on the Wye at Mauch Chunck while everyone is in town.

Thanks! I use a Sony ZV E10 for most of my shots

The consist shoved back into Nesquehoning shortly after 7am; I am not sure if it’ll be the same for this next excursion but I am assuming so. The amount of distance you should leave really comes down to what you are comfortable with, but I’d personally recommend leaving about as much distance as I did. The route I did gave me plenty of time at each spot to set up comfortably without feeling rushed and could drive comfortably.

@@PANortheasternRailfanalright cool. thank you so much

Norfolk Southern has no ownership of any of the tracks 2102 ran on. They wouldn't be able to operate any excursions on NS owned track. NS owns the line paralleling the RBMN track through the Lehigh Gorge for several miles and at Old Penn Haven the NS track veers off toward Hazleton and RBMN goes toward White Haven. NS only has an Allentown-Hazleton local left. They used to use 45 miles of RBMN track to Dupont where they used a connector track to go to Binghamton, NY but not anymore. They bought the track from CP now CPKC in Sept 2015 from Schenectady, NY to Sunbury, PA. I rode on some of the NS track during a 765 excursion from near Bethlehem to Pittston and return on Aug 22, 2015.

Well NS and RBMN share together the track along the old Lehigh valley mainline to Scranton Pennsylvania where we can see the NS Taylor yard just 4 or 3 mile outside Scranton PA NS suppose to continue Binghamton NY but it own by cp(now CPKC) for bridge line from Scranton to Binghamton NY. Your information maybe sometimes right sometimes wrong because some track with single track you saw it just RBMN Pittston subdivision but its actually NS track From Taylor yard to Allentown sub with freight marker numbers 31Z because there is a junction just 1.5 miles in Pittston connect to NS and RBMN Track.

Passengers began boarding this train shortly after its arrival at 7am. This video shows it arriving in Tunkhannock at 1pm

@@PANortheasternRailfan I’m riding on August 17th I want a window seat so I wanted to know how early to be there, thank you so much!

The white flags are a call back to the days of the original Reading Railroad Iron Horse Rambles; they designate the train as an “extra” train