AAPRCO Trip-Day 4-Part 1- Spencer to Asheville, NC-Tuesday September 25th

We left the North Carolina Transportation Museum and headed through the Blue Ridge Mountains on a steep and hairpin curve route.  There were lots of trees on either side and with the train being 1/2 mile long it was hard to see too many cars ahead of where we were on the curves.  There was one section where I looked down and could see the track below us that we had just been on - and also one point where I could see the first part of the train climbing ahead of us.  Since this was pretty slow, there were lots of opportunities to be on the platform and I took a few pictures from the vestibule.  I took a video of Rick on the platform - asked him what he thought.  He said, 'Honey, it doesn't get any better than this!"  Stephen Little, the Mayor of Marion had spent the night on board, sleeping on the bench seat which bumped Barry the steward into Kevin's room with Rob, our train guy, and Kevin to the top bunk in the Chef John's quarters.  We saw Andrews Geyser down below us that he talked about last night at the Bar-B-Que.  He got the locals in his town and other towns to come down to the crossings to greet the train as it came through with signs and cheers!!  As we were getting set up in Asheville we had a few rough bumps and our bouquets went flying and we had a wet chair and wet bench seat.  We finally pulled into Asheville and they split the train into two sections. Continued......

AAPRCO Trip, Day 3 - Washington, DC to Spencer, North Carolina

I can't remember much about yesterday except for last night in the lounge of the Dearing.  We had 14-15 people there, some of Bill's Red Oak Beer, Nelson and Borden's prefondled nuts. Cathy taught Elizabeth how to loom a hat during the ride. We had our first sit-down dinner at the table of crab cakes  Debbie almost got Bill killed in her quest to get a bottle of Tangueray Gin....a car ran into the liquor store about 5 seconds after he walked out!  The evening was a racous and memorable good time that won't be forgotten any time soon.  Elizabeth said that this car is now the party car of AAPRCO- torch passed from Dean's Scottish Thistle!?!

We had a few segments of 40 mph so got to sit out on the platform.  Went through Greensboro and got some footage of that with Bill on the platform because that is his stomping ground.  Got to Spencer, NC and parked in front of the NC Transportation Museum.  The railroad shops used to be here and employed lots of people before it closed.   The big roundhouse where NS took a picture of their engines painted in the colors of the lines they acquired is located here and where they set up the banquet.  Banquet was bar-b-que with a red vinegar coleslaw and pretty garden flower bouquets which we were able to bring on board.  Author, lawyer, and mayor of Marion, NC Stephen R. Little was our speaker on the railroad tunnels built by the convicts and on Andrews Geyser.  He spent the night on board and will be riding through the tunnels with us.