Western Maryland Scenic Railroad No. 1309 Steam Train On The Frostburg Polar Express (December 2022)

READ FIRST:
Another year, another round of Polar Express fun! Join us as we chase 1309 around Cumberland, Maryland as she pulls the railroad's Polar Express trains from Frostburg to Woodcock Hollow and back. The locomotive continues to wear Howard Pincus's New York Central Long Bell 6-Chime whistle. Clips were shot on 12/9 and 12/10 and are arranged by location order starting from Ridgeley, WV and working west towards Frostburg. Enjoy =)
FAQ [READ BEFORE COMMENTING]:
1. #1309 is an articulated compound engine. This means that under normal operation, the steam is fed from the boiler to the rear set of high pressure cylinders and is exhausted into the forward set of low pressure cylinders before being exhausted out of the stack. This means that unlike simple articulateds (4014, 3985, 1218, etc), you will not hear two separate exhaust rhythms.
2. Until WMSR receives the funds to complete track work that involves realigning the approaches to the Frostburg turntable, there is no way to turn the 1309 at the end of the line there. Thus she will be running with diesel equipment on the other end of the consist for the return runs to Cumberland. Additionally, as with all new or newly rebuilt locomotives, the steam crew is still sorting through a multitude of teething issues that arise as part of the testing process, so the diesel locomotives will function doubly as backup power as needed.
Table of Contents:
0:00 - Ridgeley, West Virginia
5:54 - Potomac River
8:18 - The Narrows
11:02 - Dakota Avenue
12:44 - Manteo Road
13:59 - Brush Tunnel
16:13 - Starting out of Mountain View (MP 174.8)
23:20 - Woodcock Hollow Road
24:45 - Parkersburg Road
26:30 - Parkersburg Siding (MP 179.6)
27:39 - Number 9 Switch (Video Thumbnail)
31:13 - Number 9 Slide (Garner's Meadow)
34:27 - Big Cut
36:02 - Frostburg, Maryland
37:42 - Bonus clip; Night Shot at Garner's Meadow
F40 450 leading eastbound: • Western Maryland Sceni...

[@amtrakandcsxrailfanning351]

awesome video and catches of this railroads polar express runs with this big steamer beest nice whstle and horn action too

[@tyristori]

Superb footage and incredible locomotive.

[@dainallison4275]

Impressive footage!

[@abfutrell]

I think I'm the only one crazy enough to pace #1309 all the way up the mountain.

[@railfan6116]

Nah most annoying bikers do. I don't care that they do it, but most go right in front of peoples shots.

[@davidng2336]

If you don't mind, what are the cylinders on the smokebox door? UP 9000 is another locomotive with those.

[@FanRailer]

Air compressors

[@normandedgerly8445]

Question, why are they not turning her at Frostburg? I was under the impression that she was just small enough to fit on the turntable.

[@FanRailer]

She does indeed fit on the table, but the change in gradient and curvature of the track leads to the turntable from the station are too extreme for the locomotive to currently navigate. The track needs to be realigned before the 1309 can get onto the turntable.

[@normandedgerly8445]

@@FanRailer ah! Makes sense, especially after a video of 4014 I saw a few hours ago. They were taking all kinds of measurements at different places in the yard to judge if it was safe for them to traverse certain tracks due to curvature.

[@georgecarter838]

Looks like she's still having issues with steam leaks...

[@CaptainCrutch]

Nope, 90% of the “leaks” you see are just drains for the various appliances. There are a few packings that wear our here and there but they get replaced as needed. To further prove there are no true “leaks” when they put her to bed at night she has 215psi in her boiler, in the morning when it comes time to start her again, she’s only down to around 190psi, which is about how much letting the boiler cool from a lack of fire would release. Probably the tightest locomotive in the country at the moment.

[@railfan6116]

How far down the hill from Frostburg are they going?

[@FanRailer]

Did you read the description?

[@railfan6116]

Nah mb. It ended up being an alright weekend for me anyway.