Smoke Around Gotham | Nickel Plate Road no. 765

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In this throwback to 1988, "Smoke Around Gotham" features Nickel Plate Road steam locomotive no. 765 and the Blue Mountain & Reading's 2102 and 425. Filmed during the NRHS convention in New Jersey, this out-of-print video shows the 765 on Conrail lines out of Bound Brook, New Jersey to Easton, Pennsylvania, the Blue Mountain & Reading Railroad at Temple, Pennsylvania, and over the huge Moodna Viaduct on a trip to Port Jervis, New York. Originally produced by Hopewell Productions and re-released by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, Inc.
#NickelPlateRoad765 #NKP765 #New York

[@RailFoxMedia]

_Who else read the title thinking that 765 made _*_ANOTHER_*_ cameo in Batman?_

[@TehBellcarl]

It actually did! I forget the exact issue but 765 appears on the cover with Batman.

[@TehBellcarl]

Colin Welder yes! The issue is Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #74

[@fortwaynerailroad]

It's pretty cool! The 765 is only used as a reference for the cover, but a surprising cameo nevertheless! comicvine.gamespot.com/batman-legends-of-the-dark-knight-74-engines-part-/4000-41280/

[@AJSmith-nb2xt]

Me

[@RailFoxMedia]

_just.........just stop_

[@bensipiorski6645]

Love NKP 765. Especially her whistle.

[@cougrs48]

I will say one thing she still got it. What a beautiful locomotive too.

[@HighballHenry]

Always love seeing the 765, but it’s really cool to see the 2102 in service as well in this video. Also, it’s scheduled to be back under steam by the end of this year!

[@SuperFoxyRailwayProduction6702]

44:41 Epic moment of 765 and 425!

[@Bigjimvideo]

I was a budding six-year-old railfan and vaguely remember seeing 765 coming through Woodbourne, PA on what is now CSX trackage.

[@robkrasinski6217]

I wonder if CSX will ever allow steam excursions again. The Kentucky Steam group is restoring a C&O similar to 765 but no word on if they will be able to operate excursions anywhere.

[@ct737]

Never seen footage this old in 60 fps, but it make it so much better!

[@Bigjimvideo]

Already have this on dvd at home and enjoy it greatly!!

[@SteamEnthusiastProductions]

I have fallen in love with this program!

[@VincesArtDesigns]

Isn’t it weird that that’s what the 425 use to look like? Now it’s blue and the headlight is in a different spot. Cool seeing how the same locomotive can look so so different with just a few changes!

[@supernautcensus5689]

I've read up on the legends of the bad luck and misfortunes that plagued that year's convention. Thank you for this video. Hope there can be more full length programs uploaded in the future.

[@jltrain-zgamingrailfan202x3]

Wow! I didn't realized this was the first time NKP 765 & RDG 425 meet up! I was thinking the first would be in 2015!

[@robkrasinski6217]

Yes, 765 met 425 for the first time at Temple, PA in July, 1988. The freight mainlines were Conrail at the time. There are some pics of 765 on a railroad photo site showing the meet at Temple side by side. 765 only ventured into eastern PA, NJ, and NY in July, 1988 and NY state and eastern PA July and August, 2015. It might have been 765's last time through my area (Allentown, PA) in a long time. Because now NS is cutting everything and is no longer allowing steam excursions again. And Amtrak has banned charter trains as well. A one time excursion is a charter train. CVSR is a bit too far for us to ride behind the 765. But, couldn't it run excursions on just RBMN and at Steamtown again? They would only need to use NS for ferry moves. But, eastern PA is a long trek for them from New Haven, IN.

[@brianfalzon6739]

Rob Krasinski it would be awesome if 425 doubleheads with 765 in the future!

[@maxm4375]

Fort Wayne Railroad historical society, us at the CVSR Are looking forward to seeing you all again this fall

[@CoalChrome]

If I remember correctly, #18 is at IRM now.

[@brianfalzon6739]

It’s upsetting how mainline steam excursion operations aren’t like this anymore. Wish they will just come back to life in the future!

[@robkrasinski6217]

I saw the Twin Towers. Its strange that they ceased to exist on 9/11/2001. I miss when eastern class 1 railroads were excursion friendly. Now it's all about pleasing shareholders and cutting costs, the current CEO of NS seems to have zero interest in steam excursions. The 765 can only use NS to get to other railroads like CVSR. I might never be able to ride the rails between NJ and Bethlehem, or Allentown and Harrisburg ever. Amtrak had an excursion on those tracks Oct 2016 but I didn't ride it. Now Amtrak has banned excursions as well. That means nobody will be able to operate any public excursions on the NS freight only lines between NJ and Harrisburg, PA. I did ride behind 765 twice in PA and in my home area from near Bethlehem to Pittston, PA. But, I never rode any excursion toward Harrisburg or NJ. Now the only way to ride those tracks would be to get a job with NS (locomotive engineer) or hop a freight illegally. I missed all of this (765 excursions) in July 1988 due to being unaware of it. But I did ride the BM&R a few times behind diesel, 425, and 2102. Wasn't Rich Melvin the engineer of 765 on some of these excursions? I think 765 was only through Allentown, PA in July 1988 and Aug 2105. It is very rare now for a live steam locomotive to visit Allentown, PA. Both Conrail and NS were anti steam for a while maybe 1995 and up. NS ended their own steam program Dec 1994. Conrail sort of in the Dave LeVan era started to "hate" special excursions. That's probably why 765 didn't visit my area 1989 and up until 2015. Also it costs money to move 765 that many miles away from home base.

[@TheUnflushedToilet]

Wow it's so weird seeing BM&R 425 in black and honestly I like it in black more than it is in blue! I'm sure many of you might disagree. And I also thought it was crazy seeing Reading 2102 knowing that it's wasn't long after the event that the locomotive went out of service. Hope it won't be long till the restoration is finished!

[@bradklingensmith]

Always awesome.

[@s10ondubs]

Always love to see nkp 765

[@MarkLac]

I Wish it would come to the NYC area. But now there is probably too much close clearance issues (Secaucus Junction especially is a serious concern along with other high level boarding platform locations) and they will need PTC as well on the NJT Sections.

[@thomasbarnett9376]

The Real Wheels Music At The Begining Of The Video.

[@Kmaster2007]

The one dislike is from Kentucky steam

[@newriverproductions12]

I watched the whole thing!

[@robkrasinski6217]

Is there any more footage of the 765 that year especially between Macungie and Easton, PA? I found a vid of 765 at Macungie, at Phillipsburg, NJ, and in the Reading area. There are 2015 vids of 765 at Allentown, though at CP Burn same tracks that it was on in 1988 but it backed into the yard and headed north on the ex-CNJ line toward Lehighton. In 1988 765 headed toward Reading, and on the first trip the opposite way heading east toward NJ on the return leg.

[@jacksalvin364]

Gotham, Illinois.

[@mattdotsonrailfanproductio266]

0:21 those twin towers were so beautiful. Too bad they are gone now

[@ntytp]

Who wants FWRHS uploaded 1991 nrhs convention

[@oldfarmshow]

👍

[@michaeldonoughue3859]

What were the names/numbers and owners of the passenger cars used for 765's excursions, if anyone remembers?

[@bootsdocsandconspiracies6589]

765 had to go 30 miles to a wye that was past Port Jervis? What was the deal that theyl couldn't it do that during the lay over or it take to long?

[@robkrasinski6217]

The wye was actually along the excursion route at Campbell Hall. They could have stopped and turned the 765 there and had diesels lead into Port Jervis then 765 take the train back to Hoboken.

[@Eli_Santin]

Is this Rich Melvin's transfer?

[@NW-gi1cp]

On sh*t its batman

[@JasonSchaedlerVideos]

Maybe you should return to the Reading and Northern. Plenty of trackage for a decent excursion.

[@fortwaynerailroad]

We would have to be invited 😇

[@brianfalzon6739]

@@fortwaynerailroad you should do a quadrupleheader with 113, 765, 2102 and 425 in the future.

[@brianfalzon6739]

Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society or you should maybe doublehead the 765 with either 425 or 2102.

[@robkrasinski6217]

Maybe an excursion from Reading to Pittston but the RBMN has #2102 back now so they could just as well do their own excursions with #2102. PA is a bit far for 765 to travel to. They would have to make money on excursions and concession sales to make the trek worth it. And Norfolk Southern is basically off limits to excursions now. Even Amtrak stopped charter trains in March 2018. Liability insurance is the biggest problem on class 1 railroads. RBMN probably has their own insurance for the sheer number of public excursions they run. Conrail was more lenient toward excursions in the 80's. Then, in the early 90's after Dave LeVan became CEO of Conrail, they sort of banned excursions. It wasn't until NS's 21st Century Steam that steam returned to Horseshoe Curve and Lehigh Valley areas on NS former Conrail tracks. You can thank previous NS CEO Wick Moorman for that.

[@peterrosenquist]

Could it be this convention where 765 hit 92 mph?

[@fortwaynerailroad]

Only if the crew was in a hurry to get home 😂

[@peterrosenquist]

Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society was that the case?

[@manga12]

@@peterrosenquist well I dont know about 92 but I heard the story about Tom Stephens and the conrail foreman taking her to 86 and I belive that was what they said was the fastest she had ever been.

[@baileyjanssen8911]

It’s the 2102 not the 2101

[@Ecarroll7575]

Dat music tho

[@fortwaynerailroad]

so fresh and so clean clean

[@adamcartwright4542]

Pleas no Batman pleeeas