Thinking he was testing my firefighter knowledge, I tried to
size it up by the color.
Before I could even utter an answer, he had taken the
interstate exit straight into downtown Johnson City, TN. He knew what it was. And it wasn’t a structure fire.
A steam engine.
Pulling an excursion train.
Train buffs with cameras in hand lined the right of
way. Onlookers waved to passengers. We joined them.
The Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society & Museum
partnered with Norfolk Southern for a weekend of passenger train excursions.
Locomotive #4501 had stopped in Johnson City before continuing
its Bulls Gap journey.
And our timing was perfect!
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| Locomotive #4501 chugging down the tracks in Johnson City, TN June 27, 2015 |
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| This man cannot pass up a train viewing |
