Seasons

NW611, the Spirit of Roanoke, the Queen of Steam

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NW611, the Spirit of Roanoke
NW611, the Spirit of Roanoke

The excursion train from Manassas to Front Royal which Tim and Elspeth, Owen and Cora, had taken yesterday. We watched her rush by this afternoon at Gainesville, Virginia, just 10 minutes from McCormick House. In its day, this locomotive could pull 15 passenger cars at 110 mph. It was built by and for Norfolk and Western Railroad in Roanoke in 1950 for $251,544, and served routes such as Norfolk to Cincinatti. See details on NW611 by Virginia Museum of Transportation, and the Norfolk and Western railroad map. Another view, a second later that same day:
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And even the railroad man sent to keep an eye on us waved to the driver:
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Sandy got this shot of some of us spectators:
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Dahlgren Rail Trail Half-Marathon

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Dahlgren Trail Half Marathon, 2/20/2016
Dahlgren Trail Half Marathon, 2/20/2016
3rd of 7 men over 60, holding coupon later spent on a fancy pair of socks. Photo by my long-run marathon training partner Leslie Kash, who also took an age-group prize. On right, actual rails which only extend 100 yards or so into the race course. Over my right shoulder is the insulation I added to help keep my backpack water supply from freezing. Trail map

Spectators on the course

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Elspeth assures us these are alpacas, not llamas, because of their long ears. Photo by my long-run marathon training partner Leslie Kash, taken on Elk Run Church Road (near the Gray Horse Winery) during our 16-mile out-and-back run from Goldvein to Elk Run Church site on February 12th.

Owen’s prickly

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After the blizzard, the American sweetgum trees dropped a lot of these seed pods on top of the snow. Owen called my attention to one of them as we walked down the driveway to the mailbox the other day. The holly was the start of his tree identification career, and he shows a keen interest in the other pricklies, as he calls them. These trees are quite common to us, noticeable for their gorgeous autumn colors, but I don’t think they grow in Pennsylvania.