I took a ride on the Durbin Rocket this afternoon. The Climax geared logging locomotive was built in 1910 and powers a vintage train, including an old postal car. The train is indeed a rocket, as it moves along at a whopping 8 miles per hour. At one point a butterfly passed us. The roundtrip route from Durbin, West Virginia, however is gorgeous as it follows the Greenbriar River in the Monongahela National Forest. The only problem is after seeing all the smoke the coal burning created, I feel the need to go plant an entire grove of trees.
The locomotive
A look inside the locomotive
Greenbriar River
An old telegraph pole
Greenbriar River
Locomotive and coal supply car
Coal fired steam engine blowing smoke
Irises by the Greenbriar River
Greenbriar River
Durbin Rocket traveling by a field
Refilling the locomotive with water on the return trip
Stream where train stops to refill water for engine
Greenbriar River
These pics are the first I have seen with heisler 6 in durbin.
Just wanting to let you know. The pictures you have of the locomotive is a Heisler type locomotive. The Durbin Rocket normally runs the Climax type locomotive, but it is down for repairs. They borrowed this locomotive from Cass Scenic Railroad a few miles away while theirs is out of service.