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The First Time
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So this pic comes with a short story. This is an extremely special and important picture to me. I don't know the date, I don't know the year. I know it was early in the morning. The bridge in the background is the I-275 bridge over the Ohio River. Coney Island and Riverbend are just across the river off the right side of the picture. I remember the fog being so thick, which you can clearly see obscuring the northern end of the bridge.
I'd was probably a pre-teen in this picture. To the best of my knowledge, I had never seen "real" steam in action. I had seen amusement park steam engines, and I know I had seen the American Freedom Train parked. But never a full size locomotive at full song.
I remember having to wait. As a kid, patience wasn't an area of strength. I was with my dad. He knew where to go to get a great view. The plan was to watch the train pass and go home. Ten hours later, we arrived home having been all the way to Hunnington, WV and back (the excursion ended at Ashland, but we did some additional railfanning). In the days before cell phones, I'm sure my dad had some explaining to do.
I don't actually recall the train passing. That may seem odd, but at this point, I've seen so many trains pass, there are very few that I recall specifically. But I have this pic. And I have the lasting impression that morning and that day made on me.
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Location:
Kentucky
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Date: 1/1/1985
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Source:
-David Lamb Personal Collection
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Photo ID: 1071
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Categories:
Steam Excursions, 70s, 80s, 90s | 
Steam | 
Chesapeake and Ohio | 
Prototype Favorites | 
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