Historic steam engine rumbles across Western Pa. rails

Dustin Taylor and his family were determined not to miss the return of a 68-year-old steam engine as it passed through Pittsburgh on Monday.

“We've been tracking it since Friday,” said Taylor, 39, of the North Side, who watched Nickel Plate Road No. 765 with his wife, Lindsay, and their two children — including budding train enthusiast Devin, 5 — as it rumbled through Allegheny Commons Park. They only got a quick look at it when it came through a week ago.

“My son is definitely into trains, so this was a big deal. It's all about the steam engine,” Taylor said.

People flocked to parks, bridges, roadways and rail stations by the hundreds across Western Pennsylvania as the 1944 Berkshire engine made its way from Harrisburg to the Conway rail yard in Beaver County, where it stayed overnight.

On Tuesday, the locomotive heads to Bellevue, Ohio, to continue promoting the 30th anniversary of Norfolk Southern, formed in 1982 with the consolidation of Southern Railway and Norfolk and Western Railway.

Passenger tickets are not available to the public. Rides are limited to Norfolk Southern employees and their families.

A few people departed the train in Latrobe, where about 200 fans crowded the Amtrak platform to witness the rare sight.

Some arrived as early as 11 a.m.

Plumes of smoke from No. 765 could be seen before the engine became visible around a turn in the tracks at 2:22 p.m.

“I can see it,” a young boy yelled.

The sound of the engine's whistle reached the crowd just before the chug, chug, chug of its coal-fired effort.

Black smoke and white vapors wafted high overhead as it passed throngs of digital cameras and cell phones hoisted high to capture the event. Several people cheered as the train reached the station. Smiles spread across nearly every face.

“You can't beat those old-time steam engines,” said George Jakubobic, 82, of Latrobe. “Those were the days.”

But remembering when steam engines rolled by on a daily basis wasn't required to enjoy Monday's treat.

Lisa Marcowski, 35, brought her three children — ages 7, 5 and 3 — from Unity. The family rode a train pulled by a steam engine last summer in Maryland, but she kept the arrival of No. 765 a secret until they arrived.

“It's a good end to the summer,” Marcowski said. “And it didn't cost a thing.”

Vinny Zaccagnini, 5, sat near the platform, wearing a bush hat with wads of paper stuffed in his ears.

He often sits along the same tracks with his grandparents to watch trains pass and even rode one to Orlando, Fla., to go to Disney World.

“But it was a diesel,” said Vinny, who lives in Greensburg.

He owns several toy steam engines, including some of the Thomas the Train variety, but No. 765 was something else. His friends were not there to witness it themselves, but Vinny said he will be sure to tell them about the experience.

“I might tell them it was awesome,” he said.

Chuck Lloyd and his wife, Diane, caught their first glimpse of a steam engine in several years. Her mother, 100 years old on Monday, listened out of her back door about two blocks away.

“It's just nice to see people looking like they're waiting for trains,” said Diane Lloyd, 64, whose father worked as a railroad boilermaker. “This is what this station used to look like.”

No. 765 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The engine cruised through Pittsburgh's eastern suburbs and entered Downtown just after 4 p.m.

Theodore Pettko, a self-professed “train guy,” heard the whistle from his office on Penn Avenue across from The Pennsylvanian.

“I said, ‘That's not a diesel. That's a locomotive coming,' ” said Pettko, 41, of Mt. Lebanon. “That was something special.”Taylor saw the black smoke and white steam of the No. 765 as it passed through Pittsburgh last week on its way to Harrisburg.

His wife tracked its progress through the website for the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Railroad Historical Society, which owns the mainline engine, to make sure the family did not miss its return.

The family last year visited the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton.

“But this had more novelty,” said Taylor. “It's not every day that a steam engine passes through your neighborhood.”

Jason Cato is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7936 or jcato@tribweb.com.