A Visit to Stearns

[Ponce de Leon]

Trains Magazine editor Jim Wrinn asked if I might be available to cover the roll-out of the Southern Jim Crow coach for the Smithsonian this past weekend. With nothing really scheduled for Saturday, I agreed. I left Virginia about 6 AM and met my friend Tom Sink at Duffield, VA---then continued to Stearns, arriving at 9 AM. I met my old friend Steve Lee, who used to run the UP's steam program, and also his boss with Wastach Railroad Contractors, John Rimmasch--the firm that has done the work. Here's the report I filed, as posted on the Trains News Wire yesterday:

http://trn.trains.com/en/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2013/11/Historic%20Jim%20Crow%20era%20Southern%20coach%20headed%20to%20the%20Smithsonian.aspx

After my work at Stearns was done, Tom and I decided to railfan the CNO&TP a bit before we headed for home. The railroad was typically busy. Between the two of us, we didn't have a scanner, so we reverted to reading the signals (plus a call to Steve Forest, who was at Emory Gap with Scott Lindsey). A tip that the Veterans' unit was on the point of 229 kept us around until we caught him at Gradison, Tateville, and also Cumberland Falls.

A few shots from the day's activities are attached.

[swinstandley]

Here's a link to the 11/11 article in the Lexington Herald-Leader about the car:
http://www.kentucky.com/2013/11/10/2924097/uncommonwealth-segregation-era.html#

Stew