My son and I went and saw the Challenger in Crockett, Texas today. We had a very good time (and I even have a head cold). I got some great pictures, too! Unfortunately, my digital camera has mysteriously quit working, and I can't upload the images :curse: :cry:
It was amazed to see so many people turn out for the event. I live in Huntsville, which is about an hour south of Crockett. There were people waiting at strategic locations all along the route hoping to catch a glimpse of the train and snap a few pictures. There were probably at least 200 people at the station in Crockett.
I met some very interesting people, including one older lady who worked for the Houston and Texas Central railroad in Ennis. Her job was to load the tenders with coal. Sometimes she had to drive the engines to get them lined up for refueling. She showed me a picture of herself sitting in the cab of a switcher. If I had a better presence of mind (remember, I have a cold), I would have asked her more questions, including what years she worked for the railroad. I'm assuming it was during World War II.
An interesting point: a train pulled by a couple of ho-hum diesels came through a while before the Challenger. We all watched it passed, and waved at the engineer, but it in no way invoked the sense of awe and excitement of seeing a real steam engine coming down the tracks!
If I can get the camera fixed, or find a compatible card reader, I'll post the pictures.