FIRING THE 'GOLDEN SPIKE CENTENNIAL LIMITED'

摘要

ROSS ROWLAND JR., a successful Wall Street commodities broker, founded The High Iron Co. in 1966 to operate steam-powered excursions in the Northeast. Early excursions were mostly on the Central of New Jersey, producing a win-win arrangement for the railroad and High Iron. CNJ's commuter cars were ideal for High Iron, since they had open windows, a large number of seats, and they were idle on weekends. For CNJ, which entered bankruptcy in 1967, excursions meant revenue and much-needed good publicity. Power for these early excursions was usually Steamtown's ex-Canadian Pacific 4-6-2, No. 127. Steam preservationist George Hart's sister engines Nos. 1238 and 1286 were used on later trips, though the 127 and Strasburg Rail Road's 2-10-0 No. 90 did pinch-hit for them once.