Ready to see the sights. What sights? We’re on the Big South Fork Scenic Railway.
Currently the train is pulled by this diesel engine. They’re renovating a steam engine that will be used in the future. I’m not sure which is better; smelling diesel smoke on the ride or having smoke and ash rain down from a steam engine.
They clearly didn’t waste a lot of effort creating clearance for the train when they cut the bed through the hills here.
I didn’t get the closest shot of the rocks. I should have looked at the sides of the train to look for scrapes from the train wobbling.
Someone set up a colorful garden gnome on this rock shelf in the hillside. My cell phone camera couldn’t shoot fast enough and we were past it.
The train’s sole destination is the somewhat historic Blue Heron coal and lumber camp. This placard explains some of the history.
One feature of this camp was this very advanced coal tippler. At the time it was built it was the most modern I think in the world. Unfortunately the coal seams here weren’t as abundant as thought.
There was a small museum associated with this camp but not a lot of attraction.