Steam Whistle Music Music Tracks Ahead Brought to you by: Rancho de Tia Rosa, three unique Mexican restaurants serving culinary delights since 1990.

Music Hi, I'm Spencer Christian.

On this episode of Tracks Ahead, we'll ride the route of royalty through the countryside and streets of northern Germany, visit a great O gauge club in New York, ride into the Kentucky hills, and stop for a concert as we ride over Colorado's LaVeta Pass.

Several times a day, rain or shine, in any season, visitors to the Baltic Sea resorts in Bad Doberan, will find a narrow gauge railway.

The Mecklinburg Baderbahn, known as the Molli, has been operating here for over a century.

In addition to great street running, this line has some other unusual features.

Annc: Mist hangs heavily in the Gleiswald, or Ghost Forest.

....A rainy time in northern Germany at the Baltic Sea doesn't mean that life stops.

This is a perfect opportunity to see the action of the Mecklenberg Baderbahn, more commonly known as the Mollibahn.

....This relatively short rail line runs between the northern German city of Bad Doberan, through Heiligendamm, to the resort town of Kuhlungsborn.

The line is now part of the region's public transportation network.

But when it was initially built in 1886, it had a much different purpose.

Inka: The line was built for the kings and royalty to bring them from the railroad at Bad Doberan to the baths here by the sea, and to use a comfortable way and not the dirty roads.

Annc: But the line didn't stay a perk of royalty for long.

Inka: Professor Vogel, a noted doctor, said that it was very good for your health when you came to this climate, to the sea and the salt water.

When they started in 1886 the train was only a seasonal summer train.

Between 1890 and 1910, the line was expanded to Kuhlungsborn and initiated daily service, as well as second class coaches and third class coaches for the public.

Today the railroad has a daily schedule and works together with the other public transportation in the region and in the country.

We have an official schedule so we are not a museum railroad.

We have a fixed daily service planned for the next twenty years.

So the line is both public transport and tourist line to visit special places here in the region.

In the summer, there are more people on the trains than in winter but over the whole year we carry about half a million passengers.

This is a unique coast railroad, with typical seashore scenery.

A special point is that you go by train through the town, on the roads, very close to restaurants and shops.

And the other thing is that you have the famous area, Heiligendamm where the G8 conference was held some years previously.

And last but not least you have Kuhlungsborn, the largest sea resort in Germany.

The other aspect is that you have old original rolling stock.

In the coaches you have wooden seats, and in summertime you have a salon coach like a restaurant or coffee coach, with nice seats, and you can have a cup of coffee and cakes there.

It is also possible for the public to purchase a cab ride and you can have a steam weekend.

Jan: On this railway, we have only steam locomotives for daily train service.

Diesel locomotives are used only for switching in the stations.

And we also have no motor cars.

For daily service, we only use steam locomotives here.

The special thing about this line is that the gauge is 900 mm.

So we can't take our locomotives to a repair facility.

We must do everything here.

Every six years, the locomotives have to go to the Meinegen Works for a major overhaul.

Otherwise, we must repair everything at our own shops.

We have 33 coaches on this line; twenty five sitting coaches, six baggage and post coaches, two coaches with kitchens and dining service.

On the line we have four big stations; Bad Doberan with the big service facility.

Heiligendamm is the crossing station for the two trains on the summer timetable, and Kuhlungsborn east and Kuhlungsborn west.

We also have big buildings and some yards for train switching and special trains.

We have a Tradition Society here.

The members collect old items, old photos and things about the Molli and other old railways.

And we put it in the museum and show it to the people who come here to visit and give them some information about our line and the history of old railways.

Annc: Being an engineer on the Molli can be an exciting job.

Sven: I have been an engineer on the Mollibahn for four years.

To be an engineer you must first be a fireman for nine months.

Then you have to attend an education program, and then you can be an engineer.

It's like a childhood dream.

I am very happy to be living this dream.

The special thing with these engines is that it is manual labor.

You feel the power of the engine.

You feel how you bring the power to the tracks, and you see all the moving elements on the engine.

Annc: The Molli boasts a rather unusual track gauge of 900mm.

That means that the engines and rolling stock are larger than the traditional narrow gauge lines, but still not as big as the standard gauge railroads.

This unusual gauge also makes for some operational challenges in regard to maintenance Falko: We have very modern shops here.

They were built new in 2004, and so we have all the technical facilities to make all the repairs needed.

In this shop we repair and maintain our own rolling stock.

We repair the locomotives and also the coaches.

We make all repairs to the locomotives and coaches.

We repair wheels, the brake systems, the boilers.

We can repair everything like the air pumps, and other parts of the engines.

Annc: But just because it's work, doesn't mean that it's WORK!

Falko: This is dirty work, and heavy work.

But I like to work with old engines and the technical part.

I'm a rail fan, so for me, it is a very good combination of my hobby and my daily work.

Annc: Founded in 1793, Heiligendamm is the oldest seaside spa in Germany.

Known as "The White Town by the Sea," due to the classic white palaces facing the Baltic, the town was once the seaside playground of European aristocracy.

Having fallen into disrepair, these "Pearls of the Baltic" are undergoing restoration to a grander time.

The area is now best known for the Kempinski Grand Hotel, a five star resort, which was the site of the 2007 annual G8 Summit meeting.

Some jobs on the Molli are still performed by hand.

meeting.

Some jobs on the Molli are still performed by hand.

Nat Sound: Station operator on telephone, barrier wound, gates go up Annc: The train line is unusual in that to goes right through the center of Bad Doberan.

And we mean, right through the center.!

Natural Sound Natural Sound Annc: The most famous building in Bad Doberan is the cathedral, built in 1368, which was once the church of Doberan Abbey, and is one of the most impressive examples of North German brick architecture.

Annc: Whether your travels take you to the seaside, or to cathedrals, be sure to take the time to ride the route of royalty at the Mollibahn.

The line is very much a part of life in this region.

If for some reason the train doesn't run, people along the way call to ask what has happened!

Let's go to a suburb of New York City, as we visit a great O gauge model railroad club.

Annc: If you drive out to the Hamptons, in Long Island, you'll probably pass close by the town of Ronkonkoma.

Just off the Long Island Expressway, the town houses an attraction that is invisible to most passers-by.

Here, we'll find the Central Operating Lines, a club of over fifty individuals, who are a testament to the resilience of picking up the pieces after relocating.

Mike: Well the club actually started back in 1976 in Amityville, which is about a half and hour west of here in the basement of a shoe store.

There were about a dozen guys who decided that they just didn't want to run layouts at their home.

They wanted a larger area to run their train layout in, so they rented the basement of a shoe store at that time for a $100 a month.

And at that time there were maybe 15, 20 guys in the club.

Unfortunately, the gentleman who owned the shoe store decided to retire at one point, and we had to move out of that location.

We ended up moving into a building that was owned by the town of Babylon.

And that was a building in the basement of a town hall building.

And from there we decided that we really didn't want to stay out in that area.

And the town wanted to sell that building at some point.

The building eventually got sold, and we moved out here then.

We were in a location in Holbrooke which is actually on the other side of McArthur airport.

And we stayed there about 5 or 6 years and the rent just got to expensive and then we moved to this location.

We moved to this location in 1995, and we've been here since then.

Annc: Even though the club kept moving, there was the opportunity to make the layout bigger and better.

There are several areas that the club considers special.

Mike: We have the mountain which was from the other club.

And we have the monument which was from the club in Patchua, which we obtained from them when they went out of business.

We also have the Grand Central Terminal building.

We have our passenger station in that area.

And then we have an engine yard facility with an operating turntable and a roundhouse.

Annc: The bi level passenger terminal is intricately detailed.

One of the members spent hundreds of hours on this jewel.

Mike: The interior is fairly detailed.

There are benches in there, there are clocks that work in there.

The tile floor is in that building.

There are people in that building.

There's a glass roof on that building.

The outside of the building is all wood, and its painted to look like stone with a special spray paint that he wound up getting a hold of.

Annc: Out on the platform, illumination comes from tiny overhead fluorescent lights, as the colorful engines operate on the multitude of tracks.

The club has a varied collection of engines and rolling stock.

This allows the operation of both passenger and freight on the four main lines.

So you'll see lots of movement and action.

Industry is no stranger here either.

You'll find it all: oil derricks, factories, and city scenes.

The list goes on and on.

But all these provide a purpose for the railroad.

And that's what makes operating it so much fun.

Mike: On Friday nights we'll have operating sessions.

Sometimes on Saturday nights we'll also have operating sessions.

A bunch of the guys will get together and run trains.

We don't really have planned operating sessions where you do special movements on the layout most of the time.

We'll do that once in a while.

Mainly we just get together and run trains on the layout.

Annc: There is plenty of detail, from the park, to the city streets, to the highway crews hard at work.

A multitude of bridges provide for many colorful views.

While currently under block control, the layout is undergoing a transition to digital command control.

Mike: Well we have the Lionel command control system hooked up and operating on the layout, the TMCC system.

And we also have tried the new Lionel system, the Legacy system on our layout.

It's not currently hooked up, but we have had it hooked up and it has been working.

We also have the MTH, what is called the MTH DCS system, but that's only operating on the one main line at this point.

Annc: To increase their club exposure and to raise money, the club also engages in a very successful annual car project.

Mike: We started with, I believe in 82 or 83, we started with doing a single club car.

And since then we've done a car every year.

And last year we started with a new project, where we're doing a four car set of cars in addition to the one car we're doing.

Annc: And what new projects are being contemplated?

Mike: We want to make modifications to the layout, to improve the layout.

We just made some modifications to the water area was redone there.

We want to make some changes to the engine yard area to improve that area.

And we are also going to put in an elevated mainline at some point that will kind of be like an El like they have in New York City.

It'll be an overhead mainline that'll run from the Grand Central Terminal along the one side of the layout down to what we call the Rico Station down by the door of the layout.

Annc: So when you pass through Long Island, think about the Central Operating Lines.

A group whose spirit and willingness to learn from their experience has turned their club into a recipe for resilience.

The Central Operating Lines holds periodic open houses, so visitors can see their progress and enjoy the trains.

Now usually tourist lines have a single claim to fame.

In just a minute we'll go on a Colorado train ride that features three reasons for a visit: stunning scenery, on board dining, and concerts high in the Rockies.

Before we do, let's go to Kentucky and visit the Big South Fork Scenic Railway.

It's a 16 mile round trip with spectacular scenic vistas, lush vegetation, and mountain streams as we visit an old coal mining camp, now preserved by the national park service.

Annc: The heartland of America is home to some rugged and scenic areas.

This is the Cumberland Plateau, close to the Daniel Boone National Forest in southern Kentucky.

Once home to vast reserves of timber and coal, it's now home to outdoor recreation and of course, a railroad.

Becki: You are in Stearns, Kentucky, which is in the southeast portion of the state of Kentucky.

This area was settled in the late 1890s by a businessman from Michigan.

Justus S. Stearns came here in search of virgin timber.

And in that pursuit, they also began coal mining operations.

The destination today is the coal mining camp of Blue Heron.

And that is part of the Big South Fork River and Recreation Area.

It sits on a 125,000 acres of land in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Blue Heron was one of the coal mining camps operated by the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company.

Annc: Twenty three year old Matthew Jones is the engineer for the train ride.

He started working for the railroad when he was just 18.

Matthew: I started as conductor.

The conductor's the boss of the train, tells the engineer when the trains ready to go, helps keep the time and the scheduling.

We've got a 1951 EMD SW-9 and we're pulling five cars today, two enclosed cars, three open cars and the scenery is beautiful.

Annc: Music has always been a part of life in this area, and today is no exception.

Visitors are entertained the minute they enter the station.

Music interlude Established in 1974 as an interpretive center, this wild and rugged area allows visitors to experience life in the mid 20th century, when coal was king.

Howard: The Blue Heron Mine or Mine #18 was opened in August of 1937, and operated until December of 1962.

The Big South Fork was designated by Congress in March of 1974 as the Big South Fork River and Recreation Area.

And the purpose was to preserve the river and preserve the history and culture of the area, but at the same time provide recreational opportunities.

Essentially the purpose of it was to bring people back into the area.

Mining, logging and timbering, sawmilling were big industries here.

But those were based on the resources.

Those resources were largely taken out in the 30s and 40s, and into the early 50s.

Annc: People have returned to the area.

Using the right of way of the former Kentucky & Tennessee Railroad, the Big South Fork Scenic, carries between 28-30,000 people each year during their April through December operating season.

While most of the structures have long been demolished, some things have been preserved so that visitors may get a feeling for what once was.

Howard: The first thing they're going to see is the coal tipple, that's the dominate structure.

It was the center of the entire operation at Blue Heron.

The tipple was what made the mine operate.

It sorted, sized, loaded the coal, that's the focal point of the entire community.

They'll see that, and really that's the only original structure still here.

But they'll also notice a number of ghost structures.

These are structures that represent where the original houses used to be, the company store and the church and the school.

Most of the buildings were long gone by the time the National Park Service came on the scene.

And rather than try and build a temporary mining camp, it was decided to build these ghost structures out of metal framing and metal roofs on the original location of the original structure, following the same footprint if you will of what that structure would have looked like.

The Big South Fork is a pretty wild and rugged area.

It's always been difficult to get to.

Its inaccessible; wild rugged gorges, it's a free flowing river, so recreation is a big part of what the area is about.

Annc: Your train ticket is also good for a visit to the McCreary County Historical Museum.

There, you'll find recreations of life in the mining camps, as well as historical memorabilia.

Becki: I believe people come here for a couple of different reasons.

Obviously the beautiful scenery we have in this area, it's unlike that of any other part of Kentucky.

But they also come for just the slower pace of life and the friendly people that we have here.

And it's a piece of history that doesn't get a whole lot of attention.

Annc: Whether you just want to explore the outdoors, or seek a view at what once was, stop by the Big South Fork Scenic Railway, and experience life as it once was and still can be.

Becki: We hope you've had an enjoyable time and come back and see us again real soon in the future.

Music Nat Sound Annc: Alamosa Colorado offers more than just the vastness of the San Luis Valley.

It's here that we'll find a special railroad.

Mathew: What makes the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad special is the combination of equipment and events and routes and things we have to do here in Alamosa.

There are lots of railroads that operate dinner trains, there are lots of railroads that have train rides, there are lots of railroads that have events.

The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad is the only one we know of that's able to offer full length dome service, classic excursion parlor cars, heavy weight equipment, steam locomotives, diesel locomotives, private concerts and events over a very rugged mountain railroad terrain.

This is a short line, hard core, mountain railroad in standard gauge.

We have 150 miles of track reaching down to Antonito, Colorado, West to Monte Vista, del Norte and South Fork, and east to Walsenburg, Colorado, near I25.

We have ah, LaVeta Pass itself has ah goes over 94 hundred feet.

We have 17 miles of 3 and a half percent grade.

We have horseshoes, we have ledges, we have curved tunnels, we have muleshoes.

We have everything but the switchbacks themselves.

Annc: The railroad offers two types of cars.

Mathew: There were only 20 all stainless steel full length dome cars made by the Budd Company in 1953-1956.

Of those, 18 survive, and our company owns 9 of them.

The heritage cars are a really, really neat part of our fleet.

We have an open air car, the Lookout Mountain, that travels on the rear of the LaVeta Mountaineer in the morning.

And then in the afternoon, the steam locomotive #18 or one of the diesel locomotives if that's what we're using, is coupled right up to it.

This is a neat experience because the car is open air, you're coupled up directly behind the tender, #18 is climbing a 3 and a half percent grade for 17 miles coming up out of LaVeta.

And being that close to one of these living, breathing steam locomotives while it's struggling up the hill is a fantastic experience.

The food service on board is bistro style.

We're lucky to have a cordon bleu certified chef on board who has prepared our menu for us.

We offer an array of breakfast items including standard American breakfast of course.

We've dispensed with the traditional hamburger, French fry arrangement.

We offer salads on the side, we offer grilled asparagus.

We try and provide something that's yummy and tasty and not to filling, and will enhance the experience.

We have a private concert venue called Fir at the summit of LaVeta Pass up over 9400 feet.

It's a green site, powered by solar panels, wind generators and a battery bank.

This years series is called Roots and Boots, and we offer a series of country, blues and folk singers who come up and put on this show just for the guests of the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad.

John: The concert series was originally to add a value add to our passenger service out of LaVeta and Alamosa.

Then we became much more prominent in the country western bluegrass which is so familiar within this area of the state of Colorado.

So now we have national entertainment brought to you by people like, national acts like Michael Martin Murphy, Ricky Skaggs, Tom Paxton, Chuck Pyle, Tish Inahosa, many many other acts.

Annc: There are some special viewing treats along the route.

John: You see black bear along our route.

You see natural wildlife, you see deer, certainly fauna, you see the historic route.

A lot of our passengers have never been in the back country in such a remote environment.

Annc: So what's next for the railroad?

John: We spend a great amount of our time asking our customers what they would like to see from us.

So instead of offering basically just the scenery and the history, they like to see peach pie on board or a Colorado wine tasting or a beer tasting event, or just having the ability of seeing something that they would not be able to do on any other type of attraction.

Mathew: This is not your usual train ride.

It's a combination of things that creates that.

It's the equipment.

It's the line.

It's the cuisine.

It's the private on board bar and dining service.

It's the events.

All of these things together create a package that, in our opinion, no other short line tourist railroad can offer.

Nat sound Nat sound Be sure to check the Rio Grande Scenic website for the current concert lineup.

Well, that's all for this episode.

Be sure to join us next time for more, Tracks Ahead.

Tracks Ahead Brought to you by Rancho de Tia Rosa, three unique Mexican restaurants serving culinary delights since 1990.

Walthers, manufacturer and supplier of model railroading products; serving the hobby since 1932.

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