Razor Twilight

...A long-needed tribute, to our (SMPG RR's) Experimental 'Razor' Steam Turbine-powered passenger train in action, partially since the spotlight on it seemed to have faded almost to nothing, but also to spite naysayers that think they've won and have somehow vanquished the Ten units still in regular operation.


Here we see the 'Razor Train' in action, Units 1 and 2 keeping a steady 60mph speed with the Auxiliary tank-tender, and the 5-coach trainset in tow. The consist is long since done with the state-to-state touring, (which churned up a ridiculous amount of attention, praise, and controversy to boot), but still proving its worth well, moving quickly along its North to South route from Greeley, Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and then back North again.


Stops to refuel on steam, while lessened with the aux-tender for the lead unit, are still about as often as a conventional steam locomotive needs to stop for Coal and Water.
While there is no significant improvement, the implementation of Steam-generators at important destinations, (as well as alongside the regular fuel stops along the way - Having the steam generator by the water tower, is an effective combo-breaker at keeping the water from freezing in winters,) has worked quite while.


The Razor units, limited by clearances like many of our larger Steam locomotives though, are slated to operate along the front range of the Rockies only, which makes sense, as the flatter expanses of trackage help them achieve greater performance when there are less gradients to deal with.



Overall, the units, while experimental, are a Success - Plus, the passengers always comment on the tall stature, and marvel at the massive windows on all five of the Double-level coaches...








_{Sunset picture was taken from my phone, in case you were curious...}