Listen to the distant sound of a turn-of-the-last-century steam train whistle reverberating through the valleys of Ohio’s Amish Country during the Fall Steam Festival at the Age of Steam Roundhouse on Saturday, September 29, 2024.
This is my first time visiting the museum on the outskirts of Sugarcreek, in the heart of Ohio’s Amish Country. Its vintage steam engine collection is thoroughly impressive. But if I’m being honest, I came because of the admission. Free, for the day. I knew it would be challenging to go away with any clean, usable audio from an event that would attract so many rainfans. Nevertheless, I slapped a five-dollar bill down on the ticket counter and at 10 minutes ‘til the hour, boarded a vintage passenger car. It was hooked up to a coal tender behind the Morehead and North Fork (M&NF) 0-6-0 No. 12. This is a beautiful black 54-foot long, 73-ton coal-fired locomotive built in 1905 for Southern Railway with 32,710 pounds of tractive effort pulling power.
I walked to the front of the passenger car straight away, claiming a standing position with a view out the open door. To record, I came armed with something small and simple, a Sony PCM D100 with its built-in mics in wide mode, a Rycote windsock, foamy handle and a pair of Sony MDR-V6 studio monitor headphones. Wearing headphones like these meant that stealth recording was out of the question.
I had hoped that any passenger noise would be masked by the train moving along the tracks. Sadly, this was not the case. The train moved at a snail’s pace. I could have walked faster than it on a pair of crutches. It turns out It wasn’t cleared to go out onto the mainline. This meant it was relegated to traveling along the rails in the yard. Apparently since they had to stretch a short ride into something worth a visitor’s $5, traveling up and down the tracks slowly multiple times was the solution.
I got busted by the conductor for standing when I was supposed to be sitting. I thought it might happen. Dejected, I sat in my bench seat staring out the window at the scenery. It was then I noticed a hillside 1,900 feet (579 meters) across the way. I thought, maybe I could salvage this recording session by capturing the sound of the stream train and its whistle from the top of that hill. There’s bound to be some cool echos going on.
I drove over to the farm below, an Amish farm. After knocking on the side door, I introduced myself and explained my intensions. The farmer, Eddy, was more than agreeable. His only instructions were that I made sure to close the gates and not let the horses out. Oh, he warned me the fence was hot (electrified).
I hoofed it up that 100-foot hill (I checked a topographic map), racing to the top before the next train ride while trying my best to avoid horse droppings.
I planted myself down beneath a mature hickory tree, surrounded by nuts in various states of decay. When the wind picked up, the tree’s leaves crunched and crackled. Fall is upon us but this was from lack of rain. I welcomed this sound and that of a large concentration of birds in the branches. I was trying to mask an incessant noise coming from somewhere nearby that I couldn’t quite figure out.
All I had to do now was wait for the train to roll. Please have a listen to the Youtube video below.
Further Reading
- Learn more about Morehead & North Fork 0-6-0 No. 12 at the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum’s website here.