Ragin' Rails Raid 2011

[WhoozOn1st]

Greetings once again from Middling America, where last night's thunderstorm knocked out power to the "World's Largest Truckstop," which is adjacent to the Team Whooz Ragin' Rails Raid 2011 Regional Office at Walcott, Iowa.

More of the same this morning as another electrical squall moves through the area, threatening to make today's train chasing a somewhat soggy pursuit.

In addition to the twice daily excursions from Rock Island to Walcott, today there's an all day "Steam Adventure" to Iowa City, about 40 miles further west. That train will be riding the same Iowa Interstate Railroad rails as the local excursions, which means that this morning we can let the train come to us, then leapfrog it westbound by jumping on I-80.

Yesterday's cornfield catches...

Video:

Steamin' & Smokin' Through Cornfield Curve - Video by Alice. You can almost smell - and taste - the coal smoke from IAIS 2-10-2 No. 6988 as it charges through a curve, leading the outbound leg of Friday afternoon's Train Festival excursion to Walcott, Iowa. And if you watch closely, you can see the exact moment the camera lens gets hit with small cinders carried in the locomotive's exhaust.

Steamin' Outbound In The Afternoon - Iowa Interstate Railroad 2-10-2 No. 6988 in charge of Train Festival 2011's afternoon excursion to Walcott, Iowa. Here the train passes a grade crossing as it nears the village of Walcott, close to the end of the outbound run. An Iowa Interstate diesel on the end will lead the return leg to Rock Island, Illinois, and the festival grounds.

Equal Time For Diesel - Iowa Interstate diesel No. 701 gets the afternoon Walcott excursion underway on the return run to Train Festival headquarters at Rock Island, Illinois. IAIS steam locomotive No. 6988 brings up the tail end, rolling in reverse.

Photos:

Ragin' Day 17: Chasing Steam To Walcott - After catching the morning Walcott excursion running through Davenport, Iowa, and after crossing the Mississippi from Train Festival grounds at Rock Island, Illinois, Team Whooz headed out to the corn fields around Walcott for a look at the train's return run. The Walcott excursions are pull/pull affairs, with steam in charge pulling outbound, then Iowa Interstate diesel power taking over tpull the returns. Following a quick trip to the festival grounds we again drove out to Walcott to cath the afternoon excursion as well.

Iowa Interstate Railroad diesel No. 701 on home rails, leading the return of Train Festival 2011's Friday morning excursion to Walcott through the Iowa corn fields.

​

 

[WhoozOn1st]

More of the same this morning as another electrical squall moves through the area, threatening to make today's train chasing a somewhat soggy pursuit.

Ditto for today, and yesterday's chase of the steam/Amtrak-powered excursion to Iowa City, Iowa was indeed a somewhat soggy pursuit - two serious squalls endured. Lots of fun, though, with the exception of a lone irate local at Downey, Iowa. Stopping his pickup across the tracks of a grade crossing where a number of railfans had set up shop for photography, he angrily berated us - using language he probably didn't learn from his mother - for blocking HIS roads "just to watch a stupid f------ train." Yeah, pal. This happens how often? And you live in what country?

It's perhaps worth noting that for the Ragin' Rails Raid to date, the rant of that misguided miscreant was the closest we've come to being hassled for photography.

After catching the train outbound from Rock Island at a grade crossing on the edge of Walcott, then the return run speeding through Downey, we met the excursion again at West Liberty, Iowa, for the time-honored ritual of the photo run-by. AU member rtabern (Rob) was aboard the train and spotted Team Whooz trackside at West Liberty. Haven't seen J-1 3235 (Mike, winner of the opening round of Name That Diesel!!) yet, but then we haven't spent much time at the festival grounds since the first day.

Today more chasing, this time the Burlington Nebraska Zephyr articulated diesel trainset on an all-day excursion to Bureau, Illinois.

Man, this is a blast!

Video:

Steam & Amtrak Pound The Iowa Plains - Steam and Amtrak locomotives lead the outbound charge through the corn fields of Walcott, Iowa, as Train Festival 2011's Saturday excursion to Iowa City, Iowa, makes good time over Iowa Interstate Railroad rails. Really nice consist for this run, including Hiawatha, full dome, and other other vintage rolling stock.

Steam & Diesel At Downey - Train Festival 2011's Saturday excursion to Iowa City passes the village of Downey, Iowa, at speed during the return to Rock Island, Illinois, The train would stop a few miles down the line at West Liberty for the time-honored run-by ritual.

Photos:

Ragin' Day 18: Steam & Amtrak To Iowa City - Several views of Train Festival 2011's Saturday excursion to Iowa City, Iowa, which featured steam and Amtrak locomotives leading the way - along with vintage Hiawatha rolling stock in the consist.

The excursion train is completing post run-by passenger reboarding at West Liberty, Iowa, and is almost ready to get underway again for the remainder of the return run to Train Festival grounds at Rock Island, Illinois.

​

 

[Bob Dylan]

:hi: As usual good stuff Patrick and Alice! Loved the Loooooooong train heading for Iowa City, especially the Domes and the Lounge Car on the end! Noticed that there were two Amtrak engines on the Train, is this usuall, Ive never seen Specials with more than one engine but I live in Texas, trains only run with one engine down here seems like!! :lol:

Also are yall planning on visiting "The Field of Dreams" Ball Park in the Corn, IIRC its close to where yall are?? And that "Friendly" Gentlemen that yelled at the railfans, did yall yell back to get his damn pickup off the tracks before he got an early trip to where he belongs! (rhymes with spell and feels like hell!) :lol:

 

[WhoozOn1st]

As usual good stuff Patrick and Alice! Loved the Loooooooong train heading for Iowa City, especially the Domes and the Lounge Car on the end! Noticed that there were two Amtrak engines on the Train, is this usuall, Ive never seen Specials with more than one engine but I live in Texas, trains only run with one engine down here seems like!!
Also are yall planning on visiting "The Field of Dreams" Ball Park in the Corn, IIRC its close to where yall are?? And that "Friendly" Gentlemen that yelled at the railfans, did yall yell back to get his damn pickup off the tracks before he got an early trip to where he belongs! (rhymes with spell and feels like hell!)

Thanks, Jim. I don't know what the deal is for Amtrak engines on specials (charters, excursions, what have you...), but perhaps there's a Valued Reader out there who does... Note that the P42s, which also headed the Sunday excursion downriver to Muscatine, Iowa, are two of the 40th Anniversary paintjob units: 156 (Phase I), and 66 (Phase I'm not sure). I'll have still photos of the engines in a later installment that will include some goings on at the Train Festival grounds on the final day of the event.

Speaking of final, for the last time:

Greetings from Walcott, Iowa. With Train Festival 2011 now complete, Team Whooz will no longer spend its days running back and forth between notches on the farm belt, chasing after trains, selecting likely photo positions, getting yelled at by locals, being aced out by rude railfans - and endangered on the roads by similar, fanatical, railfans - or soaking in midwestern summer monsoons while waiting for trains to show up. EDIT: In other words the fun's over.

Now it's time for a rapid run to Lorton, Virginia, to catch the southbound Auto Train. There will be no nonense (okay, maybe a LITTLE nonsense) on this determined trek eastward, which we have two days to complete. So no "Field of Dreams" kinda stuff, but funny Jim should mention dreams: Last night I dreamt that SoCal's Santa Fe 4-8-4 No. 3751 had made it to the Train Festival anyway (BNSF put the kibosh on it months ago), and all was right with the world.

Before setting out, here are some tidbits from yesterday...

Video:

Nexbraska Zephyr At Tiskilwa - One - Team Whooz Executive Assistant Alice set up at a grade crossing on a tangent near the west edge of the village of Tiskilwa, Illinois, for this Nebraska Zephyr Pass. Note different pitches of the doppler-shifted single-chime horn.

Nebraska Zephyr At Tiskilwa - Two - Further east, in Tiskilwa proper and just east of the village's old Rock Island Lines depot, the Nebraska Zephyr runs past a grade crossing in a wide curve before disappearing into the trees on its run to Bureau Junction.

Photos:

Ragin' Day 19: Nebraska Zephyr At Bureau Junction - Burlington's Nebraska Zephyr articulated diesel trainset ran a Train Festival 2011 Sunday excursion from the grounds at Rock Island to Bureau Junction and return. It was a gray day, with intermittent downpours along the route, but nothing could dampen the festivities at Bureau Junction, where excursion passengers, townfolk, and railfans milled and mingled during the Zephyr's layover.

A view toward the old depot, and some of the Nebraska Zephyr's photo-inclined admirers, during the Sunday excursion layover at Bureau Junction, Illinois.

​

 

[J-1 3235]

After catching the train outbound from Rock Island at a grade crossing on the edge of Walcott, then the return run speeding through Downey, we met the excursion again at West Liberty, Iowa, for the time-honored ritual of the photo run-by. AU member rtabern (Rob) was aboard the train and spotted Team Whooz trackside at West Liberty. Haven't seen J-1 3235 (Mike, winner of the opening round of Name That Diesel!!) yet, but then we haven't spent much time at the festival grounds since the first day.

Actually, Rob T was on the ground at West Liberty, near the station, and I said hello to you and Alice from the dutch door of the coach in front of the Super Dome. At least I think it was you, Patrick, you were hiding behind your camera! Sorry we missed out on an in-person meet, hopefully another time....

And thanks for all the photos and videos!

Mike

 

[MikefromCrete]

Great coverage of the Train Festival, Whooz and Alice. I was planning on attending, but couldn't because my wife is recovering from surgery. So this was a great replacement.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Actually, Rob T was on the ground at West Liberty, near the station, and I said hello to you and Alice from the dutch door of the coach in front of the Super Dome. At least I think it was you, Patrick, you were hiding behind your camera! Sorry we missed out on an in-person meet, hopefully another time....

I stand corrected: by J-1 3235, and by Executive Assistant Alice, who will be docked a day's pay for initially providing misinformation on this issue of crucial importance to National Security. Mike, I was indeed hiding behind my camera, but it was for naught. Clips at West Liberty - run-by, post run-by backing, departure - were all so badly focused for some reason that they're just so much garbage. And yeah, see you another time (Rob too).

Due to connection issues Team Whooz didn't get to issue greetings from Columbus, Ohio this morning. The entire hotel was down, including their front desk, making check-in a hassle and check-out problematic; cell phone connections were next to useless as well. However...

Greetings from Lorton, Virginia, where tomorrow we'll be boarding Amtrak's Auto Train to Sanford, Florida. A Team Whooz first for each of us, and we're looking forward to the initial - and likely only - Amtrak ride of the Ragin' Rails Raid.

MikefromCrete: Happy to be of service, and best wishes to the wife for a rapid and full recovery.

Because no photos or video of any kind were shot during the two-day interstate rapid ragin' across the eastern third of the U.S., we'll just have to take a roll down Train Festival 2011's Memory Lane...

Video:

Nickel Plate 765 Starts Back To Festival - After leading the morning train to Walcott, Iowa, on the first day of Train Festival 2011, NKP 2-8-4 steam locomotive No. 765 was mysteriously absent on the train's return to festival grounds at Rock Island, Illinois, led by Iowa Interstate diesel No. 701. When Team Whooz ventured across the Mississippi to Davenport, Iowa, to watch Chinese-built 2-10-2 No. 6988 lead the afternoon Walcott excursion through Davenport, Iowa, NKP 765 was found sitting just off the IAIS Main line, turned around from its morning run and ready to return back over the river. After the outbound excursion train charged through - and some additional waiting for track warrants to be issued - NKP 765 returned to the main line, paused, then began pounding through Davenport on its way back to Rock Island. We have yet to learn why the locomotive didn't return with the morning train.

Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765 is ready to lead the Thursday morning excursion to Wallcott - Train Festival 2011's first - from behind. The first step off the grounds and out of the yard is a backing move led by Iowa Interstate diesel No. 701. 765 will take over and lead the train over the Mississippi and out across eastern Iowa corn fields to Walcott.

​

 

[KayBee]

I will wave as you pass by RVR :giggle:

Thanks for the continued reportage. Your pictures help to ease the pain of not being able to attend the Festival.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Your pictures help to ease the pain of not being able to attend the Festival.

The REAL pain is in dealing with lousy hotel connections in attempting to upload Train Festival material, of which there remains plenty; stay tuned!

Greetings from Jacksonville, Florida, geographically the largest city in the U.S. The Auto Train was a utilitarian and - overabundance of howling children aside - fairly enjoyable ride. It certainly beat driving from Virginia to Florida, but as a standalone train for the sake of riding trains is somewhat lacking. I doubt Team Whooz will have occasion to use it again, nor would we go out of our way for it; nothing special.

After making only about a hundred miles since Sanford, Florida, today we begin putting on a little more serious distance, making our way north and sampling rail attractions here and there along the way.

Video:

Nickel Plate 765 Finishes Working - Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765 kinda creaks back into the Train Festival 2011 yard at Rock Island, Illinois, after completing its festival work. A single blast of the whistle - "stopped" - announces that for 765, and soon for all, the Train Festival has come to the end of the line.

Locomotives 831 & 832 arriving light to lead the southbound Auto Train from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL. Is this captive power? Unusual to see Amtrak engines in numerical sequence, so I wonder if this route is all they do...

​

 

[Ryan]

While not strictly captive power (they do rotate occasionally), the Auto Train is one of the few routes that the refurbished P40's seem to run.

If you guys are going to spend any time in the DC area, the first beer is on me!

 

[WhoozOn1st]

If you guys are going to spend any time in the DC area, the first beer is on me!

A generous offer, and I was seized by a powerful thirst upon reading it. The original Ragin' Rails Raid plan was indeed to spend some time at D.C. and points north along the eastern seaboard. Unfortunately, commitments back in Cal that I couldn't get out of forced a shortening of the adventure (before it even started) and a reworking of the return route to a more southwesterly course from the east. Thanks, though!

Greetings from Columbia, South Carolina, the state capital. Not a whole lot of rail-related action since coming off the Auto Train. Rolling northbound parallel to the CSX main line in Georgia and S. Carolina has largely been a waste of time, as the rail line is heavily obscured by thick, piney forests and mostly cannot be seen even when in close proximity. You can't tell that from looking at a map. We stopped at the Folkston "Funnel" train viewing area in Georgia, and have happened across some nicely restored old depots, but that's about it on the train front. We hope to change that today by riding the LYNX light rail at Charlotte, North Carolina.

Video:

CSX At Folkston Funnel - A southbound CSX intermodal stack train lays on the horn for a couple grade crossings in quick succession as it passes the train viewing platform at Folkston, Georgia.

Nicely restored Southern Railway depot and museum at Branchville, South Carolina.

​

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Greetings from Durham, North Carolina, where I'm taking a day off just to be a vegetable (rutabaga, to be exact) before attending a minor league baseball game pitting the Durham Bulls against the Charlotte Knights.

Yesterday's ragin' included the drive from Columbia, South Carolina, to Charlotte, North Carolina, home to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which we skipped. This is the region where stock car racing had its roots in backwoods bootlegging, and place names on the map are familiar to racing fans.

Along the way north we drove by the South Carolina Railroad Museum for a few photos, then stopped at Charlotte, North Carolina, to taste some southern fried light rail aboard that city's LYNX Blue Line.

Video:

LYNX Departs Charlotte Transit Center - Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) LYNX Blue Line light rail train departs the Charlotte (N. Carolina) Transit Center station in downtown Charlotte, heading to the last stop and northern terminus at 7th street. The train will return in a few minutes to retrieve Team Whooz and run out to the other end of the line at I-485/South Blvd.

Photos:

Ragin' Day 25: South Carolina Railroad Museum, Charlotte LYNX Light Rail - The South Carolina Railroad Museum had originally been nixed as a Ragin' Rails Raid activity, but a change in plans and route put it along the way after all. Though there wasn't time for a train ride or even much of a look around, we drove by for a few photos. The Charlotte, N. Carolina, LYNX Blue Line light rail was always in the plans, and Team Whooz did a quick out-and-back round trip of the 9.5 mile, single line system.

LYNX elevated southern terminus at I-485/South Blvd. station, viewed from top deck of adjacent park & ride structure.

​

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Renewed greetings from Durham, NC, where on Ragin' Rails Raid Day 26 there was no rail to speak of, but I'll speak of it anyway. From the hotel I saw what I believe to be the northbound Amtrak Carolinian as it passed on the line just across the road. And in the early evening, from the ballpark, the southbound Carolinian was seen, as well as a couple freights. I believe the Amtrak trains were Carolinians because consulting the System Timetable shows that nothing else apparently runs around here at anything close to those times. Also, no Viewliner sleepers on the trains.

Team Whooz is staring some major motor action in the face today, as we make a run for geared steam at the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park in West Virginia. Because the day likely holds little or no rail in store, fair warning: Another round of that international game sensation, Name That Diesel!! is just around the corner.

In the meantime, Sunday's vegetational state actually resulted in something somewhat worthwhile:

Video:

LYNX Light Rail Cab View Run - Look over the motorman's shoulder on this southbound run from New Bern to Scaleybark aboard Charlotte (North Carolina) Area Transit System's (CATS) LYNX Blue Line light rail on 7-30-11.

Photos:

Ragin' Day 19: Train Festival Last Day - Selected views taken on the final afternoon of Train Festival 2011 at Rock Island, Illinois.

Iowa Interstate Chinese QJ 2-10-2 No. 7081, leading the return of the final Walcott excursion, meets Amtrak 40th Anniversary engines 156 and 66, which headed the Muscatine Flyer Train/Riverboat excursion. Tete-a-tete technologies of different eras, but the locomotives are not too far removed in age: 7081 was built in 1986.

​

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Greetings from Lima, Ohio, former home of Lima Locomotive Works, builders of Shay geared engines and other notable steam power. Several days were spent offline due to the second hotel on this trip that was suffering total phone and internet outages. Somewhere in those lost days we rode up to Bald Knob at Cass Scenic Railroad Park behind the last Shay locomotive built, one which is also the largest Shay still operating. We also had the curious experience of listening to local obituaries - lengthy ones - on an Elkins, W. Virginia, radio station during morning drive time.

The 4.5 hour run to Bald Knob was a real highlight for the Ragin' Rails Raid - right up there with Nevada Northern - and I think would be for anyone of the railfan persuasion; unless, like that vile SoCal and AU hooligan Chuljin, they're not "into" steam. There's a heap of photo/video material from Cass, but it'll take some time to organize and upload in the wake of the outage situation (good uploading connection here at Lima). While that's in progress we can look back a bit at the run to Cass...

Video:

CSX Sneaks Up At Iron Gate -Team Whooz had located a nice little park off state route 92 at Iron Gate, West Virginia. A perfect place for a picnic lunch on the way to Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, and right next to a rail line. As we were unloading supplies I thought I heard a diesel engine. Looking around carefully, I spotted this CSX unit coal train trying to sneak up on us through the bushes, peeking out now and then before finally showing itself in the open while continuing to creep past. EDIT: Note the coal gondolas behind the locomotives. This train had at least a score of these virtually spotless, right-off-the-production-line, cars. The axle ends were still bright blue, the dump clamshells had nothing more than light smatterings of road dirt, and they were almost eerily quiet as they rolled past when the train accelerated, especially compared with the creaking racket from the rest of the consist.

First Look At Cass Scenic - Team Whooz arrived at Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, West Virginia, late in the afternoon of 8-1-11, just in time to see the day's last train arrive back at the depot after its run. No. 4 is a 3-truck Lima Shay geared steam locomotive. Unlike typical horizontal rod steam locomotves, the Shay's vertical pistons and connecting rods turn a crankshaft which in turn powers six wheels on three trucks through a system of linkages and bevel gears. No. 4 isn't really working as it pulls the train into the station, but its drive motion is clearly visible.

No, Valued Readers, I haven't forgotten. It's time once again to join in and play the home (or work) version of that global game sensation, Name That Diesel!!

Our second locomotive is a high-nose EMD product who works at FEC. Not Florida East Coast, but rather Farmers Elevator Company, Chappell, Nebraska, where the motto for its toils is "Pulling For Nebraska Farmers." FEC No. 7558 likes world peace, fast moving UP freights, high export grain prices, and a good joke. Now, Valued Readers everywhere, it's time to put on your thinking caps and use these tidbits of information to Name That Diesel!!

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Greetings from the hotel ghetto, around the block from the retail gulch, at Merrillville, Indiana. We're just south of Gary, preparing for today's run AROUND Chicagoland and into Wisconsin. Chicago's a great town, it's just not on the Ragin' Rails Raid itinerary (such as it is).

On Tuesday, 8-2-11, Team Whooz was out and about earlier than usual for the hour+ drive on 2-lane routes U.S. 219 and state 66 from Elkins to Cass, West Virginia, to ride behind geared steam at the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.

The stifling heat of the first weeks of the trip had broken a couple days earlier, and it was a fine day for our fourth ride of the Raid (after Nevada Northern, Auto Train, Charlotte light rail). The normal Cass Scenic schedule is three daily 1.5 hour trains partway up the hill to Whittaker, and one daily (except Mondays) 4.5 hour run all the way to the summit and Bald Knob. We went for Bald Knob, and it was an excellent choice. I'd tell you all about it, but the Executive Assistant is harrassing me about getting breakfast. Here are some visual aids, though...

Video:

Cass Shay No. 6 Works A Mountain Grade - This is the best video view I got of the Shay locomotive drivetrain in action. Cass Scenic No. 6 works the Team Whooz train up a steep logging road grade toward the summit and Bald Knob. Shays are not fast, but there's plenty of power in all that high speed machinery. Cass Scenic's route includes grades up to ELEVEN PERCENT; try that with a rod engine! The type was (and is) also well known for it's ability to operate over the light, quickly/poorly laid track common to logging operations, which pulled up and relaid rails as needed to move on to the next stand of trees as cutting progressed through a forest.

Photos:

Ragin' Day 28: Cass Scenic Shay Steam To Bald Knob - A few shots from our ride up the mountain and back, featuring Cass Scenic Railroad 3-truck Lima Shay No. 6.

An overall drive view of the business side of the Shay locomotive, showing the three vertical pistons and rods that power crankshaft and in turn driveshaft to transmit power to the wheels using gears. This arrangement is not duplicated on the other side of the locomotive:

​

 

[jb64]

I love riding the train at Cass. It is one of my favorite things. Unfortunately, it has been foggy at the top on every trip we have made. I hope you had clear weather and a fine view from the top.

 

[J-1 3235]

Patrick,

I'm going to assume the fine print rules for "Name that Diesel" specify only one winning answer every thirty days, so I'll refrain from answering this challenging query.

Thanks again for sharing your Ragin' Rails Raid with us!

Mike

 

[WhoozOn1st]

I love riding the train at Cass. It is one of my favorite things. Unfortunately, it has been foggy at the top on every trip we have made. I hope you had clear weather and a fine view from the top.

Not the clearest of days, with noticeable haze, at Bald Knob when we went up on 8-2-11, but far from foggy. The Cass Scenic website warns that the top can be 15 degrees cooler than at the depot, so I had a sweatshirt along in a backpack, but it proved unnecessary. Here are a couple Bald Knob shots that show our train with a backdrop of clouds - it's the 3rd highest point in West Virginia at 4,872 feet above sea level; a mere hill by California standards, but impressive nonetheless - and a max zoom view of the big dish at the radio observatory far below on the other side of the mountain from the Cass depot.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

I'm going to assume the fine print rules for "Name that Diesel" specify only one winning answer every thirty days, so I'll refrain from answering this challenging query

My game, my rules, and I say multiple wins are fine. So fork up the info and Name That Diesel!!

Greetings from Kenosha, Wisconsin, a small city on the shores of Lake Michigan south of Milwaukee that has its own small streetcar operation - a PCC on a loop of a mile or so, running between the Metra station, a beach on the lake, and a transit center. We hope to ride today before resuming our northwest trek and hitting a couple museums.

On the Day 30 drive from Lima, Ohio, to Merrillville, Indiana, we paused at TrainTown outside Ft. Wayne, Indiana. It's home to the Ft. Wayne Railroad Historical Society and Nickel Plate Railroad 2-8-4 No. 265, which we'd seen in operation earlier in the Ragin' Rails Raid for Train Festival 2011 at and around Rock Island, Illinois. The museum was closed on 8-4-11, but one of 765's engineers was luckily onsite. He was friendly and gracious about allowing a few pictures of the locomotive in its carbarn, inviting me up into the cab, and sharing a wealth of information as well as a number of entertaining stories about 765.

Further along and later in the day we stopped at Michigan City, Indiana, for a rush hour look at South Shore Line street running. Now I've been aboard a few South Shore trains as they crawled through the Michigan City streets, but had never seen this cool rarity from the ground. So Team Whooz set up shop at a couple locations, both in and at the edge of town, for some prime railfanning with "America's Last Interurban."

Video:

South Shore Begins Street Running - A southbound weekday afternoon South Shore Line (NICTD - Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District) rush hour train from Chicago comes off private right of way and starts its run through the streets of Michigan City, Indiana, on 8-4-11.

A look at Nickel Plate 765 under cover at home in Ft. Wayne, and a northbound South Shore train coming over a rise as it runs on the streets of Michigan City:

 

[J-1 3235]

OK!

FEC 7558 is also an EMD GP-9, also of Pennsylvania RR heritage (#7038), built in November of 1955.

Mike

 

[WhoozOn1st]

FEC 7558 is also an EMD GP-9, also of Pennsylvania RR heritage (#7038), built in November of 1955.

Thanks, Mike. Obviously the level of difficulty needs to be jacked up for any third round of Name That Diesel!! I think I can do that.

Greetings from La Crosse, Wisconsin, where the Ragin' Rails Raid has stumbled into the midst of some sort of Harley-Davidson mass migration.

Yesterday - Day 32 - we saw, but did not ride, a PCC streetcar at Kenosha. It was a different car from the one seen the previous afternoon, which was cool. After that we stopped briefly at the East Troy Electric Railroad, then caught 0-4-0T steam locomotive Flagg Coal Co. No. 75 running out of the Mid-Continent Railway Museum at North Freedom.. This little tank engine not named Thomas had been seen under steam at Train Festival 2011, and it was great to see it working a train through the Wisconsin countryside. It'll remain there running excursion trains through August 14th, and is well worth a trip to see in action: Steam Days With Flagg Coal #75.

Because Team Whooz used the connection here to plot next moves instead of upload stuff, yesterday's material remains on hold. Let's look back at Day 29, though, and a weird (but cool) front yard decoration. On U.S. 81, just east of Lima Ohio, somebody has decided that a medieval knight in battle dress and on horseback is the perfect complement to a lawn caboose:

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Greetings from St. Cloud, Minnesota, where we really begin our westbound leg by running roughly parallel to the Empire Builder's route.

On the way to getting caught up on the photo front, here are some shots and video from the little streetcar system at Kenosha, plus Flagg Coal Co. No. 75 and other steam at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum at North Freedom, both in Wisconsin.

Video:

Passenger Boards Kenosha Streetcar - One of Kenosha, Wisconsin's, PCC streetcars takes a curve between the Metra station and the Police department on the small city's loop, stopping to board a passenger before continuing to a lakeside parkway and transit center.

Flagg Coal No. 75 At Country Grade Crossing - Flagg Coal Co. 0-4-0T No. 75 pulls an excursion train at Mid-Continent Railway Museum, near North Freedom, Wisconsin. The little switcher is almost dwarfed by its consist, and gets some help with the heavy steel cars from a diesel switcher briging up the tail end.

Photos:

Ragin' Day 32: Steam At Mid-Continent Railway Museum - After chasing Flagg Coal Co. 0-4--0T No. 75 on its outbound run at Mid-Continent Railway Museum (North Freedom, Wisconsin), Team Whooz returned to the museum itself and looked around the grounds while awaiting No.75's return with its consist of vintage Delaware Lackawanna & Western passenger cars and a diesel switcher assistant. An interesting array of rolling stock, albeit with some pieces in pretty sad shape. The museum suffered some equipment losses to major flooding three years ago, and the inundation couldn't have been good news for rest of the collection either. No. 75's 9-day stint at North Freedom is the first operational steam at Mid-Continent in a number of years.

Two PCC streetcars at Kenosha, and Flagg Coal tank engine (not named Thomas) at a rural Wisconsin grade crossing:

 

[AmtrakBlue]

OK!

FEC 7558 is also an EMD GP-9, also of Pennsylvania RR heritage (#7038), built in November of 1955.

Mike

That OLD, uh? (I was born in Nov '55) Hope it's running better than I am. :giggle:

 

[Bob Dylan]

:hi: More good stuff from The Rolling Thunder Review !(California Edition!)Thanks Patrick and Alice!

Isnt it amazing how lots of cities are rediscovering Streets cars, Trolleys, Light and Commuter Rail after doing away with it years ago when worshiping @ the Altar of the Automobile?

Here in Austin we used to have psuedo Trolleys (Diesel powered) called the Armadillo Express that were free for Tourists and residents to ride downtown, they were then made to cost 50c and the Routes cut way back, by the geniuses at CapMetro and ridership plummeted, go figure! They were then sold to other cities for peanuts! (think San Antonio bought them)

Now that Austin has Traffic Gridlock, the powers that be at CapMetro and City Hall are discussing Street Cars to run to the Airport, other parts of town and Cap Metro has the Red Line in Operation (finally thanks to a private Company hired to get it done after Veolia was run out of town!!)There is also talk about starting a downtown shuttle similar to the late Armadillo Trolleys! Who'd a guessed?? :wacko:

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Greetings from Grand Forks, North Dakota, where the Team Whooz run alongside the Empire Builder's route has come to a slippery end.

Due to the freelance nature of this portion of the Ragin' Rails Raid, lodging plans and arrangements are being made on short notice, based on daily progress. In plotting for today's westbound run it was learned that there's no lodging to be had ANYWHERE within a reasonable radius of we could expect to finish for the day. I mean there was NOTHING, east or west, north or south. What gives?? A more polite form of this question was asked of someone answering an independent hotel phone number. As it happens, there's an oil boom out west, right in the area Team Whooz had planned to traverse. Petroleum industry workers have cornered the market on lodging for the time being.

Because half of Team Whooz (me) is staunchly opposed to sleeping overnight in a parked vehicle, or camping, the lack of lodging to the west forces a change of route and plans. Today we'll be backtracking to Fargo, then on south to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, before turning west again. RATS!!

This turn of events doesn't mean no more Ragin' Rails, just no more Empire Builder stuff, at least for the time being. What's that you say? There hasn't been any Empire Builder stuff? Well maybe not for YOU, Valued Reader, but we've been on it, more or less, for days. Proof:

Video:

Empire Builder, Train 8, At Lake City, MN - Amtrak's eastbound Empire Builder, running a mere 3 hours late on 8-7-11, rolls past Lake City, Minnesota, on a wide curve through an industrial area of this Mississippi River town.

BNSF Westbound At Fargo, ND - A westbound BNSF manifest freight passes a grade crossing at the old Northern Pacific depot at downtown Fargo, North Dakota. The crossing is a quiet zone - no horn, just double gates and bells. The station, visible at left after panning with the locomotives, is now used by the Fargo Parks Dept., a small museum, and a senior center.

Photos:

Empire Builder Stations Most Passengers Miss - Some views of stations at the Empire Builder's wee hours stops in Minnesota and North Dakota, along with a couple of cool non-Amtrak stations along the way.

An eastbound BNSF intermodal stack train crawling through a grade crossing at Wadena, Minnesota (not a Builder stop), another BNSF stack train passes the Amtrak station a Detroit Lakes, Minnesota (Builder stop), and BNSF's Dilworth Terminal, Dilworth, MN, just east of Moorhead, MN, which in turn is just across the Red River (EDIT: this is corrected from Mississippi River, a massive geographic error that nobody called me on and I just realized/spotted) from Fargo, ND, and the offices of BNSF's Twin Cities Division: