Ragin' Rails Raid 2011

[WhoozOn1st]

Team Whooz (comprising Executive Director Whooz and Executive Assistant Alice) is in final preparation for imminent departure on the Ragin' Rails Raid, a cross-country (as in coast-to-coast) road trip via MayhemMobile with railroads at its core.

We hadn't been out slinging cameras since the Pacific Railroad Society's Jubilee excursion over the Tehachapis in early April, so were in dire need of some kinda warmup photo activity before heading out.

Fortunately, it was learned that the Fillmore & Western Railway - an easy 30-minute drive from La Casa de Whooz - was gonna be running a couple (that turned into 3) 1-hour steam passenger trains on the 4th of July. The "Home of the Movie Trains" was gonna trot out its recently restored 1913 Baldwin 2-8-0 locomotive No. 14! Team Whooz had seen and photographed this engine in December 2010 when it pulled a Christmas tree train to Santa Paula and back, but a mechanical failure had put an early end to its (and our) day. Independence Day would be a new opportunity to not only get up close and personal with this fine little locomotive, but get in our desired railfanning and photo practice as well.

To get the Ragin' Rails Raid off to a running start, trip report-wise, here are some samples from our pre-trip warmup:

Photos:

Steamin' SoCal 4th At Fillmore - comprehensively captioned.

The Fillmore & Western Railway's recently restored 1913 Baldwin 2-8-0 steam locomotive No. 14 was in action for three 1-hour Independence Day excursions, and Team Whooz was on hand to enjoy the holiday steaming (and the steamin' holiday weather) as well as get a little warmup photo and video practice before heading cross-country on the Ragin' Rails Raid.

Video:

Fillmore & Western July 4th Steam, First Run Outbound - Fillmore & Western Railway 2-8-0 steam locomotive No. 14 works its passenger train slowly uphill, then gains some speed over a Santa Clara river trestle on it first July 4, 2011 run.

Fillmore & Western July 4th Steam, First Run Inbound - Fillmore & Western Railway 2-8-0 steam locomotive No. 14 pushes its train over the Santa Clara river on its way back to the depot in downtown Fillmore to conclude the first July 4th run.

With the exception of a couple activities essentially carved in stone - Train Fest 2011 at Rock Island, Illinois, and a southbound ride on the Auto Train - the Ragin' Rails Raid is pretty freestyle. For starters, however, we expect to head up 99, roughly parallelling the route of the San Joaquins, then railfan Donner Pass on the way to visit the Nevada Northern Railway - more steam - at Ely, Nevada. I look forward to posting updates from the Ragin' Rails Radical Road as time permits.

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[WhoozOn1st]

Greetings from Natomas, a suburb of Sacramento.

After weeks, nay MONTHS, of suffering through subnormal spring temperatures on the SoCal coast, running northbound in the Team Whooz MayhemMobile through the summer heat of California's Central Valley was a welcome climatic improvement!

Much of the early part of the Ragin' Rails Raid's first day was spent tooling along highway 43, beside the BNSF rails used by Amtrak's San Joaquins. We caught serveral SJs and a couple freights along the way, while also stopping at Wasco and Hanford before changing over to highway 99 and catching San Joaquin crew changes at Merced.

While continuing north on 99 for our overnight layover here at Natomas we played a little leapfrog with a UP manifest freight also running north on that railroad's parallel route through the Valley, one that unlike BNSF's shadows 99 pretty closely.

Photos:

Ragin' Rails Raid, Day 1 - A few shots from the Triple R's race north through California's Central Valley.

Video:

San Joaquin 712 Races South - San Joaquin train 712 at speed next to highway 43, pushing south between Hanford and Corcoran in California's Central Valley.

San Joaquin 715 Departs Merced - Grade crossing horn fun as San Joaquin 715 departs Merced, pulling for Oakland, 7-6-11.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Greetings from Fallon, Nevada, home of the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, aka Top Gun. They're big on the idea here: Top Gun Dry Cleaners, Top Gun Animal Hospital, Top Gun Slot Machine Repair, etc.

On Ragin' Rails Raid Day 2 we did an abbreviated railfan tour as we made our way over the Sierra Nevada mountains via Donner Pass, alternating between I-80 and still-driveable sections of the predecessor road, U.S. 40. A serious effort to railfan the pass would require days, but we didn't do too badly on the whole, given the time constraint. Today, Day 3, we'll set out across Nevada on U.S. 50 - "Loneliest Road in America" - to Ely, NV and the Nevada Northern Railway.

Photos:

Ragin' Rails Raid, Day 2 - A whirlwind railfanning day run over Donner Pass. It'd take days to do it right, but we got to several locations and saw some pretty cool stuff - plus trains!

Video:

California Zephyr 5 Arrives Truckee - The day's westbound California Zephyr was running about 5 hours behind when it finally showed up at Truckee, CA, and that was just fine with Team Whooz. Note how long the train takes to come to a full, brake-screeching stop!!

California Zephyr 5 Departs Truckee - California Zephyr train 5 resumes its tardy trudge westward to Emeryville with a climb out of Truckee, CA.

 

[GG-1]

Video:

California Zephyr 5 Arrives Truckee - The day's westbound California Zephyr was running about 5 hours behind

Aloha

Mahalo for Sharing with us. Sure helps those of us not on a trip get our rail fix. Anyone else laugh at the sun glare on the engine. It reminded me of Poppy and his pipe . :help:

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Anyone else laugh at the sun glare on the engine. It reminded me of Poppy and his pipe

Popeye? Took me a few minutes to puzzle that one out...

Greetings from Ely, Nevada, where the Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall (opened 1929) was the tallest building in the state for many years, and the first to be fireproof.

No photography at all during the drive on U.S. 50, mainly because desert photography just doesn't do its subject justice; you gotta be here.

Let me belatedly point out that the reason for the brevity of updates text is that by the time I'm done packing the maximum legal dose of descriptive prose into photo captions I'm just plumb tuckered out. Besides, why write essentially the same stuff over again? And unlike some, Team Whooz does not subscribe to the "Throw Everything At The Wall And See What Sticks" school of posting photos; no uncaptioned camera dumps of every damn thing we saw, with viewers left to fend for themselves.

On the contrary, Valued Reader: By the time Team Whooz photo links are posted, only the finest pictures that meet or exceed all government standards and regulations for trip report photography have been selected, edited, and comprehensively captioned to maximize YOUR viewing value!

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Greetings again from Ely, Nevada, where it has been learned that the name of the town rhymes with the company that makes Posturepedic mattresses - Sealy - and NOT with the first name of the guy who invented the cotton gin - Mr. Whitney.

This update is even more brief than usual because I really should wash the coal cinders outta my hair before we make an early start on the road to Ogden, Utah.

Valued Reader, if you're a steam railroading aficionado, and if you're ever way out west seeking someplace to quench a thirst for trains that would kill an iron horse, by all means make the trek to Ely and visit the Nevada Northern Railway. Mainline steam notwithstanding, this coal-burning ex-mining road combines steam and western mountain railroading in a fashion far and away superior to anything I've had the pleasure to previously experience. Awesome has become a hackneyed cliche of a description, but it is not too strong, and is entirely appropriate, in reference to the steam experience to be enjoyed here. WOW.

And talk about friendly! All the volunteer crew - that's everybody working on the railroad - were outgoing, helpful, and unfailingly pleasant. Team Whooz has enough good things to say about this operation to fill a small book, and enough photos and video to bore the bejeezus out of all but the most demented foaming ferroequinologist. But that's gonna be a lot of work to edit and otherwise prepare, and will have to wait.

Here are some samples though, before we hit the road on Ragin' Rails Raid, Day 5...

Video:

Nevada Northern Evening Departure - Nevada Northern Railway's Steptoe Valley Flyer departs Ely, NV, for Keystone early in the evening of 7-9-11. 1910 Baldwin 4-6-0 steam locomotive No. 40 works the train uphill from the Nevada Northern yard and over a grade crossing on its way out of town.

The Steptoe Valley Flyer returning from Keystone at dusk:

Whooz that hanging out in No. 40's cab, schmoozing with trainmen? Photo by Alice.

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[J-1 3235]

Thanks for sharing your photos and videos with us, Patrick. I'm looking forward to seeing more, and to meeting up with you and Alice in Rock Island.

Have fun!

Mike

 

[Bob Dylan]

Living proff that they'll let Anyone into a Steamer cab! :lol: Nice pics as usual Patrick, hope you and Alice have a Blast, looking forward to seeing yall again in Seattle in Oct. if not before along the Rails!

 

[WhoozOn1st]

In accordance with the ancient Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times," the Ragin' Rails Raid has taken a turn for the interesting since the last post.

First, on Day 5 I was bitten by a dog while trying to get a photo of a retired electric Kennecot Mining Corp. locomotive outside a county museum in Ely, Nevada; no serious damage from a domestic animal that charged me when its owners opened the front door of their mobile home next to the museum.

On Day 6 I suffered my first insect bite - on the left elbow - which caused the arm to swell up like a balloon and itch like hell. No pain, though, and I took out several mosquitoes in reprisal.

Oh yeah, and greetings from Rock Springs, Wyoming, where men are men and the cows are nervous. Tonight's hotel wi-fi is so bad - worst yet - that instead of current pic samples we must revert to Day 4 at Nevada Northern. Oh, the humanity!

Alco RS-3 No. 109 and Baldwin 4-6-0 No. 40 by the Nevada Northern depot at East Ely, NV.

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[The Crazy Vacationer]

I've been enjoying reading about your trip, but I musk as a question, based on what you wrote.

Oh yeah, and greetings from Rock Springs, Wyoming, where men are men and the cows are nervous.

Are you a "Prairie Home Companion" fan? I work a block away from the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul and have been fortunate enough to attend one of the shows.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

I've been enjoying reading about your trip, but I musk as a question, based on what you wrote.

Oh yeah, and greetings from Rock Springs, Wyoming, where men are men and the cows are nervous.

Are you a "Prairie Home Companion" fan? I work a block away from the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul and have been fortunate enough to attend one of the shows.

Let me begin by thanking all Valued Readers for vicariously joining Team Whooz on the Ragin' Rails Raid, and especially those who have offered comments as we make our way along.

Crazy, though I'm aware of Garrison Keillor's Prarie Home Companion radio show, and his tales of a place called (I think) Lake Woebegone, I've never actually heard any of the shows and don't think I could fairly be considered a fan. That thing about Rock Springs, men, and cows, was an old line thrown in when I couldn't think of anything at all to say about this small town on I-80.

Today - Day 7 - we continue eastbound through Wyoming, perhaps getting as far as Cheyenne, where we'll likely tarry a couple days.

Day 6 saw us depart Ogden on I-84 to I-80 East, tracking as closely as possible the Union Pacific portion of America's first transcontinental railroad. Beautiful country for the most part, through the Wasatch range and on across the praries and plains of Utah and Wyoming, with a number of stops for rail-intensive sights and activities. A highlight was Evanston, Wyoming, where the town is restoring a UP shop complex - including a large roundhouse with turntable. Again, the utter lameness of the hotel wi-fi here prevents any current visual sharing.

Time to get moving!

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado, which has a streetcar that runs on weekends (we'll miss it this trip), and where the Team Whooz lodging features an excellent view of a BNSF line.

Day 7 ended at Cheyenne, Wyoming, and lodging check-in there was done during a ferocious thunderstorm. Interesting times befell me once again as I was pelted by rain, wind, and hail nearly the size of golf balls as I loaded in from the MayhemMobile to our room. Later the electrical power failed, this in a room that had been selected specifically for having a microwave oven and refrigerator.

Day 8 - we're trying to get current here - was dedicated to several rail-related activities around Cheyenne. Afterward, on the drive to Fort Collins, we took a frontage road to pass by the Terry Bison Ranch, where it was said that "TRX" trains run customers around to gawk and shoot at a private herd.

The trains appear to be homebuilt park-style trains of the internal combustion ilk, and except for one, the trains we could see were tarted up as cartoon steam. The exception was some sort of contraption that I'm pretty sure Amtrak Unlimited Valued Readers will find as thoroughly objectionable as I did. Here it is in all its ignominiousness, along with cartoon pals and other stuff from Ragin' Rails Raid Day 8:

Bubba The Bison is unimpressed by the idiot tourist from the west coast. Photo by Alice.

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[WhoozOn1st]

Following two straight nights of rotten-to-nonexistent internet connections advantage has been taken of a fine one here at Fort Collins to whittle away at an uploading backlog. A couple more vids, and this ain't the half of it.

Nevada Northern Between Tunnels - Nevada Northern Railway's recreation of the Steptoe Valley Flyer emerges from the old tunnel and runs beside U.S. 50 before disappearing into a new tunnel beneath the highway on its way to Keystone, 7-9-11.

Nevada Northern Diesel No. 109 Cranks Up - Nevada Northern Railway's Alco RS-3 No. 109 fires up and idles before heading the early afternoon train to McGill on 7-9-11. The old diesel belches a cloud of typical Alco smoke, then settles into the kind of loping idle I was familiar with as a kid. Diesels don't sound like that these days! Note the passenger boarding call.

 

[GG-1]

Bubba The Bison is unimpressed by the idiot tourist from the west coast. Photo by Alice.

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Aloha

Are you sure the good looking on on the left is named " Bubba " :wub: :lol: :giggle: :unsure: :help:

 

[Bob Dylan]

Nice Videos as Usual Patrick! Did you and Alice actually ride any of these trains, I especially liked the one coming out of the tunnel, reminded of when I was a kid, and I agree with the Rattling Diesel, I remember the switchers sounding like that in the yards!

The Thomas the Engine fake Trains werent so exciting, looked like a Low Budget Disneyland, guess things get kind of slow out there in nowhere land!(the version I heard is the cowboys got paid and the sheep are nervous! :lol: ) Bet you passed on these! Look forward to the rest of the Journey, hope Alice is keeping you under semi-control! ^_^ Jim

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Did you and Alice actually ride any of these trains

Team Whooz rode behind Nevada Northern's 1910 Baldwin 4-6-0 No. 40 on the morning train. The route, called Keystone, runs on a hillside behind Ely, then through canyons alongside U.S. 50 out to the Ruth mining district. There the entire train is turned on a wye for the mostly downhill run back to Ely. Some video was taken of that run, and will be foisted on Valued Readers at some point.

We wouldn't be caught dead riding those tourist buffalo farm mechanical mutants. The photos were taken from the overflow parking lot at high zoom, and that's as close as we got to the whole operation.

Here's a shot on the run back to Ely, from the open car behind No. 40. Aside from some minor throttle applications on the mostly downhill return, the locomotive does little work on this portion of the trip; the outbound uphill leg is the main attraction for steam aficionados (like Team Whooz!).

EDIT: Oh yeah, greetings from Ogallala, Nebraska, where complaints about the hideous food quality of a Denny's meal got 50% knocked off the bill, to more accurately reflect its actual worth. Tomorrow on to North Platte and the U.P.'s Bailey Yard.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Greetings from Cozad, Nebraska. Yeah, I know: "WHERE!?" We're about 50 miles east of North Platte - U.P.'s Bailey Yard (which was very cool) - and something under 200 miles west of Omaha. One whiff of the air around here tells you you're in farming country, and that's not necessarily a good thing, olfactory-wise.

Running on U.S. 30, mostly right beside U.P.'s transcon main line, has been a lot of fun so far, and we'll stick with this route on into Omaha. The trains are many, the towns are small and few, and since Team Whooz is not pressed for time we stop whenever we see something interesting.

Video:

Fast Freight Frightens Fauna - On a sleepy July afternoon at Pine Bluffs, Wyoming - where oddly enough there are actual bluffs covered with pine trees - a small flock of birds is startled by the horn of an approaching Union Pacific intermodal freight, causing it to take wing and fly in front of the train. Birds are far more successful than humans when it comes to crossing in front of trains. Not the clearest video, but improves. The autofocus locked on the wrong thing, and no retakes.

And now, because I'm not much of an engine guy, and because I'm clutching at straws for content while slowly getting current on the audio-visual front, it's time to play that new game sensation that's sweeping America - the Amtrak Unlimited Valued Reader part of it anyway - "Name That Diesel!!"

Our intial offering hails from Kimball, Nebraska, and appears to be a first generation model. Likely an EMD product, High Plains Co-Op No. 7516 sports the distinctive nigh nose that was a common feature of early non-covered wagon types. No. 7516 likes small town values, hanging out at grain elevators, switching covered hoppers, and harvest time:

Name That Diesel!!

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[WhoozOn1st]

Greetings from Cozad, Nebraska. Yeah, I know: "WHERE!?" We're about 50 miles east of North Platte - U.P.'s Bailey Yard (which was very cool) - and something under 200 miles west of Omaha.

Valued Reader(s), I was wrong (a first!). Cozad is on the 100th Meridian. That was kind of a big deal during construction of the first transcontinental railroad, and remains one today for meteorological reasons. My mistake was saying we were less than 200 miles from Omaha - we were OVER 200 miles from where Team Whooz is now (greetings from Omaha). The revelation of error came as we departed Cozad and resumed our run on U.S. 30, parallel to the U.P. main:

 

[WhoozOn1st]

It's been so hot as we crossed Nebraska that even the locals have been remarking and complaining. While visiting a small rail museum at Fremont yesterday I was told that due to Missouri River flooding, when the town gets an east wind it receives clouds of mosquitoes. Glad we missed THAT!

Nobody has been able to Name That Diesel!! yet?? C'mon... Another round is in the offing, as many trackside grain elevators have their own local locomotives, and we've been stopping when we spot 'em and it's feasible.

Before heading out and about, and maybe catching a minor league ballgame (Omaha Storm Chasers), here are some results (finally) of advancement on the audio-visual front, and a decent wi-fi connection (also finally) to take advantage...

Video:

Ragin' Day 10: U.P. Power At Speed - Tracking fast-running freight locomotives while overtaking the train they're pulling beside U.S. 30 on the plains in Nebraska.

Photos:

Ragin' Day 4: Nevada Northern Morning Run - A late morning ride aboard the Nevada Northern Railway on 7-9-11, starring 1910 Baldwin 4-6-0 steam locomotive No. 40. Team Whooz was on hand early to catch some yard action, then boarded an open flatcar directly behind the engine for the ride out to the Ruth mining district and back. Comprehensively captioned, which is the really time-consuming part of trying to catch up on the multimedia stuff.

Naturally, progress calls for foisting another vanity shot on y'all. Whooz that in front of No. 40? Photo by Alice.

 

[J-1 3235]

HPC 7516 is an EMD GP9, built for the Pennsylvania RR in October, 1955.

Mike

 

[WhoozOn1st]

I see we have our first winner in Name That Diesel!! Good going, Mike, and thanks for the ID on that locomotive. Because Team Whooz expects to see Mike - J-1 3235 - later this week at the Rail Fest 2011 in Rock Island, Illinois, I can say that his prize for being the first Name That Diesel!! winner will be a cool, refreshing beverage of his choice. Bottoms up, Mike!

Speaking of Rail Fests, On Track On Line's - OTOL's - summer Rail Fest is currently underway, aboard Amtrak's Crescent headed for New Orleans as this is posted. Let me take this opportunity to wish them all a safe, excellent and fun Fest!

Here at Ragin' Rails Raid Regional Office Omaha we'll remain in the vicinity another day, then visit the Union Pacific museum across the Missouri River at Council Bluff's, Iowa, before heading across that state and on to Rock Island.

Video:

Through The Old Tunnel Aboard Nevada Northern - You can see the coal cinders flying as we enter the old tunnel behind Nevada Northern 4-6-0 No. 40. Listen to the smokestack talk as the locomotive works uphill through the tunnel on our way to the Ruth mining district outside Ely, Nevada.

Photos:

Ragin' Day 5: White Pine County Museum - Before leaving Ely, Nevada, and the Nevada Northern Railway, we paid a visit to the White Pine County Museum at Ely. In addition to local artifacts and mining memorabilia in the main building, the museum has an interesting little collection of railroad, mining, and other machinery on outdoor display, starting with an electric locomotive in a locale - desert mountains - where I least expected to find one.

Kennecott Copper Corp. No. 80. I could hardly believe my eyes when I first spotted this electric locomotive from the passing MayhemMobile. As it turned out, Kennecott had a rotary dumping operation at its mill/concentrator in nearby McGill. The engine, and another electric that's kept in the Nevada Northern engine house, served the rotary dumper under about a mile of catenary.

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[WhoozOn1st]

Goodbye to Omaha after our restful 3-night layover. On Sunday we did get out to that Triple-A minor league ballgame: Omaha Storm Chasers (Kansas City Royals) 7, New Orleans Zephyrs (Florida Marlins) 4. A fine game at Werner Park, a brand new facility with excellent sight lines enjoying its inaugural season. A shout out to whoever that gentleman was in the red pickup that rolled up beside Team Whooz and produced a free ticket that resulted in a twofer!

This morning, Day 14, we'll take in the U.P. museum across the river at Council Bluffs, then head out across Iowa to see what we can see on the penultimate leg of our journey to Rail Fest 2011 at Rock Island, Illinois.

Video:

Local Grain & High Railer At Chappell, NE - Stopping off for shots of a local locomotive at a grain elevator - a number of these across the plains - earlier in our eastbound trek, we also caught this local U.P. freight action, with the bonus of a high rail truck arriving at the grade crossing to be taken off the line.

Photos:

Ragin' Day 13: Rails West & BNSF - A light day of Ragin' at the Rails West railroad museum at Council Bluffs, Iowa, and the old Burlington Route depot - adjacent to the current Amtrak station, at Omaha, Nebraska.

Union Pacific 4-8-4 No. 814, a locomotive of the same class and model as the operating No. 844, shot through a chain link fence at Rails West railroad museum.

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[WhoozOn1st]

Greetings from Des Moines, Iowa, where Team Whooz is preparing for the final interstate speed run to Rail Fest 2011, which begins tomorrow. Looking at weather.com this morning I see that the whole region is in the grip of a heat wave - no news to us - and that it seems to be moving eastward along with the Ragin' Rails Raid.

Yesterday we encountered several effects of recent and current flooding around the Missouri River. First, a number of exhibits at the U.P. museum's upper level are not viewable because archival material has been moved there from the basement for safe storage as a flooding precaution.

Later, along the rails beside U.S. 30 on the drive to Des Moines, many square miles of flooded farmland could be seen on the north side of the highway, with water very close to the U.P main line in places, track crews working in some areas, and lines of trains, one after another as a traffic jam, moving very slowly or not at all as they waited and passed over the afflicted sections.

Video:

Nevada Northern Evening Grade Crossing - 1910 Baldwin 4-6-0 No. 40 leads over a grade crossing on the evening run to the Ruth mining district near Ely, Nevada, 7-9-11. That's the Nevada Northern Railway's executive director in the cab and at the throttle, and the guy whooz in the shot when it pans with the locomotive is the same guy who had invited me up to tour the cab that morning, and had also fired the engine on the morning run. He's a volunteer from Laguna Beach, California, whooz idea of fun is driving to Ely to work on the railroad.

Photos:

Ragin' Day 14: Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad - Following several hours perusing the interesting collections and displays of the U.P. museum at Council Bluffs, Iowa, Team Whooz drove eastbound to Des Moines, once again sticking close to the rails by using U.S. 30 most of the way. At Boone, Iowa, we stopped in at the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad to see what we could see. The day's diesel train had been run hours earlier, and the place was deserted in the searing heat, so there was nobody around to discourage or deter us from wandering around the property for some pictures.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Greetings from Walcott, Iowa, which is just across the Mississippi River from Train Festival 2011 at Rock Island, Illinois. Walcott is also the destination of the twice daily excursions that will be run throughout the event, which begins today. Team Whooz rolled into Rock Island early yesterday afternoon to get the lay of the land and try to scope out some railfanning spots. We also knew that Nickel Plate 2-8-4 steam locomotive No. 765 would be arriving at the Festival, running a final leg from Peoria, Illinois. When we arrived at the Festival grounds we found that 765 wasn't there yet, so tried to locate the line it would be coming in on by using an inadequate map and a lot of guesswork. We guessed right, and at Geneseo, Illinois, railfans were found setting up for an inbound pass by 765.

Later, on return to Rock Island, we were in time to catch 765 again as it tiptoed next to city streets and through the yards of Iowa Interstate Railroad - whooz rails it had used on the inbound run - to the festival grounds.

Video:

Nickel Plate 765 At Geneseo, Illinois - 1944 Lima Locomotive Works 2-8-4 steam locomotive No. 765 making good speed with a short train at Geneseo, Illinois, on its way to Train Festival 2011 at Rock Island.

Photos:

Ragin' Day 15: Train Festival 2011 Minus One - A few shots of trains that arrived early to take part in Train Festival 2011 at Rock Island, Illinois.

Depite a heat-imposed speed cap of 35 mph, Nickel Plate 2-8-4 No. 765 looks fast as it runs by with a 6-car train. Photo By Alice.

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[WhoozOn1st]

Greetings again from Walcott, Iowa, home of the "World's Largest Truckstop" (As seen on TV!!), and where this morning it's just a-lightnin' and a-thunderin' and a-rainin' to beat the band.

We'll see how Day Two of Train Festival 2011 goes, but Day One was a blast. Of steam. Arriving before opening time, Team Whooz got to watch some final preparations as various steam and diesel locomotives were pushed, pulled, and run to display locations on the grounds. Once inside there was the opportunity for a few pictures before throngs arrived to clutter shots. It was kinda like getting to your favorite rides at Disneyland before lines form.

After making the rounds of the grounds we did a little preliminary chasing, then were occupied most of the late afternoon and early evening with figuring out first where the excursion rail lines are around here, and second where the most advantageous photo positions might be. Time, and results, will tell how successful we were.

Many pics and vids taken on day one, which will take time to properly edit, assemble, and caption. For now a quick look at the "Big Steam" and other power on hand, as well as an excursion pass through Davenport, Iowa...

Video:

Afternoon Steam Excursion To Walcott, Iowa - Cosmetically "Americanized" Iowa Interstate Railroad Chinese-built 2-10-2 No. 6988 leads Train Festival 2011's second excursion outbound. As the camera pans with its pass, note Nickel Plate 2-8-4 No. 765 sitting off to the side on a branch line. After being turned around on the Iowa side of the Mississippi it was waiting for the excursion to clear the line before returning across the river to festival grounds.

Photos:

Ragin' Day 16: Intro To Train Festival 2011 - A brief look at the steam - and some of the diesel - power on hand for the Train Festival at Rock Island, Illinois.

Boarding continues for the first excursion of the festival, as in foreground 765's crew discuss the run.

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