Back in June of 2005 we were heading west on SWC No. 3, which we’d boarded in Chicago.
By the time we arrived in Naperville, it was starting to get cloudy, with even darker storm clouds to the west.
We had our scanner on and, an hour after leaving Chicago, we heard the main line dispatcher contact our train with a weather warning: Mendota was experiencing wind gusts of 60 miles an hour. We heard our engineer ask the dispatcher if No. 6 (the east-bound CZ) had had to stop.
At 4:20 p.m., No. 3 came to a stop in Somonauk, Illinois. There were dark storm clouds overhead, with strong wind and lightning. An announcement was made to explain why we’d stopped. (Despite the threatening weather, quite a few of the residents of Somonauk came by to see the SWC parked in the middle of their town.)
At 4:46 p.m., a second weather warning was received telling of wind gusts of up to 60 miles an hour that were being recorded at Bristol and Earlville.
At 4:57 p.m., the east-bound CZ went by and, at 4:59 p.m. No. 3 got underway in a light rain.
Returning to our bedroom after dinner, we picked up a NOAA weather radio broadcast from Galesburg describing wind damage around the state.
Then, at about 3:00 a.m., we awoke to find everything quiet and No. 3 standing still. It was still dark outside, and thunder could be heard off in the distance. Turning on the scanner, we heard our engineer report that we were stopped at NR Junction east of Newton. We then heard him ask if he could proceed, but the dispatcher told him to wait until after the tracks had been inspected for flooding.
When we did finally get underway at 5:19 a.m., it was raining again.
By the time it began to get light, it was no longer raining, but we could see signs of recent heavy rains. The creeks and rivers were swollen, and the fields looked like swamps. Overhead were dark, dramatic storm clouds.
Tuning in to a NOAA broadcast from Topeka, we heard flood watch warnings being issued for various locations around the state.
We were 4 hours behind schedule when we departed Newton at 7:18 a.m. For most of the morning, No. 3 traveled at a reduced speed, and an announcement was made that this was because the tracks ahead were still being inspected for flood damage.
When we walked down to the dining car for breakfast, we could see that water had leaked in at either end of our sleeper coach.
By the time we reached Hutchinson, the sky was clearing. And it appeared that Dodge City hadn’t received rain for quite a while, since the sky was sunny and clear, and the riverbeds were bone dry.
For the rest of the trip, we remained about 4 hours behind schedule because of the delays caused by the weather.
Eric & Pat
By the time we arrived in Naperville, it was starting to get cloudy, with even darker storm clouds to the west.
We had our scanner on and, an hour after leaving Chicago, we heard the main line dispatcher contact our train with a weather warning: Mendota was experiencing wind gusts of 60 miles an hour. We heard our engineer ask the dispatcher if No. 6 (the east-bound CZ) had had to stop.
At 4:20 p.m., No. 3 came to a stop in Somonauk, Illinois. There were dark storm clouds overhead, with strong wind and lightning. An announcement was made to explain why we’d stopped. (Despite the threatening weather, quite a few of the residents of Somonauk came by to see the SWC parked in the middle of their town.)
At 4:46 p.m., a second weather warning was received telling of wind gusts of up to 60 miles an hour that were being recorded at Bristol and Earlville.
At 4:57 p.m., the east-bound CZ went by and, at 4:59 p.m. No. 3 got underway in a light rain.
Returning to our bedroom after dinner, we picked up a NOAA weather radio broadcast from Galesburg describing wind damage around the state.
Then, at about 3:00 a.m., we awoke to find everything quiet and No. 3 standing still. It was still dark outside, and thunder could be heard off in the distance. Turning on the scanner, we heard our engineer report that we were stopped at NR Junction east of Newton. We then heard him ask if he could proceed, but the dispatcher told him to wait until after the tracks had been inspected for flooding.
When we did finally get underway at 5:19 a.m., it was raining again.
By the time it began to get light, it was no longer raining, but we could see signs of recent heavy rains. The creeks and rivers were swollen, and the fields looked like swamps. Overhead were dark, dramatic storm clouds.
Tuning in to a NOAA broadcast from Topeka, we heard flood watch warnings being issued for various locations around the state.
We were 4 hours behind schedule when we departed Newton at 7:18 a.m. For most of the morning, No. 3 traveled at a reduced speed, and an announcement was made that this was because the tracks ahead were still being inspected for flood damage.
When we walked down to the dining car for breakfast, we could see that water had leaked in at either end of our sleeper coach.
By the time we reached Hutchinson, the sky was clearing. And it appeared that Dodge City hadn’t received rain for quite a while, since the sky was sunny and clear, and the riverbeds were bone dry.
For the rest of the trip, we remained about 4 hours behind schedule because of the delays caused by the weather.
Eric & Pat
