Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Historic Steam Locomotive Makes Visit to Illinois

News photos: ‘Empress’ in Illinois

By Trains Staff | May 6, 2024

'Last Spike Steam Tour' train arrives at Bensenville Yard; display set for Wednesday in Franklin Park

Passenger train with steam engine on curve entering yard — CP 4-6-4 No. 2816 and the “Final Spike Steam Tour” train arrives at Bensenville Yard

BENSENVILLE, Ill. — Canadian Pacific No. 2816 and the ‘Final Spike Steam Tour’ have reached Chicago.

Well, technically, Bensenville, Ill., the home of CPKC’s yard west of the city

and adjacent to O’Hare Airport. That’s where the locomotive is laying over after its

two-day trip from St. Paul, Minn., prior to Wednesday’s display in Franklin Park, Ill.

Metra employee and photographer Mark Llanuza made arrangements to capture these

images within Bensenville Yard of the locomotive and the CPKC executive train as it

swung off the Union Pacific line used by CPKC as a cutoff from Tower A-20 on Metra’s

Milwaukee District-North line to B-17 on the Milwaukee District-West. The still active

Tower B-17 building is visible in the background of the photo at top, behind the train’s dome car.

The UP line is above the retaining wall in both shots.

The display in Franklin Park will be at the small park at 9748 Franklin Avenue

that includes the preserved Tower B-12. Display time is 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Passenger train with steam locomotive on long straight — The train stretches out on Metra’s Milwaukee West line at the west end of Bensenville Yard.

#old steam train engines

Abandoned Railroad Corridor and Conrail GP15-1

Lebanon, Indiana is northwest of Indianapolis, and is where Conrail's ex-PRR "I&F" branch sails over the town on an embankment and over the abandoned right-of-way's of the Central Indiana Railroad and "Big Four." The Central Indiana Railroad was removed in the 1970's, and the Big Four in the late 1980's. The Big Four was severed south of here in 1976, and saw service under Conrail as a local route. Until 1973, Amtrak's JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY used this route to reach Indianapolis. ============================================================================= 🚗Dash Cam for Road Trips! https://geni.us/dashcamu 🔭 Scope For Train-spotting! https://geni.us/starscope 🗺️ Railroad Atlases! https://geni.us/rratlas ============================================================================= The Terre Haute Indianapolis & Eastern interurban also passed under the PRR. Here we see the ROW under the PRR underpass which is still stenciled 1916 in the Keystone Logo. WE climbed onto the embankment to look at the Big Four ROW a few hundred yards down. Then, later, a local with a GP15-1 and GP38 running "pull-pull" style, stopped on the embankment. After viewing the recently re-numbered unit, we drove to the other end of the train to see the other unit. Then took a look at the abandoned Big Four ROW at nearby Thorntown. A 1983 issue of Passenger Train Journal shows Amtrak's JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY passing this same elevator. Purchase this rare issue here! 👉🏻 https://geni.us/TDympX =======================================================

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Single Unit CSX Auto Train at Water Street, Wellsboro, IN 8/11/18

NORFOLK SOUHERN GEVO and SD70ACU LOCOS at Milford Jct., IN 6.7.19

With the cottonwood foo foos still swirling in the air, another northbound NS train hustles through Milford Junction and across CSX. Power is a GEVO and an SD70ACU, which is a rebuilt UP SD90MAC.

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GEVO+3 AC4400CWs at Deshler, OH

RARE Single NS SD70M at Milford Jct., IN

👍FACEBOOK US! / csxproductions 🟧OUR BLOGGER! https://csxman.blogspot.com/ 🔵 TWEET US! / csxproductions ============================================================================== 💲RAILROAD INVESTMENTS💲: 💰 https://get.stash.com/markd8uyn 💰 💲 https://join.robinhood.com/marke833 💰 🌈COLOR DSLR FILTERS https://geni.us/colofilters 📸Canon EOS R5 https://geni.us/CanonEOR 📸DSLR Alternatives https://geni.us/DLSRAlternate 🌞Solar Charger! https://geni.us/nvGYL 🔋 Anker Portable Charger https://geni.us/UG42k 📱➡️📸Turn Your Phone Into A Camera! https://geni.us/PhoneCameraConver =============================================================================== With the crickets still chirping in October, a northbound Norfolk Southern double stack train breezes through Milford Junction at dusk with a single SD70M.

CSX AC4400CW/ Bnsf c44 9W at Wellsboro 4 13 19

In a windy shot left over from my archives, an eastbound unit auto train crosses the CN diamonds at Wellsboro. Power is a CSX AC4400CW and a BNSF GE C44-9W. Filmed on April 13, 2019.