Wisconsin Railfan

llinois Railway Museum Trolley Pageant July 4th 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:34:00 +0000

From the IRMList on Yahoo Groups:

The Illinois Railway Museum is presenting a new and improved trolley pageant this year for 2009. The pageant has moved from the slow and congested street car line to the open and photogenic mainline area. This year the pageant allows the Interurban to pose along side a traditional mid-western landscape. Equipment that cannot negotiate tight curvatures of the street car line, have a chance to participate in this years pageant. Electric Locomotives will be leading realistic freight trains of their time along with rolling stock sensitive to each background. The rare appearance of pantograph equipment such as the Illinois Central Electric MU "wicker baskets" and South Shore Line Interurban representing the south side of Chicago and Northwestern Indiana. Street cars line up as they did in down town Chicago and the Rapid transit fleet performs with quick de-acceleration and fast acceleration. The past pageant offered each piece of equipment to review while standing still, this year a number of pieces are selected to review during a run by. Certain trains that have been selected to run by will set the scene of the electric era that many have never had the chance to experience. This year on the 4th of July at IRM the videos come to life, the pictures come to life and memories along with stories are seen. Please support the Trolley Pageant and join us at the Illinois Railway Museum for a step back in time. Other attractions - Trolley Buses operate, Street Car Service and Mainline Electric and Diesel Trains operate, also enjoy the West End Jazz Band playing live. Additional information can be found on the IRM website at www.IRM.org

Stan Wdowikowski
Illinois Railway Museum
Electric Car Dept.

Texting Trolley Operator Causes Crash

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Sun, 10 May 2009 16:17:00 +0000

See the follow-up article too: Crash Spurs Phone Ban

March 2009 Update

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:47:00 +0000

It's obvious that life gets in the way of doing the things we enjoy much of the time. Since last May I've been really busy with my business and volunteer activities, and put my railfan passion on the back burner. But enough is enough!

Many railfan video clips have accumulated over the last year that need to go on YouTube. Don't know when I'll find time for that, but it will get done. My business, like many others, is currently in a sort of economic slowdown so I have a little free time now and then. All I need is the energy to get the editing done and upload the results.

In the meantime, in an attempt to get caught up with my email, here are some railfan links from January 2009:

Platform 7 - A Railfan's Blog!: The first journey via Kottayam!
railfan frequencies
Eddie's Rail Fan Page: Southbound Soo Line transfer train ...
Eddie's Rail Fan Page: Looking east on Burlington Avenue, in ...
Railfan: 1924 | Shorpy Photo Archive
Flickr: Discussing Amtrak Photography Contest - Oops, Arrested by ...
Railfan Photos of the Week - January 7, 2009 - TrainBoard.com
Super Size Me: Wednesday's Lunch Shot - RailroadForums.Com
Bring Out The Shovel » Dogcaught: A Railroad Blog
Hello from Sturtevant, WI - RailroadForums.Com
Maine HOn30 Model Railroading
[IRFCA] Indian Railways Photo Gallery - lhb raj
4 Axle Feast! - TrainBoard.com
Union Pacific Stack Train in Victorville, CA, 1/2/09. Video
Eddie's Rail Fan Page: Eastbound Southern Pacific run thru ...
Chicago Odyssey vol1-Part1 | Chicago
CA & AZ Transcon grabs 1-08-09 . . . - SoCalRailFan Forums
Triad Railfan: Welcome to North Carolina
Valley Metro Rail - TrainBoard.com
CC 20324 Hauled K.A 73 Gumarang from Surabaya Pasar Turi on Flickr ...
SOO & IC, Frisco, GN in Tulsa, OK - RailroadForums.Com
Amtrak Cascades in Chicago - RailroadForums.Com
My New Friend at Hill 582 - SoCalRailFan Forums
As I chase trains I wonder if I'll ever get that perfect shot ...
Triad Railfan: Lidell St.
Railfan Jokes | You know you are a Railfan when | Jokes on ...
Inside Obama's Massive Inaugural Train
Alco PA-1 Diesels « Dummidumbwit’s Weblog
Obama's Georgia 300 - The Whistle Post - Model Railroad Forum
The Wandering Railfan: First of the Year
Capitol Limited: Railfanning 1-17-09
Eddie's Rail Fan Page: Central Illinois Railroad EMD yard switcher ...
Roosevelt Metra station on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
BobbaLew: O. Winston Link Show
4 in 20 minutes - RailroadForums.Com
Triad Railfan: Snow Day
Westbound CP Mixed Freight - Tunnel City, WI | Air Cargo News
fish photo: train track photos
Is there a correlation between age and period chosen? - TrainBoard.com
The Bovine Post: What's so bad about being a railroad/model ...
Railfan on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Up1982 - RailroadForums.Com
I was a Teenage Railfan.: Fw: Monday Morning Photo. 26/01/09
Looking for photos of Bakersfield BNSF yard - TrainBoard.com
W&I Grain Train on the P&L - RailroadForums.Com
As I chase trains I wonder if I'll ever get that perfect shot ...
fourtwentymusic.com » Blog Archive » West Virginia Northern Railroad
Cold and snowy Walton, KY - TrainBoard.com
Colorado Joint Line Railfaning Action - TrainBoard.com

February railfan links coming soon! Thanks for all the great contributions!!

First Ever National Train Day

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:51:00 +0000

Okay, what's this all about? Turns out it's a celebration of the May 10, 1869 event where the “golden spike” was driven into the final tie that joined 1,776 miles of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railways, ceremonially creating the nation’s first transcontinental railroad in Promontory Summit, Utah.

The event is sponsored by Amtrak, MasterCard and, of all things, Wheel of Fortune TV show. So I'm not sure just how much of this has to do with trains and how much of it has to do with getting people to spend money.

Anyway, thought you would want to know!

New Photos of CNW 7700 on Passenger Car Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:54:00 +0000

This last month has just whizzed right on by and many thing are happening as spring finally finds it's way into the Midwest.

Chuck and I have been back to the Illinois Railway Museum twice now. He has been refinishing windows for the Duluth Missabe & Iron Range Railway 84 all winter in our basement and we went to IRM on 4/5/08 to get frame measurements so he can shave off enough of the window wood to keep them from sticking when the weather turns hot and humid.

On 4/19/08 we went out again and Chuck worked on removing all the broken screws from the six window frames he is working on. I got some photos of the CNW 7700 lightweight coach/baggage car's newly hung baggage compartment door. And then got a surprise when the Yard 5 move started happening. Everyone had understood the move would be delayed until after the board of directors meeting scheduled for the evening of 4/19/08 but 'the powers that be' went ahead with the plan. I got a little bit of video from moving the Turbine but I haven't yet edited the clips or uploaded them to YouTube. I'll get that done soon.

More details about the move can be found on the IRMPassengerCars.com blog as well as upcoming plans for the Passenger Car Department at the IRM. We plan to head back to the museum this coming Saturday if possible.

Also coming up is a trip to Hancock Michigan for Chuck and I with our friends from Dixon Illinois who are restoring an old steam locomotive that used to be in service at the Quincy Mine. There are two of the original locomotives and tenders on the property behind the only remaining intact hoist house. They are in need of a lot of attention to preserve them as restoration is pretty much out of the question. They are remnant of the old Quincy & Torch Lake Railroad.

Things will be happening a little faster now that spring is finally here. We have several railfan trips planned and the Milwaukee Road Historical Association Annual Convention is coming up in late June. Expect to see a little more action here for the summer.

RailfanInfo Update

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:39:00 +0000

Well March has gone by in a hurry! I've been meaning to get back here and post a couple of new videos taken earlier in the month but there hasn't been time so far.

One of the things I've been working on in addition to the update to RailfanInfo.com is a new blog for the IRM Passenger Car Department. It's been fun to setup the new blog and make some plans on what should be there to enhance the museum experience. But it's also been time consuming.

What I want to tell you about in this post in particular is the new page at RailfanInfo.com that asks you for advice. I want to add value to the site based on what you want to find there. I have my own interests in railroad collectibles, excursions, museums and historic places around the world but what is it that you want to find?

I'll be back soon with those new videos. We visited the Mitchell Park Domes to see their annual model train layout. Then we made a short stop at the Burnham Yards in Milwaukee to film a bit of switching action. And we visited Train Time at Milwaukee School of Engineering where there were many vendors, displays, and the layout created by students at MSOE.

Chuck and I are looking forward to warmer and less white weather soon. We're getting antsy to get back to the Illinois Railway Museum and get some work done there.

Update on the New Berlin Local Freight Train

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 20:41:00 +0000

Joe Russ, webmaster of Schedule Board notified me that he had some images of a 2005 derailment of the local freight train in New Berlin on his site. I hadn't heard about the derailment so it's news to me which makes it worthy of a post.

I've put a link to Schedule Board in the railfan links to the right. Joe has been working on his railfan site since 1996 so take a moment to go and check out his site featuring model railroad and railfan events and news from around Southeastern Wisconsin. It's well worth a look!

Thanks Joe.

Motor Car Excursion at East Troy Electric Railroad Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:40:00 +0000

Dave Hawley has submitted the following information for your scheduling convenience:

East Troy Electric Railroad Museum, East Troy, WI
(Non-NARCOA Excursion)

An opportunity to run under overhead wire on the last remaining seven miles of the former Milwaukee interurban system at The East Troy Electric Railroad Museum. This will be a motorcar-only event (we will not be giving public rides this time) covering the entire railroad including the freight-only Trent Spur trackage not used for public excursions. Total weekend mileage will be 70 plus and will include a night run on both Friday and Saturday.

The East Troy Railroad is a very good place for new members to be mentored and there will be extra NARCOA compliant motorcars for new members to use for the mentoring session. This is a non-NARCOA insured activity, with insurance provided by the East Troy Electric Railroad Museum. There are no fees for those attending, however all operators must be museum members at a cost of $35 for a single annual membership. Motorcar operators could use this event as a spring tune-up run prior to the busy summer season. All NARCOA rules will be in effect, and all cars must be able to pass NARCOA inspection. For more information or to register contact Dave Hawley at DHAWLEY1214 at aol.com or call 630-854-8052.

Dave is a member of a motorcar club and will be in East Troy, WI for the event. Dave says: "If anybody would like a ride they are always welcome. All they have to do is give me a call and I will save them a seat. I have been to East Troy many times and everybody always have a lot of fun."

Thanks Dave. If you have any railroad events that you would like to have posted to the blog or to the mailing list please submit it to pauline at railfaninfo.com. Just change the word 'at' to @ for the correct email address.

Hope to see you in East Troy in April!

Back in July of 2005 Chuck and I were visiting the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Co . (WSOR) for an open house event. A gaggle of scooters were there for some fun and I captured the following images. My favorite one was the Santa Fe closed cab with a rack of horns any engine would envy.

The Local Freight Train

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:39:00 +0000

As railfans we consider ourselves lucky to live about a quarter mile from the tracks of the former Chicago & Northwestern line to Madison. In the last few years a small local freight train has been running from West Allis to the New Berlin Industrial Park and on to Waukesha over these tracks. These tracks ran parallel to the old TMERL interuban line to Waukesha which is now a newly paved bike path.

When it first started it came through about once a week and had one old engine and maybe two or three boxcars at most. Now it often comes through at least three times a week, sometimes twice a day, and has usually two engines and up to a dozen freight cars or an occasional tanker.

We've been getting a lot of snow this year in southeastern Wisconsin; certainly more than we've ever seen down here in twenty years of residence in New Berlin. On February 11, 2008 there was fresh snow covering the tracks as the train hadn't been through for several days.

Chuck went up the crossing on Sunnyslope Road after work and filmed the local freight train as it came through the freshly fallen and snowplow packed snow at twilight. The snow seemed deep to a person standing there but the train had no problem pushing the snow.

Here's a short clip of the local freight going slowly through the intersection heading west toward the New Berlin Industrial Park.

Yeah, it's nothing too exciting but it was fun to watch. And during the long winter here in the suburbs of Milwaukee there isn't a lot of railroad action going on so the clip also reflects the desire to get out there and see some trains.

Gil Bruck's Amazing Lionel Layout

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 21:56:00 +0000

On February 7, 2008 Chuck Trabert filmed Gil Bruck's amazing Lionel layout and you can view a short clip below.

Gil loves having a large number of people and vehicles on his approximately 20' x 20' Lionel layout with some 700 vehicles and around 5,700 people. From the silver mine to the circus parade and everything in between, this is one Lionel layout you'll want to see!

Gil is a member of the Lionel Railroad Club of Milwaukee and additional photos of Gil's layout are posted there.

Railfan Info Coming Soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:48:00 +0000

I apologize for the lapse in posts here at WisconsinRailfan but it's been a winter where we haven't traveled with all the snow and ice. We haven't been to IRM since early December 2007 and it doesn't look like we'll be going there anytime soon.

Chuck has been doing restoration work on some windows from one of the heavyweight passenger cars from Barn 3 since December. He brought the windows home to make working on them less stressful.

About two weeks ago I decided that I've been trying to do too many things with all the websites I've been building. I've been spread too thin to really have a focus. One of the sites I built some time back is called RailfanInfo and it finally dawned on me that I only want to focus on content for my fellow railfans. So I've done a quick revamp of the site in appearance with the intent of creating really useful content once I get the site setup the way I want. And Chuck is going to work with me as he has time with our goal being to create the most complete railfan information site on the World Wide Web.

It's an ambitious goal to be sure. You can help by letting us know what kind of railfan information you want to see that you can't find. That's what we're aiming to provide. Our ideas so far have been to categorize the various railfan sites out there so the links are in some sort of order that makes it easy to find stuff. And we plan to write reviews of locations, events, excursions, fan trips, museums, and other railfan specific activities we participate in or experience.

Rome wasn't built in a day and RailfanInfo will take quite a bit of time to get to the point where we feel we are offering something valuable to the railfan community, but it will be fun and educational.

Feel free to email me with any suggestions you have for desired content on RailfanInfo: pauline at railfaninfo.com. (Just use the @ symbol instead of the word 'at' to make the email address functional.)

We're looking forward to building a community of railfans online and hope to see you there!

Blogging: Is It Something You Want to Try?

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:57:00 +0000

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

The best blogging techniques.
How to get traffic to your blog.
How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Trainfest in Milwaukee, WI - November 10th

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 22:19:00 +0000

Two weeks ago already, Chuck and I spent a few hours roaming around Trainfest in the Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park. We go every year to see the layouts and new displays, view historical booths, and visit with our growing number of railfan friends.

There weren't a lot of people in attendance when we arrived on Saturday morning around 9:30 AM but before we left at 12:30 PM, the place was pretty lively. We like to go early and get a parking spot a couple of blocks away from the paid parking area when the weather is nice. And it was really nice on Saturday, November 10th.

It's great to see all the children having fun and watching the trains intently. The layouts are impressive enough for adults but the kids just love some of them. The Lego setup is always a favorite of the youngsters.

I've finally uploaded two clips to YouTube from our 3 hour visit to Trainfest and hope you enjoy them.

Trainfest 2007 Clip #1

Trainfest 2007 Clip #2

Throttle Time at Monticello Railway Museum on November 4, 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:35:00 +0000

Things never turn out the way we expect them to and Throttle Time at Monticello Railway Museum was just another example of this. Don't get me wrong... it was great fun for Chuck and he seemed happy to have the opportunity to operate the Illinois Central 8733 which is a 1980 EMD built GP-11 diesel locomotive currently in the MRyM collection. But it wasn't the Milwaukee Road NW-2 #1649 that he really wanted to get his hands on and that was a disappointment for me because this was my present to Chuck.

It was a beautiful day to be at Monticello Railway Museum
just outside Monticello, Illinois on Sunday, Nov. 4, 2007.

When I spoke to the museum representative on October 30th, he was very clear that there had been problems with the #1649 but he was pretty sure it would be in operation by Sunday, November 4th. The problems continued and so we were left with the IC #8733 for our Throttle Time adventure. It's just Murphy's Law in effect as usual.

Gorgeous Milwaukee Road NW-2 #1649 sits in the barn on Nov. 4th.

We arrived shortly after 9:00 AM as we had been told to report by 9:30 AM for Chuck's scheduled Throttle Time at 10:30 AM. No one else was at the museum when we got there so we roamed around near the depot and took a few images of the rolling stock and each other.

First to arrive at Monticello Railway Museum 11/04/07.

The wig-wag on the south end of the main museum parking lot.

Looking southeast toward the museum barns and yard.

Chuck on the platform to the east of the railway museum depot.

Me in a Milwaukee Road sweatshirt standing north
of the platform by the walk-through display cars.

Here's the ride for our Throttle Time run: IC #8733 EMD GP-11.

Chuck at the controls of the Illinois Central #8733.

The video I captured during Chuck's Throttle Time operation has been broken down into 7 clips and is being uploaded to my YouTube. As of right now there are 5 clips available. The rest will be up soon. Other videos will follow of our roam around the museum grounds.

After Chuck's time was up one of the museum crew took our picture on the front end of the #8733.

Happy railfans after completing Throttle Time.
It was so windy my hat blew off!

Chuck bought a few trinkets in the museum gift shop and then we headed over to the barns to see the Milwaukee Road NW-2 #1649 sitting inside as depicted above. We toured the yard and the viewed equipment inside and out. Although the museum was closed for the season we were able to roam around at will since we had participated in Throttle Time.

Chuck walking near the Monticello Railway Museum barns.

The caboose train to the west of the barns.

The 1916 Alco 0-6-0 Switcher #191 sits outside the barns.

More equipment sits outside in the small museum rail yard.

So much of their rolling stock is in excellent condition.

Soo Line caboose #99110 with recent lettering.

And the Soo Line caboose #99110 has a screen door.

A beautiful Milwaukee Road boxcar looking good
even with my finger in the image. Sorry about that!

So another great weekend trip from our home near Milwaukee has concluded. We started out with a drive to IRM to drop off a CD for a fellow volunteer and then headed to Rochelle, IL to meet up with our good friends Chuck and Jane.

It was another 2 hours or so down to Monticello where we stayed at a Best Western very near the museum. On Sunday it was just short of a four hour drive home by the toll-way around Chicago. We listened in astonishment to the Green Bay Packers' victory over the Kansas City Chiefs; what incredible luck they had! All in all, it was a very good weekend.

Monticello Railway Museum Throttle Time

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:40:00 +0000

Chuck and I visited the Monticello Railway Museum in Monticello, IL during the summer of 2007 and learned about an event they have every spring and fall called Throttle Time. During these few days of the off-season, interested railfans can come and learn how to operate one of the museum locomotives under the direct supervision of a MRM engineer.

The cost is only $100 donated to the museum and for an additional $23 I get to ride along so I can film Chuck as he learns and then operates the Milwaukee Road NW-2 #1649 this coming Sunday. This is going to be another fun weekend for us as we start off with Saturday in Rochelle at Railroad Park visiting with our Dixon, IL friends who are meeting us there. Then we plan to spend the night close by so we can be at the Monticello Railway Museum by no later than 9:30 AM.

It is necessary to arrive an hour before Chuck's scheduled Throttle Time so he can watch and learn how to operate the locomotive before he takes control. Of course I will report back with all the details, images, and video.

Get out there and watch some trains this weekend! It's going to be good weather around our area of the Midwest.

Terror on the Railroad Last Day is October 31, 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 15:04:00 +0000

The last day to enjoy Terror on the Railroad at the Illinois Railway Museum in 2007 is Wednesday, October 31, 2007. This event is not recommended for children under the age of 13 years but it depends on the child. Some teenagers have been too scared to go through the railcars parked near the steam barn known as the Train of Chills or ride the museum mainline on the Screamliner. It's fun to be scared sometimes as long as we know we are safe so maybe a reminder that this is all in fun and the actors are not going to hurt anyone will be reassuring for those who are really afraid.

Below is a short clip I put together to give you a taste of what the event was like for me when I was there on October 20th.

Take someone warm to cling to and have a fun and safe time!

Illinois Railway Museum Presents Terror on the Railroad

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:59:00 +0000

The Illinois Railway Museum near Union is doing something new and freakish this year. For the month of October a new event has come to haunt us all...

As of this post there are only three more opportunities for you to check out this newest local fright fest at the Illinois Railway Museum but you can get all the details online.

Chuck and I are not the sort of people who typically attend Halloween haunted houses but because we both volunteer at IRM and we love the idea of using otherwise unused rolling stock for something fun at the museum, we made an exception and went through Terror on the Railroad after working last Saturday, October 20, 2007.

By the time we got in line at around 6:45 PM there were already over 100 people there! So be advised this is a popular event even though it's new. Come early and plan to wait for your turn to be scared! We were in our car heading out the gate at just after 9:00 PM so it took two and a quarter hours for us to make it through the Train of Chills and the Screamliner.

We weren't in a huge hurry though so I think you can be safe if you plan on spending two hours there for your $10 admission fee. At least one hour of that time will be spent waiting for the trolley or the train but the volunteers at IRM are working hard to make sure everyone is as comfortable as possible and, above all, safe.

I was able to visit with the actors prior to the start of the evening's festivities on Saturday and captured a few images to share here. The event coordinator is Jennifer Kolanowski who is also the museum store manager. She has put together an amazing crew of volunteers from both the regular museum volunteers and the local communities.

Of the actors I met, one was still in high school, several had just graduated in 2007, and a couple were in college but all were from Marengo, Crystal Lake, and Woodstock. Jennifer told me a group of 30 kids from the Honor Society in Huntley were going to be there to do community service volunteering later that evening. It's wonderful to see a strong volunteer spirit in the local youth around Union. And it looks like a real blast for them!

As the first crew of volunteers were putting on their make-up I was able to take a few pictures and talk to the kids. The diner was used as their make-up room and then they could go outside to wait for the cover of darkness to scuttle off to their scary assignments. There were many others I did not have an opportunity to meet but they all did a great job of scaring me!

Jennifer Kolanowski applies make-up to an actor.

Kim Durkin, a 2007 Marengo graduate in her costume.

Will Senneke attends McHenry County College while Matt
Jakymiw is a student at Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Nick Andersen, Class of 2007 at Marengo,
holds Nenshouhi ready to rip into some fun.

Known here as Gorilla Man, Tim Richardson
is a 2003 graduate of Crystal Lake South.

Abby Heidenreich attends Woodstock High School.

Brianna Simmons, Marengo Class of 2006, poses
with graduation classmate Kevin Meneely.

Cathy Walters told me her job was to
hide in a doorway and scare people!

If you get the chance to get out to the Illinois Railway Museum over the last three days of the event I don't think you will be disappointed in the performance of these fine actors. But what you may not realize is that they also helped to construct the interior scenes in the Train of Chills and decorated the Screamliner just to help you get your annual dose of Halloween gore.

If you are one who loves to get scared or simply grossed out - you don't want to miss this!

The Milwaukee Road X5000 Dynomomter Car Video

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 22:39:00 +0000

Here's a video comprised of short segments from the work done on the Milwaukee Road X5000 Dynomometer Car at the Illinois Railway Museum on October 13, 2007 by Warren Newhauser Jr. and Chuck Trabert. Water-proofing the roof was the goal and the men feel they accomplished their mission.

Illinois Railway Museum Work Day

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 16:26:00 +0000

Saturday, October 13, 2007 was a long work day at the Illinois Railway Museum for Chuck and I. We arrived there at 9:00 AM and waited briefly for Warren Newhauser to get there so he and Chuck could get to work water-proofing the roof on the Milwaukee Road X5000 Dynomometer Car.

Although the X5000 is located near Barn 10 on the "back 40", we were able to drive our cars to an area close by. Warren and Chuck unloaded their tools and climbed up on the roof of the X5000 to begin water-proofing.

Chuck Trabert inspects the roof of the X5000 as Warren Newhauser, Junior
prepares to load tools into buckets to be raised up by rope to the work area.
Photos by Pauline Trabert

Warren's father, the late Warren Newhauser, Sr. worked on the Milwaukee Road X5000 Dynomometer Car and this a major reason why Warren Jr. is dedicated to preserving this one of a kind car. Once the MRHA barn is designated at the Illinois Railway Museum, the X5000 will be protected from the weather year round and enjoy occasional track time for events featuring Milwaukee Road equipment.

Both Warren and Chuck are members of the Milwaukee Road Historical Association and have been planning this work day since the MRHA convention in June of this year.

Chuck's grandfather, George Trabert spent 34 years with the Milwaukee Road, so family history is key to many individuals working to preserve the Milwaukee Road archives and rolling stock.

Working on top of the Dynomometer Car was made easier by the many hand-holds of protruding pipes, vents, and other equipment that were also the access points of the water leakage. Warren's past attempt to stop the leaks proved his methods were heading in the right direction. Heavy rains in McHenry County this year indicated more roof work was required, although the major leaks had been remedied previously.

The men work on opposite sides of the roof in an effort to stop all leaks.

All potential points of water leaks were treated to a vigorous program of sealing and patching on Saturday, 10/13/07. The men worked from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM taking only a short break for a simple lunch on top of the X5000.

Warren Newhauser, Jr. on the left with Chuck Trabert on top
of the Milwaukee Road X5000 Dynomometer Car having lunch.

Warren hopes to put together a team of volunteers in the spring of 2008 to sandblast the car, repair surface problems, apply primer and finish coats of paint, and re-do the lettering and heralds on the X5000 in an effort to preserve this unique piece of Milwaukee Road history.

As for me, I started out with Warren and Chuck at the Dynomometer Car then went to Barn 4 to meet with Bob Kutella to hear more about the 3rd Annual Arn Fest held at the Illinois Railway Museum on Oct 5, 6, and 7 while Chuck and I were in Duluth.

Arn Fest is a meeting of folks from all across the continental USA interested in old woodworking machines. Bob told me their motto was something like: If it doesn't have any iron (arn) in it - it's too new! There were about 66 people in attendance this year which is double the number of the first Arn Fest held in 2005. The Illinois Railway museum has so far been the only host of the event. More information about Arn Fest and the Old Woodworking Machines group can be found at their forum, which is open to new registrations for those interested in old woodworking machines.

Activities included a swap meet in the parking lot where members brought old woodworking machines they wanted to exchange or barter for other pieces; clinics, demos, and sand casting of brass pieces for museum rolling stock too. Repair and maintenance of some of the museum's shop machines and donation of two new grinders for the IRM were the frosting on the cake.

This Delta professional grinder was donated to the
Illinois Railway Museum during the 2007 Arn Fest
and will be used for restoration of museum pieces.

Then I got a news update from Frank Sirinek about the Chicago & West Towns 141 restoration project. Later I spoke with Ed Waytula and Eric Lorenz about their progress with the Cleveland Transit System 4223 PCC car. Next I met and talked with Michael Baksic who is the curator for the Railroad Coach Department at the Illinois Railway Museum. He updated me on current work in the passenger cars including the Chicago Rock Island & Pacific 2555, the Chicago Rock Island & Pacific 2602, and the Chicago & North Western 7700.

I had the good fortune to meet Shelly Vanderschaegen while speaking with Mike Baksic. She is a delightful young woman who has had a hand in reupholstering many seats for rail cars at the Illinois Railway Museum and has done a wonderful job with the interior of the "Ely" also known as the Nevada Northern 10. She has been volunteering at IRM for about 10 years now.

I ran into Shelly again later in the day and had the opportunity to go inside this beautiful car. In addition to sewing the curtains, cleaning, doing minor repair work, installing new carpeting, and polishing the woodwork, Shelly also made the elegant evening gown for the mannequin who graces the dining area of the car. Shelly's aunt styled the beautiful wig.

Shelly told me she doesn't work with patterns and made the dress based on a 1" by 1" photo she has. You can see the dress in an image from Phil Stepek in the IRM photo gallery. The curtains have been redone since this photo was taken in a lovely burgundy brocade, and the carpet has been replaced with a nearly identical pattern.

From approximately 3:45 PM to 6:00 PM I watched and filmed Warren and Chuck at work on the Dynomometer Car then helped pack up their tools and clean the work area before we all left. It was a long but rewarding work day at the Illinois Railway Museum.

Soo Line Steam Locomotive 2719 Excursion 10/6/07

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 21:01:00 +0000

Another amazing three-day weekend!

Friday, October 5, 2007

Chuck and I left our home near Milwaukee about ten minutes before 4:00 AM on Friday, October 5, 2007 and drove to Duluth Minnesota. Our goal was to be at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in time to see the #2719 4-6-2 steam train leave at 10:30 AM for the Friday Two Harbors excursion to take photos and video. I am happy to report we made it on time, arriving at just about 10:15 AM as the last passengers were boarding.

#2719 about to leave on Friday, 10/5/07.

#2719 backs out of the depot siding to switch to the mainline on 10/5/07.

After we checked into our room at the Holiday Inn we went out to tour Duluth via their excellent Skywalk System.

On the way to the Depot from the Holiday Inn Center to visit the Lake Superior Railroad Museum through the Skywalk System.

On Friday evening we dined in the Radisson Hotel Harborview revolving 'Top of the Harbor' restaurant. The food was outstanding and a talented three piece band went from table to table to play everyone's favorite tunes. The view at night in the wind and rain was just great and we were able to get there without stepping outside at all. We highly recommend this restaurant any time you are in Duluth!

Saturday, October 6, 2007

On Saturday we rode the Lake Superior Railroad Museum round-trip excursion on the North Shore Scenic Railroad behind the Pacific 4-6-2 #2179 from Duluth to Two Harbors, followed by their elegant dinner train.

We rode in the Budd car with no empty seats on the train on 10/6/07!

Chuck is seen in the baggage car while still at the depot. It was chilly and very wet all weekend; too cold to stay in the open car for long.

Looking out the window at Lake Superior as we leave Duluth on the North Shore Scenic Railroad.

Weather is not an issue for Chuck who is happy as long as he's on a train!

A big thrill for us was having Patrick Dorin as our car host. Here he is signing his book we purchased in the Lake Superior Railroad Museum
gift shop after our excursion to Two Harbors had detrained in Duluth.

North Shore Scenic Railroad Elegant Dinner Train

Chuck with our table companion Jamie Longe from Kenora, ON, Canada.

Jamie's bride of one month, Sarah sitting next to me in the dining car.

Our dinner was from the New Scenic Cafe located at 5461 North Shore Drive, Duluth, MN 55804. The menu was as follows:

The first course was a corn tamale with a beautiful
presentation and spicy chocolate mole sauce.

The second course was a delicious salad.

The entrée was seared elk over wild rice. Yum!

Dessert was a homemade berry pie with a crust to die for.

Ken Buehler, the Executive Director of the North Shore
Scenic Railroad is a very witty and entertaining host.

Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad
Sunday, October 7, 2007

On Sunday we rode the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad during their last scheduled day of the season to view "Duluth's most scenic excursion" along the St. Louis River. Later we shopped at the Superior Antique & Art Depot in Superior, WI until they closed after 5 PM, then we headed home arriving near 1:00 AM on Monday.

One of two coach cars on the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad.

The observation area of one of the coach cars has many very
comfortable arm chairs and a door leading to the open car.

It was warmer on Sunday 10/7/07 so we spent a lot of the trip
along the St. Louis River outside in the open air car on the LS&MRR.

It's a lot of fun to travel on three-day weekends when the destination is within 6-8 hours from home. Take a look at what's in your area and get out there and enjoy some trains!

We Found the Roundhouse in Bellevue Ohio

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:11:00 +0000

There are a lot of really cool things on the Internet these days and one of them is the ability to see satellite images of places you know or places you want to visit. Chuck is just about the last person you would expect to get into this sort of technology but he enjoys following the railroad tracks to see what's out there, and he found the roundhouse in Bellevue Ohio this way.

Go to http://local.live.com/ then click on the Maps tab under the search box. Type Bellevue Ohio into the search box and you'll see Bellevue come up as if you were looking down on it, and a little push pin will be near the center of town. If you look northeast of center at between 1 and 2 o'clock, you will see a little half moon structure that is at the western end of a rail yard. That's the roundhouse!

Here is a cropped version of MSN's map tool for Bellevue Ohio.

We detoured off the Ohio Turnpike to drive down to Bellevue and find the roundhouse Chuck had seen using MSN's map tool and took a few pictures to share.

First we found our way to the backside of the roundhouse.

Then we found the road leading to the front side of the roundhouse.

Always the courteous railfan, Chuck films without trespassing.

We saw two Norfolk Southern trains go through the area and one robotic local, so it was a cool little stop on our trip.

Our Visit to the Canton Classic Car Musum

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:45:00 +0000

With about a 2 hour layover in Canton, OH during the first ever Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad Total Track Tour on Saturday, September 29, 2007, Chuck and I decided to check out the Canton Classic Car Museum. We both like classic cars and other transportation history, but this place was so much more than that.

The general manager was a very enthusiastic spokesperson for the museum and spent the entire time of our visit going from one exhibit to another to speak about various cars and other items within the collection. She was very knowledgeable, friendly and very happy to have over 100 guests come in at one time.

Char, the museum manager, stands on one of the oldest cars to address
our tour group. It's a 1901 Oldsmobile curved dash in running condition!

After a brief orientation from Char, Chuck and I made our way slowly through the museum. The background of the museum is that the owner of the cars had a wife who wasn't as interested in cars and felt there should be more for people to look at than old cars. She collected all the other great stuff found in the museum.

Some of the wife's eclectic collection has to do with automobiles such as gas station memorabilia, old advertising signs, fantastic hood ornaments, and toys. There are also old bicycles in pristine condition, antique rugs that cover a lot of the floor area, and many interesting artifacts of all kinds throughout the entire museum including tools, electrical items, and vintage clothing. Many McKinley collectibles and commemoratives are found in several display cases too.

Old advertising tin signs are everywhere inside the museum.

Some of the cars, antique rugs, and shelves full of collectibles are seen above.

More classic cars with period dressed mannequins line the path.

This car was built for a wealthy woman who grew up in an Amish
family and she wanted the passenger area to resemble a buggy.

One of my favorite lamps of all time is seen above.

Chuck stopped long enough between rooms for a picture.

This museum is SO much more than classic one-of-a-kind cars! If you ever get the chance to go to Canton Ohio, make a point of stopping in the Classic Car Museum. If you like cool old stuff, you will LOVE this place!

Cuyahoga Scenic Valley Railroad and Saint Lucie Sound

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 13:22:00 +0000

When we arrived at Rockside Station, the main passenger boarding point for the Cuyahoga Scenic Valley Railroad, there were only a few people. The fog was still heavy in the valley beyond.

Our departure time was scheduled for 9:00 AM but we arrived about 8:20 AM. Over time the crowd grew in anticipation of the train ride to come.

Boarding was to begin 1/2 hour before departure but the train arrived just before 9:00 AM. Everyone boarded and we were on our way shortly.

The Saint Lucie Sound car was very nice. There is seating for 18 people in the observation area, three private rooms with toilets and sinks, a bar area and lounge. 10 of the 18 people on this trip were there because one of them had won 10 tickets in a charity auction. They were all locals so this trip was a real lark for them. I don't think they were really railfans, but they seemed to have a lot of fun amongst themselves.

The engine was pulling the train south and was hooked directly onto the Saint Lucie Sound car all the way to Canton. We were sitting in a little area at the back of the car with seating for 8 on four roomy love-seats. Our traveling companions back there were railfans from IL and OH. Well, more precisely, the men were railfans and their wives were there to share the ride. They were a lot of fun though, and we talked about a lot of things that had little to do with trains.

A three hour layover in Canton was planned with a choice of tours available. Chuck and I went to the Canton Classic Car Museum and our immediate seating companions all went to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We had visited the Football Hall of Fame a few years ago. The 10 in the forward section beyond the etched glass partitions all went to a bar for the entire time.

Incredible Weekend Vacation in Cuyahoga Valley

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 04:45:00 +0000

It's amazing how much fun and activity can be packed into a three day vacation! And equally amazing is the beauty and attractions found in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

We left home before 4:00 AM on Friday, September 28th and drove to Cleveland, Ohio where we spent several hours in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At $20 per person for adults, I didn't think it would be worth it but I conceded later that I believe we got fair value for the money. Chuck really enjoyed it a great deal and that was worth $40 to me regardless.

Cameras are not allowed inside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame so we left ours in the car. A few images can be seen at Wikipedia. The building is a unique mostly glass structure in a pyramid shape. Once inside there are cars hanging from the ceiling beams and a cacophony of noise as decades of music intertwine from hundreds of speakers throughout the building.

We checked into the Holiday Inn in Independence, Ohio just about a mile and a half from Rockside Station. The link shows what our room was like. The mattress was very thick and comfortable.

More about our weekend adventure will be posted tomorrow with images. It will be at least another week before I have time to edit and upload videos to YouTube.

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad Total Track Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Wisconsin Railfan) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:36:00 +0000

Chuck and I are leaving in the wee hours tomorrow morning and heading for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad in Ohio. We're booked on board the St. Lucie Sound in executive class for the Total Track Tour. We have never been to this excursion railroad before so we're looking forward to a new experience and seeing the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley just as fall colors are starting.

The St. Lucie Sound Car on the CVSC

This is the first time the CVSR is doing the Total Track Tour and it includes a 3.5 hour layover in Canton, OH where we are planning on visiting the Classic Car Museum. Chuck wanted to go back to the Football Hall of Fame but we were there before and we both love classic cars, so I actually won the debate on this one. A rare feat indeed!

We're driving this trip even though Amtrak goes to Cleveland. It would cost us over $400 each way for a bedroom and we would have to leave Cleveland at 2:30 AM or 3:45 AM on Sunday to return. As much as we hate driving through Chicago's interstate system we are choosing to drive for this trip. We would have to rent a car in Cleveland anyway or take a taxi to Independence, so it would be very expensive to go via Amtrak this time.

The price of Executive Class for the Total Track Tour is low compared to the 2816/261 steam double header we just completed two weeks ago at only $130 per person. Our executive seating on the Minneapolis to LaCrosse round trip was $299 each, but well worth it.

Expect a report and images to follow. I'm still working on the videos for YouTube from the 2816/261 excursion but we're heading for Duluth on October 5th for another rail excursion to Two Harbors and back on a steam train, so the videos will start coming out after that.