The first frost arrived in DeKalb about on time, last week, although it was kind of anomaly in the midst of a prolonged late summer warm, dry spell. (No, I'm not going to wish for rain, you have to be careful what you ask for these days.)
The preservation railways, though, have been wrapping up their summer season, and getting into fall harvest mode.
Illinois Railway Museum put the steam trains away for the season on October 6.
The coach train connected with a vintage L train.
There are diesels that used to be new-fangled now worthy of preservation, including the world's first GP7.
The RS1325 was an attempt to create a road switcher out of an end-cab yard switcher. It proved to be easier to lower the short hood.
The following weekend, the East Broad Top Railroad, back in operation, set up a sincere pumpkin patch at the picnic grove where trains reverse direction, for now.
For now, only steamer 16 is in operation. There are plans to bring more steamers back to operation, and the track south of Orbisonia is being brought back into service. Apparently there is still a six-wheel switcher locked away in the north end engine house, and any number of hopper cars that could be reactivated for demonstration freight trains.
The East Broad Top's former Shade Gap branch is now the standard-gauge Rockhill Trolley Museum demonstration railroad. The museum has a number of ties with Illinois preservation efforts, as former Electroliner 803-04 is in the collection as Independence Hall, and their crews are returning Chicago Aurora & Elgin wood car 315 to something resembling its as-built state with leaded glass arch windows. Electroliner 801-02 is being returned to service at the Illinois Railway Museum, and the Fox River Trolley Museum are slowly returning sister Roarin' Elgin car 316 to something resembling as-built with the leaded glass windows. This work is harder than it sounds, as the railroad simply painted over the glass on the inside and nailed or screwed whatever wood was available on the outside.
On October 13, two rare city cars were operating. Johnstown 311 is one of the few remaining double-truck Birney Safety Cars in operation. (The single-truck cars were more common, but very few of them made it into preservation, although Ft. Collins, Colorado, reclaimed theirs for a heritage trolley.)
Keeping 311 company, in case children of all ages wanted more trains to ride after visiting the sincere pumpkin patch, was York Railways 163.
Curved sides, arched windows, if that's a Cincinnati curved-side streetcar, it's pretty rare. (The curved-side interurban cars were more common, but very few of those made it into preservation.) This car, though, is a 1922 Brill product, built in Philadelphia.
The pumpkin cars and trains are in operation for a few more weekends, and then the Festive Season trains, whether with a Polar Express theme or a pajama party theme or no theme, will be running.
Find yourself a preservation railway and ride it!
No comments:
Post a Comment