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The Journey to Ride the Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad 12/1-4/2009

I decided I needed a trip to get away from job searching, so used my Amtrak Guest Rewards points for a trip to La Plata, Missouri. Arriving there on Friday, December 4th would be the 20th Century Railroad Club of Chicago and I thought who better than I to show them the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point. I learned in the days before the trip that the Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad would be running some trips that had had not done so in years and wanted to do that trip the weekend before Christmas, but could not use Guest Rewards Points to get back from La Plata.

So I decided to participate in the Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad excursion this Friday which would allow me to be back into La Plata in plenty of time to help pick up the group from Chicago that evening. I called the railroad and set up for the 10:00 AM December 4th trip then the wonderful Carole Walker of Bella Vista Travel reserved me a night at the Best Western in Nashville, Illinois, so I was all set. I packed that afternoon and my mother drove me to the Santa Ana station to start the trip.

Pacific Surfliner 583 arrrived early and I boarded the Pacific Business Class for the journey to Los Angeles Union Station. We stopped in Anaheim and Fullerton before making the final sprint to Los Angeles, arriving there a few minutes early.

The train reversed into Track 12 with P42DCs 64 and 125, deadheading Amfleet coach 81531, baggage 1242, transition 39044, sleepers 32115 "Washington" and 32019, diner 38050, lounge 33033 and coaches 34064, 31003 and 34014. I had Room 12 in "Washington" with Fred Rodgers as my Sleeping Car Attendant. We departed on time and made our way to Fullerton as I worked on my Year 2009 Review. I had a 7:30 PM Dinner reservation and steak was back on the menu so enjoyed one. Afterwards, I watched "Jethro Tull Live at Madison Square Garden 1978" as the train started up Cajon Pass, which took me up to Summit, where I made up my room and called it a night aboard the Southwest Chief.

12/02/2009 At 2:00 AM, I realized that I had failed to pack the slides needed for the Silver Rails Gallery so I tossed and turned the rest of the night then arose at Winslow, Arizona and went to the dining car for French Toast and sausage patties, being seated with a couple heading to Maine. I called the Depot Inn & Suites and learned that I did not have a room for Friday night then called home and left a message about sending the slides to the hotel. After that, I talked to Bob Cox on a number of items and it was a case of everything works out if you let it. I continued working on my review as we proceeded into New Mexico.

The red mesas of New Mexico. Later the train arrived at Albuquerque on a 50 degree day at 11:20 AM and I visited a store on Route 66 before our on-time departure and ten minutes later, finished the year-end review up to this point. I started to watch Jethro Tull's "Never too old to Rock 'N Roll" which was cut short as the circuit breaker went out and my battery drained to three percent of its life left. I called Steve Grande, who was the current owner of the Depot Inn and Suites and he was trying to solve my problems in La Plata as we passed Amtrak's Train 3 at Glorieta today sinces he was running about twenty minutes late.

After my laptop's battery was at 50 percent and seeing that all was working correctly again, I watched "ABBA In Concert" on a dark dreary late afternoon then called Steve back and he had worked everything out so I had a room for Friday night and the hotel van to use for my driving trip. I had a 5:00 PM dinner reservation and enjoyed a most tasty steak and vanilla ice cream. I called my mother, who had overnighted the slides to the hotel in my name and should arrive there on Friday. I stepped off to the cold air at Raton before watching my last DVD of the day, "Jeff Beck Performing this Week..." as we crossed over Raton Pass and out into the high plains.

A snowy Trinidad with the white flakes falling. Jeff Beck took me almost to La Junta, where I made up my room and called it a night.

12/03/2009 The train was almost to Kansas City when awoke and quickly made my way to the dining car for my usual breakfast. Clear and cold was the nature of the morning here and we departed on time with the next stop being La Plata. I watched "Poison Live Raw & Uncut" to get my day off to a good start, followed by the Electric Light Orchestra "Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley". The Southwest Chief arrived early at La Plata and I was dropped off on the Owensby Street crossing as the engineer missed putting the sleeper on the platform.

I was picked up by the Depot Inn & Suites van after handing something off to Bob Cox then at the hotel, I cleaned out the 22 e-mails I had received since 4:00 PM on Tuesday. Maria Snodgrass, the hotel's manager, filled the van with petrol for me and after I stopped at Trainweb/Trainparty to see Ray Burns, who was not there, heard the crossing gates and ran over for a quick picture.

BNSF 7426 East. I left La Plata on US Highway 63 which I took south to Macon, then turned left on US Highway 36, taking that across the Mississippi River into Illinois. I was on Interstate 72 for six miles and turned right onto on Illinois Highway 96, crossed the Norfolk Southern tracks at Kinderhook and saw a westbound green signal so I pulled over the approaching train.

The Norfolk Southern train at Kinderhook. I continued south, crossing over the Kansas City Southern tracks at Pleasant Hill then south of Mozier, Highway 98 turns east and runs into a T junction at Illinois Highway 100 in Kampsville. I turned left then made a quick right onto Illinois Highway 108 and saw nothing but water in front of me and no bridge across the river. I was about to travel across water on this trip aboard the Illinois River ferry, which had no fee.

The Illinois River Ferry coming across from the east bank of the river.

Waiting to board the ferry.

Illinois River once we departed the dock.

Leaving the west dock at Kampsville.

The Illinois River from the ferry.

Once off the ferry, I continued east, taking this view looking down Illinois Highway 108. At Carrolton, I crossed the Kansas City Southern line to East St Louis then at Carlinville, crossed the Union Pacific, former Illinois Central line, and saw the Amtrak shelter there and turned right on Illinois Highway 4, which I took south to Interstate 64. On the way there, I crossed the former Illinois Terminal Railroad, the Norfolk Southern main line, another Union Pacific line and two CSX lines.

I turned left onto Interstate 64 and crossed the former Southern mainline that I once rode across on Amtrak's River Cities. Interstate 64 took me to the Nashville, Illinois exit and soon I was checking into the Best Western U.S. Inn for the night. At the Little Nashville Restaurant next door, I had a steak, but the one last night on Amtrak was far better! I relaxed the rest of the evening.

12/04/2009 I arose at 6:30 AM and received the corrections to my 2009 review, which I made and uploaded then checked out and found a sheet of ice on my car, which did not melt until I was driving east on Interstate 64. I took that road east to Illinois Highway 71 and turned right to Ashley to wait for Amtrak's northbound Saluki.

Running about ten minutes late, Amtrak 390 the Saluki, sailed through Ashley on its way to Chicago from Carbondale. I went east on Illinois Highway 51 to Interstate 57, turned right at Marion, exiting at Exit 54A and took Illinois Highway 13 into town to Market Street. There, I turned right making my way to the Crab Orchard and Egyptian tracks and parked across from the station.

This a Class III common carrier shortline railroad that operates in the cities of Marion and Herrin in the Southern Illinois region. It is most historically recognized by the Federal Railroad Administration for being the last American railroad of any kind to use steam locomotives exclusively in regular revenue freight service up until March 1986.

On July 2, 1971, the Crab Orchard & Egyptian railroad was first founded and incorporated under the name of American Rail Heritage Ltd. and the new company started off by creating a vintage tourist line operation alongside Illinois Central Gulf owned trackage. With the first revenue operations commencing on May 29, 1973, the railroad ran its very first train consisting of CO&E's newly acquired 2-4-2T 5 and three former Illinois Central Railroad commuter cars from the former IC passenger station on Market Street in downtown Marion with several sightseers in the haul. Their tourist runs would go west towards the old Crab Orchard Refuge railroad junction near Ordill where the train would do a brief turn-around and eventually make a return trip back to the passenger depot.

Crab Orchard & Egyptian SW1200 1161, nee Missouri Pacific 1161, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1965, was switching from the east end of the train to the west end.

The engine is now on the west end of the train ready to go.

Mid-American Railcar high-level coach "Mesa Verde" PPCX 800857, ex. Philip Sherdian-IFE Leasing, exx. Amtrak step down chair-dormitory 39935, exxx. Amtrak 9935, nee Santa Fe high-level coach 735 built by Budd Company in 1964.

Another view of our train at Marion Station.

Crab Orchard & Egyptian caboose 11, nee Elgin, Joliet and Eastern 143 built in 1917. It is one of five former EJ&E cabooses still in existence and the only one on a working railroad.

A unique train order signal.

The Crab Orchard & Egyptian station, formerly Illinois Central, built in 1914.

Crab Orchard & Egyptian SW1200 1161 before the engineer and I would board the engine for this morning's trip.

Our conductor taking the tickets before the passengers climbed aboard.

The passengers were aboard and we departed Marion.

We slowly approached the Union Pacific crossing before receiving a green signal to proceed.

The interchange track with the Union Pacific.

The Union Pacific main line in Marion.

The signal for the Union Pacific crossing.

This tree had been cut down, but later sprang back up, leading to this interesting result.

The approach signal to the Union Pacific crossing.

Warren Oil.

A Perma-Treat Lumber plant.

This wig-wag crossing signal is one of two still in service on an active railroad in Illinois.

The Interstate 57 bridge.

Interesting trees.

This bridge is for the BNSF line to Paducah, Kentucky.

The BNSF line to Paducah is on this fill.

The interchange track with the BNSF.

Our engineer, A.R. "Rip" Jackson.

The railroad has had a problem with downed trees along their route.

A field waiting for spring.

This gentleman has been chasing every train that has run during the railroad's operations.

Bainbridge Cemetery.

Crossing an unnamed creek.

We ran along fields waiting to be planted in the spring.

Our route parted the trees.

Freight cars on a siding ahead of us.

Rounding another curve.

Cimco Recycling runaround track at their plant that was just starting operations.

We came to another grade crossing guarded by crossbucks.

Our route climbed a short hill as we neared the end of our trip.

The train pulled into Ordill, home of Southern Illinois Rail Car.

We reached the west end of the railroad at Ordill.

Our train at rest.

Crab Orchard & Egyptian Railroad SW1200 1161 ran around the train to be placed on the east end.

The train ready to return to Marion.

Crab Orchard & Egyptian Railroad caboose 11.

Mid-American Railcar high-level coach "Mesa Verde" PPCX 800857.

Our train started the trip back to Marion.

Views on the return trip.

The BNSF bridge.

Another view of the wig-wag signal in Marion.

We received a green signal for the Union Pacific crossing.

The Union Pacific crossing.

We returned us to Marion, ending a fantastic ride on the Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad. I thanked our engineer and Kathy Crane, who set this visit up for me and made it a success. On the platform was Bart Jennings, whom I visited with before starting the long drive back to La Plata via Jackson.

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