4/28/2007 I awok before enjoying a continental breakfast in the Depot Inn's lobby then returned to my room to watch some more of "Monty Python's Flying Circus". Late, I met Chris Parker in the lobby along with some other members of our group. In his car was myself, Tom and Jonathan while Andy Smith took Anton in his car. We drove to Macon then west to Marceline, finding the former Santa Fe station now the Walt Disney Museum.
The Marceline Santa Fe station, built in 1913. We had a green eastbound signal and soon a headlight appeared out of the west.
An eastbound BNSF freight passed the station, after which we relocated to the highway bridge just to the west. A few minutes later I spotted a westbound approaching but it was at least six miles away so we had plenty of time to set up.
The westbound BNSF freight. An eastbound horn was heard and we all knew what was coming our way.
Amtrak's Southwest Chief flew through Marceline en route to its next stop La Plata. We then drove to E.P. Ripley Park in Marceline.
Santa Fe 2-8-0 2546, nee Kansas City, Mexico and Orient 2546, built by American Locomotive Company in 1911 and sold to the Santa Fe in 1927.
Santa Fe caboose 999471, nee Santa Fe 2160 built by the railroad in 1942.
Kansas Street, also known as "Main Street USA".
Minnie Mouse looked right at home on Main Street USA. We returned east and on the way, Jonathan spotted a picture of a steam engine on a sign at Bevier, so we decided to explore.
Bevier and Southern 2-6-0 112 built by Baldwin in 1920. The Bevier & Southern Railroad started life in 1914, when the Missouri & Louisiana Railroad divided, with the Missouri portion of railroad becoming the B&S. It hauled coal on a 9.18 mile line from Binkley, Missouri, to a connection with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad at Bevier. The line was abandoned in 1982. 112 was donated to the City of Bevier, Missouri, in 1963 having travelled 364,562 miles in service.
A plaque tells all about it.
The steam engine's tender. From here we drove into Macon to see what the former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy line looked like passing through town.
The BNSF line through Macon with the old Wabash Railroad bridge still in place.
Anton on the old bridge.
Looking east onto the BNSF line. We drove back to the Depot Inn and Suites as I was going to be a guest on an Internet radio show.
The show, "Let's Talk Trains" lasted three hours instead of the usual two. Its host, Richard Hamilton, put me on during the second segment which allowed me to rest beforehand. I named the three winners of the Million Rail Mile card contest and answered all of the questions that were asked of me on Trainweb's Passenger Forum. I told a few stories then Richard had an idea about contacting us. Since listeners could not call us today, he suggested they e-mail us, which worked just fine. He also played a tape of me breaking the Million Rail Mile mark yesterday. It was fun to hear it again and I will never forgot it.
It was a great show and was always fun to do with Richard. Afterwards, I did another interview for the documentary before walking to the highway bridge to meet Tony. We talked for awhile before we made our way over to the "Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point".
A BNSF westbound came blasting into La Plata. Larry was driving the golf cart everywhere and looked like a child having the time of his life. Richard drove up in the other one and we talked for a while but alas, no trains passed through. We all returned to the hotel before Tom, Chris Parker and I went to the Red Rooster for dinner.
D.M. More people joined us and it was Prom Night in La Plata so it was interesting to see all the young ladies in their dresses and all the lads so dressed up. Tom and I returned to the hotel to do some laundry and watch some Monty Python. We then acquired a golf cart and drove to the station to see Steve, Barbara, Andy, Tony and the video crew off on the Southwest Chief.
D.M. Dutch and I down at the La Plata Amtrak station. The Southwest Chief arrived a few minutes late and we said goodbye to all who left that evening. On the way back to the hotel, we returned the "Lookout Point" for a few minutes then Tom, Chris and I then watched highlights of "Monty Python's Meaning of Life" then I used the sauna tub before calling it a night.
4/29/2007 I met Tom and we took off on the golf cart out to the lookout after we dropped the Walkers off at the Red Rooster. Richard came out and we waited for some trains.
An eastbound BNSF train came by our location.
Next was a westbound BNSF freight.
The "Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point" on an early Sunday morning. We picked up the Walkers and returned them to the Inn before we went for breakfast at the Red Rooster.
C.M. The Red Rooster.
C.M. Me at the Red Rooster, where I had French Toast and sausage. I packed the Pullman Suite then Anton came to see me.
He presented me with this plaque which I walked to the lobby to show everyone.
C.M. Me in the lobby with Anton's plaque. We all met back there at 9:30 AM and were driven to the station.
Tom Marshall and the Depot Inn's brand new 24 passenger bus.
C.M. Tom and Chris at the van.
C.M. Larry inside the station.
C.M. The group posed for a picture.
C.M. Waiting for the eastbound Southwest Chief.
Southwest Chief 4 4/29/2007
The arriving Amtrak Southwest Chief, Train 4.
D.M. Dutch took a picture of me photographing the train. Everyone gathered their luggage and boarded. As I sat down in my coach seat, I thought "Where is Jonathan? I stuck me that we had not seen him at all this morning. The train started to move and I went looking for him, finding Chris Parker, who had realized that Jonathan was not with us at the station and sent Carl back to the Inn to get him. Carl returned just as the train was leaving and we departed La Plata. If Jonathan was going to make the rest of this trip, he would have to get up to Ottumwa, 80 miles north. Once I settled in, I went to the lounge car and found the rest of our group.
Tom and Dutch in the lounge car.
Anton, Larry and Chris. We called Jonathan and told him to get to Ottumwa and to call Amtrak to ask that they not give away his sleeping car room when he did not board in Galesburg. There were plenty of slow orders out on this stretch of railroad this morning as we were also following a BNSF freight most of the way to Fort Madison.
Later we crossed the Des Moines River into Iowa and thirty minutes later, stopped in Fort Madison for a fresh air stop.
A nice warm spring day in Fort Madison. We all reboarded before continuing east to Galesburg.
The Southwest Chief started across the Mississippi River leaving Iowa and once across, would be in Illinois. I returned to the lounge car as our train was making its final sprint to Galesburg, taking the Cameron Connection to get to the former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy line, where Tom, the Walkers and I detrained. I posed for more pictures before the train prepared to leave.
The Southwest Chief departed Galesburg on its way to Chicago. The Walkers stayed at the Galesburg station while Tom and I were picked up by Janet Kahle who was taking to a surprise location. John Kuderne had ridden his bike to the station and would meet us at that location. Tom and I got into Janet's car and she drove us to our destination.
A Visit to the Rail House in Galesburg, Illinois 4/29/2007
We pulled up to the unique house located at this wonderful site in Galesburg.
A dream train watcher's Spot, the Rail House.
Marlon Birkey, a three-year veteran of visiting here.
John Kuderne, Robert Hook and Janet Kahle at the Rail House next to Peck Park.
Tom enjoying himself.
A westbound BNSF was the first train of our visit then we were given a tour of the house with all of its railroad memorabilia. Out on the deck, we then sat drinking 7-UP and waited for the next train.
A westbound empty BNSF coal train.
Another BNSF westbound on the old Santa Fe.
A BNSF yard engine dragged a string of cars then pushed them back into the yard, putting on a good show.
Next, the California Zephyr ran eastbound towards Chicago.
The taconite train came down from Savanna. After all that action in such a short time, it was time to return to the Amtrak station and I thanked everyone for having us and that my Million Rail Mile trip could not have been complete without a trip to the Rail House. Janet then drove us back, stopping along the way.
The former location of the Santa Fe station when the Southwest Chief used to travel all the way to Chicago on the old Santa Fe before the Cameron cut-off was built after the 1995 merger. We returned to the station after a brief tour of Galesburg and I checked my luggage and the Walkers before going out to explore.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy 4-6-4 3006 built by Baldwin in 1930. It was donated to the City of Galesburg by the CB&Q in 1962. The people of Galesburg also donated $3,200 that year to move it and build track at its current location in Colton Park. When the Galesburg Railroad Museum opened, the City gave it a lease to maintain the locomotive.
An eastbound BNSF coal train passed through the station.
An eastbound BNSF freight came out of the yard to proceed north to Savanna and beyond.
A westbound westbound with Norfolk Southern power came into Galesburg next.
A yard job came out onto a lead to switch.
It moved further out behind it before returning to the yard.
California Zephyr 5 4/29/2007
The California Zephyr rolled in at 4:46 PM and I boarded sleeping car 32014 "Oklahoma". We departed at 4:54 PM with a consist of P42DCs 132 and 164, baggage 1761, transition 32096, sleepers 32014 "Oklahoma" and 32056, diner 38032, lounge 33005 and coaches 34062 and 35004 {panic box ie. snack coach}. My sleeping car attendant was P.J. Jacobs. Once on the move again, we made maximum track speed for the remaining westbound miles in the state of Illinois.
Crossing the Mississippi River into Burlington, Iowa.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy 4-6-4 3003 built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1930 on display, as seen during our station stop there before we started rolling towards Mount Pleasant.
Iowa countryside on the way to Ottumwa where I hoped to find Jonathan. We arrived and guess who I saw?
Jonathan boarding the train.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy 4-6-4 3001 built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1930. It was donated to the City of Ottumwa by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy in August 1959 on the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first train into Ottumwa on the Burlington & Missouri Railroad, later part of the CB&Q. It is on display in Ballingall Park next to the Amtrak depot.
Fresh air stop at Ottumwa.
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Ottumwa station built in 1951.
On the way to Cresson. Our dinner reservation for 7:45 was not called in until 8:01 PM with Tom, Jonathan and I on the way to Omaha. I ordered the seared salmon with a chocolate bundt cake. As we were waiting for dinner to be served, I received a phone call from Chris Parker to say that he and Anton were at O'Hare Airport and had arraived too too late for their flight and did not get onto the next one. They had gone down to Roosevelt Road and left there a little late. On the CTA Blue Line, the train stopped for forty minutes as highway traffic zoomed by them and they arrived at the gate with only twenty minutes to spare before their flight. The airline gave away their seats and put them on standby so they had to stay in Chicago for the night and take a flight the next morning.
I returned to my room for Yes' "The Ladder" in my darkened room.
The moon shone bright, which took me to Omaha for a fresh air break.
The California Zephyr at Omaha.
Looking across the mainline to the Durham Western Heritage Museum. I went back to my room, made up the bed and called it a night after another interesting day.
Special thanks for the use of their pictures by C.M. = Carl Morrison and D.M. = Dutch Myers.
