Elizabeth and I waited at Denver Union Station until 8:00 PM before we joined the line on the platform. They took all of the coach passengers first then scanned the sleeping car passengers' tickets. Our consist was P42DCs 199 and 51, Viewliner Baggage 61051, Transition 39017, Sleepers 32025 and 32017, Diner 38067, Lounge 330311 and coaches 34139 and 34013. We had Room 2 in the 32017 with Chris as our sleeping car attendant. The train left Denver at 8:40 PM {7:10 PM} and headed out into night. After Elizabeth numbered my pictures we decided we both were tired so I made up the beds with Elizabeth taking the lower and me taking the upper. I slept extremely well on this night.
10/5/2020 I got out of bed at 7:15 AM while Elizabeth slept in. I went to the Dining Car for a bowl of Fruit Loops and an orange juice. After breakfast I went to a table in the lounge car where I enjoyed a cinnamon roll as the train was forty-five minutes late and we were now in Iowa. I had slept all the way from Colorado through Nebraska and into Iowa. I chatted with the conductor before I got my computer and wrote yesterday's story was we sped east across Iowa. Elizabeth soon woke up and had her breakfast. She got her morning things done on her computer while I returned to the room to finish the story. She was proofing it for me as the train arrived at Ottumwa and I wanted her to shoot the steam engine there.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy 4-6-4 3001 built by Baldwin 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.
Station scene in Ottumwa.
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Ottumwa station built in 1951. After the train departed, she finished proofing the story and we posted it to Trainorders.com. I checked other things using her hotspot on her phone.
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The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Mount Pleasant station built in 1912. The train then ran to Burlington where the steam engine was unfortunately hidden by trees.
Crossing the Mississippi River into Illinois, I returned to the room and worked on this story.
The train went by many stalks of dead corn and ran on to Galesburg, our next fresh air stop.
Galesburg Chicago, Burlington and Quincy station built in 1984, after the razing of the large depot just south of the current site.
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.
Burlington RPO car 1945 built by American Car and Foundry in 1924.
Pullman 12-1 sleeping car 2645 "Meath" built by Pullman in 1921 for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy. We left Galesburg for Princeton then Elizabeth joined me back in the room and the train ran to Naperville then into Chicago, arriving at 3:10 PM [2:50 PM]. This was the final eastbound daily trip of the California Zephyr.
Chicago 10/5/2020
Chicago Union Station built in 1925. We reclaimed our checked baggage before picking up some Metra timetables for our collections. We walked to the Holiday Inn & Suites and got a room on the third floor then walked walked over to the Roosevelt Road overpass. I will now show you a typical afternoon from this bridge.
I hope you have enjoyed looking at Roosevelt Road views.
The Illinois Zephyr, Train 383, leaves for Quincy. We then had dinner at the White Palace Grill which was good, and walked back to the hotel and finished this story before calling it a night.
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