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Photo Freight Charter with SOO Line 2-8-2 1003 ~ October 21st, 2007


by Elizabeth Guenzler



After a good night's sleep and an early breakfast, I was ready for the second day of the charter. Everyone met at Randolph.







SOO Line 2-8-2 1003 being readied for the day.





The steam engine performed flawlessly throughout the event.





Group photo of the steam engine crew.





Shovelling coal into the tender at Randolph. From there it was off to Beaver Dam Lake.











The runbys at Goose Pond causeway over Beaver Dam Lake on McKinley Beach Road on a glorious sunny but breezy morning. Our next stop was Horicon, the headquarters of the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad.





The former Milwaukee Road station at Horicon.





Wisconsin and Southern GP38 3001 (ex. CSXT 6626, nee Baltimore and Ohio 4501).





Wisconsin and Southern GP38 3303 (ex. Union Pacfici 1987, exx. Missouri-Kansas-Texas 330, exxx. Illinois Central Gulf 9505, nee Illinois Central 9505).





Wisconsin and Southern SD40-2 4011 (nee Union Pacific 3753).





Anbel Corporation {ANBX} dome car 2050 (ex. American Orient Express 1988, exx. Mark Dees, exxx. ANBX 2050 "Cafe Baringles", exxxx. Auto Train 543, exxxxx. Auto Train 910, nee Union Pacific 9011). Built 1955 for the City of St. Louis.





Louisville and Nashville diner 2726 "Galt House", built 1930 by ACF. This belongs to the Illinois Railway Museum.





SOO Line 1003 and WSOR 3801 by the old depot/office of the Wisconsin and Southern.





SOO Line 1003 prior to the hooping up of orders.





Kelly Lynch hooping up orders to the engineer of 1003 by the semaphore signal. The drive from Horicon to Rubicon was then made.





Photo runby at Butler Road crossing in Rubicon.





The rear of the freight train at Butler Road. Everyone relocated to the nearby Grant Road crossing.







Photo runby at the Grant Road crossing in Rubicon.







By chance, a 1940's era car drove down Grant Road and the organizer chatted with the driver. He was very amenable at posing his car on each side of the tracks for period pictures.

It was now early afternoon and Bob and I had to drive back to Chicago to return the rental car and fly back to Seattle. There was only one more runby location planned so we did not miss much. Once back in Seattle, I flew home to Victoria.

What a memorable and tremendous weekend this had been! Thank you to John Craft and the late Bill Raia (and his son Mike) of Historic Transport Preservation, the crew of SOO Line 1003 and the Wisconsin and Southern for putting on this event. I had had such a good time and it would be thirteen years later that I would participate in another charter with this steam engine.

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