Friday evening we assembled in Waterloo for the trip west. We caught a BNSF-powered 661 in Waterloo and a Q393 down at Auburn Jct. and again in Avilla.





More photos from Friday night can be seen on flickr.

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny in Rochelle and we wasted little time finding trains. As the day went on the cards just seemed to fall into place.

















More photos from Saturday are available on flickr.

Sunday was again bright and sunny in Rochelle. And again, the railroads did not disappoint on traffic! We started in Rochelle and soon ended up chasing an eastbound on the former Iowa, Chicago & Eastern; spent the afternoon on BNSF in Hinsdale; and finished the evening around Wellsboro, Indiana.

















More photos from Sunday are available on flickr.

Looks like you had some great weather. Thanks for posting the photos .

Superb photos, as usual, Brian.

Wayne

Rochelle is fast becoming a railfan spot in rural IL.. I enjoyed the shots from Sterling as I live there. The shot UP4198 Yard Sterling. A lot of history there. The UP(X C&NW) building on the left, well straight ahead on the left is the old CB&Q freight depot (now chamber office) and if you then faced south (to the river) on the side of that long building is a huge mural of the first train in Sterling. That empty lot is where the old C&NW freight depot sat and also (before my time) a round house. Because Sterling was such a large Mfg. town at one time we were lucky to have two railroads here. I could go on about the steam at the steel mill till 1983 etc... LOL

Nelson was a railroad town much like Savanna and Fulton and had big yard and even a railroad hotel (burnt down a couple years ago). I see you got a shot of the old coaling tower.

Thank for sharing.
Bruce

BOOAH! Nice catches.


When did they have a derailment in Waterloo?

Judging by the leftover debris it must have been a fairly big.

What type of loco is the green and white one?

The colours look very similar to this.

Here's another view.

Wayne

So they areusing it in a freight train? And what is the big yellow thing behind the green and white thing?

Looks like either a bulkhead flat or a centre-beam flat tucked in behind the loco.
I dunno why the loco's there (if it actually is a GO unit) - even if it was built at LaGrange rather than at London, Ontario. Maybe someone else can shed some light on this. :?

Wayne

Doctorwayne is right it is MPEX630 by the flicker photos. Then a UP gondola.

Great pics on his Flicker.

Great pix -- one day I hope to visit this area! Rob

Excellent pictures Brian---interesting to see that green and white GO unit in your neck of the woods

Gary S Wrote:So they areusing it in a freight train? And what is the big yellow thing behind the green and white thing?

It's being transported dead-in-tow. It was built by Motive Power Industries in Boise, Idaho and is being delivered east via Union Pacific. The yellow car is an empty TTX centerbeam flatcar.