Steam & Excursion > NRHS 1990 - Frisco 1522, or the day of the bonehead

Then it came!  The highlight of the 1990 NRHS convention!  Frisco 1522 returns to home rails with a round trip from St. Louis to Newburg!

The train left, and we were still out cold at the hotel.

We ran into a local while we were trackside after chasing U.P. 844, and we were invited to an operating session at his quite substantial model layout the next evening.  The session lasted into the wee hours of the morning, and our driver was not in shape to get up at the crack of dawn to catch 1522 from the git-go.

Off we finally went late in the morning, figuring on going to Sullivan, Missouri, to catch the train returning to St. Louis.  Unknown to us at the time, the train was getting later and later as mechanical issues with the cars and a medical issue with a passenger had their predictable effects.  So there we sat, boiling in the humid triple digit heat and wondering where the heck the train had disappeared to.

Finally, someone with knowledge of the train's troubles arrived.  So we, being experienced chasing geniuses, decided to head west to Cuba and get another shot of the train.

Smart move, real smart.

Feeling good about the positive directions our chase was taking, we arrived at Cuba.

"You lookin' for that steam train?" asked a local.

"Yup."

"It came through here about ten minutes ago."

"S***!  G******!  *****************************************************************!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

U-turn.  I-44.  Bat out of hell.  You get the picture.

Before long, there was smoke in the distance.  The train was not moving very fast.  Neither was I-44.  In fact, both lanes came to a complete stop.  At Sullivan.

"Weren't we just here?  D*****t!"

1.  Finally ahead of the train, we managed to crash through the brush to trackside as the exhaust of the approaching train could be heard.  In the excitement, I clicked off a wasted shot and realized that I had just run out of film.

"D****t!"

2.  Pacific, Missouri, and another roll of film.  Well, it was an image if not the best shot I would ever take in my life.

3.  One last shot, as 1522 drifts downgrade at Webster Groves as a westbound B.N. freight approaches.

Well, we at least SAW the train if it was something of a day of blunders.  Still, it would be better for steam than the next day as Cotton Belt #819 headed back to Pine Bluff.

We started the day at Gratiot Street Tower, among a number of fans who either forgot or didn't realize that the excursion was leaving from the Illinois side of the river.  Entering Chester later that morning, we saw the distant plume of exhaust from the stack of the 819.  That was as close as we got, and ended up shooting diesels the rest of the day in Gorham.

The pleasant memories of rookies!

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

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Mary, we feel your pain!

I didn't have any problem staying up with it........

Frisco1522 Wrote:
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> I didn't have any problem staying up with
> it........

Cheater.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

That was a REALLY tough day!!!

-Fred-

It was a tough day all right.  It was so damned hot down in Newburg you couldn't breathe.  No a breath of air moving either.  I was nervous as could be as the first time I would run the engine on the mainline was eastbound out of Newburg and up Rolla Hill heading home.   Only one public john in town and I had the nervous rumbles  and had to butt in line.   Some kid said "We'll miss the train if you go ahead of us".  I assured him it was safe.  I think after I came out, nobody wanted to use it.  I don't understand it?
My nerves settled down as soon as we whistled off  and I felt like I was home.  That was my Dad's division, from St. Louis to Newburg, and he had done this thousands of times before and I think he was in the cab ready to slap me if I did something wrong.
I was really proud of the job the old gal did working up the hill to Rolla at a steady 14MPH.  She just settled in and made lots of noise. The train was over the TT tonnage rating for her on the hill but somebody didn't tell the engine.
I miss that.

You are so right about the heat.  I was back in the Silver Sauna working on a good sweat.  Now I'm glad I had some distance between us and you. ;-)

That's a frustrating chase Mary, hope you made it up with the Double Header! On a side note you guys who chased her 2 years later for the Atlanta NRHS I got the Pentrex Video of her 1ST 3 legs and climbing those grades with 18 cars, that was one very tough 4-8-2 since watching the video it seemed she didn't break a sweat and just kept going! Nice design in my opinion!

ProAmtrak Wrote:
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> That's a frustrating chase Mary, hope you made it
> up with the Double Header! On a side note you guys
> who chased her 2 years later for the Atlanta NRHS
> I got the Pentrex Video of her 1ST 3 legs and
> climbing those grades with 18 cars, that was one
> very tough 4-8-2 since watching the video it
> seemed she didn't break a sweat and just kept
> going! Nice design in my opinion!

Nope.  The real world was calling for those of our clique that had a car by Monday.  I didn't hear about it until the convention write ups in Trains and R&R came out.  At least I got to see it in the numerous convention tapes that came out (ended up getting pretty much all of them).

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

Just think, as hot as it was on the ground, add about 25 degrees or more to that.  Still was an awesome day for me!  The doubleheader back to the Museum was fun too.  Couple of runbys, cool weather and crowds.