Steam & Excursion > NKP 765 and flood damage on the Wabash in Indiana

On July 18th and 19th, I headed North to Indiana to shoot the NKP 765 trips from Forth Wayne to Lafayette and return.  In the weeks before the trips ran, that part of Indiana had been hit with several waves of heavy rain and storms that had caused a lot of flooding and even washed out a bridge on the old Wabash mainline.

The bad weather seemed to be a theme for the weekend of the trips as well, with HOT and humid days with a lot of pop up storms and rain....and clouds...lots and lots of clouds.  The conditions did not make documenting the trips easy, but I was pleased with my results.  Between the dark, foreboding sky  and flooded fields, it made for some interesting photography. 


You can find the full set at this link >>>> http://www.pbase.com/kd4jsl/2015steam

07/18/15

#1  NKP 765 roars through the soy bean fields of Roanoke (Indiana)  During a Fort Wayne to Lafayette round trip. Those classic Triple towers in the background belong to WOWO AM radio, and are almost as old as the Berkshire!  This was one of the few times we had sun!

#2 765 eases over the small bridge crossing Loon Creek, just West of Andrews, Indiana.  The Western span (left side) had washed out during a flash flood event just a few weeks before this trip, and NS wasted NO time getting it back into service.

#3 The afternoon temps are near 100 and the humidity was off the chart as 765 heads back East, seen here near New Waverly, Indiana

 

E.M. Bell , KD4JSL
Salvisa, KY
Jreb.org NS group

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#4 After a quick crew change at Peru, Indiana, 765 roars by the old signals at the East end of the yard.

#5 '' Ahead of the storm" NKP 765 races East just outside of Fort Wayne as a nasty summer storm churns in the background. Her reflection is marred by the light rain that had just started to fall. and In less than 30 minutes that storm would dump a few more inches of rain over the already flooded corn and soybean fields

#6  07/19/15  Overnight storms have brought more flooding as 765 sails West at Mardenis. That is not a lake, its a soybean field!

E.M. Bell , KD4JSL
Salvisa, KY
Jreb.org NS group

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Great shots!

I had seen a news story about the washout but they fixed it so fast it never became an issue for these excursions. Well done NS.
If I didn't live 2000 miles away I'd be chasing 765 all over the Midwest and East. Great photos thanks for sharing.

-K

kurt765 Wrote:
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> Great shots!
>
> I had seen a news story about the washout but they
> fixed it so fast it never became an issue for
> these excursions. Well done NS.
> If I didn't live 2000 miles away I'd be chasing
> 765 all over the Midwest and East. Great photos
> thanks for sharing.
>
> -K

I'll say the same thing. I can't wait to move back to the midwest again hopefully soon. I saw the 765 in 2014 and it was some of the most fun I've ever had chasing her around that day.

Posted from Android

It was 10 MPH for a month, until they fixed it a week before these trips. Two more bridges are soon to be replaced in the area as well.

The 2 vertical shots are outstanding.  

P Wrote:
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> The 2 vertical shots are outstanding.  

I'll second that! Wish I could've been back to see it. Last time through Peru was w/ 2101 in 1978!!! Great memories!

GREAT pics!! Thanks for sharing.