Steam & Excursion > Soo Line 1003 Heading Home

A little rain did not stop me from getting out to see Soo Line 1003 heading home.
Presented here is a video at Rondout, IL as 1003 passes the interlocking tower, crosses the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern and then crosses over from the Milwaukee Road's northbound main to the southbound main, passes beneath the old North Shore Line bridge (now a bike trail), passes over the road crossing and takes the diverging track up Metra's branch out to Fox Lake, IL. I never invested in a people filter; it is what it is nowadays.  Enjoy the video.

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On a busy railroad without a diesel in sight.

Out 

callum_out Wrote:
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> On a busy railroad without a diesel in sight.
>
> Out 

My God, don’t they realize that’s impossible?

Regards

Posted from iPhone

Nice video, Steam Excursions like that are so rare these days!

Up the MILW Fox Lake line.  Where is the destination for 1003?   Who owns it?  

I cant help but notice and comment about the numerous individuals seen running across the bridge just prior to the arrival of the loco.  This is something Ive seen many times, across many steamer outings.  These people are obviously photographers rushing to thier cars to get to the next photo op.  Pics taken, and now time to jam, and the train hasnt even arrived or passed!  But what about the experience?  There is more to the experience than just taking pictures.  Take some time to soak it in, use all senses.  See the wheels turning, smell the steam and smoke, listen to the chuffs and feel the ground beneath you shake.  Its all part of an experience that photos cannot replicate.

Why be in such a rush?  Are the photos THAT important?  Ive come to realize after many years of taking photos, that alot of the experience and memory is missed or lost during the time my eyeball is focused through that lens.  The pictures turn out great.  But they dont make up for the loss of the experience.

Why do we all turn out for these events?  To take great photos?  Or to see and experience steam locomotion?  To each his or her own I guess.

Take ten extra seconds and enjoy the experience.  And show some civility.  I digress....

YES!

Way back in the summer of 1965, York, Pa, I decided to put down the camera 
and take up rags and sweat while volunteering on George Hart's steam engines &
Rail Tours, Inc.

His base of operations was York, where he leased track space on the original
 "Ma & Pa" railroad ( Maryland & Pennsylvania RR), home office and yard.

I was mentored by the BEST!   I was there to WORK!  
( my normal modus operandi was laid-back,  "I ain't in no rush" attitude,
   So, the M&P experience was new behavior for me... ).  I was essentially
 a 'tool-boy' running trips, cleaning tools, putting back where they belonged in the 'tool car' ---
for Ben Kantner's team of mechanics that he'd hired from the Reading Shops.  
Kantner was a No-Nonsense leader...with strict rules and a stern 'Dutchman's" demeanor ...

As a weekend volunteer, I learned so much, was intently curious about steam engines...
and studied why & how they 'worked' ...

I figured that for my 'pictures' from then, on ---- I'd enjoy others' results and their better portraits.   

In late 1965, I went full-time as a RR 'student' and diesel hostler for the Ma&Pa....
Working for Kantner's crew from Friday night to Sunday night... Then on the railroad
5 days a week..

In late 1966, Ross and his High Iron Company leased Hart's 2 ex-CP  G5, 4-6-2 , Pacifics ---
built in MLW 1948!

Ross & HICO had arranged for 5 excursions, over the CNJ ( full trains of open-window coaches)
for the.summer of '66.... I volunteered with the HICO team...and have never looked back, since.  
My "locomotive lifetime" has been extraordinary !!

Ross hired me to join his Commodty Trading company on Wall St... and that arrangement 
led to many 'steam' opportunities and expanded my "learning curve" in so many ways...
But, Kantner's influence on me was profound;  he became like a grandfather to me in those
eariy days on the M&P.

So, yes, putting down the camera and grabbing the work gloves was life-changing 
for me...  I encourage everybody to seek the "experiences", & be receptive to all your 
senses; let other 'foamers' take the pictures ---
You!, take the experiences --- the experiences are priceless...and last your entire life!

Long Live: CP 972, RDG 1251, CP 1238, CP1278, CP1286, BR&W 60, NKP 759, N&W 1218,
NKP 765, RDG 2102, SP 4449, C&O 614...and so any more... thank you all for the "fantastic ride..."

Happy Birthday, Wessy!
( LUCKY August 10, 1940..... Ross's was July!, the same year)



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 08/10/22 10:23 by wcamp1472.

Very nice..!!

wcamp1472 Wrote:
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>  Hart's 2 ex-CP  G5, 4-6-2 , Pacifics --- built in MLW 1948!

Great story.

CP 1238 G5c built MLW 1946
CP 1286 G5d built CLC 1948

Nice video! What's the easiest way to get up to the bike path bridge from the road at Rondout without having to walk too far?