Steam & Excursion > One year ago today (CP 2816 in IL and IA)...

One year ago today...

After leaving New Jersey on Tuesday afternoon and stopping at various spots on the drive west, my brother and I made it to the Chicago area on Wednesday evening. The next morning, Thursday, May 9, 2024, we were set up along the CPKC main heading west out of Chicago to begin chasing the "Final Spike Steam Tour," starring CP 4-6-4 2816 running from Calgary, Alberta to Mexico City. Once the tour was announced, we planned to chase the steam train from the Chicago area to Shreveport, Louisiana, spread over almost three weeks in May.

Our first day chasing would take us from Elgin, IL to Davenport, IA. We were able to get 11 photo spots on this first day under cloudy and sometimes rainy skies. Here's a look at 5 of the shots we got that gray day.

#1. The morning started on the east bank of the Fox River where the CPKC Elgin Subdivision crossed the river under US Route 20. There was a decent sized crowd spread alongside the river at this spot.

#2. After navigating out of the Chicago suburbs, we caught up to the train about 30 miles west at this farm scene between Kingston and Kirkland.

#3. After a so-so grab shot from an overpass, we made it to our next planned photo spot near Harper. This was the least crowded crossing we encountered the entire trip, with only ourselves and two pickups of locals witnessing the train passing this barn and farm house. 
 

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#4. We managed two more grab shots in western Illinois before pushing on to into Iowa to join the massive crowd set up at the west end of the Mississippi River bridge in Sabula. The rain that the gray skies had promised all day finally arrived, soaking everyone waiting to witness this scene from atop the floodwall.

#5. As the madhouse of cars that descended on Sabula dispursed, we pushed south to Clinton where we got a couple of shots and a drone shot along the river. Our final location for the day was in downtown Davenport, where the CPKC Davenport Subdivision dipped under the combined road/rail Government Bridge carrying the Iowa Interstate across the Mississippi River. 

With a 2816 display day in Davenport scheduled for Friday, we spent the rest of the evening driving north into Iowa in search of other unique motive power the next day. 

- Chris  

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Wonderful coverage - Great background information.
Bob

Great shots of the 2816 !
A year already ?
Gary

gcm Wrote:
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> Great shots of the 2816 !
> A year already ?
> Gary

Yup... a year!

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

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Nice pics!!

Love the pics, was so happy to see her in KC last year!