Eastern Railroad Discussion > A-B-A F-units on KJRY

September 29 was a good morning to be at Keokuk Junction Railway's small Kolbe yard in Mapleton, IL, which is only 2 tracks, one side track into a small shop and a wye, but their A-B-A F-units, the only 3 F-units in regular freight service, and now all in matching paint were poised to go west on the point of their Good Hope, IL turn. KJRY is a subsidiary of Pioneer Railcorp, and runs over rails of the old TP&W.

Photo 1 - Life begins early on the road, after spending the night in the van in a grove of trees next to a bean field, it's always good to get out early before the farmers get out, and they were around in force doing harvesting at this time of year. So it is 6:05 am on 9/29 and I had already been on the road for a half an hour when the meager sunrise of the cloudy day poked out in orange glory. I was on County Road 116 near Middlegrove, IL hurrying toward Peoria, and shot this photo right out the windshield with still-tired eyes. Now down to business...

Photo 2 - After figuring out where I was, convenience-store breakfast, and time for the crew to go on duty, this is the view off the highway bridge looking down at Kolbe at Mapleton, IL.

Photo 3 - An extra ex-ATSF GP-20 was set out onto the side track for another job going east, this shows about the entire tiny yard!

There's mooore...

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Photo 4 - Two noses you do not see together much in modern railroading, an F and GP-20, a rolling museum hauling regular freight.

Photo 5 - Rolling through Glasford, IL. KJRY 1750 is an FP-9 built for CN as 6502, then Via 6502, then WC/AC 1750, then PREX 1750. F-9B 1761 began as CN 6606, then Via 6606, WC/AC 1761. FP-9 1752 began life as CN 6511, then Via same number, then WC/AC 1752, PREX 1752. The F-9B ran around for some time in its unmatched ex-Algoma Central dress, and I had been patiently waiting for it to be painted to make a matched set. I had photographed Algoma central several times while these and their kin were in passenger service, and it was nice to see these again, though if one looks close, they are certainly showing their age.

Photo 6 - Whistling past the lonely S. Trivoli Rd. County Road 67 crossing in rural Illinois west of Glasford.

There's mooore...

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Photo 7 - Crossing what used to be a BNSF diamond, originally CB&Q and now thoroughly abandoned, at Canton, IL. Could sure use one of those new "Pioneer Lines" diamond-shaped emblems on the nose...

Photo 8 - Departing Cuba, IL.

Photo 9 - Rumbling across the new Seville, IL Spoon River Bridge, rebuilt with more substantial piers and used girders after the original truss bridge collapsed, shutting down the railroad's west end nearly a year. The long-abandoned and unusable original old Illinois 95 highway bridge rusts in the background.

There's mooore...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/15 09:48 by highgreengraphics.

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I like the "lonly crossing" image, it stands for thousands of rural scenes I've seen from a distance and never bothered to photograph.

Photo 10 - Pulling upgrade out of the Spoon River valley, not much work for all this power as they chortle under the Marietta Rd. overpass s. of Marietta, IL.

Photo 11 - Running next to the BNSF Beardstown Sub at the County Road 21E overpass S. of Bushnell near New Philadelphia, IL. As close as these lines parallel, I did not notice any sign of any interchange being done here. Interchange is done ahead at Bushnell after the tracks seperate for two miles and KJRY crosses BNSF.

Photo 12 - Crossing the BNSF Beardstown Sub at Bushnell, IL on the low-speed jump diamond.

There's mooore...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/15 14:52 by highgreengraphics.

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Photo 13 - The Beardstown Sub of BNSF is very active, the day before a BNSF oil train passes under the County Road 21E overpass I photographed from in Photo 11, with the KJRY line splitting away after paralleling BNSF the short distance.

Photo 14 - It was only getting darker and threatening rain as the westbound F's near Good Hope and a train swap, at County Road 1300E.

Photo 15 - The opposing train was not at Good Hope, IL yet, so the F's parked out of town. After going west to intercept the other train, it began to pour rain. Here 3 ex-Santa Fe GP-20's depart Sciota, IL are getting soaked and I am under an umbrella.

There's mooore... 

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All around nice work!

> Photo 9 - Rumbling across the new Seville, IL Spoon
> River Bridge, rebuilt with more substantial piers and
>  used girders after the original truss bridge collapsed,
> shutting down the railroad's west end for over a year.

The bridge collapsed on September 16, 2013.  The new bridge was in service on May 21, 2014.  Attached is my picture of the old bridge on August 12, 2013, a month before the bridge collapsed.

> Photo 11 - Running next to the BNSF Beardstown Sub
> at the County Road 21E overpass S. of Bushnell
> near New Philadelphia, IL. As close as these lines
> parallel, there is no sign of any interchange ever
> being done here. Interchange was done ahead at
> Bushnell after the tracks seperate for two miles
> and KJRY crosses BNSF.

This location was formerly known at Blair Jct.  There used to be a connection further down, you can see the ballast change on the BNSF a few carlengths beyond the start of the weeds in the middle.  KJRY used this connection and the still in-place connection in Bushnell to get around the diamond when it was removed for several years of inactivity on the TPW.

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Photo 16 - The eastbound with the 3 rebuilt GP-20's crosses the Town Fork River at County Road 1100E west of Good Hope, IL, the rain has let up a bit.

Photo 17 - The KJRY goes through the ritual of changing power with trains at Good Hope, IL in light rain. This was a good time to leave the chase as the train with the F's had the Bluebonnet old ATSF rebuilt GP-20 in front of the F's leaving town eastward, and it was just getting darker, this photo was shot at ISO 1600 with high-ISO noise reduction. 

Photo 18 - On October 19, I hit Mapleton again on my way back home after shooting MLW's and Alcos in New York and Pennsylvania. Yes, Alcos and F-units, seems like I have spent a large part of my life chasing the same. No luck there this time, only GP-20's, and I was informed the F's were in for a monthly inspection at LaHarpe, but he was unsure if they would be released that day or not. So I drove to LaHarpe, and there they were, but the rest of that day and clear into the afternoon of the next day, there was not a soul around their shop in LaHarpe and the F's did not move an inch, neither did anything else! A quite classic railroady scene nonetheless, dig those many intricate visibility stripes on the switcher! And a great-looking shop facility, which is where these were all repainted.

Three mooore...

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Great shots.I made the same trip about four years ago.

Uncle Joe,Seffner,Fl.

Photo 19 - Overall view of the LaHarpe enginehouse with the dead line on the left, another railroady-looking scene with the red caboose and all the stripes!

Photo 20 - In that quiet deadline are two more becoming-tattered ex-AC FP-9's waiting their turn that might never come, they look like part sources to keep the repainted ones running. I wonder what they talk about...

 Photo 21 - Later that afternoon, the rebuilt GP-20-powered westbound Turn from Good Hope rumbles through Sciota, IL on its way to LaHarpe.

Happy rural Illinois railfanning! === === = === JLH



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/15 14:47 by highgreengraphics.

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You just had to do it, ruin a great series of shots by posting that BNSF stuff...great series of photos. F units are in a class all by them self!

Awesome chase of the F units!

Great shots, F units in revenue service...I'm jealous.

GREAT stuff....!!  Thanks.....

As cool as the F's are, the 3 matching GP-20's are pretty neat, too.

Not quite true that these are the only Fs in regular freight service -- at least, not for all of North America. Grafton & Upton has an F in service on its line in Massachusetts, and Ontario Southland is using several on its lines in the Ingersoll, Ont., area.

Oh? Pictures, anyone? === === = === JLH

Very nice pictures. You folks certainly take good care of your equipment. Your to be complimented. Happy thanksgiving.

Jim
Hatboro, PA​​

They look great but I miss them on Algoma Central !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike Bannon
St Catharines, ON

highgreengraphics Wrote:
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> Oh? Pictures, anyone? === === = === JLH

Here's a recent post with the OSR's repainted F. They have two more that are active, wearing Railink paint:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,3843768,3843768#msg-3843768