Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren

This installment of Recent Trains will cover a two week period of heavy travel for Jan and me. First is a trip to Chicago for me to attend the Spring National Meeting of the American Chemical Society and for Jan to shop in downtown Chicago. This will be followed by our Spring Break circle trip south to check on and visit with family. Part 1 will cover the period until our time at Rochelle, IL which will be covered in Part 2 to be published in a couple of weeks.

On my way to a Metra station, I shot the "Santa Fe" building on Michigan Ave. at Jackson.

While waiting for a southbound to McCormick's Place and the National American Chemical Society meeting, this inbound train approaches Van Buren Street Station.

After the meeting, I awaited this train at McCormick Place to ride back down time.

Back downtown, I discovered this South Shore car and several more awaiting afternoon rush hour trains.

An outbound Metra train at 2:15pm approaches the Van Buren Street station.

At 2:36pm another Metra outbound approaches the Jackson Street viaduct.

A couple of South Shore trains meet at the Van Buren Street Station.

An inbound train stops at Van Buren Street Station.

I took advantage of having one of the South Shore cars being parked under the overpass to get this roof-top view.

The 3:10pm outbound Metra is shown here passing by and under the Art Institute of Chicago.

The last train that I shot was this 3:21pm outbound South Shore train.

Lunch in Springfield, MO on 3/31/07 was at this classic Steak 'n Shake at the corner of National and St. Louis near downtown.

In Springfield, MO it was great to see the last steam engine bought by the Frisco getting a cover to protect it. Plans call for another section to be added to the cover this summer. A problem with a cover is that it gives birds a place to nest. The day I was there an attendant was there to feed the black and white cat seen on the ground in the picture of the engine. It was also nice to see that the engine has been painted in the original paint scheme featuring the "Frisco Faster Freight" herald on the tender. The attendant told me that engine will be repainted in the near future. This is the main exhibit in the new Frisco Railroad Museum located in Grant Beach Park, just south of the former Frisco North Yard. This August 1943 Baldwin was placed in this park in Nov. 12, 1953.

This is just one car of a complete train of new hoppers in a loaded unit coal train in the BNSF Springfield, MO former Frisco West Yard.

While shooting the new hopper, this loaded unit coal train was pulling into the yard.

The only thing that we found of the A&M in Monett, MO was this pickup that is used by the conductor to run ahead of the train and align switches as their trains enter and leave the BNSF yard.

At Springdale, AR, there was not much to shoot either at the A&M headquarters. This caboose apparently was obtained from the collection that was once housed at St. Louis Union Station.

At Van Buren, AR on 4/1/07, the only power was in the engine terminal including this GP38 and this ex-BN SD40-2.

This northbound stack train is parked in southern Little Rock, AR on April 2, 2007.

This 1852 Great Western Station in Springfield, IL was used by Abraham Lincoln when he left for Washington, DC to become President, photo taken 4/6/07.