Quad Cities Train Festival, 2011
Rock Island, Ill., July 21-24

Thursday, July 21st
Steam Shuttle and Amtrak Special

Photos by Dave Ingles

One nice thing about the Train Festival schedules was that the shuttles didn't run until 11, and most day-long excursions started at 10. This enabled a leisurely beginning to each morning. On Thursday the 21st sometime after 9, after icing up the cooler and topping the gas tank at Iowa prices (up to 30 cents cheaper than in Illinois), we heard on IAIS's radio channel about another KCS train, but couldn't discern the direction or location for a while. Eventually we figured out it was eastbound, and just made it to the east end of the 5th Street-running in Davenport for this shot at the easternmost grade crossing before the track gained the elevation past the former RI depot site and onto the Government Bridge. Units are 4124/4705, with 80 cars, at 9:37.

We followed it across the Government Bridge -- it actually overtook us, right above us, unseen, but you should've HEARD the rumbling! -- and thanks to yard limit speeds on the Illinois side, got out to 44th St. in Rock Island for these shots. They then were going to yard the train and tie it up. On the radio it was called a "Detour," so we can surmise perhaps it was loads that normally would use KCS's overhead rights from Omaha to KC on the UP, but with both UP and BNSF closed between those cities account high water, this was REALLY a long detour. If anyone knows more, please let webmaster Mike and I know. Time here is 10:04.

Our intent was to chase the first steam shuttle out toward Walcott, Iowa, and at 11 a.m. it pulled out, under a big batch of dark clouds, a welcome relief, actually, from the hot sun of the week. IAIS GP38 701 is on the east end of the 15-car train, with NKP 765 doing the honors this morning (one of the IAIS 2-10-2's would do most of the subsequent runs, I believe was the plan). This is the east end lead for the downtown yard, at 11:12.

At the left before the trees is the main line, curving to the left toward the Government Bridge. This train was towed another train length, maybe two, to clear the switch, then pulled ahead and across the bridge. We were the only photographers here (van door is open). We then went over to Davenport for the street-running shot, since this was the NKP engine, adding Iowa to the states I've photographed her in.

We were among relatively few photographers on the street-running. This is at 5th & Myrtle at 11:40. He was delayed by a stop right off the bridge on the Davenport side for an ambulance to come trainside to treat an emergency medical situation -- we bet on heat problems, since the open-window ex-Montreal commuter cars have no air-conditioning and it was already 90-plus!

The train was reported to be sold out -- it followed the opening ceremonies in Rock Island, and the IAIS business cars had the VIP's on board.

We knew we probably could not catch the train before it stopped short of Walcott -- same drill as the shuttles did in 2008 -- and we were right. This is about 2 miles east of Walcott shortly after he reversed ends to move eastward. As we approached the track from the south, we saw him at a distance end his westward move -- smoke is such an easy guidance item! This sequence at MP 192 is at 12:07 p.m.

It was news to the IAIS crew (and to us) when the 765 crew advised them that the engine has a 25 mph speed limit when operating in reverse!

We knew from radio talk that IAIS's regular CBBI freight was waiting west of Walcott for the excursion to head eastward so he could follow, so we parked in the shade in downtown Walcott, and got this photo of him at 12:27 p.m., engines 500/157/714/507 with 90 cars. We then gassed up at Casey's ($3.47/gal) and drove south to Muscatine for lunch at a Culver's I hadn't yet visited. It was a nice break.

After lunch, we were going over the highway bridge over the Mississippi River into Illinois when, looking to the north, there was a westbound DM&E train we'd heard about on the scanner earlier, but had no idea where he was and weren't concerned. I sped on into Illinois, made a U-turn, came back to Iowa, and easily beat him thru town to the depot area: engines IC&E 6401/NREX 7349/DM&E 6093/IC&E 6216 at 1:48 p.m. We didn't stay to count the cars; it looked like he was going to meet an eastbound -- headlights in the distance -- but the sun was straight down the rail so we headed for Illinois. We had a long way to and a short time to get there, to intercept the Amtrak Special heading north from Galesburg.

I had never followed the old CB&Q branch right of way thru western Mercer County, ill., and so we cut down from Route 92 to Route 17 at Joy, Ill., to head east to meet the BNSF line at Alpha, Ill. We found three depots preserved from the long-abandoned line (it went from Galva thru Alpha to New Boston on the Mississippi River, at one time -- see a recent CLASSIC TRAINS for a photo at the Alpha depot). Aledo is the Mercer County seat, one of a few of Illinois' 102 that I hadn't been through.

The critter diesel is, I believe, relocated from a defunct private-land tourist railroad between Fort Madison and Donnellson, Iowa, on another old CB&Q branch route; the waycar may have been there, too.

This is at New Windsor, Ill., now a restaurant.

At Alpha, we found this ethanol load parked north of town -- on the main line! This meant the Amtrak train was not close. I called Nona Hill, wife of private car Caritas' owner Clark Johnson, as both were on board the train. Her report was they were parked on the Peoria line's wye at Galesburg and had been there about a half hour already, with no move imminent.

Engines are 5098/4637/5276, time is 2:56 p.m. If he were between the Alpha siding switches, he'd block the only grade crossing in the town.

The branch used to cross in the foreground here, when the depot was a red wooden one.

With the special halted in Galesburg, we headed south on  U.S. 150, the old road, and Nona called us that they were finally moving out, when we were still just north of Henderson, the first town north of Galesburg on the "Peavine", so we headed into town and found this great angle. We didn't have long to wait, maybe 7 or 8 minutes, and here he came at track speed! Carol snapped this with the D70 while I took slides; time is 3:41 p.m, train had Heritage units 156 and 66 with 16 cars and probably a bunch of restless riders.

As expected, the Amtrak special took the siding at Alpha to meet the ethanol train; we joined Ray Peacock, John Dziobko, and a couple of other photographers' parties in a mini photo line for this sequence, at 4:00 p.m.

We took to Interstate 74 to go to Colona, even though the special had to run around a parked northbound freight at Warner siding. We had time for a quick drive-thru cone at the Colona Dairy Queen before going to the junction site, first finding this southbound coal train waiting to the north, at 4:30. Engine 5910 leading a second unit.

The special, running as Amtrak 963, came into the junction at 4:43.

This time, we did not screw up and miss the Rock River bridge shot; time is 4:49; he's on 10-mph yard-limit restriction west of Colona.

Coming by Silvis Shops at 5:01.

A study in dome-car lines -- ex-MILW Super Dome (Friends of 261) at left, ex-ATSF (Iowa Pacific) lounge at right.

IAIS SD38-2 154 waits to follow with a local job. We then headed for the motel, and dinner, and that night, watched nature give our dusty van a car wash from our motel as a series of welcome, but violent, lightning-and-thunder storms rolled through.

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