Locomotive 3006's Wanderlust Days Gone Since 1960

For 57 years (on December 18th) Burlington Northern's locomotive 3006 has sat idle at the Galesburg, Illinois depot. After completing 2.3 million miles of travel in its 30 year active lifetime, the 225 ton steam engine serves as the lead attraction at the train museum. With a little luck perhaps its steam boiler could roar back to service again and invoke wanderlust for me.

Illinois Central 1518 Locomotive in Paducah

Nighttime near Paducah, Kentucky's floodwall is highlighted by one of Illinois Central's best examples of steam power. Locomotive 1518 on outdoor display represents one of several railroad related fixtures at the city's rail museum. According to railpictures.net this locomotive was built by Lima in 1923. It is classified as a 2-8-2, that is the wheel count on the engine, 2 on the front, eight in the middle and two wheels on the back. The lead locomotive is massive, well preserved and worth returning for more of an extensive investigation, perhaps during the day light.

Living in a Material World

A recent wave from an Union Pacific engineer is reminiscent of the album cover from 1973's Living in a Material World by George Harrison. While not exactly the same hand with Hindu script the gesture acknowledges that he sees me and I see him - from the safety of an overhead bridge. The fast moving train is probably doing about 60 mph at this point as it travels east through eastern Iowa.

Topping off the Tank at 2000 Gallons

A fuel gauge on a General Electric locomotive tops off at 2,000 imperial gallons which equals about 2,400 US gallons. Diesel is the fuel of choice for these massive machines. On this day two color contrasting locomotives are joined together on a tracks in Clinton, Iowa, just feet from the Mississippi River. The blue color Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern (DME) engine, called the "City of Wall" was built in 1966 per railpictures.net. The red Canadian Pacific locomotive also travels the Midwest from the US to Canada according to that website's tracking of CP 3081.

Illinois Central in Independence, Iowa

A favorite photo subject of mine whenever I go to Independence, Iowa is this long retired three car train. This time I tried an aperture priority at f/22 but it was this f/9 version that won the battle. The sky conditions were sunny with some haze. Since Independence was once served by the Illinois Central Railroad (a portion of the depot is in the background) and this is an Illinois Central locomotive, coal tender and caboose the following is appropriate from song composer Steve Goodman:

"...All along the southbound odyssey - the train pulls out of Kankakee
And rolls along past houses, farms, and fields..."
- The City of New Orleans

Iowa Interstate #509 Moves Out of Maintenance Works

Iowa Interstate Railway locomotives are kept in tip-top condition at the new maintenance works near South Amana, Iowa. The facility opened in 2012 and employs up to forty workers. This west bound train consisted of four locomotives pulling ethanol tankers somewhere. Iowa Interstate operates 600 miles of track between Chicago and Council Bluffs.

Long Line of Union Pacific Locomotives

A peek through Marshalltown, Iowa's Center Street viaduct fence reveals a very long line of Union Pacific locomotives. For years locomotives have been maintained in this yard - even before the Lincoln Highway passed through. And for years residents have been waiting for trains to pass at railroad crossings throughout the city. In the mid-1990s the city rerouted some streets to utilize a new bridge across these tracks. Last year an abandoned line which entered the city from the northwest was removed and a bike trail may take its place. This stretch of linked locomotives may be a way to transport the engines to their next destination but I don't know for sure. Hopefully a knowledgeable reader can explain what this train chain is all about.

Wyoming Coal Headed East on Union Pacific Rails

Union Pacific's 6784 locomotive idles near downtown Grand Mound, Iowa. I noticed a video camera near the center support of the windshield pointed in the direction of the engine's movement. As far as the eye can see the entire train consisted of coal filled cars. Photographically an impressive point is how the train drapes over the small rise to the west, exposing the car's contents. In Omaha, corporate UP is considering adding a third line. For now the shiny rails haul freight.