I couldn’t resist.   We’ve had high nineties for what seems to be forever, and today only 90.    So just to jog our memory of cooler climes,  this January 1979 scene seemed like a nice idea.    I feel cooler already.

The eastbound is exiting one of two wooden show sheds along Lake Keechelus.  Interstate 90 occupies the shoreline across the lake.   Snoqualmie Pass and the 11,789 foot tunnel are a few miles behind the train.  The vertical milepost number 2112 indicates the miles to the bumping post at Union Station in Chicago.

Everything except the power poles in this scene are gone, track, sheds and all.  Yours truly became the proud owner of the salvaged the milepost sign after the abandonment.   The right-of-way is owned by the state parks system,  and great for hiking and biking in the Summer, and cross-country skiing in Winter.

Credits: Picture by Jay Lentzner from the book “The Milwaukee Road,” by Frederick W. Hyde.  Submitted by Gary O. Ostlund, gary.ostlund@att.net, Pinehurst, NC

 

 

It’s 7:00 AM on 06-Jul-2018 as the crew of IORY GP38-2 number 2102 begins its workday at Washington Court House, Ohio. They will spend the morning sorting cars from Columbus, Cincinnati, and Springfield before heading south to switch the local industrial park. – Photo by Chris Dees
IORY GP38-2 number 2109 backs around the wye at Washington Court House, Ohio on the morning of 06-Jul-2018. Now on the former B&O Midland Subdivision, the crew will head northeast toward Columbus, pausing to switch the large Valero ethanol plant at Bloomingburg, OH. – Photo by Chris Dees
The former Baltimore & Ohio depot at Midland City, Ohio has seen better days, but continues to stand watch in July 2018 at the junction of Indiana & Ohio Railway’s Midland and Greenfield subdivisions. – Photo by Chris Dees
During a recent visit to Harley-Davidson of Cincinnati, this badge of honor was noted on the adjacent railroad overpass, now operated as the Indiana & Ohio Railway’s Midland Subdivision. Photo by Chris Dees.

 

Nortonville KY looking west along the Illinois Central Railroad. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad crosses at grade just beyond the station.
Walnut Street crossing, Mortons Gap KY is no more! June 2018.
June 2011 flashback. Friday Night Live, down town Madisonville.
N scale CSX unit coal train gets a roll-by inspection by chapter members Keith Kittinger and Steve Miller on “Holy Train” night June 12, at Steve’s home and layout.
The Nickel Plated Spirit – May 26 and 27, 2018 saw another round of excursions by The Ohio Rail Experience, a combined effort of Cincinnati Railway Company; the Lebanon, Mason & Monroe Scenic Railroad; and the Indiana & Ohio Railroad. The Spirit of Urbana traveled along 60 miles of the former Detroit, Toledo & Ohio between Washington Court House, Maitland, and Urbana. Power for the train was NKP GP30 901. – Photo by Chris Dees. 

So the question becomes, “why paint up a fancy new locomotive and leave the wheels and coupler all rusty..?”   Very simply put, the wheels and couplers take a horrendous beating.   Hairline cracks occasionally form, and if painted are difficult to detect.   Broken couplers and chipped wheels cause nasty derailments.   Rail managers feel that a little rust isn’t going to hurt anything, and maintenance forces can easily stay ahead of the problems.  Submitted by Gary Ostlund.

Former chapter member Fred Ripley sent me this for my birthday back in April!  Great present. Bill

Louisville & Nashville 4-8-2 No. 407 on Cincinnati–Birmingham train 7 passes 2-8-0 No. 1212 on a northbound freight on double track 10 miles south of Louisville in November 1948. – C. William Streit photo