Weather 765 photo run

I got into La Crosse about 7:30 headed for the museum.  Saw smoke so headed over to the railroad south of town.  Guess what?  They turned the Berk on the wye overnight!   And guess what else?  They also turned the entire freight at the same time.  You're right!  The MDT 13385 undone side ended up facing to the west!  So much for doing the good side for the photographers!  This gripes me.  Why couldn't they tell us they were going to do that and then we could have worked on the other car side!  Not of course that it mattered much in the end; thunder, lightning and rain all day!  Barcus was conductor in the morning and was soaked!  Joe and Louise were sitting in their pickup waiting for that first photo run.  Finally happened and then I headed toward the museum.  For the record, 8 freight cars.  NKP boxcars 15797 and 15979 at each end.  Both MDT 13385 and 14070.  The N&W hopper car.  The N&W gon.  Wabash 49014.   And the N&W boxcar.  Oh yes, the NKP bay window 471 caboose behind the freight cars and the Mohave at the very end. No one was at the museum when I got there after 8 o'clock.  So I unlocked the depot.  About 15minutes later, an older couple showed up.  He told me that he was waiting for the old cars.  Then about 10 minutes later, Don Nickle and another guy showed up coming down Sycamore with 3 vintage automobiles.  The owner was driving a 1949 Hudson pulling a 2 wheel trailer and towing a 1948 Studebaker on it.  Nickel was driving a `46 Packard.  The cars were for photo shoots with the photo freight.  After unloading, and getting a call from the train as to where they were at, the two of them, along with the older gentleman and his wife, drove off to English Lake.   Bob Jachim showed up and we talked a bit.  Commented that the phones didn't seem to be working.  Then a BIG bolt of lightning hit what sounded like it was right outside the depot!  We both jumped!  Then went out to see what we could see.  We went all the way to the back of the depot and saw nothing.  As we headed back in, a lady pulled up, rolled down her window and said to Bob that his wife Kay needed him home immediately as their TV had been hit by lightning.  A coincidence I am sure, but kind of ironic.   Visitors all day.  Joe and Louise showed up.  When the 765 finally pulled in heading eastbound with the photo freight about 11:00, and after Barcus was done with switching, he came in and fixed the phones.  Lots of sitting around.  The Berk had shoved the Mohave and the caboose into track 2 of the shop.  The eight freight cars were left outside snaking back toward the turntable switch.  Then the 765 sat on the east side of Mulberry Street.   Some of the train participants headed over to the depot at times.  More waiting.  Andy Cornwall showed up and told me that there were about 8 people watching the 2-8-4 and its train slowly work its way around the way the previous night.  He had gotten soaked during that operation.   Lunch was from Subway for the train participants.  But didn't arrive until after 1:30 p.m.  Lots more waiting around.  In the meantime, the steamer had gone back to La Crosse to be turned on the wye.  Train not taken so the MDT 13385 will be on the "wrong side" now.   After the 765 returned, they used the 310 to switch so that the cars were on the museum main line and then the 310 pulled the caboose and then the Mohave out of the Shop and placed them on the rear end.  When I left some time after 3:30, the photo freight had not departed west yet.  Barcus's car was still at La Crosse with no way to get back there unless he took the photo freight again (Andy Hershman was the conductor for the afternoon run).  He didn't want to waste all that time, so I just took him back there and then continued on home.  Rain didn't stop until I was almost back in Crown Point.