Greetings -
The day started out early with Tom Rainford, Mark Knebel, John LaOrange and yours truly, going up to the southeast side of Chicago. Bud Tibbie had talked to the Lake Shore Model Railroad Association about donating an old steam locomotive bell and headlight to the museum, and this was the morning that the two items were going to be picked up. The first photo shows the old kerosene lantern type headlight in the back of my van (please excuse my reflection in the headlight's glass lens) after I had gotten it to the museum. The bell was transported in Mark Knebel's pickup truck. The second photo shows (from left to right) Bob Albert, Tom and Mark as they work to get the bell out of Bing Risley's loader and the third shot shows Mark and Tom and Bob pushing it up the ramp into the Pullman Troop Sleeper for temporary display. Mark and I then carried the bigger, but lighter, headlight into the Troop Sleeper. Thanks much to Greg Kelley and the members of the Lake Shore Club for these fine donations!
Our late arrival back to North Judson was close to lunch and I heard that Margrett Cook had made ribs, but before I went over there, I opened up the upper level of Grasselli Tower. On my way to the kitchen car, Doug Kosloske asked me if I could act as car host in Long Island coach 2937, so I got sidetracked from lunch. Power for our 12:30 five car train was to be GE 95 ton diesel number 11, finally cleared for duty once again after a lengthy overhaul. The two open cars were pretty well filled but there were only 6 folks in LIRR 2937. We made the run to English Lake but on the way back, the 11 died. The passengers, which included some adults and kids with special needs, took the delay pretty well, as we informed them that Alco # 310 was on the way to rescue us. When the 310's headlight was spotted down the track, we requested that riders be seated during the coupling. After that was done and the air checked, we started back toward the depot. Unforturnately, a fire developed in the Alco's stack and carbon rained down on the roofs of the cars, and worse still, on the right-of-way. The unit was shut down just east of CR 400W and heavy smoke soon appeared. The passengers thought that the train was on fire, but were assured that it was some dry areas of the vegetation along the track, that had caught fire. An evacuation from the NKP 1946, the first open car on the train was approved, and the fire was attacked with extinguishers. After it was determined that the 310 was going to be inoperable for a time, it was decided to slowly evacuate the train. Mark and Bob and Cory Bennett, drove up from the museum, while the North Judson Fire Department responded to the vegetation fires. Some folks were driven back to the depot area, where they picked up their cars and took passengers back to North Judson. Thanks very much to the crew that did such a good job in the evacuation.
Eventually, number 310 was fired up and uncoupling number 11 from the train, slowly transported the G.E. back to the museum. I took the fourth photo out of Grasselli's west window as the Alco crept past 2789 and the Shop. The fifth shot shows the units crossing Mulberry Street after Mark has dropped off and prepares to walk back to the Shop switch. As the 310 rolls by the tower, the damage to the unit stack is apparent in the sixth photo. After the 2789 and the 11 were put into the Shop on track 1, the 310 made its way back out and brought the 5 car train back to the museum.
An eventful day to say the least! Have a good week everyone. Fall is now officially here and temps are supposed to cool off this week.
Les
