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Tuesday, September 13. 2011
Leviathan #63, an American 4-4-0 steam locomotive, will operate two more days at the Illinois Railway Museum this weekend, Museum Showcase Weekend - September 17th and 18th, pulling coaches and delighting many. This may be the last opportunity this year to ride behind Leviathan, with both day and night trips, and experience the sights and sounds of a live steam locomotive. About the Leviathan... In 1868, the Central Pacific Railroad purchased four steam locomotives from Schenectady Locomotive Works. They were The Jupiter #60, The Storm #61, The Whirlwind #62 and The Leviathan #63. This Leviathan #63 replica is America's newest operating steam locomotive that was built from scratch by Kloke Locomotive Works, LLC beginning in 1999. It is a fully operable steam locomotive that has been on display under steam at a few events around the midwest. Read more about Leviathan 63 at http://www.leviathan63.com/ and about its operation at IRM at http://www.irm.org/events/Leviathan63.html. Museum Showcase Weekend celebrates the Museum collection and honors the members who make it work! Daytime operations begin at 10:00AM on Saturday and Sunday and end about 5:30PM. Trains leave the main station approximately every 15 minutes or as required. Night operations begin at 8:00PM on Saturday, September 17th. The Nebraska Zephyr will operate both Saturday and Sunday, September 17th and 18th, along with many other pieces of historic railway equipment, including Caboose trains, Interurbans, Steetcars and more. For a complete list of equipment operating, visit Museum Showcase Weekend Information. Your admission ticket entitles you to an unlimited number of train rides, as well as our several barns with over two miles of indoor track, and our collection of over 400 pieces of railroad rolling stock. Your membership includes admission to the Museum, a subscription to Rail & Wire, and more. The Illinois Railway Museum is an independent volunteer operation, relying on admission fees, membership dues, and contributions. It is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational corporation. Schedules and operating equipment subject to change without notice. For information about the Museum, visit our website at http://www.irm.org/ or recorded information available by calling 815-923-4000 or 800-BIG-RAIL. We look forward to seeing you and your family and friends.
Saturday, September 10. 2011
Celebrate the Museum collection and honor the members who make it work! Ride and see some of the less frequently run equipment at IRM. Bring your camera and enjoy the weekend! Saturday, September 17th, 2011 (Daytime) - North Shore Line 749 and 714
- New York CTA 7926-7927
- Chicago Transit Authority 3142
- Chicago Transit Authority 4391
- Veracruz 19 open streetcar
- Leviathan 63 and Coach Train
- CBQ 9911A and Nebraska Zephyr
- BN1 and Silver Train
- TMER&L L4 and Caboose Train (morning to mid-day)
- CB&Q 504, SP 1518, CNW 6847, WC7525, BN5383 and Caboose Train (late afternoon)
- Caboose Train Consist:
- CGW 601
- UP 3786
- CBQ 13572
- Silver Train Consist:
- CBQ 993 Baggage
- CB&Q Silver Ridge
- ACL Birmingham
- UP Pacific Peak
- NP Lock Sloy
- CNW 9933 RDC
- Coach Train Consist:
- Lack 561 Coach
- Lack 567 Coach
Special Notes for the Silver Train and Zephyr on Saturday: Depending on operating crew availability, these two trains may operate for half the day each, the crew will move from one train to the other part way through the day to be able to operate both trains. The caboose train with five diesel locomotives will only operate one or two trips in the late afternoon. All schedules and equipment subject to change without notice. Saturday, September 17th, 2011 (Night Operations start at 8:00pm) - North Shore Line 251, 749 and 714
- Chicago Transit Authority 4290 and 4410
- New York CTA 7926-7927
- Leviathan 63 and Coach Train
- CBQ 9911A and Nebraska Zephyr
- BN1 and Silver Train
- Silver Train Consist:
- CB&Q 993 Baggage
- CB&Q Silver Ridge
- ACL Birmingham
- UP Pacific Peak
- NP Lock Sloy
- CNW 9933 RDC
- Coach Train Consist:
- Lack 561 Coach
- Lack 567 Coach
Sunday, September 18th, 2011 - North Shore Line 749 and 714
- Chicago Transit Authority 22 and 41
- Chicago Transit Authority 3142
- Chicago Transit Authority 4391
- Leviathan 63 and Coach Train
- CNW 411, BN1 and Silver Train/Nebraska Zephyr
- TMER&L L4 and Caboose Train (morning to mid-day)
- CB&Q 9255 and Caboose Train (mid-day to late afternoon)
- Caboose Train Consist:
- CGW 601
- UP 3786
- CBQ 13572
- Coach Train Consist:
- Lack 561 Coach
- Lack 567 Coach
- Silver Train/Zephyr Consist:
- CB&Q 993 Baggage
- CB&Q Silver Ridge
- ACL Birmingham
- UP Pacific Peak
- NP Lock Sloy
- Nebraska Zephyr Train
updated 9-10-2011, check back often for additions and changes. We are waiting for the list of Interurban equipment from the Electric Car Department, it will be added once it is received. All schedules and equipment subject to change without notice.
Thursday, August 25. 2011
Celebrate the end of summer by joining us for three days of fun! Pack
a picnic, ride the trains, and enjoy! "Music at the Museum"--the West
End Jazz Band will entertain on Monday. Saturday, September 3rd, 2011 - Illinois Terminal 101
- Chicago Transit Authority 3142
- Chicago Transit Authority 4391
- Leviathan 63 and Coach Train
- Southern Pacific 1518 and Caboose Train
- Caboose Train Consist:
- Coach Train Consist:
- Lack 561 Coach
- Lack 567 Coach
Sunday, September 4th, 2011
- Chicago Transit Authority 22 and 41
- Chicago Transit Authority 3142
- Leviathan 63 and Coach Train
- Chicago Burlington & Quincy 504 and Caboose Train
- Chicago Burlington & Quincy 9911A and Nebraska Zephyr
- Caboose Train Consist:
- Coach Train Consist:
- Lack 561 Coach
- Lack 567 Coach
Monday, September 5th, 2011
- Chicago Transit Authority 22 and 41
- Chicago Transit Authority 3142
- Leviathan 63 and Coach Train
- Chicago Burlington & Quincy 9255 and Caboose Train
- Chicago Burlington & Quincy 9911A and Nebraska Zephyr
- Caboose Train Consist:
- Coach Train Consist:
- Lack 561 Coach
- Lack 567 Coach
All schedules and equipment subject to change without notice.
Tuesday, July 19. 2011
Nebraska Zephyr Schedule from Union, IL to Rock Island, IL: Depart Illinois Railway Museum at 7:45am, west to Rockford, arrival approximately 9:45am. Depart Rockford, IL at 10:00am, South to Davis Junction, arrival approximately 11:10am. Depart Davis Junction at 11:20am, West to Savanna, no ETA after this point as other rail traffic is unknown. Track the progress of the Nebraska Zephyr via GPS. All schedules subject to change without notice.
Tuesday, July 19. 2011
The Illinois Railway Museum will offer dinners aboard the Nebraska
Zephyr at the Train Festival 2011 event in Rock Island, Illinois on July
21, 22, and 23, 2011 as a fundraiser for the continued restoration of the Nebraska Zephyr. Seating will be extremely limited on each night. The train will be stationary for these dinners. Ticket prices are $75 per guest. Click here to purchase tickets or view additional information.
Your four course dinner will include:
Dill Cucumber Tomato Tea Sandwiches
Fresh Garden Salad
Pork Medallion in Creamy White Wine Sauce
Rustic Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Steamed Carrots
Caramel Apple Crisp a la Mode
Friday, July 15. 2011
The annual Diesel Days Parade of Power won't be quite as large as previous years, but will still be a show that you should not miss. We'll kick off the day at 10:00am with normal operations, the heavyweight coach train pulled by BN1, 2, 3; the Nebraska Zephyr pulled by CBQ 9911A; and a four car caboose train pulled by BN 5383. Later in the day we'll have a few freight train run-bys with different power each time.
The Parade of Power will begin close to 1:00pm and will include the equipment listed below, but not necessarily in this order. A few special items in the parade will include the BN 5383 under load from CNW 6847 heading East, and the CNW 6847 under load from BN 5383 heading West. The same drill for the CBQ 504 under load from SP 1518 heading East, and SP 1518 under load from CBQ 504 heading West. They will not stop in front of the depot as the other trains normally do.
- Burlington Northern 1 (EMD F9A), 2 (EMD F9B), 3 (EMD E9A)
- Burlington Northern 5383 (GE U30C)
- Chicago & North Western 6847 (EMD SD40-2)
- Milwaukee Road 760 (FM H10-44)
- Southern Pacific 1518 (EMD SD7)
- Chicago Burlington & Quincy 504 (EMD SD24)
- Chicago & North Western 411 (EMD F7A) Bilevels
- Chicago Burlington & Quincy 9911A (EMC E5A) Nebraska Zephyr
- Chicago Burlington & Quincy 9255 (EMD SW7)
- Commonwealth Edison 15 (EMD SW1)
- Nekoosa Paper 14 (ALCO S1)
- United States Army 8537 (GE 45Ton)
- Wisconsin Central 7525 (EMD SD45MQ-3), Santa Fe 92 (EMD FP45)
- Green Bay & Western 2407 (ALCO RSD15)
- Illinois Terminal 1605 (EMD GP7)
- Chicago & North Western 4160 (EMD GP7R)
The line up will be similar on Sunday, except the ATSF 92 will lead the WC 7525 and this consist may pull the coach train in place of BN1, 2 and 3.
We'll keep the usual disclaimer of All equipment and schedules subject to change without notice.
A night photo session is not scheduled this year.
Monday, June 27. 2011
About three weeks ago we brought the Nebraska Zephyr into the Diesel Shop to begin a very long process of cleaning, buffing and polishing her stainless steel siding. Many, many years of road grime, a lot of cast iron brake shoe dust, and dust from sitting idle in Barn 9 have really collected and just won't come off with a simple washing with a pressure washer. The first few days were spent finding the right materials, wheels, rouge and the best methods for cutting and polishing the current sandpaper feel of the stainless. We did find a pretty good method that will hopefully fit our timeframe, which is basically 5 weeks for 5 cars and a locomotive, a total of about 415 feet of train. On the fluted areas, we start with a scotch bright pad, gray or red as others were too harsh, and go a couple passes to break into the dirt pretty good, but not get into the stainless. Then on to the stainless wool, to take off pretty much all of the remaining dirt and debris. The first two steps here are all by hand. Then on to the power tools, a few Milwaukee variable speed buffers with a couple 8 inch, 60 ply cotton muslin sewn wheels and some rouge specifically for stainless from a company called Zephyr Products, that was quite ironic. This stuff does a great job of cutting and polishing. The final step is using a similar type of wheel, but smaller diameter, with no rouge and just going over the same area quicker to clean up any residue and it gives a nice smooth, almost mirror like finish to the fluted sides. The flat panels are a bit different. There is no way we'll have time to get the finish we would like with the machines, so we start with stainless wool, clean the surface with side to side movements only, and then finish off with P21S polishing soap. Again, all of it is by hand. The curves from the letter board up the roof were a little more difficult at first as the corrugation is pretty narrow. On top of that, there is a lot more dirt caked in them from there being a lot more horizontal surface area. The quickest way through the dirt was folded up scotch bright pads and more stainless wool. The same method is being used on the area curving down to the belly pans. So far the Venus, Vesta, and most of Minerva are completed, Juno has been started. Sometime in the next day or two the train will be wyed since it doesn't fit in the shop, let alone the building, and the last two cars will hopefully be completed by the middle to end of next week. Riley, Chris, Pete, Colton, Charlie, Eric, Kevin, the other Kevin, and Jeron have all been pretty busy moving this along quickly. Thank you all for the hard work. We'll post another update in a week or so, along with progress updates of other projects in the shop.
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Comments
Sun, 05-20-2012 17:31
I would like to make a note of a couple of things. The sandblasting process involves taking the sand like material, called blackblast, and smashing it [...]
Fri, 05-18-2012 22:48
This is one interesting freight car. I've been browsing images on-line of these B&O wagon-top cars lately, and noticed a variety of lettering and [...]
Fri, 05-18-2012 12:03
Mark, Its hard to say if 760 will be running in early July. It will be for Diesel Days, but I can't answer yet if we'll have it ready sooner than [...]
Thu, 05-17-2012 13:13
Im going to drive from California to the Chicago area in early July and staying for about 3 weeks. Im a big fan of FM units. Any chance the MILW 760 [...]
Sun, 05-13-2012 11:44
Line sidewalks and steets with rail ties and fill with small pea gravel. Similar to construction near Lincoln Home in Springfield, IL.
Fri, 05-11-2012 10:45
Thank you. If you are send pics to Irm in mail,Please make it attention Roger Kramer. Thanks..
Thu, 05-10-2012 17:08
I will be sending some color photos of the CGW 285 shortly after rebuilding by the CGW. And yes, they had chrome grabs and the end gate. I had been [...]
Thu, 05-10-2012 12:58
Yes there are some chrome plated partsespecially on the sissors gate. Unfortunately, they were recently taken off, and left in the gravel. I have [...]
Thu, 05-10-2012 00:46
The book "Chicago Great Western Color Guide" (Morning Sun) has some interesting notes about these CGW combines: [BEGIN QUOTE] "In 1954 the CGW bought [...]
Sun, 05-06-2012 21:42
Nigel, What you just told me is great news. YOU clarified things for me.
Sun, 05-06-2012 20:34
Wally, I must say that I am puzzled by this comment. The whole driver for the current work is the major FRA mandated inspection (15 year 1472 [...]
Sun, 05-06-2012 16:39
I am just afraid that by the time 1630 is up and ready to run, it will have to be dismantled again to do the Federally mandated inspection. I am [...]