2816/261 Doubleheader Pics - What a Day !!

[kschmidt]

Greetings,

Saturday September 15, 2007 was quite a day for steam fans in the midwest.  Canadian Pacific #2816 and Milwaukee Road #261 pulled a doubleheaded steam excursion from Minneapolis, MN to La Crosse, WI and return.  This was somewhat different from the 2816/261 doubleheader in July 2004 in that there was NO DIESEL in the consist and no extra water tenders.  So it was just the steamer and their original tenders.  It was a quite a sight to see the two run together again.  The weather was AWESOME compared to 2004.  So BIG THANKS to the Canadian Pacific Railroad, The Friends of the 261, the steam crews and all the volunteers that make these trip such a success.  Thank You

With temps in the 40's the doublehheader is making some nice exhaust as they exit the lift bridge over the Mississippi River at Hastings, MN

Passing the depot at Hastings, MN with some nice clean exhaust, great job guys !!

Southbound at MP 324 near Weaver, MN

Still southbound at MP 324 near Weaver, MN

The "Chase QUE" on Highway 61 southbound, I guess even four lane divided doesn't help keep up.

Southbound at Dresbach, MN

Northbound on the shoo-fly bridge at Minnesota City, MN with the remnants of the original bridge still clinging. 

Reflections on a Doubleheader - at Maple Springs, MN north of Wabasha, MN the train is northbound. 

Again what a great day along the Mississippi River.  THANKS TO ALL. 

Keith Schmidt

[Noah Hofrichter]

Very nice shots Keith! I was up there yesterday (A little bit further along in the "chase queue." The whole thing was being held up by a couple of people who refused to move out of the way of each lane and let others by...). Haven't gotten my photos edited yet though. It sure was a great day for a steam event, and I add my thanks to the 261 group and the CP, and I really hope they do something like it again!.

I wish I had known about the Maple Springs shot before too. I'm sure we would have gone up there to try that shot had I known it existed yesterday. That's definitely one of the best shots I've seen from the whole trip. But at least I can keep it in reference for the future.

Noah

[Erie Lackawanna]

Marvelous Work!!!!!

[dknelson]

Keith's gorgeous shots capture what the day was like.   

The weather was perfect, absolutely perfect, for train watching and photography.  The driving was frightening!   I think my Corolla wagon is somewhere in the mix in Keith's  shot of the chase.   55 mph with just a few yards between you and the cars behind and in front for miles on end gets nerve wracking

The engines and the cars all looked great.  Yes, thank you CPR and thanks to the friends of the 261. 

Dave Nelson 

[wjstix]

Great pics, Keith!! The shots at Hastings were made about the time we were finishing our Eggs Florentine on the train. Meals were a bit of a surprise, except for the BBQ box lunch at the depot in LaCrosse, there was no mention in the ads about both breakfast and dinner (Beef Stroganoff) being served onboard. We were in the parlor car third from the back, right in front of the great dome (super dome?).

Weather was great although it was foggy in the early morning, got down to 36F overnight!! Some clouds came in about an hour before sunset, but otherwise very clear skies.

I was shooting video, but here's a link to my wife's pics with her digital camera (click on "slideshow" to see them all):

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/pictures?a=67b0de21b35600b965d6&sid=0FYuG7Vw2YuaA

Unfortunately the run-by at La Crosse was cancelled, partly because of delays watering the CP Hudson on the way down, and that old fellow from the train being taken to the hospital in La Crosse. He tripped over a hose being used to water the engines from a hydrant and cracked some bones around his right eye. Fortunately he was OK and was apparently released from the hospital before the train got back to the Twin Cities.

[CopCarSS]

Keith,

Stunning shots as always. I do wish that there were more excursions out that way so I could see more of your wonderful photography. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Modelcar]

     Keith....In my eyes, exceptional shots of a very nice {and rare}, event.

Appreciate the several B&W's too.  All very well done.

[samfp1943]

Keith,

Stunning shots as always. I do wish that there were more excursions out that way so I could see more of your wonderful photography. Thanks for sharing!

 

Absolutely! 

[eolafan]

Wonderful shots, thanks for sharing them with us!

[kschmidt]

Thanks to all for the nice comments.  Everything kind of came together for this trip.  Having been out along that line for other steam trips it was hard to come up with shots.  But a couple places like Maple Springs were a definite stop. 

I hadn't heard that some had gone to the hospital in La Crosse.  I hope the gentleman is OK, sounds like he is.  We did notice that the southbound stop in Red Wing seemed long, maybe there was a problem watering #2816 already then.  The injury explains the delay in La Crosse. 

Thanks again,

Keith  

[WhistlinDixie]

Great pics!  I'm in the first--well, I'm obscured by a gate at the first crossing after the bridge (my butt is below the gate--tan jacket over khaki pants).  So my privacy is still intact!

My pics are at: http://whistlindixie.rrpicturearchives.net/archiveThumbs.aspx?id=25638 for 1024X768, and all were also posted in the alt.binaries.pictures.rail Usenet group in 1280X1024 size.  All are 10 MP photos.  So far, only the EB part of the trip has been posted, so there's much more to come! 

[WhistlinDixie]

It didn't look like they were even ready to water the engines at Red Wing EB.  10 minutes after I got there, they were just starting to unroll the hoses.  At first, the train stopped a city block short of where it was supposed to be.  Guess the Keystone boys were in kommand... 

[lhtalbot]

Great pics Keith,

Thanks for sharing

Larry in Wauwatosa