Rail Road Days at Rochelle !!!

[eolafan]

I assume all you fellas have your rooms booked for Galesburg Railroad Days? 

Bergie

I think I would be pushing it a bit with my bride, but I'm going to try and talk her into a trip to Galesburg on Amtrak, back and forth same day...what do you think?

[Bergie]

I assume all you fellas have your rooms booked for Galesburg Railroad Days? 

Bergie

[WSOR 4025]

I was there too. Mike (Yuhas), I had a great time meeting you on saturday! (I was the young black-haired trains subscriber who's birthday was saturday)

[EJE818]

I was at Rochelle Saturday and it was a nice time. 1995 was a extra bonus. They also had Railroad Workcar rides just east of the park near Main Street in downtown Rochelle. This made for a unique opportunity to get photos of westbound UP trains passing the work cars. We all waited around for the 1995 to show up. It only took it 5 and a half hours for it to get from Nelson to Rochelle (well, I guess not really a surprize \ ) I caught it stopped at 1st Avenue waiting for a BNSF train to cross the diamond, then caught it again at the railroad park.

[Modelcar]

....Looks and sounds like a bunch of good times were enjoyed at Rochelle over the weekend.

Enjoyed seeing the photos...more faces to names.

[jeaton]

Carl

I got to Rochelle a little later than planned and by the time the UP 1995 came through, it was too late for me to make the side trip.  Just have to look for that some other time.

Thanks for the information on the 1995.  I passed the word around and everybody was ready to get their best shots when it came through.

Jay

[eolafan]

PZ, I wish you and MZ could have made it, too. 

Jim--how did your wife like the trip?

Jay, did you find the track machinery?  Or did it find you?

Carl, she enjoyed being "out on the road" with me for a change, and she took her cell phone along to speak with her Mom until the battery was about to die so she ended up very happy.  And as an extra added bonus I picked up a copy of the "railfan primer" brochure (a.k.a. "Railroad knowledge 101"), and she actually wants to read it (which she began last night) so when I mention a track flange, etc., she will know what the heck I am talking about.  Good deal!

[CShaveRR]

PZ, I wish you and MZ could have made it, too. 

Jim--how did your wife like the trip?

Jay, did you find the track machinery?  Or did it find you?

[eolafan]

Here is jeaton and eolafan: 

 

 (Nice shirt, Jay!)

Thanks Mike, I enjoyed meeting you and the rest of the crew yesterday.  Thanks to Jeaton for sharing his west coast steam photo log with us as well.  Hope the special kit I gave you worked out so Mrs. Yuhas is happier with you after than before.  Hope to meet you again some day soon. Jim

[blhanel]

ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

Brian-I have a couple more in just about the same spot so if you want this one, it's yours.

S'OK, Jay, I'll get more opportunities to snag some shots of the heritage fleet I'm sure.

//probably after I retire in nine years

Nice mug shot, btw- taken by a great photographer, no less!

 

[Poppa_Zit]

Looks like a good time was had by all.

Thanks for the photos. Nice to put faces to the names.

Wish I coulda been there.

[jeaton]

Thanks, Mike

(By the way, where do I send my bill my services as a walking advertisement for Trains?)

[mikeyuhas]

Here is jeaton and eolafan: 

 

 (Nice shirt, Jay!)

 

 

[jeaton]

ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

Brian-I have a couple more in just about the same spot so if you want this one, it's yours.

[blhanel]

ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

[jeaton]

Nice Sunday afternoon at the park.  Chance to chat with Mike, Classic Trains' Rob McGonical, Brian Matsumoto from Canon and Jim (eolafan).

Carl Shaver called from his desk high up in the Proviso Hump Tower and gave us a heads up on an engine assigned to a westbound.

Here it is:

 

[eolafan]

Good smile for the camera Carl, very photogenic!  My bride has agreed to join me at Rochelle today and we will be there over the lunch hour (give or take). Hope to see some of you there today. Jim

[CShaveRR]

Dunno about that, Jay--we missed the tie machine, because it was in Creston, which we didn't detour off to visit.  A lot of other stuff was visible, though, and an articulated (for lack of a better word) tamper was in action in Malta.

Weather down here is wonderful--you ought to do well.  Have fun!

[jeaton]

Carl

Thanks for the update.  As you probably know, I travel south on I-39 to get to Rochelle, so I will make it a point to head east on 38 for a bit to check out the work equipment if it is not already west of I-39.  Assume it will be easy to spot from the highway.

Jay

[blhanel]

I'll make sure Erik gets a shot of me with somebody at Galesburg...

[mikeyuhas]

I was there, too--Mike Yuhas snapped a photograph of Matt VanHattem and me standing with a BNSF train in the background--I wonder how Erik's going to compete with that!

 

Here it is:

 

Good to meet you, Carl and Pat!

 

 

 

 

[gradyo54]

Hi Carl, I was talking to Phil at the east end of the pavilion where a guy and his wife were grilling some burgers, then they all went in the pavilion, I had to laugh there was a small child with his family, the kid had a PC Junction t-shirt on and I asked if they were from Door County WI, they said they were. Well I was at the PC Jct. Restaurant in Door County last week and ate there. they have an O gauge train that runs around the restaurant and "delivers " the food to the people at the bar!! It funny Door County has no real rail roads but the PC JCT. makes up for that Great Food. The next time Trains has a RR days I will wear a name tag with my forum "Handle" "Gradyo54" If you get to central IL please visit Monticello they have a nice RR museum with REAL trains!! 6.5 miles of track and Steam next year! Visit the web site and take a look.

www.prairienet.org/mrm/homepage.html . By the way I was the guy in the black shirt with the gray hair.  Nice chatting w/you . Greg. P.S. the track crews were at Creston this afternoon just east of the main St. crossing, I too drove to DeKalb on my way back home.

[CShaveRR]

I was there, too--Mike Yuhas snapped a photograph of Matt VanHattem and me standing with a BNSF train in the background--I wonder how Erik's going to compete with that!

It was great to greet Matt again, and to finally get to meet Mike.  Pat and I had a good time just sitting out of the sun in the pavilion, and both railroads cooperated very well.  Our stay culminated with the arrival of MPRCB--headed by UP Heritage unit 1995--from the west.

For anyone thinking about coming west to go to Rochelle tomorrow, the concrete tie work has progressed at least as far west as Malta.  The Route 38 and 23 crossings in DeKalb are completely repaired (concrete sections replaced, asphalt paved up to them)--On May 29, nothing had been done.  There was no sign of any of the wooden ties or old rail anywhere in the city.  There was track machinery galore from Malta to Creston, so I suspect that the big tie machine could have gotten to Creston.  Maybe you'll get to see it in Rochelle after all, Jay!

Greg, I don't know which one you were, but I was listening to Phil for a while, too--he had some good info.

[gradyo54]

I just got home from Rochelle a short 2.5 hour drive from my home in Monticello IL. A great day of train watching today, Trains Magazine and Cannon camera personnel were on hand and I enjoyed talking to them all. There was a good crowd of train watchers, Phil an Engineer from UP was there talking about railroading, He runs from Global 3 to Ft. Madison IA. I think everyone had a great time today!  The food was very good. Thanks Trains & Cannon and the City of Rochelle for the great rail park.

Greg Grady

Monticello IL