This 1913 ALCO Mikado had a successful run this last weekend, from Hartford WI to Fairwater on Saturday and the return trip on Sunday. This was a paid photo excursion with arranged photo locations and numerous run-bys, and the first real run by the locomotive since the host Wisconsin & Southern RR was acquired by Watco. The track is former Milwaukee Road through Rubicon, Iron Ridge, Horicon, Burnett, Waupun, Brandon, and on to Fairwater. Much of it is now welded rail although there still is some jointed rail.
The Saturday trips were in a cold drizzle, often a strong rain with wind, and by the evening we were all soaked and cold and hungry and miles from the available motel rooms and restaurants, so few of us had much stomach for the scheduled night photo shoot at the old Fairwater grain elevator near the pond, and it was canceled. My clothes and shoes were still damp the next morning. We did have photo runbys there Sunday morning, with an old John Deere tractor strategically parked, and also from across the pond. A nearby private museum had a collection of Case tractors and vehicles on display for us. Neat stuff.
On Saturday at the Rubicon cemetery a 1947 DeSoto with two appropriately dressed "mourners" huddled under their driver's umbrella provided the "authentic" foreground for repeated runbys of the 1003, which was also debuting its new tool car, a brightly painted Milwaukee Road "reefer." The rest of the freight cars were drab "generic" 1950s vintage sand cars, fortunately not showing much graffiti, and the wood Soo Line caboose.
The Sunday return trip was in beautiful sun and while there was no official antique car for photos, a lucky drive by involving a 1957 T-bird -- while perhaps stretching authenticity a bit -- made for some great photo opportunities in Burnett, where the former C&NW track is partly in use to a feed mill but is otherwise a bike trail.
The engine looked and sounded great -- a sharp staccato exhaust. The only challenge during the Sunday trip was when the generator failed and had to be replaced, which the crew did (a spare was in the tool car) in about the time it took to water up the locomotive at Brandon. We had several run bys there.
It was great to see this fine example of regular work-a-day Midwestern steam return to full operation. I filled up four CF cards with photos which I have yet to download. I am hoping for a few good shots. I consider the days money well spent.
Dave Nelson
Well done 1013 folks
I rode behind this engine on a 200 mile round trip, Gladstone to Trout Lake, MI, on original Soo trackage, in the late 90s. Longest steam trip I ever took. Glad to see it's back.
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