Trackside Log for Saturday, August 4, 2007

Today was day two of my 2007 vacation. I departed the hotel in Valparaiso early and headed west. I didn't intend to stop until I got to Iowa. The weather was gradually deteriorating the entire drive. When I arrived at Nahant, Iowa there was a light overcast. As I finished crossing the Mississippi River into Iowa I could see a variety of locomotives parked around the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern roundhouse.

• 1025 CDT Nahant, Iowa - ICE power - ICE 6413-DME 6200-ICE 6421-ICE 6429 (photo 1, photo 2)
• 1026 CDT Nahant, Iowa - ICE power - KCS 3120-KCS 3143 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3)
• 1027 CDT Nahant, Iowa - ICE power - DME 6087

While photographing the engines parked at the roundhouse a switching move approached the crossing.

• 1028 CDT Nahant, Iowa - ICE switcher - ICE 103
• 1033 CDT Nahant, Iowa - ICE power - ICE 4200 (photo)

The Kansas City Southern locomotives were a pleasant surprise. After taking my photographs I was on my way toward Burlington, Iowa to hunt down the Burlington Junction Railway. The weather was getting worse as I arrived in town. It was starting to rain when I ran across one of their General Electric switchers.

• 1220 CDT Burlington, Iowa - Burlington Junction Railway power - BJRY 44 (photo)

Very shortly after photographing the switcher the skies opened up and it poured. I called off the search for more power and drove westward through the rain. By the time I arrived in Ottumwa, Iowa the rain had stopped and the sun was starting to shine. However, the moisture in the air was stifling. I explored town a bit and ran across a Burlington Junction Railway engine parked beside what was once the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy roundhouse.

• 1410 CDT Ottumwa, Iowa - Burlington Junction Railway power - BJRY 714 (photo 1, photo 2)

I also dropped by the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern yard where another set of Kansas City Southern engines was parked. Unfortunately it was not parked anywhere I could photograph. Next I drove on to Albia, Iowa. The first item of interest I ran across was a Burlington Northern Santa Fe power set coupled to a snow plow. It was way too hot for snow, but what the heck.

• 1455 CDT Albia, Iowa - BNSF power - CEFX 136-BNSF 9921-BN plow 972618 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3)

I then started to follow the Appanoose County Community Railroad tracks which led me to the Relco facility just south of town. Parked near the switch into the grounds was an Appanoose engine.

• 1514 CDT Albia, Iowa - Appanoose County Community Railroad power - APNC 973-RLCX 913 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3)

Behind the Relco shops was a large variety of power. Initially I drove in to see if it was possible to photograph, but nobody was around. I thought it best not to galavant around the premises so I simply photographed the Relco switcher which was viewable from the parking lot and left.

• 1522 CDT Albia, Iowa - Relco power - RLCX 1255 (photo)

I followed more of the tracks toward Centerville, Iowa where I discovered that all the tracks in town had been abandoned. I explored a bit but elected to move on. I followed the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks for a while and eventually heard a westbound obtain a track warrant. It was ahead of me but I managed to catch up to it just east of Creston, Iowa.

• 1829 CDT Creston, Iowa - BNSF westbound - BNSF 6191-BNSF 9414

As I drove through Creston I discovered approximately six parked trains in town. None were photographable so I continued on westward. I stopped briefly at Pacific Junction but it was getting dark so I made my way to Lincoln, Nebraska to stay the night at the Fairfield Inn. It turned out to be a decent day considering I hadn't planned to see very much.