Summer Update

Updating has been lax the last couple months, a busy summer all-around.
Haven't gotten too much modeling done, a combination of family, summer railfanning, and that darn job kept getting in the way.

What a railfanning summer though...
As I write this, just 16 days from my 49th birthday (send cash only), I can't recall a more jam-packed two months, and all either directly in my backyard, or at most within a couple hours driving time.

Started with the IRM Trolley Pageant on July 4th. A dreary rainy day didn't take a single thing away from the 2 dozen plus electrics operating. Rare equipment, including pantograph equipped cars, trolley freights, and interurbans "at speed". And all of this literally just feet from the Large Scale Trolley Group "mini-meet".

The rest of the summer is a bit of a blur, so in no particular chronological order :

Leviathan, a new-built 4-4-0 steam locomotive test steamed and run for the first time at the Fox River Trolley Museum (First steam on the line since it was built ??), literally minutes from my house.

SP 4449, chasing it across Illinois, through the western suburbs, into Chicago, then a few weeks later, on display in Franklin Park, and later, north to Milwaukee.

Trainfest 2009, eight steam engines operating for a long 4 day weekend in Michigan.

NKP 765, one of my favorite steam engines, operating trips in Indiana.

IRM Diesel Days, the usual assortment of unique and rare equipment, plus active UP units, and the unveiling of CB&Q 504, resplendent in Chinese Red

IRM pulling CB&Q Hudson 3007 out of barn storage for a couple weeks to post with the Chinese Red unit and other Burlington equipment.

UP 428 steams for the first time in 50 years as IRM's steam team gets closer to returning steam operations to the museum.

Freeport & Stephenson's 1936 standard gauge Heisler in steam (just west of Rockford)

And that's just the last couple months,, still up is Monticello's Railroad Days with another Levithan appearance, and a possible return of Leviathan to FRTM before the year end.

A good time to be a railfan in the Midwest !