Thu
4
Feb '10
We are back to winter cycling. Did you Notice the collection of snow?
N1EY
Sat
23
Jan '10
Paxton, IL is the home to the Illinois Central Historical Society. It was once a large historical society dedicated to the preservation of the legacy of the Illinois Central Railroad. The Society is located in the former Nickel Plate depot in Paxton, IL. Paxton is the site of several major improvements 
on the railroad right way, which occurred in early part of the 20th century. In order to eliminate the grade into town, the railroad had a cut created. This also allowed the Nickel Plate to cross on its’ own elevation and eliminated a diamond crossing.
on the railroad right way, which occurred in early part of the 20th century. In order to eliminate the grade into town, the railroad had a cut created. This also allowed the Nickel Plate to cross on its’ own elevation and eliminated a diamond crossing.
The old bridge for the Nickel Plate is finally being replaced with a pedestrian bridge. Paxton is also the location of one of the few Dairy Queen’s immediately in the vicinity of the IC along the right of way from Homewood to Champaign. A typical chase pattern often involves following a Norfolk Southern auto/parts manifest to Gibson City. A short ride from Gibson City to Paxton returns you to the mainline. You can stop for some Ice cream, too! You just might be able to catch the Gilman Roadswitcher heading south and not really miss any of the action while you are chasing the Norfolk Southern, if you just time everything perfectly.Here 
is a picture of some us at the Nickel Plate Depot in 2009. We have been there many times. Sometimes Chuck is there to greet you. He is a great guy and he is the under-appreciated backbone of the Illinois Central Historical Society. The Illinois Central Railroad Heritage Association has since supplanted the former ICHS. The Heritage Association has been publishing a fine magazine known as the Mid-American, which has been improving with quality as each issue reaches my desk. My friend, Paul Burgess, has continued to edit this magazine. He was the former editor of the Green Diamond. The Illinois Central Railroad Heritage Association’s website is located at http://icrha.com/. I would recommend that you join as a member. This organization and the two museums in McComb and Monticello are the principal organizations involved in retaining the memory of the former Illinois Central Railroad.
is a picture of some us at the Nickel Plate Depot in 2009. We have been there many times. Sometimes Chuck is there to greet you. He is a great guy and he is the under-appreciated backbone of the Illinois Central Historical Society. The Illinois Central Railroad Heritage Association has since supplanted the former ICHS. The Heritage Association has been publishing a fine magazine known as the Mid-American, which has been improving with quality as each issue reaches my desk. My friend, Paul Burgess, has continued to edit this magazine. He was the former editor of the Green Diamond. The Illinois Central Railroad Heritage Association’s website is located at http://icrha.com/. I would recommend that you join as a member. This organization and the two museums in McComb and Monticello are the principal organizations involved in retaining the memory of the former Illinois Central Railroad.N1EY
Sat
16
Jan '10
KB1PBT and I traveled to San Clemente one time. It seems like such a distant memory. We visited the area in 2007. We happened to have a spot of luck. There was a storm brewing on the pacific close to the California beaches. This does not happen with a great sense of frequency. I think that I captured some nice storm shots. The full photo album is available here.
An Evangelical Lutheran church service is held on the beach every weekend. 
The pastor had thunder and lightning to echo her sentiments as she doled some wisdom in the sermon. I spoke with her after the service and she was a very friendly and engaging pastor. The parish has a church building inland, but they provide services at the beach as an outreach.
The pastor had thunder and lightning to echo her sentiments as she doled some wisdom in the sermon. I spoke with her after the service and she was a very friendly and engaging pastor. The parish has a church building inland, but they provide services at the beach as an outreach.The train line from San Diego heads north past the beaches. This line was originally built by the Santa Fe Railway. There is some freight service to San Diego, but there is very little overhead traffic as San Diego is the end of the line. Amtrak provides service over this line. Metrolink and Coaster provide commuter rail service over portions of this line. Metrolink runs from Los Angeles to Oceanside and Coaster runs from Oceanside to San Diego. Oceanside is just south of San Clemente. If you arrive here early in the morning then you should be able to observe a freight train and a number of passenger trains. It is a very happening piece of railroad track. WA1NYC and I were able to ride an ex-Great Northern full observation dome car over this line, once. We had chartered the car for the occasion and I remember WA1NYC writing the check for it.
N1EY
Wed
13
Jan '10
I have been reading this delightful book, which focuses on the history of physics development and the specific preludes to the development of applications for radio. This book mentions all of the names great and small. It is an excellent choice for a history class as it summarizes the progression of scientific thought in regards to early modern physics in the context of some of the important historical norms.
The book talks about Maxwell and the consolidation of his theories, but the book also covers the advent of modern broadcasting. The questions about Sarnoff are raised. The book mentions the first use of radio in police communications.
Overall, the book is an excellent primer on radio history. Check out the book at Amazon. The book has been published from Telescope Books.
N1EY
Wed
30
Dec '09
I recently saw the story on the national news regarding the Sea Lions. After almost twenty years of constant loitering in the vicinity of the F Line in San Francisco they have decided enough is enough. They have left San Francisco for a better place. I am posting this to just show you that you never can return. Every visit to some place is magic and things are never the same. Some things always seem to stay the same but nothing is ever the same.
I had captured this moment several years, ago. I was hoping to see them, again.
N1EY
Sun
6
Dec '09
I have received a copy of the new book entitled The History of Wireless by Ira Brodsky for the purposes of reviewing the text. The book is available from many fine booksellers and Amazon. I have read several other books on this topic and histories on signalling systems in use prior to the development of radio.
N1EY
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We had a great trip to Canada in 2006. We stopped at a nice spot near the Royal Botanical Gardens near Brampton, Ontario. This was a great location in which Canadian National traffic heads for international trackage. The album is here. The Ex-New york Central Station is also located in Hamilton. Hamilton is a large city with a large population which is between Toronto and Fort Erie on the Queen’s Expressway. Route 403 also was one of the first roads in North America to feature an Electronic Toll Collection system which did not require the use of a transponder. We also stopped at the Freedom Bridge which carries the Canadian National into Buffalo from Fort Erie. 
With the aid of some locals we were able to discover all of the best locations to capture pictures of the traffic moving through the junctions. One spot is practically adjacent to the Queen’s expressway. If you see cars parked by the road while railfanning, make sure to check them out. They could be on a pathway through the brush to a scenic overlook of the tracks.
During our adventure in Brampton, ON we saw some run through IC power. We saw IC 6017
on a train from the States. It was fantastic to see IC power in a different spot for once. We also saw IC 6129 which had been repainted with the Canadien National Railways Paint Scheme.
We were also able to take in some stations along the shared VIA/Amtrak route as we headed towards Buffalo. We also captured some rare pictures of several short line operations in the vicinity of Brampton. It is a great area with some fantastic scenery. We stopped at nice museum in Fort Erie, Ontario as well. The people in the area were all extremely friendly and very helpful. The artifacts kept in the Fort Erie museum were in great condition and had received much attention from the museum volunteers.
These pictures were taken in one day. We had a mixture of overcast skies and bountiful sun. It can be a challenge at times. The overcast skies also allowed shots in certain directions which would have been difficult if the sun was in the wrong place
or we in place at the wrong time. There are four principal shooting locations in the area. We took the Queen’s Expressway until we switched to Route 2 for the approach towards Hamilton, Ontario. The Junction is called Bayview Junction. Route 2 passes over two of tracks. The northeasterly trackage from Hamilton heads north on the side east of Route 2. The Queens Expressway passes over two of the tracks as they funnel towards the east on the side west of the Route 2. There is an unpaved parking area on the western side of Route 2.
(1) You can walk into the bush for some shots coming from the west.
(2) You can also shoot along Valley Inn Road, which makes a perpendicular connection to Route 2 on the other side; Route 2 is a four lane divided highway.
(3) Further backwards is a bridge where Route2 crosses the combined tracks heading north.
(4) You can also park in the parking lot on Spring Garden Road, which is off Route 2. There is a walkway to a foot bridge, which crosses the tracks. This bridge takes visitors to the Royal Gardens.
There is also a yard north of the Aldershot Go Station. You should be able to easily find the yard. There is an overpass, which traverses the yard.
I shall also enclose a picture of Amtrak operations. This photograph was taken south of Hamilton, Ontario at a station for joint services.
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We were able to obtain some 
unique and some what rare shots of freight action. This is a short line making a move west of Toronto. They cross a vertical lift bridge in this photograph. This shot had been taken in 2006. In the shot to the right another train was moving with a Canadian pacific engine on lightly served CP trackage. This was also taken in 2006. We had many days of light rain early in the morning with rapidly improving skies in the mid-morning. This made for some interesting shots early in the morning with difficult lighting conditions. The warm sun really makes taking pictures easier! These are definitely not the newest locomotives, but they are pretty and interesting.N1EY
Sun
22
Nov '09
Check out more pictures at the Ohio 2009 album.
Above is a picture of a RoadRailer train on the Norfolk Southern. The Roadrailer trains are part of a network which runs primarily on Norfolk Southern trackage. However, they do run on other railroads. It is headed for Chicago. The roadrailers probably have some LCL freight but many of the trailers are probably loaded with small autoparts. It is passing the junction with the Mad River Museum in Belluve, Ohio. During the summer of 2009 WA1NYC and I visited Ohio for some of the railroading action. We looked over the remnants of the Nickel Plate on the Norfolk Southern and the parts of B&O on the CSX. The ex-NYC lines are not quite the same, anymore. They used to be part of a complete through line to Chicago, but they are now divided between CSX and NS. We reviewed some portions of the ex New York Central mainline to Chicago west of Cleveland on now Norfolk Southern. Also, Norfolk Southern has always worked on developing Triple Crown as its’ Roadrailer service. Triple Crown often has its own unique routes which are different from the older and newer general freight patterns. The train in the first picture has trailers with destinations unavailable in the network’s earlier years. I also saw roadrailers in Illinois on the ex-Wabash line; this traffic pattern had been established for quite some time at this stage.
In this picture NS 2722
leads a coal train from southern Ohio to Lake Ontario for trans-loading to a vessel for delivery elsewhere. Norfolk Southern is a combination of lines heading in a variety of directions across Ohio. CSX obtained the west/east ex-NYC line from Buffalo, NY to Cleveland since NS already had a similar line orginally owned by the Nickel Plate. You can review a system map of the Nickel Plate at the historical society’s website. 2722 is heading north on ex-NP trackage which crosses junctions with the NS and CSX east/west tracks near Ashtabula, Ohio.
leads a coal train from southern Ohio to Lake Ontario for trans-loading to a vessel for delivery elsewhere. Norfolk Southern is a combination of lines heading in a variety of directions across Ohio. CSX obtained the west/east ex-NYC line from Buffalo, NY to Cleveland since NS already had a similar line orginally owned by the Nickel Plate. You can review a system map of the Nickel Plate at the historical society’s website. 2722 is heading north on ex-NP trackage which crosses junctions with the NS and CSX east/west tracks near Ashtabula, Ohio.
As you can see King Coal is definitely in charge here. Coal continues to provide a major source of revenue for the railroads as the railroads clearly possess the most environmental-friendly and efficient method of transporting the coal. Norfolk Southern can deliver coal from West Virginia and other locales on a relatively short-haul via the north/south line terminating in Ashtabula, OH. In the above picture, a coal train’s contents are being slowly removed and carried to a waiting coal ship.
The B&O has always run through Ohio. Little of the old B&O line through Ohio has changed through the years with CSX. 
Now, traffic goes to the ex-NYC Avon yard in Indianapolis, IN or down the ex-pennsy line to Saint Louis for interchange to Kansas City. While some routings outside of Ohio have changed, the trains still course through the B&O line of CSX. The original B&O has a rich legacy as the second common carrier railroad in North America to initiate services. It has a few choice venues with nice antique depots still remaining. The line is still being expanded as it is still a vital artery. In the picture above is the old B&O depot at North Baltimore. This is not far from the crossing
of the B&O, C&O, and Nickel Plate railroads in Fostoria, which is affectionately known by the locals as Fo City.
Now, traffic goes to the ex-NYC Avon yard in Indianapolis, IN or down the ex-pennsy line to Saint Louis for interchange to Kansas City. While some routings outside of Ohio have changed, the trains still course through the B&O line of CSX. The original B&O has a rich legacy as the second common carrier railroad in North America to initiate services. It has a few choice venues with nice antique depots still remaining. The line is still being expanded as it is still a vital artery. In the picture above is the old B&O depot at North Baltimore. This is not far from the crossing
of the B&O, C&O, and Nickel Plate railroads in Fostoria, which is affectionately known by the locals as Fo City.West of North Baltimore is another fine location at Deschler, OH of a crossing of B&O with the C&O’s north/south line which terminates in Cinncinatti, OH. This is a wonderful location with a lot of activity. You just might not see many trains west of Deschler, if they are heading south. Trains come from the west to head to Cincinatti, as well. There is a nice railfan park at this location as well. ATCSMonitor is also useful for monitoring traffic patterns on the B&O line.
Another fine location in Ohio, but a challenging location for photography is Belluve, Ohio. The Mad River museum is also worth visiting. There are some exemplary pieces on display at the museum. The museum also provides proper care for its’ static displays. It has one of the best preserved interiors for any troop sleeper in the United States. Below is another shot in Ohio of a Norfolk Southern train with mostly empty gondolas. Notice the evergreens in the shot?
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KB1PBT called me up. He was going railfanning on the Norfolk Southern. Oh, wait. I am sorry that is the old Pan Am Railways?
I just ordered a new Fuji Mountain cross-country Bike from Rockland Cycle in Rockland, MA for a great price. I have been riding more than railfanning for the past two months. We are still keeping up the pace on Sunday mornings. We usually have a good turn-out for fall and winter riding.
I have updated some of the engines running on n1ey.com. We utilize PHP programs. The picture archive has been upgraded to a considerable newer and more stable engine.
N1EY
Sat
7
Nov '09
Homewood has always been a great place to catch some of the action on the Illinois Central Railroad. The local Village has worked diligently to promote railfanning in Homewood in a safe manner. You rarely see such interest displayed by local government in New England communities or most midwestern locales. Many other locations have fixtures created by local organizations. The Village has errected a viewing stand for the public use. There is a nice set of benches under shelter from the sun available for train watching in the early mornings.
The activity along the IC, now CN railways, is more suitable for morning viewing. Many of the trains 
roll right past the viewing stand. There is no suitable vantage point to see any northbound trains which originate from Markham yard. In the summer mornings you should be able to see at least two amtrak trains, two norfolk southern trains on trackage rights, the northbound intermodal, and a northbound manifest. You should be able to see the Markham yard switcher, and the departure of the Homewood Roadswitcher. Remember the switcher has the really neat power. Most of the locomotives now feature yellow reflective safety stripe. Only a few remain in unfettered original IC paint schemes.
Plus, you have the 
chance to see lots of commuter rail action. All of this had been electrified originally by the Illinois Central. You’d better hurry as the older electric bi-level commuter stock is slowly being replaced. Make sure that you do not park in any of the commuter lots. The private lot always tows. Remember to stop at the bakery to pick up some coffee. This is a great spot to hang out with the others, smell the diesel, hear the brakes applied, and sip some nice coffee.
N1EY
Tue
3
Nov '09
We are starting up winter spinning. It is getting so dark, here. It is hard to take pictures, either.
N1EY
Sat
10
Oct '09
Below is a picture of an extra coal movement which is heading for Decatur. These movements are part of the overall trend to have a lot of trains use only a portion of the IC mainline. The IC has reduced the capital contribution required by each train by allowing other trains from foreign roads to offset some of the costs. When you head to southern part of Illinois you can see BNSF run through trains and other things. You just never know. You might also see a coal train with empty cars riding on the back as it is almost a free ride for them.
Effingham is a nice city with a stop on Amtrak. The City of New Orleans and two regional trains stop at the former Illinois Central station which is at the crossroads of the CN and CSX. Several videos have been made by various persons. These videos have been for commercial sale. One video features all of the trains at the location during 24 hours. The CSX line has gained a considerable amount of business since the acquisition of Conrail. Much of the old B&O traffic can come through Effingham on the former Pennsy mai
nline. The Conrail traffic from the pennsy and ex-nyc base had dwindled over the years prior to the sale of Conrail as Conrail only reached St. Louis. In the days of the Pennsy and the New York Central Saint Louis was the second most important connection after Chicago. These giants reached Saint Louis by crossing the Illinois Central at Effingham and Mattoon, respectively. The New York Central line through Mattoon was shuttered as it was possible to connect traffic from the ex Big Four(New York Central) yard in Avon, IN with the Pennsy mainline. All of this mattered little for Conrail in the end as they did not have an effective connection to Kansas City, which has become a very important connection for modern day mega-railroads. In these days after Conrail traffic from all of sorts of CSX points has been funnelled over this line on the way to Saint Louis which has helped to improve the railfanning prospects. Just do not visit on a Monday. It seems like a slow day for CSX.
There is also a short line railroad which operates in the industrial park. The
Illinois Central Centennial Medallons are missing from the former IC station. One of the buildings has windows which have been covered with plywood. Still, it is a fun place to see some trains.
Illinois Central Centennial Medallons are missing from the former IC station. One of the buildings has windows which have been covered with plywood. Still, it is a fun place to see some trains. 
You are more likely to catch a coal extra around here than in Champaign. The coal comes from various places such as the PAL or BNSF. Some coal might be going to the plant in Decatur. So this coal is not going to head up the mainline, but head for Decatur via Mattoon, which is further to the north. To the right is a picture of the principal locomotive power of the short line, Illinois Western,which as mentioned is located in town to the southwest of the at grade crossing of CN and CSX.
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I have been biking a little bit here and there. The season is ending as the sun sets more rapidly by the day.
N1EY
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