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Hinsdale Station

One can stand trackside and see the headlights of three or more approaching trains in the distance . . .

Chicago’s Metra commuter system is one of the busiest in the U.S., with lines emanating from downtown in all directions to the suburbs.  Trains originate from four stations: Union, LaSalle Street, Millennium (near the site of the Illinois Central Railroad’s Central Station) and the Ogilvie Transportation Center (a skyscraper built on the site of Chicago & North Western’s Northwestern Station).  Every weekday morning trains pour into the downtown area, packed with commuters headed to work in the city.  The late afternoon hours find the reverse as commuters head for home.

Of the many routes operated by the system, the former Chicago, Burlington & Quincy line to Aurora is the busiest.  During the height of the commuter rush, one can stand trackside and see the headlights of three or more approaching trains in the distance on the triple track mainline.  The northern-most track finds trains making local stops, while express trains take the middle track and a combination of empty deadhead moves and eastbound commuter trains take the southernmost track.

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A Passion for Steam

“Items in the news remind us that a new generation has arisen that knows nothing of the intricacies of the three pedals of the old ‘Model T’ steerage or the most palatial suite of a modern luxury ocean liner or the cinders, soot, and smoke of the old coal burning steam locomotive. But those who do find various modes of expression for their particular sentimental attachment.” – Roy L. Peterson, Belvidere Daily Republican, September 25, 1967

There are around one thousand preserved steam locomotives in the United States today. Most are confined to parks or museums. The lucky few have been restored to operation and pull special trips several times per year, bringing the lucky passengers on a trip back in time. However, even after being preserved, some locomotives were still ultimately lost to the cutting torch. Locomotives that met such fate that come to mind include Texas & Pacific No. 638, Southern Pacific No. 743, and of course, the Chicago Burlington & Quincy No. 5632 and Grand Trunk Western No. 5629. This is the story of the latter two, the locomotives that they were preserved with, and the man behind it all—Dick Jensen, a pioneer in the effort to preserve steam locomotives.

Part I: A Passion For Steam

By 1924, the Grand Trunk Western Railway needed a steam locomotive that could haul passengers and do it fast. The answer was the K4 series of 4-6-2 Pacific type locomotives, the first of which (K4A) were erected at the American Locomotive Company’s shops in Schenectady, New York in January and February of 1924. (After the first order, the GTW would turn to Baldwin for future K4s). The K4As were equipped with 73-inch drivers and produced 41,000 pounds of tractive effort. Designed to pull commuter trains in Michigan, the engines could easily reach 100 miles an hour with a full passenger train (in the later years of their service, they also pulled freight trains).

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Jubilee

On the Anniversary of 25 Years Behind a Nikon

Practically everyone, of a certain age at least, and photographer or not, knows that singer-songwriter Paul Simon belted out the praises of Kodachrome film and a Nikon camera way back in 1973. The combination of the two could make for some powerful photography, in the hands of a capable photographer.

While I’d used Kodachrome 64 film almost exclusively since early 1991, I didn’t have a Nikon camera. I’d first used my dad’s Pentax K1000 surreptitiously and without his permission, and then a similarly handling Vivitar V2000 of my own. The Vivitar used K-mount (Pentax) lenses, so in addition to my own gear, I was still able to use dad’s glass, which he was much more willing to “loan out” than his beloved camera. 

Finally, in the late winter of 1995, in anticipation of my forthcoming graduation from college, my parents gifted me a Nikon FM2 SLR camera, along with an MD-12 motor drive and two Nikkor lenses. The motor drive was powered by a bank of 8 “AA” batteries; once connected to the camera with a lens, the combined assembly was heavy as a brick. But I didn’t care. At last, I had a Nikon camera. 

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Editor’s Notebook

A New Video

It’s been almost a year since we added a video to The Trackside Photographer’s YouTube channel, but we have a new video up and I hope you will take a minute to view it. It is a brief (less than five minutes) contemplation of the remains of Southern and Baltimore & Ohio railroads in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Strasburg Junction was once the hub of rail activity in the Valley, but is a ghost of its former self.

If you like this video, please give it a thumbs-up, and consider subscribing to our YouTube channel. We don’t upload new videos very often, but if you subscribe, at least you will know when we do.

And a Book

If you live near the Shenandoah Valley, or find yourself railfanning there, this book is highly recommended. Bob Cohen travels station by station down the Baltimore & Ohio from Brunswick, Maryland to Strasburg, Virginia and then follows the Southern Railway from Strasburg to Lexington, Virginia. Along the way, he tells about the history of each stop and provides historic photos of the stations, people and track structures. He also includes a listing of known Station Agents at each depot. I am indebted to Bob for the history of Strasburg Junction included in the video.

A Trip by Rail in the Shenandoah Valley is available at Ron’s Books.

Edd Fuller, Editor

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Cold!

The second trick operator at MO Tower wades through the knee-deep snow to take over the desk. MO didn’t last much longer. It was taken out of service by the next year.

Tuesday January 18, 1994 was forecast for frigid temperatures and there was a significant snowfall already on the ground. What better time to head up to the top of the Alleghenies at Cresson, Pennsylvania, to take a few train pictures? Listening to the radio on the drive up, the weatherman was warning people that the high that day would be negative 7 degrees. Pretty darn cold. 

I bundled up in my warmest parka, heavy gloves and insulated boots. Remembering mistakes I’d made in the past, I made a mental note to rewind and finished rolls of film very slowly. The extremely dry air at that temperature could cause a lot of static between the film stock and the felt seal on the film canisters. I’d seen lots of “lightning bolts” on people’s film at the lab. Explaining what happened with someone’s vacation pictures to some completely clueless customer was not fun.

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