Thanks are due to our intrepid freelance photographer Joel Ahrendt, who in addition to working on Monday as motorman of the IT "Tangerine Flyer" train also grabbed some photos and sent them along for the enjoyment of our readers.
The IT train only comes out once or twice a year and it's always great to see it in operation. It included the usual set: combine 277 pulling coach trailer 518 and parlor-observation trailer 234. It's not shown here but Joel even dressed up the observation platform railing on the 234 with a bit of bunting in honor of Memorial Day.
On Sunday, the 1630 was pulling the usual Lackawanna commuter coach train while F-units were pulling the heavyweight train. But on Monday, the heavyweight train was steam-powered, which I'll admit I wouldn't have minded seeing for myself. I'll have to catch it next time.
With an RPO, combine, day coach, heavyweight sleeper-lounge, Pullman 10-3, and heavyweight observation car, this was one impressive looking consist.
For those who got tired of neat, prewar trains graced by open-platform obs cars, we were also running spam cans.
It was an all-CSL weekend on the streetcar line, and there's never anything wrong with that. Saturday saw the 1374 and Sunday the 144, while on Monday the 3142 (shown here) and the Matchbox doubled up.
Here's the Matchbox at Depot Street with Zach at the controller.
The caboose train was electric-powered on Monday, so that's a nice change from the usual diesel. At the right edge of this picture you can see Good Nick in white and Thomas in overalls.
So to win the grand prize, you need to answer today's trivia question (and no, car shop volunteers who already know the answer to this aren't eligible!). Zach, shown here running the 1374, is definitely not wearing a Chicago streetcar uniform - but what city's uniform is it?
2 comments:
Stephen Karlson of DeKalb got the observation cars, as well as a look at the inside of the Pullmans and executive car here. Are the two Pullmans and the executive car new to the steam train?
The observation car, the "Pawnee," is a private car that arrived at IRM in December 2019. This was its second time in operation, after a debut last September during Showcase Weekend. The 10-3 sleeper "Villa Real" was operating at IRM for its first time. The "Dover Strait" had been used a couple of times several years back, but recent work has (I believe) expanded how much of the car can be used for seating, and I think that - like the "Pawnee" - this is only its second recent time out, after Showcase Weekend last September.
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