The sun poured in through the window! That meant the storm had left and we should have sunny skies for our last day in Indiana.
After a continental breakfast, we drove north to leave the rental car at Tipton so we could get to the airport for the 5:20 PM flight for Chicago and then home.
I took a picture of the end of track at Tipton. Dave and his son picked up Chris Parker and I and drove us back to the Indiana Transportation Museum where we had some time to look around.
Wabash and C&O Cabooses.
NKP VO-1000 99.
NKP painted GE 44 Toner 91.
GP-9 200 ex Union Pacific.
Indianapolis Railways Brillmaster 153.
Monon F7A 83.
Chicago Transit Authority L car.
Monon FP7A 96.
Milwaukee Road F7B 68B.
A Lackawanna suburban electric car
Milwaukee Road SW-1 867.
Museum scene.
A battery-electric locomotive from the Mishawaka Twin Branch Railroad.
Nickel Plate Caboose.
Passengers waiting for our photo freight to arrive at the platform.
Our train arrived with GP7L 426, NKP boxcar 8099, Conrail hopper 435140, Pennsylvania Railroad hopper 257784, CRCY tank car 3746, boxcar ITM7, flat car B-38, NKP Caboose 770, Business Car NKP 1, Coaches 3076 and 3099 and CB&Q 1602 "Silver Salon".
Nickel Plate GP-7L 426. As soon as everyone was on board, we left the Forest Park station and headed south, crossing Indiana Highway 19 then White River. Once across, we detrained for a unique series of Photo Runbys on the streets of Noblesville. Monon SW1 50 came to pull the passenger cars from the train so we would have just the freight train to photograph.
The train pulled back to the White River bridge for static photos and we all walked to the next street, which was the main highway through Noblesville, for the runby.
Crossing the main highway through Noblesville. Our Photo Runbys would back up traffic in this town until we were done.
The train backed to let traffic by before we did our next Photo Runby.
The next Photo Runby a block away.
Another walk of a couple of blocks would yield this picture.
Keep walking more pictures.
We did a final Photo Runby because the local police were wondering why traffic was so messed up on a Sunday morning.
The passenger part of our train backed down onto the freight set.
Monon SW-1 50 was pushing the passenger set south.
Two more views of the Monon 50.
Monon SW1 50 pushed the passenger set south and coupled to our mixed train before it cut off. We all reboarded and I decided to explore the train and take interior photographs.
Inside of the Business Car NKP 1.
Coach 3076 ex Santa Fe.
Coach 3099 ex Santa Fe.
Ex CB&Q Silver Salon.
Inside of the baggage compartment of the CB&Q Silver Salon. On the way south, NKP 426 started smoking badly and it was decided to stop at Fishers where a crew from the museum would drive down to try and fix it. We arrived at Fishers for a long stop and we all detrained.
Front and rear views of our train at Fishers.
The Fishers Station.
Our train at Fishers.
Bart Jennings had all he could take as he laid down on the sidewalk taking a much-needed break. I walked to the Nickel Plate Cafe and bought a T-shirt as our engine was being fixed. It was then announced that we would have a Photo Runby in front of the Nickel Plate Cafe.
The Nickel Plate Railroad 426 ran by the Nickel Plate Cafe at Fishers.
Nickel Plate Caboose 770 ran by the Nickel Plate Cafe. Once the train had cleared the crossing, we all reboarded and continued south. Our trip passed through Castleton before we went under I465. We then went through Marlott Park before we passed the Indiana State fairgrounds where the museum runs trains when the fair is taking place. We crossed Fall Creek before we came to our turn-around point at 38th Street siding where we could detrain for pictures.
Our train had reached the southern end of our journey at the 38th Street Yard in the northern part of Indianapolis.
Nickel Plate Caboose 770.
The engine then ran around our train and everyone reboarded. Bart walked through the train with new estimated arrival times for the museum, Tipton and the return. It had become so late that we needed to get off at the museum and be driven back to our car at Tipton. I told the crew our problem and Joel Epstein offered to drive us up to Tipton. While this would cut my trip mileage short, I could come back anytime and ride the pizza train to get that mileage. Bart said that the engine problem and running at only 10 mph caused our time problems. It was decided once we returned to the museum that the freight cars would be cut off so the train could go 25 mph. We made our way back to the museum where several of us detrained.
Joel Epstein, our brakemen, drove Chris Parker and I up to the car at Tipton.
Coming back through Atlanta we spotted our train coming towards us. We drove straight to the Indianapolis International Airport where we returned our Hertz rental car. A shuttle dropped Chris off at Northwest Airlines first where we shook hands and wished each other a safe flight home. The driver then dropped me off at United Airlines and I used a touch screen to get my boarding pass and to check my two bags to Orange County. I went through security and got "puffed" like all the other passengers here. It was easy and quick. At 5:00 PM, they checked us in and we all walked through the tunnel and downstairs to a waiting Embraer 145 airplane.
United Airlines 7781 operated by Chautauqua 4/15/2007We departed from Gate 9 at 5:25 PM EDT, then taxied out to be in position and took off at 5:34 PM EDT. It was a quick flight up to 20,000 feet before we descended through the clouds, arriving at Chicago O'Hare Airport at 5:19 PM CDT. I walked from Terminal B to Terminal C and had a ribeye steak sandwich at the Billy Goat Tavern and Grill. I walked to Gate C 11 where I wrote most of the Beech Grove Story during my wait.
United Airline 387 4/15/2007I boarded the B757 airplane at 8:00 PM CDT and took off at 8:27 PM CDT. I was tired but watched the movie and the NBC programs before an early arrival at Orange County at 10:25 PM PDT. I met my mother and got my luggage before I drove us home ending a fantastic trip to Pennsylvania and Indiana. A special thank you to Bart and Sarah Jennings for two days of photo trips over new mileage.
