After having lunch at the Tent by the tickets, we all walked across the street to the boarding area and waited to board the train to Walcott. We boarded and found seats in Car 3.
The Conductor punched the passengers tickets in this ex Montreal Commuter Coach.
The diesel pulled our train east to the Rock Island.
The single QJ pushed on the rear of our train.
The Casino Boat in Rock Island.
The dryland Casino in Rock Island.
View looking north across the Mississippi River at downtown Davenport.
Inside of the ex Montreal Commuter Coaches.
The Skyline of Davenport across the Mississippi River.
River Walk in Rock Island.
New mileage awaits me as we continued to back.
Our train is almost to the Rock Island Yard.
Our train backed all the way down to the yard.
Our train started forward at the Rock Island Yard.
Curving onto new mileage for me as we head for the Government Bridge.
Our train headed towards the crossing of the Mississippi River.
The side channel of the Mississippi River
Two views of the Rock Island Arsenal.
The train crossing the main channel of the Mississippi River.
These rails I rode on during the Grand Excursion of 2004.
The QJ took the first curve in Davenport.
This once was a double track railroad.
The location of the old Rock Island Station in Davenport.
Downtown Davenport.
This attractive building is used by the Davenport Police Department.
Two views of the QJ taking a curve in west Davenport.
Elizabeth and me aboard this trip towards Walcott.
This is where we shot the QJ's this morning at the Central Park Avenue grade crossing.
My good friends Bob and Elizabeth who will be married this Valentine Day 2009. May they both be blessed with a long life together!
Views as we have reached rural Iowa.
A nice looking red barn.
Corn fields that have past their usefulness.
The QJ pulled our train to Milepost 191.0 and stopped. This was the western most point our train traveled to, not Walcott. The diesel would pull us back to the Rock Island Yard. Once there the QJ would pull us back to the boarding area where we detrained ending our first trip riding behind a Chinese QJ Steam engine. I went off for some pictures.
Our train back at Rock Island.
QJ 2-10-2 7081 at rest.
New Iowa Interstate 503 was on display at Rock Island.
Two more views of Iowa Interstate 503.
Another view of the QJ 7081. I saw Keith Schmidt across the street and we had decided to go out and photograph the 3PM QJ Trip to Walcott. Keith had two other friends with him one being Bob Gallegos so we all piled into his van and headed west to the Central Park Avenue grade crossing.
The QJ pulled the train across Central Park Avenue. I told Keith about a bridge that still had a Rock Island emblem on it and we all decided that would be a good picture.
The Rock Island Emblem on the bridge over the road. We set up for the picture of the train coming back from Walcott.
The train returned across that Rock Island emblemed bridge. We headed back to Davenport and caught the train crossing the Government Bridge.
The train crossing the Government Bridge between Davenport and Rock Island. We then drove that bridge on the lower level and got ahead of the train but got caught in a traffic jam on the other channel bridge just as the train started to cross their bridge across it.
A picture through the van window. I suggested a spot in a parking lot just west of the town center.
The QJ put on a great show as it blew down as it passed our photo location. With that down, we decided to do a little railfanning so we headed back across the Mississippi River and headed up river looking for an Iowa, Chicago & Eastern train.
We found the ICE Freight and parked in the driveway of a Yacht Club to go get a few pictures.
ICE 6437.
ICE 6442.
Soo Line 4511. We then drove west back through Davenport to the ICE yard west of town.
ICE 110 on an industrial lead.
At the yard we found the ICE Inspection Train with the ICE 4204, Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Plum Creek, Silver Lake and The Pioneer.
The DM&E Plum Creek.
The DM&E Silver Lake.
Two views of the DM&E The Pioneer.
Three views around the ICE Roundhouse. We headed back to Rock Island and picked up our T-shirts. I picked up Bob and Elizabeth's shirts and went across the street to wait for their train to come back from Silvas.
The Silvas Train returned to the boarding area.
A nice low light view of the Iowa Interstate diesel on this train. I walked to the other end for pictures of the QJ.
Two different views of the QJ that powered the Silvas Train. Bob, Elizabeth and I went to the car for a few minutes to prepare themselves for tonight's QJ powered Dinner Train.
