Freeport, Ill..."Silver Creek & ?" Heisler

It's a tourist road.  So that means it's operating.  That would be cool to check out.  Do you have a link or a name to investigate?  Thanks for sharing.

http://www.thefreeportshow.com/scs.htm

William 1 :  Check out the Wikepedia site under "Heisler".   It has a list of, known to them, surviving Heislers, including this one.  I would have put in the  whole name but would have to get off this site to do it.  That is all I know about it and the first I'd heard of it.  Cass runs a large 3 truck Heisler but this one I had never heard of.

I think Quick Casey was quick enough.  That is cool.  I will keep this in mind.  Thanks again.

The Heisler at Freeport was previously also located at the Whitewater Valley R.R. at Connersville, IN. in the 1970's. Both Heislers were owned by the same man and I believe were duplicate engines. They both had all new welded boilers built in the late 1960's. 

By coincidence I was just in Freeport yesterday to check out the remains of the ex-MILW passenger station, and the ex-IC/CNW station. That operation out in Freeport, IL really is a unique one. There's really nothing around Freeport that would attract anyone to the town. Lot's and lots of corn field all around. The line that the museum has rebuilt is a few miles south of the IC/CN, which is now the only railroad left in town. It really is a fun ride though. It's rumored that Amtrak will be stopping in Freeport if the Blackhawk ever returns. For awhile there it was the only steam locomotive operating in the whole state of Illinois!

So you took the ride Sam?

"only steamer in Illinois"....I asked on another thread about what may have been a

Chinese loco (or not....it was a while ago) operating in east central Ill.....just off

I-72 or I-74..do not think I-70...on a little tourist road that I understood was also

moving freight.  I stopped  and walked around among the rolling stock once, and think

there was some kind of passenger station there, too.  On one or more later trips I

passed the site which did not look active, still there, but did not stop.  It was identified with a town, but I don't recognize a name scanning a road atlas.  It was

some time after 1971.  Recently, I may not have driven the same route.

William, I did take the ride, but the last time was a few years ago. I remember they had a really cool Milwaukee Road bay window caboose, and some flat cars with seats and railings. It's a nice place, in a nice area, but you really have to be out in that area to go there. Yesterday when I was there I took US Business 20 through town just to follow the old IC line and snoop through the yard area. I tried to stop for gas a few times, but all of the gas stations I found had older pumps that didn't take credit cards.

The Chinese steamers (I think there are two) belong to either Iowa Interstate, or have some affiliation. One of them was just run half way across Illinois a few months back. Now that IRM is about to have live steam again, and Monticello has it with an ex-Southern steamer, there's a bit more variety in Illinois.

Sam

The Silver Creek Heisler ain't alone anymore now that IRM's 1630 has passed her FRA inspection.

Then there's also Southern 2-8-0 #401 at Monticello, Il.

Rusty

Sounds like Colorado Highrailer could have been around Monticello in the 0-4-0 days!

Bensman:  I don't remember any 0-4-0, but a bigger loco that I REMEMBER? as one

of the Chinese ones.....Monticello looks like the right possible location, depending upon

what is or was there.....and if it is/was visible from the Interstate...

It's possible you're thinking of the Crab Orchard & Egyptian, further south, headquarterd in Marion. 

They had an ex-Roberval and Saguneay(Canada) 2-8-0 that they pulled freight with in the late 70's early 80's.

The Chinese steam locomotives didn't start showing up in the U.S. until around 1988.

Rusty

Rusty: I remember that roadname, which sounds like a possibility, except I only

remember driving I-57 through Marion, Ill. a couple of years ago, out of Cape Girardeau, Mo. I am, and in those years cited, was usually going east or west across Ill.  The loco certainly could be right, as I only remember it as a steamer, and I later saw a Chinese one in Iowa.  If the Crab Orchard and Egyption (Crab Orchard is east of Marion on a state road) had a yard visible from the Interstate, I could have forgotten the trip and location.  No chance the CO&E had a yard visible from I-64??

Coudn't tell you, never been down in that neck of the woods.  My information is based on thing's I've read over the years and research I've done.

Rusty

Don't forget the museum at Monticello, just off I72 west of Champaign.

They run a beautifully restored ex Southern 2-8-0, as well as a diesel or two.

Nice 4 or so mile ride.

Sorry Sam, I didn't see your comment on Monticello.

The China built locos indeed belong to the Iowa Interstate.  One of them has been

"Americanized", all that red crap taken off, the other still has the red garb.   Ugh.

I have seen them triple head with the 261 into Bereau IL, just north of here about 50 miles.

"When all else fails, read the directions."  So I turned to Wikipedia to find out about the CO&E, which apparently operated that Canadian 2-8-0 between 1979 and 1986, as the last U.S. road running steam in regular freight service (I thought the Great Western of Colorado had that title, but maybe theirs was as the last one carrying

passengers).  I don't remember driving that Interstate down into far southern Illinois, but I can think of a business trip where I might have taken that route in that timeframe.  Most of my Ill. trips in the era were north of I-70.  The CO&E survives,

but using antique diesels (SW-1's) instead of antique steam.