NKP 765 Chicago +VIDEO added to OP 05/10+

Hi Zett,

I'll be sitting this one out, but there will be plenty of places along the route to catch the train. If you have a smart phone download the App to track 765 from The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. It's the best $3.00 you'll ever spend on a steam engine. The whole route is highlighted on the map and it also tracks the train in real time. If you can, you might think about venturing into Northwest Indiana. More room to shoot the train and you might get to see it at track speed. Good luck!

Derek

Awesome thanks for the tip!

I was wondering the same thing.  I will download the APP, but was wondering where and and time when 765 will be stopped in the Chicago area on the 10th so I can have close up view. 

 

Ken

From what I understand, the train will board and depart from Calumet Yard. That area would be restricted to NS Employees only, so your best bet would be to catch it once it gets under way, or wait until it makes public trips later in the summer in Indiana.

I use to live near the Ford plant which is just south of the calumet yard. The NS tracks go by the plant, there are two crossings there at 130th and Torrence Ave. There used to be two large empty gravel lots adjacent to the tracks. I may try to catch it there.

 

A mile or so southeast of there, is another crossing at Brainard and Burnaham Ave. I believe there may be some good spots to view along Brainard but is been 12 years since I've been over there. There are a few good spots in Hammond Indiana as well.

 

I'll never forget the time 611 went by on those tracks just prior to me "getting back into the hobby". I heard the whistle from the house, I was unaware of the excursion. I caught it on the return trip.

I just downloaded the app.  I would recommend going directly to the apple app store and searching for the app.  I tried to use the link from the Fort Wayne RR website and it would not work for me. 

 

 

John.

 

Here are two photos from the Calumet yard from 1989 and 1990 when I rode the NS fan trips  to Fort Wayne.I will have to go back to see the 765 go by.

Dan 

765 will be running trips from Calumet to Argos, IN on May 10th and 11th. Then she will deadhead from Calumet to her home shop in Fort Wayne, IN on Monday the 12th.

 

I won't be on the crew for these trips. I'll be working (flying clients on two round trips to Florida) that weekend.

Correct me if I'm wrong Rich, but I believe these trips are for Norfolk Southern RR Employees ONLY. So there may NOT be "public access" into the NS Calumet Yard complex.

And FYI, I would NOT be hanging out in Ford Heights... Go farther east into Indiana where it's safer...

 FWIW Its not Ford heights, its Hegewisch, where the assembly plant is. Ford Heights, where the stamping plant is, is much further south and nowhere near the NS tracks. Hegewisch "aint what it used to be", my wife grew up there, but one should be able to view the 765 without harm, its certainly not as bad as Ford Heights.

 

 

Ah, Hegewisch. Taking the South Shore home from work to Miller about 20 years ago. The conductor calling out "Hegewisch. Hegewisch next. Hegewisch." If I dozed off, he'd wake me up as we approached Miller. Good guy.

 

Hope to be out there for both sets of trips in May.

 

David

What time will 765 leave the Calumet Yard?

Not posted yet.

 

From the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society Website:

 

Nickel Plate Limited, May 10th & 11th

 

 

Yes, these are trips for NS employees only. I just figured folks might want to know the schedule because some will want to chase and photograph.

Anyone from the Chicago western suburbs with the 765 tracker going to see the engine leave the Calumet yard in the morning?I would like to tag along.I could buy lunch or gas for going along.

Dan

Hi guys,

 

It says that the trip for Sunday, May 11th, is being combined with the Saturday, May 10th trip. Was does that mean? Are two trips going to be run Saturday?

One trip Saturday. Deadhead home to Fort Wayne on Sunday.

Ok I purchased the 765 App and have some questions.

 

1} For Saturday May 10th which route will the 765 take? There are two highlited routes in the app, so I wanted to just make sure that the route to the south to Argos will be the correct one.

 

2} Still looking for any time information?

 

3} Any recommendations for watching the 765 pass? It looks like it will pass Burnham woods just south of Calumet yard... would this be a good spot? Or should we head further east into IN?

Video added!

Glad to see you were able to catch her today.  The kids will remember that for a long long time.  The 765 and her crew are top notch!

lots of black smoke..........

Sure didn't look like "lots of black smoke" to me.

Thankyou Zett! I was unable to make it out to see it, and no lousy diesel ruining the consist

 

Nothing beats the sound of a steam locomotive whistle in the distance, its been 20 years since steam ran on that line, fantastic! Kudos  to the FWRHS and NS for making it happen!

 

On a side note your wifes comment ( I assume that was your wife) saying  "don't you have that one"?, made me laugh, I get the same thing 

The trip was only ~100 miles...there was no need for a diesel.

 

The only time we have used a diesel in the last three years has been on long moves where we have to stretch the coal! I thought we covered that...

 

There will be some long trips later in the season where there will be a diesel in the consist.

There's always got to be one...

LOL Rick. That's my mom asking if we have that one. Always interested until there's a price tag!

Overall after seeing the 765 for the first time today, I'm hoping a future excursion will be planned for the public out of Chicago so we can purchase a ride.

I loved how the engineer gave us 2 shorts on the horn as he passed.

By the time I started recording we had already been hearing the whistle for about a minute. Would have been amazing to be around 80 years ago and hear and watch steam all day long.

Yes, understood Rich, my statement was a bit "tongue in cheek." Whatever makes the trips "feasable" with 765 is O.K. by me. Its fortunate, ( asthetically speaking ) that in this instance it wasn't needed. Regardless,it sure beats a cold dead bigboy

 

 Again, can't say enough about the "765 Crew" and NS. What a turnaround from a time when it was thought the NS would never have steam on its rails again.

Got out and paced 765 yesterday (Saturday). Paired up with some buddies, driving a Ford station wagon at Nascar speeds! Anyway, we all beat 765 to Valparaiso (barely), and jumped into position. The NKP curves through town , so one can not see a train immediately. As we briefly waited, we heard 765 coming fast. Up pulled two unwitting middle-aged ladies, and I pointed down the track. They looked. Then 765 roared by, whistle blaring almost painfully and shaking the ground. As the train cleared, all the ladies could say was "Oh my God"!

Addendum: at Argos, the town where 765 wyed, spoke a bit with some elderly gents, one of whom turned out was a retired NKP engineer. He noted, "I fired that locomotive"! He described how they took coal regularly at Argos and I asked if they had a wood or concrete coaling tower. He looked at me kinda funny, and said they had a crane, and some gons spotted with coal. He said that they occaisionly handled troop trains with the 700's and they could run up to 30 cars. He further noted that nearby Grand Trunk Western limited their freights to 69 cars, as IN had a law requiring an additional brakeman on any freight with 70 cars, or more. He said the NKP put the extra brakeman on, as their trains ran 90-100 cars. Of course the GTW dumped the brakeman at the MI stateline. The retired engineer referred to "Bob" asking him if he wanted to take the throttle of one of the NS excursion engines. He repilied, "Of course"! Presume "Bob" was none other then Robert Claytor, CEO of NS. One does not see such collegiality in many industries these days.

        

While watching the video, from the sound of the whistled signal crossing, looked like the last car cut it pretty close.