Trip Report – Illinois Railway Museum on Memorial Day Weekend, 2021

By Chris | Published June 2, 2021

The past year has not been great for me getting new posts up. Much of that has to do with life changes and just not actively engaging in photography very much. Since photography is what I write most about here, it’s hard to generate written content about a subject that I haven’t been pursuing as much. Fortunately, that’s starting to change a little bit and I hope to have more posts up soon.

I was able to make it to the Illinois Railway Museum on Saturday of the past Memorial Day weekend. I went with fellow photographer, Rob Lancaster. We’re both hybrid shooters using both digital and analog cameras. Rob brought his Fuji X100F, a Nikon FE2 and a Pentax MX. I had my Z7 kit, my Rolleiflex 2.8D and my Kodak 2-D 8×10. I never got the 8×10 out on this particular outing. Indeed, I didn’t even get the tripod out and just went handheld the whole day.

I had suggested IRM as a destination since they were running not one but two steam locomotives over the weekend. My affinity for steam locomotion runs deep and I often quote David P. Morgan on the subject: “…if anyone has bolted together a mechanism with just fifty per cent of the steam locomotive’s solid spiritual satisfaction, he hasn’t filed for a patent yet.” Indeed! And if there is something better than a steam locomotive running, it’s *two* steam locomotives running!

Here, Frisco Decapod #1630 passes the J Neils Lumber #5 at the depot of the Illinois Railway Museum on May 29th, 2021. I may or may not have pulled a little Photoshoppery hijinx and lit up the headlight of 1630 for the picture… :-O

This was the only “3/4 wedge” shot of the day that I’ll post. I tried to avoid the traditional wedge for this photographic outing as a means of trying to spark a little creativity in my photography. Here are a few more shots of the steamers from the day:

Its passenger hauling duties done for the day, Frisco Decapod #1630 is literally “turning in” for the evening. That is to say, it’s turning from the mainline into the main part of the museum complex heading for the service track. The strong backlighting actually worked in my favor to create an almost surreal glow to surround the black locomotive.
The J Neils Lumber Shay #5 pulls into the station with the last caboose train of the day.
The J Neils Lumber Shay #5 is framed by the clamshell bucket used to load coal into the steam locomotives.

Another subject that both Rob and I were interested in photographing was the Nebraska Zephyr streamliner complete with the only extant EMD E5 diesel:

The nose of “Silver Pilot” shines under a neon Zephyr sign. The Zephyrs were the premier passenger trains of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and the type of train that Silver Pilot would have been at the head of during its glory years. It now resides at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union Illinois and is brought out for special occasions.
Detail shot of EMD E5 #9911A, the Silver Pilot. The locomotive was built in 1940 and is the last of its kind remaining (though there are many other of EMD’s E series passenger locomotives still around at various museums around the country). What made the E5 unique was the fluted stainless-steel cladding that matched the look of the Zephyr trains that it hauled.
The logo of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad on the nose of EMD E5 #9911A. Even though they ceased to exist as a result of a merger 9 years before I was born, I’ve always had an affinity for “the Q,” as we share a birthplace — Aurora, IL. The oldest part of the CB&Q can be traced back to the Aurora Branch Railroad which was chartered in 1848.

I also tried to get some non 3/4 wedge shots of other interesting equipment around the museum:

Chicago and Western Illinois Steam Crane #1900 catches a sunburst on its boom.
When I think of the number 251 and railroads, I’m usually thinking about ALCo’s excellent prime mover developed to replace the less successful 244 series. In this case, though, the number is asssociated with an interurban car for the Chicago, North Shore and Milwaukee interurban line.
Interurban Car #749 from the Chicago, North Shore and Milwaukee rests quietly in the Interurban Barn.
The hard, straight lines of a General Electric B40-8 and an EMD SD40-2 make for a dynamic, geometric composition at the Illinois Railway Museum on Memorial Day Weekend, 2021. I initially conceived this image as a commentary about the “yellow borg” Union Pacifc taking over the Chicago and Northwestern — probably my favorite railroad when I was younger — but decided that I liked the geometry of the scene more. This shot definitely takes me back to my youth in the 1990s.
In the realm of locomotives that I wished I had seen running, Union Pacific’s gigantic gas turbines rank pretty high on the list. There are a few steam locomotives that might rank higher but not many. These things are just cool. I went a little artsy-fartsy with my take on 18.
A trolley car streaks past a “wig wag” crossing signal.

Much of our day was also spent hunting out the “patina” of age that weathering imparts on equipment that has been out in the elements for a long time:

The “F” that designates the front of Columbus and Greenville Locomotive #606 shows some fantastic weathering.
I’m not a huge fan of shooting at midday less than a month before the summer solstice but sometimes that’s just when it makes sense to be out with a camera. I need to remind myself that “there is no bad light,” and that harsh, midday light can enhance an image. While this shot would have more detail if it were shot on a cloudy day with soft light overhead, it wouldn’t convey what I was going for here.
The weathered, peeling remnants of an ACI code adorn the side of a car at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL. The KarTrak Automatic Car Identification system was supposed revolutionize the railroad industry and improve efficiency. In practice, it was beset by too many faults and failures requiring far more maintenance that what it was supposed to save. The system was abandoned not terribly long after it was implemented in the 1970s. Today, one can still find remnants like this not only at museums but on older cars still in revenue service.
Part of the fun of a museum as large as the Illinois Railway Museum is finding forgotten pieces of equipment that most visitors overlook and trying to find some beauty in them. I was drawn to the warm tones and the geometry of this car on a track far from the “stars” of the museum.
Northern Pacific Baggage Car #230 is getting some early afternoon light which is showcasing some of the weathering it’s accrued over the years.

The museum has buses, too!

It’s a little disheartening to visit places like the Illinois Railway Museum and see just how far we’ve fallen with regards to our aesthetic sensibilities. Modern advertising may be effective but it’s soulless (in more ways than one). Design may be pragmatic, too. But one need only look at a modern bus versus a vintage one like this 1951 GM to figure out that we don’t put as much thought into the artistic side of many of the things we make today.
Doors on a Chicago Motor Coach bus show some weathering, too.

Finally, I spent a little time trying to get some candid people shots towards the end of the day:

The engineer of Frisco #1630 climbs aboard the locomotive to do a couple of end of day checks before it’s left to simmer all night.
The engineer of Frisco 1630 walking the running boards to accomplish some end of day tasks on the locomotive.
No job is complete until the paperwork is done and the engineer of Frisco Decapod #1630 works on completing his after his iron horse has been parked for the night.
It’s the end of the day and three members of the Illinois Railway Museum’s steam crew take time to rest and talk next to the J Neils Lumber Shay #5. The date of the photo is May 29th, 2021 but the scene is a timeless part of railroading.
The day’s steam runs are done and Conductor Larry Stone can take a minute to sit in the shade and check his phone. It’s fun to get the staged shots of railway staff portraying the halcyon days of railroad travel but I find it equally enjoyable to see the real side of museum staff and volunteers, too.

And that’s it for the day! I can tell that I’m as rusty as some of my “patina” shots, so this isn’t quite A level work. I’m reasonably happy with it, though and will give myself a B- on it. I haven’t developed the film from my Rolleiflex yet, so maybe there’ll be something good on there, too. Fingers crossed!

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