Or How I learned to love and loathe country gravel roads.
When I started the day, I didn’t think I would be racing along with this massive steam engine. I might make it to Watseka, but there were no guarantees. I know the engine would be traveling south on the line that passes through Dalton, Thornton, and Glenwood, but I had no idea how it was traveling through the city, and I had no interest in going in to try and find it. However, the day before, I was searching to see if there was any information on its route, and I found it was going to use the Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal tracks to cut around the city. I realized that the Engine would come very close to our house, only 7.5 miles away. Well then, the chase was on.
La Grange was my first stop. I’ve photographed trains here many times before and knew where I wanted to go. My timing was impeccable. As soon as I parked and got out of the car, I had to run to the tracks. I made it with a little time to spare. The crowd was okay, but it would be a sample of things to come. People in every nook and cranny, crossing the tracks as the train approached… Yikes, it begins.
I had forgotten how large and loud this engine was. It is a massive example of American industrial might, like a 1.2 million-pound hot sewing machine. The nice part is that the train was only going about 20 miles an hour. I’m not sure if that was for onlooker safety or track safety. I do know that every freight train it passed, the modern freight came to a complete stop to let the engine pass. I think that may have been for safety, too.
Now, the chase started. My next stop was Chicago Ridge near Southwest Highway. I’ve crossed this spot many times but never found a spot to watch or photograph from. I had identified a spot the night before that I thought might, and I knew I was in the right spot when I saw all the cars and onlookers. This spot was busier, a sight of what was to come. Luckily, the train was making stops at different yards and crossings, just like other trains. This gave me time to find a spot. Once again, the train was only doing about 25mph.
Now for the next stop: Thornton or Glenwood? I had time to kill because I knew the train would have to make it around to Dalton and probably stop. My real goal was the island on the Kankakee River at Momence. I knew I wanted an image of the train passing over that bridge.
UP 4014 Crossing the Kankakee River at Momence.
I made it to Momence with plenty of time to spare. I probably could have done Glenwood with all the stops the train made, but I think getting there and finding an actual parking spot was a good thing. I knew this could be a risk with all the interest I might get parked in, and this would be it for the chase. As it turned out, I was one of the first cars to leave the parking lot.
I thought I could catch the train at some spot before Watseka, but that was not possible. I pulled into the town just as the train was pulling in. I parked and thought I’d take a look, and you can see what I found. A Madhouse, people everywhere. I took the shot above, turned around, and left. I wanted to make it 20 minutes south to the small town of Woodland. This is where Woodland Junction is, the spot where the UP and CSX lines split. UP heads South West, and the CSX South East.
There is a reason I have no pictures of the train at Woodland. I pulled up as it was passing. Sssshhhiii* # @*!! Teach me to follow Google Maps. The darn thing showed me a shortcut, and it turns out the bridge was out. It looked like it had been that way for a long while. And an added handicap: the roads were turning gravel, narrow, and, in places, very busy.
U-Turn!!! Let’s see If I can find another spot.
There are more narrow gravel roads, more people, and more cars. At this point, I’m getting to the last of the lights, and I haven’t scouted a good spot. I have been down the line this far before, and there are some good spots, but it’s crowded. Every crossing looks like the photo below. And there came a point where chasing this train on narrow gravel roads could come back to bite me. So, this little spot is south of Bryce, IL. Im not sure if Bryce is really a town, there is a grain elevator there but not much else.
After saying goodbye to the 4014, I headed home. The next stop for the train was an overnight stop at Villa Grove, IL, about an hour and a half Southwest of this spot.
The links below allow you to see images of the Big Boy that I took when the train came through town five or so years ago.
