The railfan convoy takes time to rest in Chillicothe

Day three started out with a bang! Just as the day before, Don and I awoke to meet up with Steve, on our trip along the BNSF transcon line. Today we would meet Steve's friend, Allan. The four of us planned on a day full of railfanning, as we continued to the east, making our way to Yost.

We were first to arrive at the meeting point. We got a few shots of the morning's trains heading east into the rising sun at Yost. Steve arrived shortly afterwards - since he stopped in Galesburg to shoot the mornings Amtrak train which runs to Quincy from Chicago. As we waited for Allan, our new friend we meet yesterday pulled into the lot. Right away he and Don picked up their conversation from where it left off the day before.

The ATCS display was showing a few trains on their way, but they were still a long way out; we all decided to move to Dahinda to visit with the super-elevated curves. Don said goodbye to his newest buddy and off we went, keeping an eye on ATCS. Because of ATCS, we knew we had time to make it before any trains where going to pass our destination.

Getting to Dahinda was the easy part; now we just had to wait. Before long, Steve got a call from Allan who was in Chillicothe. Allan was letting us know that a westbound train was on its way and it was being lead by two Warbonnet Dash-9s. Having ATCS in a mobile setting is great. Unfortunately, it has its limitations, using the program one can only "see" as far as the radio signal is strong. On the other hand, sitting at home, connected to the internet, you can see the "Big Picture" as Don calls it. In short, the heads-up call was great because we only knew of one eastbounder which was still 20 miles away.

As we waited for trains and Allan to arrive, the three of us worked on updating Steve's laptop with newer ATCS files. Before we could finish, a train's horn surprised us as it raced towards us. Sprinting to get in position, I managed a few low-level shots of a UP vehicle train as it made its way through the "S-curves." Another oddity with ATCS is that sometimes it misses a packet of data causing things like a surprise train show up, almost out of no where. Although, there is nothing wrong with that.

In the midst of our train surprise Allan showed up in Dahinda ahead of the westbound train he had called us about earlier. Thinking the train should have gotten here long ago, Allan was more than happy to have a second photo shoot with this train. Another 15 or so minutes went by before the ATCS display lit up, letting us know that not only was the westbound (which we had been waiting for), but an eastbound train was also very close. Not judging the distance well enough I elected to stay on the north side of the tracks to shoot the train headed west. In doing so I missed out on the eastbound train. As the middle of the westbound train whizzed past, I could see the eastbound train approaching. It was yet another UP train; at least Steve and Allan picked the better side and would catch the train. After the dust settled, a check of the ATCS showed nothing in the area.

We decided to move to Edelstein and make a stop at the connection between the BNSF and UP. If you recall from a previous blog, last year Don and I got shut out here. We did not see any Union Pacific trains use the junction, we hoped that this years' luck would prove better. As Don sat and worked on Allan's laptop - installing ATCS - the rest of us stood at-the-ready, trackside, watching and waiting. Soon, we were rewarded in the form of a westbound BNSF stacker. Two on the front and two on the rear.

Not too long after this train cleared, signals lit up to the west. The lineup it showed was for an approaching UP. The train would come off the UP onto the BNSF. As Steve said several times during the past two days, "It's the luck of the Minnesotans!" I wish this luck held true ever day I'm trackside. With that the UP train, two SD70ACes and an SD60M on-point, made their way through the highspeed turnouts off their home rails, onto to the BNSF Chilli sub.

Wanting more, but seeing little on ATCS, we made another convoy run to Edelstein Hill. Even though the light was not perfect for westbound trains coming up the hill, the two trains we did see here were nothing to frown about. The first train to tackle the hill was a BNSF stack train powered by two SD75Ms and a lone Dash-9. Next up was a UP train, I think, because it had a UP SD60M and a CSX ES44AC as the sole set of power.

Now with the ATCS showing nil on the display, it was time for lunch at the trackside cafe in Chillicothe. The cafe is a place that is almost a "second home" to railfans in the city of Chillicothe. After lunch we drove around town, looking for a Wi-Fi connection so we could get the "big picture" on the monitor. We were unbable to connect without the Wi-Fi since Chillicothe sits in a valley; getting signals from the west are limited. Finding a spot to connect, we could see that there was plenty of traffic and waiting in town was worth, for a flood of trains was about to come through.

As the railfan convoy pulled into town, I think we scared away a local. He had been sitting here the entire time we were having lunch, but as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, he was gone. Too bad, he ended up missing a lot! With plenty of time, we fanned out and set up our cameras, making sure to stay out of each others' lines-of-sight. We passed the time talking about and looking at some historical books Steve had brought along. Some of the photos were of the very spot we were standing.

From several miles awya, the first train of our parade could be seen approaching our location. A bit closer, another parade of sorts was taking place. Just across the tracks, driving down the road, close to 30 golf carts were moving in a line. They were all decked out with coolers and flags; the curious thing is that there is no golf course in Chillicothe. A few of the carts made it over the crossing before the warning lights began flashing and the arms came down. Finally, here was the start of the real show! BNSF 6019, an ES44AC, blew into town leading a manifest train. Trains moving at track speed - pushing 65 mph and kicking up the wind - taught me from experience to hold on to my hat and video camera.

Once the train cleared, we stood and watched the remaining golf carts cross the railroad tracks to meet back up with the rest of their group. We laughed and compared photos as we waited for the next train. While we waited, a few of the locals walked up and we started talking to us. Don, being a great ATCS pitchman, showed off the fancy toy he had brought all the way from Minnesota. These new-comers were amazed. And so were we when the program showed another three trains lined up to come down the hill, as well as a lone westbound train. The westbounder was soon to be on top of us.

This group of trains consisted of a BNSF manifest and two TOFC trains. The tracks within vision were clear of trains. ATCS also cleared up, showing no track indications other than a rock train that was making its way to the small yard in Chillicothe. We decided to clear as well and start back towards Yost. We would end the day's railfanning activities in Yost.

Before calling it a day, we first planned on catching the rock train at Edelstein. Yet radio chatter let us know that the rock train was already heading into the yard and ATCS was showing a train approaching Monica. Highballing it to Edelstein, we hoped to catch the approaching train at Williamsfield; however, it was moving too quickly.

We made a stop in Princeville were we set up camp on the site of the old Rock Island Railroad grade. This abandoned roadbed now serves as many old right of ways as a walking/bike path. As a train approached we got set and shot away. Through frame after frame, a third of the way through the train, we could see what looked like smoke coming from an axle. Even though the train had just passed a detector, a stuck brake was not noticed. With a second eastbound train heading our way, we thought about staying, but decided to keep pushing on to Yost.

Our plans were changed in order to catch another train somewhere near Williamsfield. Again, not taking into account the speed factor, we arrived in Williamsfield at the same time as the train. We missed out on a shot of a local train being lead by a Warbonnet B40-8W and two Geeps; an awful lot of power for a local which only had one car.

After kicking myself for not staying put, it was smooth sailing back to Yost. We ended our railfan adventures by catching another train lead by two B40-8Ws and a few more stack trains. With some light left in the sky, it was hard to end the day. Unfortunately, Steve and Allan had to set out for their homes as if on a deadline. Saying our goodbyes, we all headed our separate ways. For Don and me, it was another run to Peck Park in hopes to rustle up some more interest in ATCS. Although, like the day before, the only railfans at the park were to distracted by the activity on the rails to talk. Well, there is always next year I thought as I turned the car around and headed out of town for the last time this trip.

For the second year in a row, Don has allowed me to join him on his annual trip to Galesburg, IL. And again, we were treated well by the trains and friends, leaving with more great memories. Just like last year's trip, I can't wait for the next trip. Galesburg and its surrounding area are a railfans heaven. If you are looking for a great place to spend your next railfan vacation, make it Galesburg - you won't regret it! Until next time, be safe and I'll see you by the rails.