Miscellaneous August and September

CIGRS Meet in Corning

August 17 through September 18

Wednesday, August 17

Fresh from a prostate biopsy (turned out to be negative) at "The Iowa Clinic", I heard an IAIS eastbound call Short Line Yard to say that they were at Fleur Drive with "9000 feet of train".  They were told to come on over to East 18th, so I took the short drive to the tracks and crossed to the south side for some pictures.  The train started slowly and accelerated toward the grade crossing around 11:50.  The CBBI engineer had six units, IAIS 602, 600, 700, 625, 403 and 604.  Susan and I were to meet at the Nut Pob for lunch, but she got stuck on the north side of the train and it was a long wait!

Saturday, August 27

On my early morning drive into town to get a paper, I encountered the M-WQMDMO coming through Pleasantville.  They came through the fog at 6:30 with seven units, BNSF 7809, EMDX 797, BNSF 7909, EMD 9084, NS 5540, NS 9801 and (in primer) NS 9904.

Saturday, September 4

Susan and I headed for deep southern Iowa and some serious, full-contact furniture shopping this morning.  "Have you thought about what color we should paint the front room?"  "Uh, no, not actually..."  We got to Albia around 9:15, just in time to catch an empty coming through on Main 1.  The train, a set of EXEX cars, was led by BNSF 9411 and 9992, and had apparently stopped near Maxon to pick up a few loads of diesel fuel before heading down Albia Hill.

On the way home, we came back through Oskaloosa.  I'd received some information lately about a model railroad club at the Penn Central Mall and thought that we might just see if anything was going on there today.  We stopped in the club's contact, "Wood-n-Stuff" and were soon treated to a tour of the layout.  Housed in an empty business location in the mall, the club has a fairly large modular HO setup, all created in the last couple of years, much of it by people new to the hobby.  Modules are identified by creator and there are a few smaller individual pikes, under construction in the same area.

Friday, September 16, 6:30 P.M

A Herzog ballast train with BNSF 6309 and NS 9362 ties up in the Pleasantville siding.
Sunday, September 18 - CIGRS in Corning
We visited the Shellenbergs in Corning for the monthly meeting of the Central Iowa Garden Railroad Society meeting.  Dick and Marilyn were nearing their 50th wedding anniversary and celebrated by treating us to a catered luncheon at the Lake Icaria park.  After lunch the group came back into town and visited the Shellenberg's large garden layout.  The layout features a a separate trolley track, a water wheel, and a large "boxcar" for train storage.  Club members visited and operated various steam locos on the layout.

Wednesday, October 5, Postscript

I wish to report that the construction of my new train room, (also know as an addition to Susan's house) is coming along very well.  It will be in the lowest level of the picture above.

That's It!