Nickel Plate Road #765 Steam Excursion: North Judson to La Crosse, Indiana, 30.05.11

Nickel Plate Road (New York, Chicago & St Louis) Class S-2 Berkshire-type 2-8-4 #765 ran several trips throughout Memorial Day, and is scheduled to do so again a few more times this summer. It is running from North Judson to a point just south of La Crosse, Indiana, and back, several times a day, over the tracks of shortline Chesapeake & Indiana Railroad (CKIN), which operates freight service here with their ex-EJ&E and DM&IR SD9s, up to the CN and CSX connections at Wellsboro. The "J" unit was used to bring the train back to North Judson; it was not powering the train when 765 was leading. The tracks here are a former C&O branch- North Judson was once a massive junction where C&O, the Nickel Plate, Pennsy and Erie all crossed each other. Everything else is now abandoned except for this line.

First, the 1944-built locomotive is seen crossing County Road South 650 West in the miniscule hamlet of English Lake. Later, Chesapeake & Indiana's former Elgin, Joliet & Eastern SD9 #818 leads the train south toward North Judson, with #765 pushing on the rear, crossing Toto Road. I followed the train south to the intersection of W 500 S, S 450 W, & English Lake Rd, where EJ&E 818 looks for all the world like an Alco, until it becomes evident that 765 is pushing on the rear, blowing black smoke!

Later, the train has arrived at C&I's small yard at North Judson, and the Hoosier Valley Railroad Musem there, located on the former C&O/NKP/PRR/Erie junction site. Grasselli Tower, until recently located on the EJ&E in East Chicago, Indiana, is in the background as 765 steams out of the yard on another run north to La Crosse. The engineer lays on the whistle hard as it crosses Arlington Ave on the north end of town.

Later, on the same run, I got the chance to pace not 765, but C&I's SD9, idling on the rear of the train. There was a traffic jam caused by some selfish guy up front who got to pace the steamer. I hope he's happy....

Having beat the train north, I set up back at English Lake, where 765 steams north. Two guys with a Fairmont speeder wait at the crossing.

Finally, on the second-last run of the day, 765 simmers in a field just south of La Crosse. Switch problems and concerns about derailments kept the train from proceeding all the way into La Crosse. It reverses, then hammers back north for a photo run-by.

~Thanks for watching!~

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• NKP 765
• Nickel Plate
• Nickel Plate Road
• NYC&StL
• 765
• steam locomotive
• steam engine
• steamer
• Berkshire
• 2-8-4
• class S-2
• S2
• excursion
• passenger
• Mid-America
• North Judson
• La Crosse
• IN
• Indiana
• Hoosier Valley Railroad Musem
• railway museum
• railroad
• rail
• pacing
• runby
• EJ&E
• EJE SD9
• 818
• C&I
• CKIN
• Chesapeake & Indiana
• train
• trains
• railfan
• railfanning

[whitingguy]

i have seen that j engine here in whiting indiana

[dwkcamman611]

Love it!!! I love the ex-EJ&E loco as well!