Photo 48
Here in Illinois, they build bridges across bean fields... Okay, so maybe it's a bridge across the Hennepin Canal just west of Bureau, obscured by a beanfield.
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Photo 49
Headed for Tiskilwa with the gaggle of fans shortly behind
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Photo 50
Having used backroads via Neponset to once again bypass the gaggle, there was plenty of time to set up this shot at Mineral, IL.
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Photo 51
Stopped in Atkinson, IL, to drop off and pick up passengers
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Photo 52
While stopped, one of the crew gives 6988 a quick check with an infrared thermometer to assure none of the bearings are overheating.
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Photo 53
Back in Geneseo. This time there were a few law enforcement officers around the station to help keep people off the track and prevent a repeat of the morning's mob all over the tracks.
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Photo 54
Charging along at track speed just outside Green Rock, to the east of Colona.
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Photo 55
Easing through the sharp S-curve in the Colona interlocking with BNSF (DJH Photo)
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Photo 56
And a little further through...
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Photo 57
Passing the "End of Iowa Interstate Maintenance" sign at Colona. When BNSF replaced the diamonds with a crossover, they assumed control and maintenance of the new interlocking.
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Photo 58
Stopped in Silvis to let off passengers, with some great evening light and some sort of catch basin in the foreground. The big building in the background is part of the famous Silvis Shops of the Rock Island Railroad. Today it's NRE's Silvis facility, formerly Chrome Crankshaft.
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Photo 59
A closer shot of just 6988 and the small pond
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Photo 60
The whole train at Silvis
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Photo 61
Just before leaving for the final leg of the journey back to Rock Island, 7081 does a little blow-down to clean crud from the bottom of the boiler.
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Photo 62
Coming around the corner near 13th Street in East Moline
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Photo 63
My navigator and fellow photographer for the day, also known as Dad. It's getting late in the day, and his back is bugging him, so he's just shooting from the car. I promise, the "hat on backwards while shooting" is a bad habit he picked up from me - he's not trying to be cool.
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Photo 64
Quite possibly my favorite shot from the whole trip - 6988 coming through the tree tunnel just before Moline's 41st Street crossing
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Photo 65
Final frame - the train passes off into the evening sun in Moline, with Cedar Rapids and its oscillating red Mars light bringing up the rear.
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This work is copyright 2006 by Nathan D. Holmes
(maverick@drgw.net) and Danny J. Holmes, but licensed under a
Creative Commons License. This allows and encourages others to copy, modify, use, and distribute my work for *non-commercial purposes*, without the hassle of asking me for explicit permission or fear of copyright violation.
I encourage others to consider CC or other Open Content-style licensing of their original works.
