Q:
After three years of Muncie turns, it is the most efficient routing I have found. Good four lane roads (I69, US 31 & US30) for most of the way, with about 45 minutes of two lane.
ed
But Quentin, can you handle the three-legged run that also includes the museum?
We can consume up to an hour just in getting out of Illinois. Haven’t driven to Valpo (was through it on both GTW and PC back in the day), but that shouldn’t take us more than another hour. Straight shot to or from Monon should be okay (how’s construction on 65?).
My wife is up for the trip as well.
…Carl:
I could probably handle it, but not too fast…but the wife {who just goes along with this RR stuff}, and she is limited in how much activity she can handle in a day.
Looks like we have a good route to Valpo now as provided by Ed…
It’s a possible trip later this season…I’d never try it in this heat. Terrible here today with sky high humidity and my instrument indicating 97 today at 4:20. Both the museum and Turkey place…sound good. Must have been good for us to remember the turkey from that long ago.
Huh, can anyone tell me if this is the old route of the Monon’s Tippecanoe?
The Wildcat bridge was on the Chicago-Indianapolis line, south of Monon, and east of Lafayette, in Carroll county.
[dinner]A friend of mine visited the museum & resterurant last week. He is not a rail fan, but was impressed. Even his 3 daughters had a good time.
About 10 miles North on I-65 is a large dairy farm that is set up for tourists
I don’t know what year you are talking about, but if it was during the eary Conrail years, it could have been a Leigh Valley Engine. The only pics I have seen of their F-units were red.
Rob
Rob - Thanks for replying. It certainly could’ve been the early CR years - say 1976. I was guessing my age when I saw the F unit leading that eastbounder. The EL line through Decatur was still there - I know for sure I’d have remembered if someone had told me then that the EL had been sold-off by Conrail (I found out about that years after it happened from my dad when I hadn’t been out to Indiana because of my HS summer baseball). So it’s possible that it was the very first year of CR operation and they hadn’t yanked the EL main out-of-service yet. I’ve seen a few LV F’s in red and a few in a very faded red - I’ll have to look further and see if any were so aged and worn their paint could’ve approached a pinkish/salmonish color in the early CR period.
Ed,
I’m moving my daughter to BSU on the afternoon of the 15th. When are you taking your son back? I was thinking a quick side trip to “kick the ballast” before heading back home.
I already helped move him on July 31st. Nothing like a 95degree day to move. We dropped $48 at Scotty’s for lunch. Wasnt too happy with him. However, one of the great places to be is on campus the day leases turn over. I came home with essentially a new Fender Strat with a whammy bar, apple red. A student was throwing it away!
Got it right here in my office. Getting closer to my goal of a scanner and guitar in every room. Dont know if I will make it before getting married. I know it wont happen after I get married!
What year/major is your daughter? How does she like BSU? My son is a senior majoring in Sales/Marketing and really enjoys it.
ed
July 31st? I take it he is off-campus?
She is a sophomore majoring in library/computer sciences. I think she likes it. There are three from our church the same age going there, and another five from her high-school class so she has plenty of friends there already and 3getting a ride home shouldn’t be an issue.
Re: the guitar, I got the fan in my office the same way…[:D] Now if I could only find a scanner in the dumpster…Oh wait, you were there first.[sigh]
Back from a mini-vacation…
Quentin and Ed, feel free to determine the best Tuesday for your purposes. Right now we’re wide open, but who knows how long that will last.
…Carl:
Can’t do any plans for now…Wife had to be taken to the ER yesterday morning and admitted for overnight ob. and we just got her released this evening. Our plans will be to take it easy for a while now…
But that should not stop you fellows to head that way and enjoy…
It would be better for me after Sept 1 as school would be up and running again.
ed
Sorry to hear about your wife, Quentin. Hope she gets well soon.
Ed, September was a “given” here–August is fairly well booked, and the potential for drying out/burning up is 'way too great.
Quentin,
Was your wife feeling well enough to go watch trains Friday evening?
…To those who asked of wife Jean and the ER situation…We’ve been fighting a problem since Easter off and on and after a multitude of tests we’re still not to a real solution.
Will be seeing family Dr. again tomorrow for another round of trying to dig a bit farther.
Thanks for asking…