Unless otherwise noted, the following pictures were taken at the Monticello Railroad Museum in Monticello, Illinois. Nickel Plate Road #587 was on loan to the museum for the month of May in 1997 to pull weekend excursions. #587 had been sent to the museum to have some repair work, or restoration, done on its firebox. The work was completed earlier in the spring of 1997. Proceeds from the special excursions were earmarked for a fund to restore at steam engine that the Monticello Railroad Museum owns. These pictures are of #587's first weekend under power after the restoration. Other Nickel Plate photographs will be added as I take them. All photographs are copyright 1997 by Fred Lux unless otherwise noted.
Nickel Plate Road #587 is under a full head of steam as it climbs out of the gulley just south of the Monticello Railroad museum station. (No, the tracks aren't unlevel, the camera is!)
Nickel Plate #587 continues its climb out of the gulley. Speed on this section of track is limited to 20 mph.
Almost to the top of the grade, Nickel Plate #587 approaches a grade crossing with a county road. Part of the consist can be seen coming out of the woods.
#582 has reached half-way point of its run and is sitting at the station in Monticello. Passengers have disembarked and gone into the station to look around. In a few minutes #582 will complete it's trip by backing the 2 or 3 miles back out to the Monticello Railroad Museum. The trackage #587 is sitting on once belonged to the Illinois Central. About 2 city blocks to the right of the picture in the interchange with the Wabash Railroad (now Norfolk & Southern) mainline to Chicago. The station actually served as the Wabash passenger station until passenger service was discontinued. It was moved to about 6 blocks to its current location on the old Illinoise Central line and restored for use by the Railroad Museum.
Nickel Plate Road #587 prepares to leave the station in Monticello for its return trip to the Monticello Railroad Museum. For the sum of a mere $50, a visitor to the museum could purchase a ticket to ride in the cab of the steam locomotive on its round trip from the museum, to Monticello, and then back to the museum. You might not be the engineer or the fireman, but for an hour, it was the next best thing!
The Indiana Transportation Museum is located in Noblesville, Indiana. For more information about the museum, call their toll free number at 800-234-TRAIn
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