Thursday, November 29, 2007

Part 5: The Chippewa Creek's Cross Country Adventure - Home Again in PRR Territory After 25 Years

by Bob Andrews & George Payne

Photo 11:
Chicago, Illinois
Departing Union Station
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Photo by Bob Andrews

Bob began his pursuit of the Chippewa Creek when he flew to Los Angeles to meet with members of the Pacific Railroad Society on November 8, 2003. Since that time we both have had the usual challenges and victories that are associated with vintage passenger car restoration and operation. Anyone who is associated with private passenger cars has said to him or herself on more than one occasion, “I can’t believe I got myself into this”. It has taken us literally 4 years to get to this point. During the trip, we discussed how far we had come – from the purchase of the car, to its COT&S and freight move to the Amtrak shops in LA, to having to replace brand-new rim-stamped wheels with hub-stamped wheels, to painting over the “urban art” that was applied to our car during the freight move – all necessary in order for us to be approved for movement on Amtrak. As we left Chicago we were reminded of the credit card commercial currently running on TV:

Air brake work for the COT&S -- $ 1,855.55
4 new hub-stamped wheelsets -- $ 17,447.64
Labor charge to replace wheelsets -- $ 1,753.64
Amtrak movement charge -- $ 6,408.50

Looking out the end door of the Chippewa Creek leaving Chicago -- PRICELESS

Photo 12:
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Penn Station
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Photo by Bob Andrews

It’s very early Wednesday morning and we’re in Penn Station, Pittsburgh. We’ve covered 471 miles and traveled 9 hours since we left Chicago last night. We both wax nostalgic, as we opine that perhaps the last time the Chippewa Creek was in Pittsburgh, she might have been eastbound on the Pennsylvania’s crack train No. 28, the Broadway Limited. Bob checks the running gear and except for a brakeshoe key that needs to be knocked down a couple of inches, everything looks fine. Bob finds the Amtrak carman who is inspecting the train and asks him to knock the key down into place. The carman cheerfully agrees. Both George and Bob agree that Mr. Lewis and his Chicago shop crew did a fine job – everything is running well. We’ll get breakfast in the Superliner diner, pack our bags, and transfer to the Chippewa Creek in Connellsville, Pennsylvania – about 2 hours from now. After breakfast, we’ll meet with the Capitol Limited’s conductor in order to coordinate what he will need from us as he cuts the Chippewa Creek from the train.

We boarded the Chippewa Creek in Connellsville. The fall foliage was just beginning to turn as we headed through the mountains on our last leg to Cumberland. The view out of the end door was, at times, breathtaking. We had “unofficially” declared bedrooms “O” and “P” as the “owners suite” early in the trip, and this is where we would ride the next 88 miles. George coordinated via cell phone with his wife, Marcia, who has arranged for a welcoming party in Cumberland, as well as transportation for our drive to Baltimore.

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