The Rock Island locomotives were originally built in the 1940s to power the railroad’s premiere ‘Rocket’ trains
Rob Schriener
CHICAGO – An appearance at LaSalle Street Station by two historic streamlined Rock Island diesels — E8 No. 652 and E6 No. 630 — during Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765’s Joliet Rocket event Sept. 15 and 16 has been cancelled.
Mechanical issues undetected until an inspection by one of the four railroads handling the units will prevent their participation, officials with the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society said Thursday. Repairs cannot be made in time for the move.
Trains Magazine was a co-sponsor the movement of the engines to Chicago and also planned to sponsor a night photo session on Sept. 15. Tickets for the night photo have been refunded and participants offered a discount on platform access passes at LaSalle Street during No. 765’s twice daily visits.
A limited number of tickets for Joliet Rocket excursions are still available at www.fortwaynerailroad.org.
They should have inspected everything months ago. Weren’t they painted in Kansas City not that long ago.
Thought they passed inspection then ,before being moved to Iowa. That expensive night photo op will not be so good now!
TO TOO 2 TWO ———-AMAZONSMILE.
This is a disappointment. Did BOTH units have defects?
Are these defects that must be fixed or does one railroad have a higher standard than the FRA (or maybe just doesn’t want to move them). In other words, could an alternate route be found?
Could there be any substitutes, such as:
Metra’s RI painted unit (or might this be the unit pulling the train back to Joliet?)
One of IAIS’s heritage units
One of IAIS’s QJ’s
Iowa Northern’s RI painted F40
IRM recently repainted RI GP9
Anything from other users of La Salle Street station.
If not, I still plan to enjoy the Rocket!
GERALD MCFARLANE: 1 of 4; It only takes one railroad to find an FRA non-compliant defect to stop the movement. Given the routing maybe it was the longest haul host railroad (IAS) for the movement. Note: These units were only cosmetically restored, brake lines/hoses/shoes still have to pass inspection and function along with wheel profiles.
But it is a bummer anyway.
Michael Derrick said “Whoa now, come on. Isn’t there some way we can tie this to Richard Anderson or Hunter Harrison?”
What; you haven’t seen the memo?
So 1 of the 4 railroads expected to participate in the move found defects not fixable in time…what about the other 3 railroads? If the other 3 didn’t find defects they thought ruled out moving the 2 engines to Chicago why not avoid that 4th carrier and just use the 3…this story needs a little more detail than provided.
Whoa now, come on. Isn’t there some way we can tie this to Richard Anderson or Hunter Harrison?