In June of 1993, former St. Louis & San Francisco 4-8-2 #1522 pulled a pair of trips from St. Louis to Centralia, Illinois, as a part of Norfolk Southern’s popular steam program. Lacking facilities to turn the locomotive in Centralia, Burlington Northern took the train on a pair of side trips from Centralia to Sesser, Illinois, where the train was turned on a wye. On the B.N., the train operated as an employee special.
While a program has been released on the Sunday run has been released elsewhere featuring the footage shot that day by Diverging Clear videographer George Redmond, this program features the entire weekend as shot by three different cameras.
The weekend begins in St. Louis as the train departs the former Wabash yard and climbs the approach to the Mississippi River with her trailing truck booster working. From there, we chase the train to Centralia. From Centralia to Sesser and return, we climb aboard the crew car Firefly for a ride behind #1522. Back in Centralia, we hit the road and chase the train back to St. Louis.
The next day we chase the train to Centralia and Sesser, with a few on board scenes and classic pacing shots on the return to St. Louis from Centralia. Some atmospheric scenes were captured this day, as thunderstorms passed through the Centralia area.
This program will be a welcome look back for steam fans and those who fondly remember the excursion career of Frisco 1522, as she traveled a line seldom visited by the Norfolk Southern steam program.
