In early September, 2012, Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 #765 took to the
Norfolk Southern’s former Wabash mainline from Fort Wayne, Indiana,
through Decatur, Illinois, and on to St. Louis, Missouri, to handle a
series of employee appreciation specials in the St. Louis area.
Diverging Clear Productions was there for the deadhead runs and the
employee specials, with four different photographers covering the
action.
We start as #765 leaves the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society shop
at New Haven, Indiana, for the short run to East Wayne Yard. This move
includes some of the best pacing footage you are likely to see.
From there, we take a look back to the old Southern and Norfolk Southern
steam program with images of many of the locomotives that pulled
excursions in the sixties through the nineties. This context shows why
Norfolk Southern’s current steam operations are such a big deal; and so
unexpected.
From there, #765 takes to the mainline for the deadhead run to St. Louis
with Norfolk Southern’s Wabash and Illinois Terminal heritage units in
the consist. In St. Louis, the train operated with #765 at one end of
the train and the heritage units at the other end. After the employee
trips, we see the deadhead move as #765 leaves St. Louis for Fort Wayne.
This program will be the most comprehensive coverage of the action when Steam Returned To The Wabash in September, 2012.
