From a KPC News story today: KENDALLVILLE — A historic steam train will pass through DeKalb and Noble counties on the weekend of May 3 and 4, the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society said Friday. Steam locomotive 765 will make one or two trips each day between Elkhart and Bryan, Ohio, on the Norfolk Southern railroad for the railroad’s employee appreciation event. Cities and towns along the route include Ligonier, Kendallville, Waterloo and Butler. A spokesman for the society, Kelly Lynch, said people in those communities will have at least two and up to four chances per day to see the locomotive pass through. A timetable is expected to be released in late April. The trips will carry the name of Commodore Vanderbilt, a historic passenger train that operated over the route. Later this summer, July 12 and 13, the locomotive will pull two round-trip excursions as the Detroit Arrow, operating between Detroit and Fort Wayne. Passengers will travel to Fort Wayne for a four-hour layover at Fort Wayne’s Three Rivers Festival. Tickets for the Detroit Arrow go on sale Wednesday and include seating accommodations in coach, deluxe coach, first class and dome class passenger cars. Information is available at fortwaynerailroad.org and 493-0765. The Detroit Arrow trips will pass through Montpelier, Ohio, and Butler and Grabill. Last year, each Detroit-to-Fort Wayne trip behind the 765 sold out, with its last excursion out of Fort Wayne selling out in less than two hours. The train carried passengers, enthusiasts and tourists from the region and from around the world. The railroad historical society will announce additional operations featuring engine 765 in May. A fall schedule will be released later. In 2013, the railroad historical society published a smartphone app that allows people to track the train by GPS and social media. This year, the society will release a full-length documentary, “Listen for the Whistle,” showcasing its all-volunteer efforts to preserve and make railroad history. The society said a riverfront attraction project featuring engine 765 and the operations and collection of the railroad historical society are under consideration as part of the City of Fort Wayne’s Riverfront District Study. The concept would create a mixed-use, rail yard park destination near downtown Fort Wayne. Steam locomotive 765 was built for the Nickel Plate Road in 1944 and operated trains between Chicago and Fort Wayne until 1958. In 1960, it was selected for display in Fort Wayne’s Lawton Park as a monument to the steam locomotive era and and in recognition for the massive “Elevate the Nickel Plate Project” that removed a dozen grade crossings from downtown Fort Wayne. Removed from the park in 1974, engine 765 was restored to operating condition through an all-volunteer effort and returned to service in 1979. The locomotive was completely rebuilt in completely rebuilt in a five-year effort, ending in 2005, that cost $750,000 and involved 15,000 volunteer hours.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Apr 2014 11:57:47 +0000
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