Images from the C. Richard Neumiller Collection taken 6/26/1955
East Bound UP City of Denver #112 taken from the steps of Rochelle Tower. Powered by CN&W E8 and E7 units. Note train number in front number board.
East Bound UP Challenger #108 powered by CN&W E8 #5028A (built 1953) and another CN&W E8A.
East Bound UP City of Los Angeles #104 powered by two CN&W E7A’s.
East Bound Clinton Local powered by Pacific 4-6-2 #526. Pretty unusual at this late date, beyond commuter service. All steam ended on CN&W on 5/11/56, eleven months later.
East Bound CB&Q freight led by FT’s A-B-B-A #107A. One of my favorite photos.
West Bound CB&Q Twin Cities Zephyr #21 (“Morning Zephyr”). Lots of new domes. Dick had the “coming at you” shot too, with the freight and passenger units passing, but it was backlit, and the meet was two blocks away.
West Bound freight with CN&W F7A # 4077C (built 1949) and another F7A. The F units were only 6 years old in 1955. The 4077C was retired in 1966.
East Bound freight with many headend stock cars. Powered by CN&W F7A (#4074A)-F7B-F7A (blt 1949). The 4074A became CN&W #424 and ran in the commuter fleet for many years before being traded to NJ Transit in the 1980’s and Metro North in the 1990’s. Now preserved at the United Railway H. S. in NJ as a Reading unit.
Another East Bound freight with F units went by with an almost identical photo after this train. Did not include.
East Bound UP City of Portland running wrong main around EB freights ahead. Dome obs was brand new from ACF in 1955. Rare photo, as UP modified these cars to run mid train in 1956.
West Bound UP Challenger #107 departing Rochelle interlocking.
East Bound UP City of San Francisco #102 powered by CN&W E8A #5030B (built 1953) and a CN&W E7A.
East Bound UP City of San Francisco #102 observation car going away. No domes. IC car fifth from the rear?
The UP-City Streamliner era was soon coming to an end on the CN&W. The UP switched the routing to the Milwaukee Road on October 30, 1955—four months later.
East Bound NP North Coast Limited #26 powered by two E8A’s (#9948B). The NP domes were new one year earlier in 1954.
East Bound GN Empire Builder #44 powered by E9A’s (#9991 blt 1954, one of 16 ordered). GN domes were built in May, 1955! One month old.
West Bound NP North Coast Limited #25 powered by E8A #9941 (blt 1950) and shovel nose Zephyr B units (9906 and 9907, blt 10/36 for the Denver Zephyr!). Louis Marre says, “they possibly ran until 1955”. Here they are!
West Bound NP North Coast Limited #25 going away with NP obs. Beautiful train. One of my favorite color schemes. Very classy.
East Bound CB&Q Twin Cities Zephyr #22 (“Morning Zephyr”) powered by two E7As. Nine cars with six domes! CB&Q was an earlier adopter of domes (with the DRGW). Domes built 1947-1948.
East Bound Twin Cities Zephyr #22 going away. This location (looking south) in Rochelle is unrecognizable today. Cold storage warehouses are to the left, the I-88 tollway bridge over the tracks is ½ mile or more to the south (beyond the signal bridge), the water tank and coaling tower are long gone.
8/13/55, only six weeks after being in Rochelle, Dick photographed this WB CB&Q mixed train #77 at Bloomfield IA going through the tall weeds. In the Official Guide #77 was scheduled to leave Ft. Madison, IA at 8 am and arrive in Bloomfield at 11:45 am, covering the 65 miles in nearly four hours. Quite a contrast to all of the super-fast fancy streamliners. It is powered by a 600 hp 1938 EMC SW #9130. Not a SW1. CB&Q ordered six of them (9130-9135), some of their earliest diesel switchers. Line built in 1857, abandoned in parts beginning in 1956-57, just after this image was taken.
Photographs by C. Richard Neumiller
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Update 12/15/2021