Just got back from a week long trip in Illinois, and was shooting some stuff in Centralia. Was given directions to some food places and drove by the 4-8-2 #2500 in the park. It looked pretty good, under cover, with a fence around it, and not too badly deteriorated. Wish CN would take a liking to this one for PR purposes in the states!!!

It was kinda nice to be waiting at the Long John Silvers drive-through and see the 2500 across the street in the park. Looks like someone cares about this engine! Good job guys!

Greg Scholl

sales@gregschollvideo.com

I lived near Centralia for a while in 1988-89 and got to see #2500 on occasion. I was always impressed by how well it was maintained- glad to hear it's still being kept up!

> Just got back from a week long trip in
> Illinois, and was shooting some stuff in
> Centralia. Was given directions to some food
> places and drove by the 4-8-2 #2500 in the
> park. It looked pretty good, under cover,
> with a fence around it, and not too badly
> deteriorated. Wish CN would take a liking to
> this one for PR purposes in the states!!!

> It was kinda nice to be waiting at the Long
> John Silvers drive-through and see the 2500
> across the street in the park. Looks like
> someone cares about this engine! Good job
> guys!

> Greg Scholl


davew833@yahoo.com

> I lived near Centralia for a while in
> 1988-89 and got to see #2500 on occasion. I
> was always impressed by how well it was
> maintained- glad to hear it's still being
> kept up!

I once asked Jim Adams, who is involved with the Centralia group that keeps 2500 looking good, if the city asked specifically for the 2500 since it was the first of the 55(?)locomotives in that particular class. As I recall, Jim told me that they had wanted one of the 2600 4-8-2's but the 2500 was the first one on the deadline and the IC told them to "take it or forget it." Jim, who is still active at 90 (a belated happy birthday Jim!) reads and contributes to this website and if I got the story mixed up, I welcome his correction.

Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum/North Judson, IN)

midlandblb@cs.com

Can Anyone tell me why 2500 and 2542 (in Miss.) were saved for display, but the 2613, used for excursions into the sixties, was not?

> I once asked Jim Adams, who is involved with
> the Centralia group that keeps 2500 looking
> good, if the city asked specifically for the
> 2500 since it was the first of the
> 55(?)locomotives in that particular class.
> As I recall, Jim told me that they had
> wanted one of the 2600 4-8-2's but the 2500
> was the first one on the deadline and the IC
> told them to "take it or forget
> it." Jim, who is still active at 90 (a
> belated happy birthday Jim!) reads and
> contributes to this website and if I got the
> story mixed up, I welcome his correction.

> Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad
> Museum/North Judson, IN)


wallis@netdoor.com

> Can Anyone tell me why 2500 and 2542 (in
> Miss.) were saved for display, but the 2613,
> used for excursions into the sixties, was
> not?

I don't have the answer to your question, but your post reminded me of this great shot on railpictures.net of the 2613 in 1960. Truly a shame that this loco wasn't saved from the torch.




mckay1995@comcast.net

Apparently, IC crews did not like the 2500s, but loved the 2600s. That picture of 2613 was taken at a location on the line between Paducah and Louisville, wasn't it? I worked an excursion with the 765 in '92 on this line and it was one of the nicest excursions I've been on.

> I don't have the answer to your question,
> but your post reminded me of this great shot
> on railpictures.net of the 2613 in 1960.
> Truly a shame that this loco wasn't saved
> from the torch.


wallis@netdoor.com

> I don't have the answer to your question,
> but your post reminded me of this great shot
> on railpictures.net of the 2613 in 1960.
> Truly a shame that this loco wasn't saved
> from the torch.

Cliff,
Thanks for posting....Thats gotta be about the best photo I have seen on the internet. Superb!!!
Greg Scholl


sales@gregschollvideo.com

> Cliff,
> Thanks for posting....Thats gotta be about
> the best photo I have seen on the internet.
> Superb!!!
> Greg Scholl

Thanks for the kind words, but Mr. Fellure deserves kudos for taking the picture in the first place. On the original web page, he remarks that the camera did indeed survive the close encounter.

Unfortunately for me, all of these "last runs" of mainline steam occured over a decade before I was born. My Dad was old enough to witness some of the final strongholds. He remembers seeing IC 2-10-2's in and around Louisville during a family vacation in the late '50's, and saw some of the last NKP Berkshires and Mikados operating out of Ft. Wayne and New Haven, IN.

**sigh**



mckay1995@comcast.net