NNG: Nickel Plate #765 – the Joliet Rocket to Chicago (photos)

Link to Photos

For the second summer in a row, I was a part of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society volunteer team for Nickel Plate Road #765’s excursions weekend on the former Rock Island route from Joliet to Chicago. As the official event photographer my primary role was to capture posed portrait photographs of the passengers at LaSalle Street Station in front of the locomotive. When not doing so I made the above linked images.

My most memorable experience from these trips was the opportunity to ride at track speed in the dome-class and observation cars from the California Zephyr, Milwaukee Road and New York Central; pulled by a Berkshire inbound to Chicago. So cool in the years 2017 & 2018!

This gallery is not intended to recreate or emulate scenes from the heyday of big mainline steam travel, I’m sure the purists can spot elements not prototypical in each of these photos. But I present them in monochrome for a nostalgic and retro feel; hopefully squinting your eyes and letting the mind drift back to that bygone era...

Enjoy,
Matthew