Countdown To The End - a photo on Flickriver

            A very fitting title as I reflect back upon 2019, even as I type this description.  As of this moment of typing, the countdown to the 2020 new year has begun, as the final hour on New Year's Eve's Eve ticks on.  As others have already begun their "year in review," I have never been a big fan of following suit.  However,  the Year of the Lord 2019 has been special.

Now, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that I reserve this Flickr profile primarily for my rail-related photos.  And in the railfan world, there have been several significant events this year.  From the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad to the  the cross-country barnstorming tour done by Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy 4014, 2019 has been one for the ages.

Despite all that, the event that stands out most in my mind this year has been the retirement of the Keokuk Junction F-Units, the last streamlined units in regular revenue service anywhere in the United States.  KJRR is a small shortline railroad that runs from Peoria, IL to Keokuk, IA over rails formerly owned by the Toledo, Peoria, & Western (TP&W).  The KJRR is practical operating museum, with much of their equipment being early 2nd Generation diesels, with the F's being their tribute to the 1st Generation.  And much of the old TP&W rail is in very rough shape, with 10mph speed zones necessary. So in late 2018 when it was announced that Keokuk Junction's parent company, Pioneer Railcorp, was being sold, many speculated the end times would soon come for the KJRR F's.

So it wasn't terribly shocking when, in early August, it was suddenly announced that the F's would have their last run in only a matter of days.  Railfans from across the Midwest and South descended upon the KJRR, giving this often-overlooked shortline some much needed love.  It would not be an exaggeration to say that the amount of railfans chasing this train exceeded the populations of some of the towns the line went through.

And so, the historic chase would begin in the tiny town of Mapleton, IL, just west of Pekin on the early morning of August 8th.  The previous day, the F's led their final time eastward across the Illinois River to East Peoria.  The crew then parked the train in Mapleton on the west side of the KJRR yard to await the historic next day.  And that's where this image was taken, at roughly 7am as it waited for the arrival of the crew.

Taken in: United States / Illinois / Village of Mapleton (show map)

Taken on: August 7, 2019

Tags:

F-Units

FP9's

Illinois

KJRY

Keokuk Junction

Mapleton

Trains

Streamliners

Pioneer Railcorp

Keokuk Junction Railway

Central Illinois « less

Sets appears in: • Images of the Keokuk Junction • Shortlines more » • Streamliners • Photographic Explorations « less

Groups appears in: • Illinois Flickrjournal • I Love Trains more » • North American Railfanning • Fading America • Train Photography • Midwest Railroads • Anything trains • American Rails • North American Railroads • E-Units and F-Units • LocoMotives • Trains of the U.S.A. • Old American Trains • U.S. Railfan Pictures • All Locomotives • Streamliners • EMD Gallery • PLANET EARTH BACK IN THE DAY • EMD Group • Railroading in Illinois • Rural Railfanning • Pioneer Rail Corp. • Midwest Railfanning • Central Illinois Trains • 1,000 Views Unlimited 1000 • 1,500 Views Unlimited 1500 • Railfan Atlas • TRAINS IN ALL 50 STATES AND CANADA • Keokuk Junction Railway • The Strange Fascination With Railroad Tracks Club - no 30/60 • !Trains of the world! [No 30/60 limit] • flickrailroad • Illinois - The Best Photos • Shortlines, Regionals, and Industrials! • Canon Railfan Group « less

Camera: Canon EOS 70D, f/11.0, 1/3200 sec, 24mm, ISO 800 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 70D
Lens:	TAMRON 16-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD B016
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	1/3200 sec
Focal Length:	24mm
ISO:	800
Exposure Bias:	-1 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto bracket
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 8.4 (Windows)
Show full info

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