Michigan Railfan Films 2022 Midwest Tour!

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David Collins
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Michigan Railfan Films 2022 Midwest Tour!

Unread post by David Collins »

Ah yes, it’s time to brush the dust off of the motor home and do some hardcore railfanning. It’s the Michigan Railfan Films Midwest tour! My hopes this year is I won’t be sick! (could’ve sworn I had COVID during last years trip :lol:)

We’ll start our trip in Chesterton, Indiana on the 25th, Where my dad and I will boondock next to Riley’s Railhouse and *attempt* to sleep.

The next morning (3/26) We’ll find ourselves on the road heading toward Fort Madison, Iowa for some epic drone shots of trains crossing the Mississippi River swing bridge in Fort Madison and watching endless lines of trains, We’ll be spending 1 1/2 days there, and sometime will be spent with family :).


On 3/28, We’ll head to the land of the hotshots, La Plata, Missouri. Where we’ll film some of the fastest freight trains in the world on the BNSF transcon, we’ll be spending the night at La Plata, but don’t expect me to leave the platform much, I’m pulling an all nighter!

On 3/29, we’ll be heading for one of the coolest railfanning places (in my opinion), Santa Fe Junction in Kansas City, Missouri, of the stops on the trip, this is one of the spots I have yet to go to and I’ve been wanting to for a long time. Me also being a foodie I’ll be making a stop at slaps barbecue restaurant for some true KC ribs! We’ll head back to La Plata that night.

On 3/30, We’ll start our way toward Chicago, where the possibilities are endless for railfanning, me and some of my buddies will meet up on the next day in La Grange, Illinois on BNSF racetrack and yet again, see endless lines of trains, at some point around 2 PM I’ll run over to Glenview to catch Amtrak #7 with the new ALC42’s on it (preferably leading).

On 4/2, we’ll leave Chicago bound for Porter Junction, near Chesterton. Where we’ll catch more Chicagoline trains and also see some CSX action. That night we’ll head to Bangor, Michigan and take some real time to relax, until…

4/3, I’ll be up bright and early in Bangor to catch Amtrak P371 and CSX Q327, I’ve heard Bangor is very good for drone shots of trains going through downtown, and I’m certainly putting the test when Q326 passes east, then we’ll head home from Bangor.

You can track the progress on our trip, since most of the locations we’re going to have railcams, if all goes well, you’ll see me on these cameras!


Chesterton, Indiana (3/25): https://railstream.net/live-cameras/ite ... est-free-2

Fort Madison, Iowa (3/26-3/27):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CwnlNQSHBfc

La Plata, Missouri (3/28-3/29, you won’t be able to see me since the station camera is down for repairs, the link is to a railcam on a hill just west of the La Plata Amtrak station):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dPTuEesIzWM

Santa Fe Junction, Kansas City Missouri (3/29):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj7uQPCpTjw

Bangor, Michigan (4/2-4/3, I’m pretty sure one person on this website will definitely see me on there :lol:)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y0pEGfaKi50


If anyone goes on any of those cameras, look out for a black tripod with a small camcorder on top, a dude with a DSLR camera and a drone, odds are, that’s me!

Let’s have a little game too, if anyone spots me on one of the cameras, take a screenshot and post it in here, kinda like a Jochs and Folks sighting :lol:
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Flickr: David R. Collins

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kd_1014
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Re: Michigan Railfan Films 2022 Midwest Tour!

Unread post by kd_1014 »

David Collins wrote:
Mon Mar 07, 2022 4:27 pm

If anyone goes on any of those cameras, look out for a black tripod with a small camcorder on top, a dude with a DSLR camera and a drone, odds are, that’s me!
What if there's another guy that looks like that, odds are there will be

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David Collins
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Re: Michigan Railfan Films 2022 Midwest Tour!

Unread post by David Collins »

kd_1014 wrote:
Mon Mar 07, 2022 4:48 pm
David Collins wrote:
Mon Mar 07, 2022 4:27 pm

If anyone goes on any of those cameras, look out for a black tripod with a small camcorder on top, a dude with a DSLR camera and a drone, odds are, that’s me!
What if there's another guy that looks like that, odds are there will be
Look for a white motor home, then you’ll know it’s me
Ferris State University’s Train Guy

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kd_1014
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Re: Michigan Railfan Films 2022 Midwest Tour!

Unread post by kd_1014 »

David Collins wrote:
Mon Mar 07, 2022 4:52 pm
kd_1014 wrote:
Mon Mar 07, 2022 4:48 pm
David Collins wrote:
Mon Mar 07, 2022 4:27 pm

If anyone goes on any of those cameras, look out for a black tripod with a small camcorder on top, a dude with a DSLR camera and a drone, odds are, that’s me!
What if there's another guy that looks like that, odds are there will be
Look for a white motor home, then you’ll know it’s me
I'll be looking for you alright

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David Collins
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Re: Michigan Railfan Films 2022 Midwest Tour!

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Does anyone know if Glenview is busy? I’m thinking about running over there to see the empire builder while I’m in Chicago…
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Re: Michigan Railfan Films 2022 Midwest Tour!

Unread post by GTW6401 »

David Collins wrote:
Wed Mar 16, 2022 12:40 pm
Does anyone know if Glenview is busy? I’m thinking about running over there to see the empire builder while I’m in Chicago…
Mostly passenger trains, and their schedules are all listed online. Metra Milwaukee north line.

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David Collins
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Re: Michigan Railfan Films 2022 Midwest Tour!

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Quick update on 3/20/22 (6 days until beginning of trip): Porter Junction has been scrapped from the list in favor of Elkhart, we’re also getting the motorhome ready :D

Instead of posting my video/photo links in trip reports in order to avoid redundancy, I’ll be posting them in here 🙃

Keep an eye out for this motorhome at the doooshler meet too!

Stay tuned!
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Re: Michigan Railfan Films 2022 Midwest Tour!

Unread post by ConrailDetr​oit »

Kudos for already choosing authentic, local joints, for meals and to experience the local culture in opposition to low quality, low priced, (or overpriced), junk that continues to blindly and acceptingly lower American's diet standards that contributes to the ongoing plagues that a mask and a vaccine has not fixed.

What is the reason for already planning each location on a "schedule"?

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Re: Michigan Railfan Films 2022 Midwest Tour!

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We made it to Chesterton, thought I’d share my first few photos (they’re actually screenshots from my videos, I can’t find my DSLR charger :cry:). I filmed two trains in a severe thunderstorm, oh the things railfans do to see a train am I right? :lol:
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Re: Michigan Railfan Films 2022 Midwest Tour!

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Day 1 in Fort Madison, Iowa in review:

I saw some decent stuff in my opinion, including a former CitiRail GEVO, I’m still in Fort Madison today, and tomorrow it’s onto La Plata, Missouri
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Re: Michigan Railfan Films 2022 Midwest Tour!

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Looks like you are having a good time, David.
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

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Re: Michigan Railfan Films 2022 Midwest Tour!

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Kansas City (Santa Fe Junction) day in review:

I can easily say this is the best railfanning day I’ve ever had, These are just three of the many epic/rare trains I saw today, these three pictures feature the BNSF office car special, a Ferromex/KCS gray duo and the two predecessors, a Santa Fe Dash 9 warbonnet and a BNSF executive paint SD70MAC
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Re: Michigan Railfan Films 2022 Midwest Tour!

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Santa Fe Junction morning time railfanning in review:

More epic stuff came this morning, including BNSF’s Golden Swoosh paint GEVO, #7695, a CN Paint (BCOL Patch) C44-9WL and one of BNSF’s Heritage Hoppers (unfortunately tagged with graffiti :cry:)
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Re: Michigan Railfan Films 2022 Midwest Tour!

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Kansas City is a great railroad town. 5 class ones and Amtrak all converge there. I went there last summer for the Big Boy event and I was very happy. I am also going to the railroad academy thats out there next year after I complete my perquisites at Schoolcraft college and my god it cannot come soon enough. Kansas City is arguably a better railroad town than Chicago in my opinion. Love it out there

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