Are You Ready? For Shortline Railfanning on the Iowa Chicago & Northern (ICN)...

[ZachBell4400]

So, after carefully considering the pros of building a route more specifically aimed towards a fictional railroad, I decided it was time to build the Iowa, Chicago & Northern, with a CN mainline to the north at Wasabi, and a college town called Warsaw towards the center, and South Warsaw towards the end of the route. US-69 runs along the ICN, so traffic is fairly heavy.

I'll be using Class I and short-line motive power on my locals and unit sand and coal trains. There is a commuter rail stop in Warsaw. But no trains can sound horns due to noise ordinance regulations within the town of Warsaw. South Warsaw (the southern end of US-69) is an exception due to the single crossing at WI-75.

But with no time to waste, here's a sampling of what's to come...

BNSF ET44C4 #3733 and BNSF ES44AC #5828 lead a DAPX coal train through Warsaw heading north...

[Fish4890]

Awesome Pic Where did you get the ET44C4 at ?

[ebnertra000]

OMG, someone still uses my ancient stop signs with the monster delineators on them?!

Looks like your route's off to a decent start, though

[ZachBell4400]

You got that right Travis. It's a foamer's paradise since my fictional town called Warsaw is a college town featuring a trove of school nerds and photographers that - well, you guess it - actually foam over the most extraordinary stuff. But, reality will sink in since trains don't play those kind of reindeer games with college foamers. In other words, no shaving and no haircuts. Warsaw Police have warned these college foamers not to stand along US-69 in town since it's a busy highway. That's what the commuter station near Main Street is for.

By the way, long story short, despite our fictitious ops, we've been taking our railfanning seriously and considering our safety as #1 priority. That's the spirit of the ICN!

[ZachBell4400]

Wasabi (named after Subway's famous Wasabi Steak & Cheese Sub) was more of an industrial complex than a retirement community, as the days passed. More people declined to live in this town so they moved south to Warsaw, where all the foamers partied it up.

Here ICN SD70ACe #2021 leads a southbound local. Prepping to switch the paper mill with the whale-belly pulp hoppers. Then off to Warsaw to switch propane tankers.

[jbtower]

I dog the concept, I hope you share this one as it's very impressive thus far!

[ZachBell4400]

Near the community of Wasabi Estates, we catch a pair of FXE ES44AC's leading a southbound Ortner hopper train on the ICN mainline.

[Curt C]

I'm seeing 4821 as a 2016 built ES44AC, that was recently modified (and repainted) to use LNG. Nice job on the repaint btw.