KJRY tribute will be my 100th blog post ( Can you think of a better one?)
I've went through some of my albums and counted well over 100 photographs of this particular line and that isn't even scratching the surface nor does it count all film i've uploaded. Why so many you wonder? Is it because it's the only line around me without a drive? Maybe some of that is true but the fact of the matter is once they added the F units to the line I became a fan. Then it's been a special treat with the B unit and sometimes a GP20 for a good line up. It's locally known and a rare sight these days to see F units active at all. I just happen to be lucky to live in a town the line passes through once or twice a week. It's been a blast following this line and catching this. Their Santa events every year have been fun though i have missed some due to illness and last year's was a complete blood bath what with my trach issues ( Yuck). Sarcasm a side my first encounter with a f unit is when one was sitting on a side track in Canton in it's red and silver colors with a bear on the side. It looked kind of beaten up. I walked by it and thought it looked very old. Some man was photographing it and I asked about it like what time period t was from and he said mid 1950's. I forget the year it was here briefly 2003 or 2004 maybe. I know they reactivated and started using the line again in 2005 so maybe around then. My memory sucks on some stuff so take it as you will. This was probably one of the ones repainted in Pioneer colors and put back in service. I honestly didn't pay attention to the number on it so either one of them or one that would go sit at La Harpe. I don't know. I had enough sense to know it was very old though.
At the time I hadn't done much reading on trains and just watched them from time to time only photographing them once before starting in 2008 to get into railfanning and discover there was a following into that. I was in for quite a shock when i found out there was magazines, online groups and clubs. Most people in life had said it's a train who cares or made some stupid comment like that if i expressed interest ( other kids growing up mainly from time to time). My parents didn't care one way or another and never discouraged me watching them so it was normal for me. Until coming across groups online finding people with interest in them was impossible. Everyone just scoffed at it as a silly interest. Pfft. Atleast i'm not fanatical with something dumb like sports where people toss money to bet on crap. Okay Jan put a hault to the sarcasm before you get yourself in trouble. Seriously though not one person growing up had the same interests so i was the outsider other than a few times early on as kids we did gather at Railroad street off Second Avenue to watch TP&W ( ATSF...whatever..haha) put cars on a siding or take them off. Other than that has been a solo hobby ninety percent of the time until recently within this year have railfanned with several people a few times. Anyway done with the rambling here is a tribue to a Shortline Keokuk Junction Railway that spans from Peoria, Illinois to Keokuk,Iowa. Some of the older pictures they briefly had Peoria & Western on the F units before changing it to Keokuk Junction Railway. Due to various issues haven't been able to chase them recently nor have i paid much attention or heard them. Their days seems to vary so it's hard to keep track anymore.
At the time I hadn't done much reading on trains and just watched them from time to time only photographing them once before starting in 2008 to get into railfanning and discover there was a following into that. I was in for quite a shock when i found out there was magazines, online groups and clubs. Most people in life had said it's a train who cares or made some stupid comment like that if i expressed interest ( other kids growing up mainly from time to time). My parents didn't care one way or another and never discouraged me watching them so it was normal for me. Until coming across groups online finding people with interest in them was impossible. Everyone just scoffed at it as a silly interest. Pfft. Atleast i'm not fanatical with something dumb like sports where people toss money to bet on crap. Okay Jan put a hault to the sarcasm before you get yourself in trouble. Seriously though not one person growing up had the same interests so i was the outsider other than a few times early on as kids we did gather at Railroad street off Second Avenue to watch TP&W ( ATSF...whatever..haha) put cars on a siding or take them off. Other than that has been a solo hobby ninety percent of the time until recently within this year have railfanned with several people a few times. Anyway done with the rambling here is a tribue to a Shortline Keokuk Junction Railway that spans from Peoria, Illinois to Keokuk,Iowa. Some of the older pictures they briefly had Peoria & Western on the F units before changing it to Keokuk Junction Railway. Due to various issues haven't been able to chase them recently nor have i paid much attention or heard them. Their days seems to vary so it's hard to keep track anymore.
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