NKP # 765 and Train Festival 2009 Owosso MI July 21-26, 2009

Although somewhat overshadowed by the well publicized cross country odyssey of SP # 4449, a second Lima built 4-8-4 also journeyed from Fort Wayne IN to Owosso to "star" in the Train Festival. On Tuesday, July 21st, NKP # 765 made its way up the Norfolk Southern, Ann Arbor and Great Lakes Central railroads to participate in the Steam Railroading Institute's Train Festival 2009, held in Owosso July 23rd through the 26th. With 765 arriving at the festival grounds two days after 4449 got there, I made plans to catch the deadhead move from Fort Wayne at Milan MI, and then more or less follow it to Durand and into Owosso. Unfortunately, I had understood that the locomotive would be arriving in Milan at around 2 pm. So I got there at 1 o'clock, only to discover by talking to one of the grain elevator employees across the tracks, that it had actually passed through at 11 am. Since I was so far behind, I headed straight to Durand, hoping it would still be south of there. When I arrived in Durand, a multitude of people at trackside was a sure indacator that it had not gotten there yet, so I headed back south on roads paralleling the Great Lakes Central main line until I found the train, just south of the hamlet of Cohoctah MI. Threatening skies, and an actual downpour greeted me at about the same time as the 765's train did, however the sun broke out briefly while the train was threading its way through Durand. Unlike 4449, the 765 was behind escorting diesels for its entire trip from Fort Wayne to Owosso, greatly reducing any decent photographic possibilities. Despite this, the crew accompanying 765 put on a great show for all the folks that had gathered along the route to watch the train.

On Friday July 24th, it was discovered that SRI's sister Berkshire PM #1225 had developed tube leaks, and the 765 would be called upon to handle both the Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th "all day" excursion trips from Owosso to Alma. Although many were saddened by the sudden sideling of #1225, the big NKP Berkshire performed admirably in standing in for the disabled 1225 and piloting both excursion trains. Unsettled weather for much of the week in central Michigan was a factor for both 765 trips, however there were a few times that the sun came out for the trains. The images in this album represent both the deadhead move into Durand and the two excursions handled by 765. There are also some photos of the Train Festival itself, and of Great Lakes Central's former Ann Arbor engine facility at Owosso.