MIDWEST ARCHIVES CONFERENCE

URBANA, IL

Hanging onto Hayes When M396 had the IC heritage unit 3008 leading it earlier this year, my buddy and I had originally only planned to start our day at Hayes, but we decided to go find it, hence our viewing at Tuscola previously. It was a pretty easy race to Hayes thanks to the speed restrictions in and around Tuscola at the time. Hayes has been my go-to spot on the IC this year it seems like, I think I'm subconsciously making up for missing the old Lodge elevator.

At any rate, the classic Hayes elevator makes a wonderful framing device for CN3008 and CN3219 as they lead M396 north towards Champaign. They'll stop there for yard work, though we didn't follow beyond there. Something else caught our attention to the west after we saw them into town... — Hanging onto Hayes Credit: Leo Blackwelder

The Midwest Archives Conference is a professional association of individuals and institutions dedicated to the preservation and promotion of archives and historical collections in the Midwest region of the United States. The annual conference is a gathering of archivists, librarians, historians, and other professionals who share a passion for preserving and sharing the stories of the past.

The 2021 conference was held in Urbana, Illinois, and featured a diverse range of sessions and workshops on topics such as digitization, diversity and inclusion in archives, and the use of social media for archival outreach. Attendees also had the opportunity to tour local archives and historical sites, including the University of Illinois Archives and the Champaign County Historical Archives.

In addition to the educational sessions, the conference offered numerous networking opportunities for attendees to connect with colleagues and learn about new developments in the field. The conference also featured a keynote address by Dr. E. Patrick Johnson, a scholar of African American and gender and sexuality studies.

Overall, the Midwest Archives Conference in Urbana provided a valuable opportunity for professionals in the field to learn, connect, and share their expertise and experiences with others in the archival community.

MIDWEST ARCHIVES CONFERENCE is a Uncategorized or General Museum in URBANA IL. US MID #8401700393

The museum is classed as GMU (Uncategorized or General Museums). It comes under American Alliance of Museums (AAM) region: Midwest (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin). Total revenue from most recent IRS 990 Form: $ 88,373 from tax period 201212 (YYYYMM).

Tucked Away The Humko Job has been going daily for many, many years, though isn't one that's often photographed. Typically a pair of Geeps, it can always be found serving Kraft and neighbouring warehouse Monday to Friday, though when it heads back to serve Plastipak and/or Prairie Materials is less rigid. As a result, not many snap shots of Humko outside of the yard, diamond, or by Kraft.

Hidden between the eastbound and westbound bridges of the beginning of I-72, this small wooden trestle carries the Humko across it when it does come back to access Plastipak/Prairie. It's a location that is by no means difficult to get to, but not convenient, so it is oft-forgotten by railfans seeking photos of the usual pair of Geeps. It's a spot I've been meaning to shoot for ages, but just never had the chance.

This time, however, I did have a chance as the train was taking some extra time to grab their caboose before heading back to Kraft after having set out limestone loads at Prairie Materials. A bit of a jog down the path later and I was there. The path does go right under the bridge, and there isn't much clearance! I'm not super tall, about average height, and my the top of my head only just clears it. I imagine a few people have probably hit their head on it by now!

GTW5846 &amp; GTW4906 pull the R902 &quot;Humko Job&quot; today, though they have since been split up.

The Little Things NS 50G hauls its Gibson City grain loads south past the old Wabash H5 dwarf at Lodge, IL. These dwarf signals were installed originally as just the single H5 head on the ground, but later on were retrofitted with the HC-33 lamp atop it. This allowed the signal to display a lunar, making some very interesting indications you can still see today - though not commonly. Today, it's dark as nothing is on the siding, but it's a wonderful piece of Wabash history on this old line.

Real or Fake? In the span of one week, two fakebonnets lead the elusive roadrailers through central Illinois. I was on the other side of the world when the first one happened, but the day after landing back in America after a very nice week abroad with the wife and some great live music, I got the heads up we had a very special 256 headed our way. Suffice to say, even though I was severely jetlagged still, I was interested.

Just west of Sadorus, NS256 comes flying by, led by BNSF751. Though a little grimy and a bit faded, this fakebonnet still looks pretty sharp - not as sharp as a real warbonnet, but still pretty slick. I've also never shot either a fake nor warbonnet so this was a nice first - and to get it on roadrailers? A very handy thing. While I was overseas, the rumour of the imminent end of roadrailers once again sprouted, though this one suggested they would end literally days later, on Easter. Turns out it was a traffic lull for the holiday. Now others say it'll be the end in a few weeks from now, or a few months, or...

Who the hell knows. Fakebonnet leader is still cool though!

Entrapment After having sat on the switch blocking Springfield Avenue for a good 10-15 minutes, CN's Humko job gets a move on. The few-times-a-month shove back here lets the local drop off limestone loads at Prairie Material, and occasionally it works Plastipak as well. Today, they're just setting out some limestone cars. They'll pull forward and go back to grab their caboose, then they'll be off to go work the Kraft plant. Our pair of Grand Trunk units are out of place here, as these rails are former IC. These tracks were formerly the Havana District, although what remains of the tracks were taken out of service by CN about a decade ago. All tracks east of Seymour are gone, abandoned in the 80s - except for what MRYM got to keep!

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Unusual Suspects Most traffic on the Bloomington District is either one of the daily pair of locals or random grain shuttles. This was no exception, except for the exception. This train was not the usual D09 or D12 or 17 or 21 or what have you - today, NS 50G greeted us on the District, with grain loads coming from Gibson City itself. Not a symbol I'd heard before, but you always learn something new.

Thanks to a friend having been following them since Gibson City, I was able to join the fun a little late after taking care of errands back home. This pair of GEs had actually shoved their train from Gibby down to Osman and ran around it there - not the usual way things tend to go here!

Evidently, this train spent the better part of a solid hour to get from Gibby to Goembel after spending a couple hours pulling cars out of Gibson City. I rolled up as the power was approaching Osman to run around the train, and then the chase was on. Scanner traffic and my friend having run into a manager here and having a chat gave us the info that this would head to Bement, power would wye in Decatur, and then it would go east. Though power wasn't unique, this train certainly was a little different than normal, even when it isn't.

At Osman, NS4290 and NS4702 haul 50G south towards Bement. Where it goes after this... I don't know. Georgia, apparently?

Dusk at Dawn Sometimes things line up nicely. After coming off yet another venture to the Bloomington District, I found myself wandering over to Tolono just to see what was going on. D91 was working industry near CP Dawn, and some stuff was moving around on CN and NS alike, so I had a little look around. I initially thought to just sort of watch and wait, put down the camera and just see some things move. We, as photographers, end up watching trains move primarily through our camera viewfinders, or rearview mirrors as we speed away to the next spot for a photo. Sometimes it's good to take a step back and watch.

Yet, when I turned up at CP Dawn, there was no way I could put down my camera. The sunset was blossoming into a brilliant orange fireball, and with NS sending a westbound train my direction, it was shaping up to be a wonderful view. Timing really is the crux of it all.

NS 181, chock full of classic big 86ft autoparts boxcars and led by one of the new UP repaints, heads off into the sunset at CP Dawn on the NS Lafayette District. Many of these boxcars are reaching their 50 service life date, so many may not last all that much longer in operation. But then who knows? Either way, they're a cool sight for now, as is a classic sunset. A very nice way to end a very nice day out.

Local Power Every so often, seems like once or twice a month, the CN Humko job goes back to Prairie Materials to drop off limestone loads. Up until just a week ago, the Humko was staffed by a pair of GTW Geeps - a fine combo! The two units initially shoved back far enough to clear Springfield Avenue, but then later pulled up to the switch back onto the Seymour Spur, where they would sit for a good few minutes and block up the road for a while.

Comparing GTW5846 and GTW4906 is fun - both GP38-2s, but with quite a few phase differences! 5846, a former Pittsburgh &amp; Lake Erie unit, is a 1977-built ph2a1 unit, which was acquired by GTW about 1984. The 4906, meanwhile, is former Missouri Pacific, and one of the earliest GP38-2s manufactured with a build date of 1/1972. The differences between these units are generally minor, but a few notable things are easily seen - the easiest of which are the radiator intakes, note the early phase split-intakes on the 4906 and the late phase single-section on the 5846. Plenty more details are different between units - 81&quot; vs 88&quot; nose length, handrails, pilots, even numbers of rivets on panels and louvres on battery boxes cover differ. The rabbit hole of production phases differences is a deep one, but an interesting one for the modeler especially!

Also, GP38-2s are cool, especially still painted in blue and red. Always nice to see these on the Humko.

Misty Eyed IC1026 and IC1004 have A407 moving out of Leverett. There's little at Leverett to begin with, but some farm equipment and even the occasional MOW equipment does find its way there and hangs out a while. Earlier stormclouds have turned to a misting rain, making chasing for any other shots not quite as enticing of a plan. Good to know when to pack it in sometimes.

Contact MIDWEST ARCHIVES CONFERENCE

MIDWEST ARCHIVES CONFERENCE
210 W GREEN ST
URBANA
IL
61801-3953

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MIDWEST ARCHIVES CONFERENCE Information

MID #	8401700393
Name	MIDWEST ARCHIVES CONFERENCE
Alternate Name
Classification	Uncategorized or General Museums, , Midwest
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)	237228932
NTEECC	A50
Tax period of the latest return filed (YYYYMM)	201212
INCOME	88,373
REVENUE	88,373
LAT/LONG	40.11076, -88.209711
CODES	FIPS State Code: 17 FIPS County Code: 019 US Census Tract: 005800 US Census Block: 2005