JOHNNY GRUELLE RAGGEDY ANN

ARCOLA, 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

Johnny Gruelle Raggedy Ann in Arcola IL is a museum dedicated to the beloved children's character, Raggedy Ann. The museum was established in 2005 to honor the legacy of Johnny Gruelle, the creator of Raggedy Ann. Visitors to the museum can explore four galleries: Johnny Gruelle and Raggedy Ann, Raggedy Ann and Andy, Raggedy Ann and Friends, and the Raggedy Ann Gift Shop.

The Johnny Gruelle and Raggedy Ann gallery showcases Gruelle's original drawings and sketches of Raggedy Ann, as well as a timeline of the character's history. The Raggedy Ann and Andy gallery features a variety of dolls, books, and other memorabilia, including a replica of the original Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. The Raggedy Ann and Friends gallery includes dolls from the Raggedy Ann and Friends series, as well as other characters from Gruelle's stories. The Raggedy Ann Gift Shop offers dolls and other merchandise for purchase.

The museum also hosts a variety of special events and programs throughout the year, including "Raggedy Ann Days" and the annual Holiday Festival. Visitors can also take part in workshops and classes, such as "Raggedy Ann and Andy Doll Making" and "Raggedy Ann Storytelling." The museum is a popular destination for families and fans of Raggedy Ann, and it serves as a testament to the enduring legacy of Johnny Gruelle and his beloved character.

JOHNNY GRUELLE RAGGEDY ANN is a Uncategorized or General Museum in ARCOLA IL. US MID #8401701156

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).

Second Choice Hayes old grain elevator makes for an interesting sight beside the CN 8952, the Grand Trunk heritage unit. This elevator hasn't been used in many decades, but still manages to stand proudly in the fields. It's a treat to still be able to shoot it.

Originally, our plan with 8952 and E271 was to shoot it at Pesotum, however thanks to its work in Champaign, long shadows were eclipsing our shot. Not ideal, so we bailed on that and decided to go for Hayes. I toyed with various angles at the elevator, but finding something I was happy with was a struggle, though I've got ideas for future shots here for sure. The tight frame may not be the best for this spot, but I decided to give it a go anyway. Good learning experience here anyways.

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!

Terminating the Terminal NS 1072 leads the 256 Roadrailer through Sadorus. To my surprise, the thing had slowed right on down. I had been expecting to have to really put my foot down to stay ahead for another shot or two, but then it wasn't really necessary. Turns out 32N was stopped just ahead of it, and CN had revoked NS control of the Tolono diamond just minutes after giving it to them. They just kept lining CN trains through the diamond for ages and got 256 and 32N stuck for quite some time. Got a chance for some long distance glamour shots though, so that was fun. Wacky day out!

Marginal Improvements You know how they say 'if you got nothing nice to say, don't say it at all?' Well, yeah, that's pretty reasonable for pretty much any context. Anyway, I have a lot of negative things to say about CNs take on the Illinois Central heritage unit. But then don't we all? However, I will say one nice thing this time. I completely missed it until my buddy pointed it out the other day, but CN evidently removed the IPO25 sticker on the sides of the nose like a year ago. It certainly makes the unit look a little better than it did previously. Promise I won't complain about the... issues this time around.

We started our chase of the CN 3008 down in Tuscola. Starting at about South Tuscola, something is putting on a speed restriction of just 35mph between that end of the siding and CP Champaign. It's been like this for over a week, I dunno what's up with that. Anyway, it made chasing this fella down that much easier. Can't complain about that, hey?

CN3008 (IC Heritage) / CN3219 (CN100), CN M396 @ Tuscola, IL

American White Pelican Lake Charleston, IL, USA

Contact JOHNNY GRUELLE RAGGEDY ANN

website: http://www.raggedyann-museum.org

JOHNNY GRUELLE RAGGEDY ANN & ANDY MUSEUM
PO BOX 183
ARCOLA
IL
61910-0183

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JOHNNY GRUELLE RAGGEDY ANN Information

MID #	8401701156
Name	JOHNNY GRUELLE RAGGEDY ANN & ANDY MUSEUM
Alternate Name	JOHNNY GRUELLE RAGGEDY ANN
Classification	Uncategorized or General Museums, , Midwest
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)	371372730
NTEECC	A50
Tax period of the latest return filed (YYYYMM)
INCOME	0
REVENUE	0
LAT/LONG	39.679033, -88.305076
CODES	FIPS State Code: 17 FIPS County Code: 041 US Census Tract: 952400 US Census Block: 1212