Nickel Plate Road

There are many great places across the United States where one can witness the glorious sights and sounds of steam locomotives in the cool and colorful atmosphere that can only be found during the autumn season. In October of 2024, the Indiana Northeastern Railroad was certainly one such place. On Friday, October 18th and Saturday the 19th, the Nickel Plate Road Historical & Technical Society hosted their annual convention in Angola, Indiana. That same weekend, the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society was busy operating the Indiana Fall Colors Trains as a part of the Indiana Rail Experience, running from the historic 1882 depot at Pleasant Lake, Indiana to Hillsdale, Michigan. Head end power for these excursions was provided by Fort Wayne's iconic steam celebrity, Nickel Plate Road S-2 Berkshire #765. The weekend served as a wonderful celebration of the Nickel Plate, providing a chance to enjoy both steam and diesel action in the rolling countryside of Indiana and Michigan, and The Big Banana Railfan was there to capture all the excitement!
On Friday afternoon, the festivities got underway as #765 headed up a special train for attendees of the NKPHTS Convention. This excursion ran north from Pleasant Lake to just beyond the state line with Michigan. Leading the charge on the southbound leg was recently restored former Nickel Plate SD9 #358, which put on a spirited show in her classic black and yellow livery, a fixture of the NKP in its freight hauling heyday.
The following two days were spent chasing #765 on the Fall Colors Trains, and the Lima-built beauty certainly stole the show! At 80 years old, she still looks and operates like she was built yesterday! The leaves on the trees were rapidly approaching peak color, and made for vibrant contrast against the dramatic mid-autumn sunshine. #765 is seen at many points of interest along the Indiana Northeastern system, and makes for a thrilling sight indeed as she performs several photo runbys at Ray, IN, on the Indiana/Michigan border.
In addition to seeing #765, we also make a side trip to the Little River Railroad, to catch their classy 4-6-2 #110 as she leads one of the railroad’s Pumpkin Patch trains eastward to nearby Quincy.
It's nearly an hour of action with informative narration, so come along with us as we follow #765 on the rails of the old New York Central, as the Big Banana Railfan Proudly Presents, “Midwest Autumn Adventures”!
#765 was built by Lima in 1944, and was originally assigned to the Nickel Plate's yard at Bellevue, OH, serving alongside her sister berks on the railroad's fast freight trains. After being relocated to a classification yard in Fort Wayne, Indiana following World War II, #765 made her last run in June of 1958 to provide heat to a stranded passenger train, and would become the last Nickel Plate Berkshire under steam. She was a favorite of the Nickel Plate steam crews, and was kept indoors for several years, until the city of Fort Wayne requested sister locomotive #767 for display in Lawton Park due to her involvement in the opening ceremony of a track elevation project in 1955. #767 proved to be in poor mechanical condition however, and in 1963, the numbers were switched on the two locomotives, with #765 being moved into the park for display, wearing the numbers of her later scrapped sister. By the early 1970s, the locomotive fell into deterioration, and an organization known as the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society was formed, moving the engine to New Haven, IN in 1974 to begin what became an operational restoration. In the process, #765 would gain her original number back. The work was done over a 5 year period with a lack of optimal shop facilities and protection from the elements, yet on September 1st, 1979, #765 made her first moves under own power, making a series of break-in runs over the next year. In 1982, she began running mainline excursions for Norfolk Southern's Steam Program, and quickly grew in popularity, running alongside several other steam stars including Norfolk & Western #611, Pere Marquette #1225 and Nickel Plate Road #587 to name a few. She also was notable for powering the legendary New River Gorge excursions between Huntington and Hinton, West Virginia. In the years since, she has become one of the most iconic and busiest mainline steam locomotives in the country, thrilling crowds all across the eastern third of the nation.
Enjoy!

[@wolfgangpfeilergartenbahnd6530]

Fantastic video, steam trains and diesel locomotives throughout the year. Excellently filmed. Many greetings from Germany

[@johnuhelski8613]

Great job , as always ! She looks and sounds like the beast she is......

[@TheBigBananaRailfan]

Thanks! She’s always been a favorite of mine!

[@WRProductions]

Excellent video!

[@TheBigBananaRailfan]

Thanks!

[@sirtrailproductions8198]

Awesome Job keep up the great work!!

[@TheBigBananaRailfan]

Thank you sir! Glad you enjoyed!

[@OzzmanStudios]

Great video!

[@TheBigBananaRailfan]

Thanks!

[@RailfanIan1225]

I went on October 19th! It was awesome! My video has also over performed too! 2,000 views in less than weeks! I had a lot of fun!