The Diesel Fleet Vintage diesels haul the majority of
B&SV trains, and the railroad has gone to great lengths to assemble a collection that honors the railroads that once oper- ated into Boone, as well as other Iowa fallen flags. At the present time the fleet includes seven operable diesels that are kept in immaculate shape. “Every piece of equipment that’s presented to the public is in good condition,” says Steven- son. “My son, Travis, is our Chief Me- chanical Office, and he and our volun-
teers work hard to make sure our equip- ment looks nice,” which can be a chal- lenge given the harsh Iowa winters. The first locomotive acquired was an ex-United States Air Force 65-tonner, 7858, built by General Electric in 1943 and ballasted to 80 tons. It came to Boone in 1983 still wearing Air Force blue, but was later painted in FDDM&S colors and numbered 2254 to honor the 2254 charter members of the historical society. The primary locomotive through the 1985 season, today it’s
mostly used in work train service and for switching the Boone Industrial Park, which B&SV has done since 2002. For 2012 it has been repainted or- ange and cream, the same paint scheme worn in the 1950s by FDDM&S’s 70- ton GEs. In 1986 the railroad purchased two
diesel switchers from C&NW, a “cow- and-calf” set consisting of NW-2 1003 and cabless TR-2 1103. Number 1003 was originally Grand Trunk Western 7914, and was purchased by the North Western in 1973; 1103 was part of a TR-2 cow-and-calf set purchased by the Chicago Great Western in 1949. They pulled B&SV trains together until 1990, when 1103 was retired and put into storage. Sister 1003 remains part of the operating fleet and in 1992 was repainted in the classic Chicago Great
LEFT: Minneapolis & St. Louis RS-1 244 poses for night photos in downtown Boone on Octo- ber 3, 2010. The unit was built for LS&I and worked in Michigan for many years before mi- grating to Iowa. LIGHTING BY CHRIS GUSS AND STEVE SMEDLEY. BELOW: The scenic highlight of the Boone & Scenic Valley is the Bass Point Creek High Bridge, which towers 156 feet over the Des Moines River Valley. A replace- ment for an earlier wooden trestle that washed out, the high bridge celebrates its 100th birthday in 2012. Here, RS-1 244 is pulling a photo freight sponsored by Steve Glischinski on October 4, 2010.
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