Early 1970's Illinois Central Gulf local in H.O Scale.

I photographed this digital live sound video last week Wednsday evening, at the Oak Park Society of Model Engineers,H.O Scale Model Railroad Club. (Of wich I am a member.)

My train shown here, represents the early 1970's "Merger Era" Illinois Central Gulf Railroad, wich had operated on the near southwest side of Chicago when I was growing up in the Windy City.

The Illinois Central Gulf, was created from the August 10th, 1972 merger of the Illinois Central, and the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroads. My train is a generic representation, of how one of the early ICG switching locals may have looked like around 1973. There were still several black and white pre 1967 Illinois Central locomotives riolling around Chicago at this time, as well as the standard post 1967 orange and white Illinois Central locomotives.

The caboose is a model of an Illinois Central steam era side door caboose that was painted orange after 1967, but wearing the post 1972 markings of the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad.

I occasionally run this train with a red Gulf, Mobile & Ohio 1960's era wide vision caboose to capture that merger era feeeling.