I would buy a ticket on the Nebraska Zephyr if it goes on a mainline excursion.
My family & I rode their dinner train on the IRM grounds twice back in about 07-2003 & 07-2004 (don’t exactly remember the specific years).
I also had dinner on the NZ in 07-2008 when it was parked in Rock Island IL during Train Festival 2008. Several steam locomotives were moving by us on the parallel tracks during dinner. One of them was the NKP steamer with OGR’s Rich Melvin.
The NZ made a mainline trip to the Galesburg Railroad Days in 06-2002. My daughter & I toured it as it sat on display by the Galesburg depot. We rode the MR 4-8-4 #261 steam train from Naperville IL to Galesburg IL round trip. That has been my only visit to Galesburg RR Days (my wife’s birthday is 06-25 & our anniversary is 06-28). GRRD is always the last weekend in June, so I don’t usually get a Pass in that weekend 😆
The NZ also did excursion trips from Rock Island IL to Bureau Junction IL on the IAIS (former CRI&P) during Train Festival 2008.
The NZ also did an excursion trip on BNSF (former CB&Q-BN) from Chicago Union Station to Quincy IL somewhere between 2010, 2011, or 2012.
Back in the 1990s, I remember seeing photos of NZ excursion trips on the WC from IL to WI and back.
Hopefully the NZ will ride the mainlines again a few times.
We can always dream !!!
CB&Q Bill
