Illinois Central--Passenger Train: Dome Car
This series was created to celebrate my thousandth find and to say thank-you to the many cachers who have placed the caches that have given me such enjoyment. This series is especially inspired by imcgisme’s Beefies series and brainandbraun’ Whimsical Tales series with some help from rcflyer2242’s caches. The series is also designed with beginning cachers and especially kids in mind. All hides should be very easy and I hope that the cache containers help make it fun for kids of all ages. Families with small children and folks with complaining joints should note that the terrain for the passenger train series is straight forward and should not present much trouble. However, the terrain for the freight train series is varied. The railroad embankment near the beginning of the train is high and fairly steep, especially for the tender and tank car. These numbers should be pretty easy to guess, so it is possible to find the mystery train without climbing to these caches. Occasionally it might not be obvious where to find the log on the container. In these cases a hint will guide you. On the outside of each cache container is a series of numbers. Be sure to record the ones digit as you will need it to find the final: Mystery Train--At the Station. For example, if the number on the outside of the cache container reads 123, you would need to record the number 3.
The Badger State Trail runs on the former bed of the Freeport to Madison line of the Illinois Central. The line was originally constructed for the CM&N Railroad running from Freeport Illinois to Madison Wisconsin. It was completed in 1888 with the first train making the run on February 1, 1888. The final run was made in 1991. As part of the state of Wisconsin's Rails to Trails program, the Badger State Trail opened in 2007 with the final paved section from Purcell Road north to Madison opening in 2010. Click here for more information on the Badger State Trail.
The Dome Car
Cyrus Osborn came up with the idea of the dome car in 1944 while riding through Colorado’s Glenwood Canyon. Osborn believed that passengers would enjoy being to enjoy an unobstructed view of the scenery around them. His idea was rapidly developed and a year later the “Vista Dome” began service. The fifties and sixties saw a variety of dome car models constructed. Some dome cars consisted of simply a long bubble of windows. Others, such as the Superdome, had the bank of windows running the entire length of the car. Dome cars in the United State were limited to use in the west, since the low clearance of tunnels in the east prevented their use east of the Mississippi. Dome cars proved expensive to operate. The large bank of windows required powerful air conditioning. Even in winter, trouble with air conditioning could allow temperatures to rise to unbearable levels. While popular with passengers, dome cars have largely been abandoned on regular passenger lines. However, they still remain popular on many tourist lines. With few exceptions, dome cars were used exclusively in the United States and Canada.
The Train Cars are on the track from approximately March 15 to November 15.
They are replaced by bison tubes for the winter.
The Geocache Notification Form has been submitted to Steven Johnston, Badger State Trail Manager of the Wisconsin DNR. Geocaches placed on Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource managed lands require permission by means of a notification form. Please print out a paper copy of the notification form, fill in all required information, then submit it to the land manager. The DNR Notification form and land manager information can be obtained at: http://www.wi-geocaching.com/hiding