Part One

It all began back in 1959, at the age of 4½. My family and I were heading up to Cape Cod and somewhere along the way I saw this railroad bridge with these huge boxcars on top of it, wondering what they were. A few years later I was at my Nana and Nunu’s summer cottage in Niantic, Connecticut and come to find out that the New Haven Railroad was right down the street. In fact, there was this green house with a back yard that was near the tracks and it made the perfect place to watch the trains as they rolled by. From that year on, I was hooked.

Fast forward to present day and I am in the town of Columbus, Nebraska. According to the mile marker at the grade crossing near the Sleep Inn where I am staying:

I am 83 miles due west of Omaha, what was then the eastern terminus of the great Transcontinental Railroad. It was built west from Omaha by the Union Pacific and built east from San Francisco by the then Central Pacific and joined together in Promontory Point, Utah, north of Salt Lake City.

But I digress.

With that being said, welcome to my blog. To those of you who followed me on my journeys back in October of 2008, 2010 and 2012, it’s good to see you again. For those of you following me on Facebook, nice to have you back. If you are a newcomer, Welcome Aboard!! And I have asked you all to come along with me and see what makes this railfan tick. As before, this blog will be more than just trains. We will once again visit some items from the past and we’ll visit some new destinations. There will be, as always, some great pictures.

All you need is the following link:

http://ontheroad-nebraska2014.blogspot.com/

A note on Facebook will be waiting for you each morning letting you know that the next chapter is available. So stay tuned and enjoy the ride.

The day begins......dreary. Rainy skies and a temp of 48 degrees. Not really the best weather for traveling but hey, we'll deal with it. I get to Bradley International Airport in my hometown of Windsor Locks, CT USA at around 8:30am. I get checked in with the folks at United and come to find out at the TSA check point that I am Pre-Approved!! No pulling off my shoes. Right to the X-ray machine and on to McDonalds for breakfast. Five minutes later, I am at my gate and a minute later, my group is called. And I am seventh in line. Can't beat that!! The seating is comfortable in steerage and we push away from gate A23 on time at 9:25am EDT.

We get into Chicago O’Hare on time and then we are delayed 15 minutes going to Omaha due to a light bulb needing to be changed outside on the plane. I swear: the entire Economy cabin had a mind meld with some low giggles with everyone probably coming up with their favorite "how many does it take to change a light bulb" joke. Seriously!!

Arrival into Omaha is without incident. Get my bag and see the folks at Alamo. Behind-the-counter Josh tells me about my ride. It's a 2015 Hyundai Veloster. 5500 miles on it. Just broken it. Never heard of the beast. After signing off on the paperwork, I go get my car and my jaw drops when I see the thing:

It reminded me of this 20 year old Honda 2-door that my friend and former News 8 editor John Roll had. Take his car and seriously pimp the crap out of it. And BTW, this thing has ABS disc brakes on all axles. If I hit the brakes just right, this thing will stop on a dime and place its nose on said dime. Damn fine brakes!!!!

Once out of the airport, it’s over to the Union Pacific Railroad Museum across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Took a few pics and got me a new hat. Back across the river and west into Omaha on U. S. Route 6 aka Dodge Street. A few more miles and I enter the town of Elkhorn. When I see the town's iconic water tower:

That feeling of I-am-here washes over me and it feels good to be back in my second and adopted home state. Once out on U.S. 30, I see my first eastbound Union Pacific manifest train and I am one happy railfan. And in downtown Columbus:

A westbound autorack train heads west into the setting sun.

Anyway, time to call it a day. Sunday, it is west to Kearney for a couple of days and staying out and watching the action roll thru town.

And before I forget, this blog is again dedicated to the memory of my mom, Mary Bolinsky Zocco. She always said that I took great pictures. Pure luck if you ask me. But she was a fan and I hope to make her proud one more time.

Thanks to my youngest brother Jay for helping to check in on our Dad while I am away. Thanks to my kids Chris and Caty for help in setting up the blog. And thanks to my younger brother Paul for the title. I'm sure Charles Karault would approve.

I’m Philip J Zocco. On The Road. In Columbus, Nebraska.