A dreary day in Rubicon. A chilly, day-long rain continues to fall on the farmland west of tiny Rubicon, Wisconsin, as a SOO Line Freight hits the Grant Road Crossing on its southbound journey toward Hartford.
The striking orange Milwaukee Road Reefer just behind the Ten-oh-three is actually the Steam Locomotive Heritage Association's tool car. This car contains all of the tools and spare parts necessary to support the big Mikado when she's out on the line doing special events, such as this freight charter for Historic Transport Preservation (HTP). That car came in handy on the second day of the charter, when an unexpected issue developed on the locomotive's dynamo. The crew had all of the materials they needed to swap out the offending part and was able to get the engine back on the road in about 30 minutes.
