Return of the SD75M

Way back on Tuesday, February 2, BNSF Jake posted a photo of a flock of BNSF SD75's on the move down the Staples Sub. The word on the web was that these engines were to be returned to service in various locations on the system. Sadly, my own trip down the Staples Sub that morning was much too early to get a look at this group of engines as they moved from Minot to Northtown. However, I did get a chance to spot the SD39-2 pair 8012-8018, (working?) behind a pair of SD70MAC's on an eastbound manifest early that morning. This train was stopped near Clear Lake when I shot it just before 9 AM Tuesday.



It's not a conventional or traditional power set, but hey, it's an all-EMD powered freight train. Can't kick about that in the year 2010.

Fast forward to today, or more specfically this afternoon as I returned home from a three day tour of Southeast Minnesota and the Twin Cities. Just west of Becker, a headlight lured me off the well traveled asphalt of Highway 10 for a shot of what turned out to be an eastbound manifest under the charge of two of the aforementioned SD75M's.

Although the overcast ruled out good photos, I simply had to shoot this pair of EMD's. I take it as nothing but a good sign that business is picking up if the railroad is re-activating units that had been mothballed for what seems like a year.



I also spotted a pair of eastbound manifests on my trip home, both led by assortments of Dash 9's in various H1, H2, and warbonnet paint. The last train I spotted was a COLX load just south of Randall. Sadly, they heavy overcast was enough to discourage me from further photography attempts.

Monday I leave for Hallock, so hopefully I will get something on that trip. Who knows, with any luck I may even stumble across that rumored CP windmill train that is supposed to headed this way.
Jim