Twin Ports Oddities and More

Well, maybe not all "oddities", but in a few cases, certainly, "things I don't see every day". 

I slipped away this afternoon for a short jaunt around Duluth and Superior, intent on finally taking a few train photos. My first stop was Rice's Point, where I found the CP local power gurgling away on the lead to one of the Port Authority tracks. The most unusual unit for me in this day and age was the SOO.

Just turning around, I spotted this thing in the yard. Now we're getting somewhere on the oddity front. Not sure of the heritage of this former caboose, but it's sure not something I see often, or even ever before. 

TEXX is a logistics outfit that arranges transportation for unique cargoes, according to their website. The unique cargo in this case might be the heavy load shown below, which was spotted in CP's Rices Point yard a couple tracks over from the caboose. 

With those shots in the bag, I headed to Superior, and swung by the BNSF facility. That's where I spotted these freshly painted sno-dozers, waiting patiently for mother nature to provide the conditions that will allow them to strut their stuff. I'm waiting too!

 
Then it was on to the yard, where I spotted a couple of BN grain hoppers coupled next to each other. The difference in paint condition was enough to get me to stop. These photos will go a long way toward helping me get the weathering right on some models in the future. It is amazing how almost anything I can imagine can be found on the railroad in one way or another. A great example of life imitating art.

Finally, after getting a text from Mrs. L4T recalling me for more mother in law moving duty, I started back for Duluth. As I crossed the yard on the 21st Ave viaduct, I spotted a train that forced me to make a short detour. It's not everyday that you can see a pair of former bluebonnet GP's handling a coal train. OK, it wasn't actually an entire train, but it was a goodly sized cut of coal gons, and while the power was another example of why the Twin Ports might be the world's EMD capital, this specific power set-a GP50 leading a GP40X-is anything but common. It was enough for me to call it an oddity, and a day. 

An Hour Out and About

After lunch on Saturday I headed out to do a bit of railfanning sans Mrs. L4T. In the back of my head there was an idea that I may head to Superior to try and catch a CN train, but with Haines Road closed for the duration it seemed logical to travel by way of Proctor, just in case something was happening there. Sure enough, an empty was perched just south of the overpass, and the yard switch job was engaged in the never-ending task of shuffling cars to and fro.

If you look at the background very carefully, you can catch a glimpse of one of the remaining marron SD's working as part of the switch job. They didn't get any closer during my quick stop, so no better shots.

Next stop was Mike's Yard, in the hope BNSF would be switching the paper mill. They weren't, but I got a glimpse of the Rices Point switch engines to the west and went hunting. That power set proved to be elusive, and after a thorough search I came to the conclusion they had either vanished or headed home without me seeing it. I still had some intention of going to Wisconsin, but I followed the tracks up the interstate and sure enough, caught up to the light power returning to home base. A shot from the 27th Ave overpass.

 

 

 

You can see the tail end of a cut of cars in the upper right corner. That turned out to be a transfer behind a pair of GP's, pulled up to the yard office. My targets stopped right beside the transfer power, and I walked up on the Garfield overpass and shot the power sets from there.

 

 

 

By that time the hoped for sunshine was pretty clearly not going to show, and I was homesick, so after a stop at the hobby shop I headed for home. It was an entertaining hour or so. 







Alive!

The first ten days of the month went by in a blur, with a trip to Michigan for work followed up by the movers coming and packing up our household goods the following Monday and Tuesday and delivering to our new home on Wednesday. I managed to fit a couple of fun-filled unpacking days in last Thursday and Friday before getting up at 4 AM Monday to head, once again, to Michigan. Now I'm back at my new home in Duluth and Mrs. L4T is here with me, and all is well with the world.

My Mom and Dad stopped to see our house on the way to Florida for the winter on the same the movers arrived. We decided to go for a drive so I could show them where I work and sneak in a little railfanning, which is how I caught this "critter" at the end of the day, working the storage elevator in Old Town Superior. Since we were in a bit of a hurry I had to settle for this shot, someday I would like to get him out in the open.

The heir to the Look4trains fortune was next to visit, and help unpack over the weekend. Since he also needed to see my office, and do a bit of touring around the area, I again managed to sneak in a train photo. This time we were passing the west end of the BNSF pellet yard at Allouez and found a DPU sunning itself while I suppose the train waited to dump. Out came the Pentax and captured the sight.

What a difference between Friday evening (above) and Saturday, shown below. Coming back from Superior, a transfer was leaving Rices Point and a short trip down I-35 let me catch him as he passed through the gloom on the way to Grassy Point. Can't be sunny all the time.

Finally, one more at Allouez, another DPU sitting at the entrance to the yard. This time it was an ACe, but even though the power was nicer the weather wasn't.

That's it for the month so far. Pretty slim pickings but it sounds like the weekend might be at least partly decent so there's that. Wish me luck in my new digs.

Fighting Traffic

The title is kind of a tease. The traffic referred to is not on steel rails, but instead on Interstate 35 in Duluth. After work today, I drove over to Duluth, and spotted the rear end of a train leaving Rices Point yard. With no place I needed to be, a short chase seemed like a no brainer. That was until I saw the traffic jam the interstate was. I grabbed the first exit I saw and headed for the city streets. Finally arriving at the overpass near the paper mill, it turned out the delay had not prevented a nicely lit shot of a pair of GP's with some empty (stone?) hoppers heading into Mike's Yard. Not exactly what you would call Staples Sub scenery.

And that was that. I sure was glad that the delay on the interstate (due to bridge work on the Blatnik Bridge) didn't prevent me from getting the shot.

The Highway 210 Thing

Business in Duluth on Tuesday resulted in the opportunity to fan nearly the entire length of the Brainerd Sub. Trains turned out to be few, but one train provided multiple shot attempts. That was on the way home, though. On the way over there was, as Sgt. Schultz was fond of saying, NUTH-ING!!!

After I wrapped up my business in Duluth, I headed up to the mall to pick up Mrs. L4t, who had been kind enough to accompany me on this journey. She agreed to search out Skyline Parkway with me so I would have a chance to shoot the stuffed Rice's Point yard, bulging with what I would guess to be mostly idled taconite cars.


Leaving Duluth, I let the Mrs. have the wheel for a bit while I grabbed a nap on the way home. I woke up somewhere east of Cromwell, glanced north, and saw an empty coal train racing through the swamp. Obviously my innate train radar is still in working order. I immediately began coaching Mrs. L4T on driving speed and technique while I began to attempt a series of horribly lit pacing shots that had no chance of turning out. I'll spare you by not posting one.

With great coaching, my driver managed to beat the train to McGregor and I made it up to the overpass with enough time to grab a head on shot as the train approached.


Another leapfrog and I caught him as he approached Deerwood. This spot really appeals to my eye, but the photos I attempt here never seem to live up to the potential. I think it's the big pine tree that really appeals to me.


I planned on trying to shoot him again as he crossed the bridge in Brainerd. After waiting for about 20 minutes, I figured that maybe he beat me through town, although I couldn't belive that was possible. My scanner has been acting up so I didn't trust not hearing anything. After I gave up and headed for home, I told the Mrs. that there was probably a meet set up between Deerwood and Brainerd and we would soon see a loaded train heading east. Just imagine how smart it made me look when we met a train in less than 5 minutes. With a head of steam built up, I decided to let him go and continue on to Wadena.

All in all, another good day. Pleasant company, a chance to take a train picture, and the opportunity to enjoy both of these while working made for a good trip.

Jim, out