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.

Wednesdays with Dan (The GP Edition)

Once again this evening Dan M. was kind enough to drag me along on a local railfanning outing. This one turned out to be heavy on GP's although we didn't photo each and every one.

Actually the GP theme of this evening started to emerge even before I met up with Dan. On my way to supper with a former colleague, I spotted the UP switch job working in Superior and shot him just north of Belknap. Since I was in a hurry there was no time to wait for better light, so this shot will have to suffice.


After supper and a call to Dan, we headed out after 6 and promptly spied a pair of CN units at BNSF's Superior engine terminal. Since they both had 6 axles and were built by GE they don't fit the theme of this post, so no picture.

The radio brought news of a BNSF job at the Peavey elevator, and off we went. Sure enough it was a good decision as my old friends the 2765 and 2801 were tied on to a long string of grain cars coming out of the elevator.


News of a transfer from Duluth provided our next target. When Dan asked if I shot backlit I told him heck yes. After seeing the shots it was a good thing he asked. Here comes yet another pair of GP's, this time led by a freshly painted unit that probably still smells new. It likely won't stay that way for long, though, given the sander dust rising from the tracks as the engines move a heavy train into Superior.


Fresh paint called for a better lit shot, and sure enough Dan had just the location. The light barely held on as the pair swung into the Superior yard. That lead unit sure is pretty.


Oh and I almost forgot the day's oddity, this time some kind of scale and warehousing car tucked away back near the CHS elevators. You just never know what you might find, if you are looking in the right places.


A couple more GP's, this time CP, were at Rice's Point, but the light had pretty much given up by them. Finally it was off to the depot, for a report on the prototype and modeling events of the past week in the Twin Ports area. A good evening, for sure.