More MAC Madness

Current discussion on the OMR list has brought up a question about power assignment on coal trains in the north country-specifically, are the classic SD70MAC's becoming more prevelant as newer power from EMD and GE is reassinged? This is one of those classic railfan questions that tends to be discussed at length, which each person bringing what they think they have seen to the table.

I was of the opinion that the answer was no, the new power continues to gain share on these trains, but after hearing out those who had the opposite view and taking a look at my coal train photos from the past month, I have to admit that the MAC's are, at the least, not losing any ground. Today's observations tend to reinforce that conclusion.

A trip to Fargo gave me the chance to fan the west end of the Staples Sub. Traffic was very light, as in two trains seen all day, but luckily they were both in good light, and strangely enough, both in a position to be shot from a bridge. The first one was this empty coal train stopped at Watts to change crews. I tell you, my extra weight was put to good use on this shot as it helped me not blow away in what felt like hurricane force nor'westers on the bridge.


So what do we have here? A MAC all right, but this one is in the "swoosh" or "wedgie" paint scheme, just like the ACe that trails in this consist. There was no DPU on this train, and that is something else I have been noticing-more coal trains seem to be running with two units as the winter turns into summer.

Mrs. L4T and I next decided to stake out the wood bridge southwest of Hawley for a few minutes on the drive home. This looks to me like the spot where Mitch Wahlsten shot this photo at a time when the sun angle was a lot different that today. I had decided to wait until 7:00 PM, and about 8 minutes to 7, I heard a horn to the east! I jumped out of the Escape and walked out on the bridge. After a wait of not more that a minute or two another coal empty rolls around the corner, behind wouldn't you know it, two MAC's. My first shot from this location, and I like the way it turned out. Now you know where some of the dirt for the Stockwood Fill came from.


And that was that. Not another train, or peep on the scanner, all the way home. What started out as a bleak and overcast afternoon turned out to be a great summer day, with a temp over 80 and beautiful blue sky. Even the howling wind can't spoil a day like this. And the "cherry on the top", so to speak, was the chance to grab a couple of train shots in new or what to me are underutilized locations. Thanks for looking!

Jim

Anniversary Saturday

One of my favorite photo locations combined with one of (what used to be) one of my favorite paint schemes offered a great start to the day our wedding anniversary. I mourn for the nose logos on the MAC's.

I had plans to head out early this morning to take advantage of the low sun angle and the beautiful weather. Mrs. L4T chose to hold off until evening on any what she calls "train hunting". The plan was to head west until I found an eastbound, then chase him back to Staples while taking advantage of any photo ops that were present along the way. My first eastbound turned out to be a vehicle train, which is a more uncommon find than it used to be, with a pair of Dash 9's up front, again increasingly rare due to the inroads of GEVO units on the BNSF fleet. Only problem was, this Dash 9 could stand an appointment with the paint booth.


But a train is a train, and a plan is a plan. I sped east and managed to try a shot at a new location for me, at the curve on the fill just east of the Leaf River bridge near Bluffton. I think this shot could work, if only I had a bucket truck or jet pack to help get some elevation.


I beat him to Staples, and shot him as he passed the yard, but I have posted enough photos of faded and peeling warbonnets for one post. So on to the next train.

After watching a westbound manifest pass the depot, I heard an eastbound clear his warrant at Wadena. The dispatcher told the crew they would be yarding that train and boarding the loaded coal train that was sitting in Staples. I decided to head to the west end of the yard and get a shot as they passed under the signal bridge.


Next shot was back at the east end after the train pulled up next to the load that had been sitting there. There appears to be something wrong with "N" on the nose logo of the ACe. The crew had to shuffle some power on the train they were taking out, and it was time for me to head for home, so off I went.


There was quite a collection of M-O-W equipment in the Staples yard on the siding by the LNG cars. The tie project must be getting close to Staples.

I spent much of the mid-day working on our screen porch, a project I have been putting off for too long. I got the old screens ripped off, scraped the areas where the paint was loose or flaking, and primed all the bare and scraped spots. Lots more work to do on that.

At some point I wandered into the house (I think it was when I changed into my painting clothes) and noticed the OMR post about the windmill train having passed Coon Creek about 12:30. I figured if I got done priming early enough, I could make a run and see if I could spot that train. I left home about 2:45 and met him between Staples and Aldrich, making good time. I turned around, gave chase, and barely got ahead of him for a shot at the Wing River.


I was glad to see that train, even if the sun was too high for a real nice photo. It was really amazing to see how much those blades flex as the train bounces and sways on the track. The windmill train had an ES44DC on each end.

After supper I took a look at the ATCS display and saw a westbound passing Philbrook. Mrs. L4T was up for a ride, and we headed east for a little train hunting. Once again I was caught in no man's land, just like I had been by the windmill train earlier in the afternoon, when the train showed up less than a minute before the detector at MP 151 sounded off. The line runs through the woods in this area and you can't really see a train coming until it is right on you. Three nice looking Dash 9's (no "Trash 9's in this consist)were the power for this train, and I decided to shoot him at the Wadena crossovers.


Our wedding anniversary proved to be a productive day for railfanning, although the morning was little light on train traffic. But I saw something I had never seen before (the windmill train) and I managed to share a ride to Aldrich with the Mrs. All in all, not a bad day!

Jim, out

And Now for Something Different

A steady diet of orange GE's has me on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary, and Thursday evening Mrs. L4T and myself found just such a thing.


This ex-Santa Fe Geep is a rare GP40X carbody. When I pulled up to the train in Staples, I thought I had found an SD45 running around, but the length and the trucks soon gave it away. It was the third unit on this train, behind a Dash 9 and another EMD geep (this one cascade green) of some vintage. I'm not that accomplished at telling them apart.

According to this site, only 23 of these were ever built, with Santa Fe having the largest fleet of 10. It was a precursor to the GP50.

A nice change from the steady procession of orange GE's that now dominate the Staples Sub. I've got a few of those shots to post but I decided this one deserved it's own post, since it is kind of a loner in the BNSF fleet. Traffic was slow Thursday evening due to a rock train working in the Lincoln area. After he cleared up, a fleet of eastbounds was all the traffic in the area.

When you look for trains, you never know what you might find.

Jim

Memorable Memorial Sunday

In what is becoming a tradition for me, this past Memorial Day weekend found the Canadian railfan bunch in the Wadena area for the third year in a row (for me-they have been coming down to this area for a lot longer than three years).


I was able to get out and spend some time with them Sunday afternoon, and the BNSF was thoughtful enough to even send a few trains our way. I'm sure the crews are surprised to see the influx of people and technology in the area when this group of career rails are in the area and hard at work recording the action on video, still image, audio and in written notes.


Anyway, it was a lot of fun to catch up with these guys, and to meet the wife of one. Who wouldn't appreciate a new wife who was willing to make railfanning part of a honeymoon trip?

It makes me appreciate the fact that I can always count on Mrs. L4T to be ready for a jaunt along the Staples Sub, especially our traditional Sunday evening drives. This week our destination was Staples, where we once again sampled the delights offered at the Dairy Queen.

Even before we made it to Staples we found this mixed freight passing the station sign at Dower Lake. Turns out he was using Main 1 as switching lead as he dropped off a few cars in the Staples yard. I got this shot as he was backing his train into the yard. As this took a while, he was still finishing up his work when we were done eating.


Knowing that he would soon be heading west, I decided to leapfrog towards Wadena and set up somewhere where the track had curved more to the northwest so I could get him in more 3/4 light. I was thinking somewhere around Verndale, but I spotted another headlight just after passing through Aldrich and swung into the next crossing to shoot that train. He was moving slowly as I waited for the 7250 to arrive from Staples. However, I thought I had heard the dispatcher talking to the 6609 west and I was anxious to see if this was an ES44C4. I hadn't seen one in a month or so and wondered where they had gone.

Sure enough, it was one of the new A1A-A1A GE's. This was the first time I have seen one of these units paired with a different model of locomotive, this time the trailing unit was a regular old Dash 9.


The problem with this slow moving train was that it might block my nicely lit shot of the 7250. Sure enough, just as he crossed the road, I saw the headlight of a westbound round the corner at Aldrich. It didn't turn out to even be close-the meet was well down the line from where I was, and most of the westbound was by the crossing when the eastbound cleared. Here's the closest I was to a meet:


All in all, an interesting evening, and an entertaining day catching up with friends and sharing stories from along the line. It's always a treat for a railfan like myself to get the chance to hear stories told by actual working rail employees like the bunch from up north. Thanks to Craig, Mike, and Chris, for putting up with my questions and being willing to discuss the things I see along the line.

I got to spend a little more time with them the next morning, and look forward to seeing photos from their extensive railfan journeys. I especially want to see the shots Chris and Craig got from the Powder River Basin, as Mrs. L4T has agreed that it will be a stop on our vacation this fall. I'm looking forward to the trip.

Jim, out

Saturday Night (Not Very) Special

What with it being a long holiday weekend, the sun being out, and not having anything else that HAD to be done, Mrs. L4T and myself decided to run over to Staples Saturday after supper. I knew there were a few westbounds out and thought I might have a chance at a couple in decent light, unlike a recent trip when the clouds got the best of me on a busy evening.

Before we even made it to Verndale, I spotted a headlight and made for one of my standard spots, the dip where the tracks cross the Wing River west of that fair city. I really need to find a longer lens that will give me a clear shot at an affordable price. If such a thing exists.


After meandering over to Staples, I decided to take my laptop uptown to see if I could find a wireless signal to grab in order to view ATCS info while out fanning. Since I had both hands busy, I asked the Mrs. to drive. Before she had even finished parking uptown I heard a coal empty call for permission to enter the Staples Sub. He was close, as the radio was very clear, so I asked Mrs. L4T to make haste back trackside so I could get a photo. She skidded to a stop near the 6th Street crossing as I bailed out to grab this backlit shot of the MAC leading the train. I've no doubt that my antics were a source of great amusement to the crew on the coal train. After all, isn't that why I'm here, to keep the crews entertained on their long journeys across central Minnesota?


After a futile attempt to get my old laptop up and running in order to sniff around for wireless signals, I finally gave up. The battery is decrepit, and while the machine will run ATCS fine when an outlet is available, the inexpensive inverter I have for charging my cell phone and bluetooth headset are overmatched when pitted against the power requirements of this 8 year old Dell laptop.

I took the wheel again, and pointed the Escape west. I made it less than 2 blocks before hearing the detector at 151.6 announce the imminent arrival of an eastbound train. Since I so rarely see trains on this line, I decided there was no way I could pass up the chance at this backlit, wanna be glint shot. I should be ashamed of even posting it, but decided to offer it up as a display of how I can hardly ever pass up the opportunity to photograph a train, even when I know the results will be sub-par.


And with that we headed for home. There's an old saying about a bad day (golfing, fishing, hunting, take your pick) is better than a good day at work. Even though this wasn't a bad day, I think it would be safe to add railfanning to the list of things that are good even when they aren't great.

Jim

A Couple from this Week

Lots of miles this week, but not so much train action. I have already shared my first shot from the week, and it was probably the most surprising one as well.

On my way out of Virginia on Tuesday, I drove by the former DWP yeard and found a DMIR tunnel motor (in CN paint, darn) all alone at the front of a string of loaded ballast cars. Even though the high sun and overcast made photo conditions less than ideal I took a shot of it.


I was in Hibbing until after lunch on Wednesday, when I had to leave for a meeting in Fosston that evening. I didn't see any action along the Lakes or GF Subs until I was west of Bemidji where there were two MOW crews out working on the tracks. I figured that meant no trains for me, but between Bagley and Fosston I spied a headlight and made the first U-turn I could find. The Cass Lake local was speeding east with a whole bunch more swamp mats and I barely got ahead of him for a shot out the passenger window at a crossing. It turned out poorly so no image.

Friday I headed for Perham a little after 0730, and before I even got out of town I heard a train pass the detector at 174.1. I decided to wait for him at the loading dock on the west side of Wadena, and in just a few mintues he showed up with an ES44AC leading.


Last night's shots are nothing special due to the clouds, although traffic was heavy with what I assume was a MOW window for tie replacement having just ended. Mrs. L4T and myself saw 8 trains and I attempted photography on 7 of them.

Hopefully this long weekend will give me a chance to get out and do some serious fanning rather than the hit and miss stuff I get while travelling. I'll be looking.

Jim

A Year Ago...Today

Passing through Staples a year ago today, I happened on a stopped empty coal train waiting to enter the Staples Sub. This train was just coming off the Brainerd, and at the time DPU was less common that it is now.

The weather was gourgeous (much like today) and the nose of the stopped ES44AC was nicely lit. As the tail end of the train was close to a crossing, I decided to try for an "artsy" shot with the power reflected in the shiny rail.


One thing that has intrigued me about this shot, and about DPU's in general, is how some of them will have a FRED hanging on the coupler, while others don't. I hardly believe this is affected by the age of the loco, as this GEVO was a fairly new unit at the time of the shot. I guess I will probably never have an answer to that mystery.

Jim