Lucky Me

There's an old song that talks about how some days are diamonds. From a railfanning perspective today was one of those for me.

After finishing up the paperwork from today's work, a little railfanning adventure seemed to be in order. The River Sub was calling and so I headed south from Red Wing. After a brief stop at the Flower Valley Road crossing, something compelled me to continue southward. As it was only a little way to the Frontenac siding, I soon spotted a loaded COLX train waiting for a meet. This was pretty good evidence of a westbound, and the railfan senses were set to high alert. Sure enough, I was just getting up to speed after the 40 mph zone through Frontenac when the expected headlight appeared, moving fast. The leader was blue and yellow ICE 6451, and it was joined at the head end by three more SD's wearing the same paint scheme.

My first thought was how quick could I turn around and give chase. My second thought was how badly this was going to hurt MN Chris. And my third thought was I hoped there were no state troopers around. After waiting a few seconds for the cars speeding past me to clear I managed to reverse course and start the catch up game. And then I was back in the 40 mph speed zone for Frontenac, seeing the meager amount of ground I had gained melt away. Finally, the two cars in front of me started to speed up and once again I was passing the railcars rather than the reverse. There weren't many miles between my location and Red Wing, and if I didn't catch up before that all hope would be lost. Finally, just as I reached the still-stopped coal train, I was even with the blue and yellow quartet. My speed was limited to just above the speed limit by traffic, and crossed fingers were the order of the day.

Upon reaching Flower Valley Road and making it across the tracks before the gates started dropping, I quickly exited the car and dashed across the road to the music of the 6451's horn. I quickly snapped off this photo:


The all-EMD lashup swept around the corner and approached quickly, and my final shot got them much closer to the crossing. With access to PSE, this would look better as this shot could use a dash of USM, but here it is anyway:


And then, they were gone. I must confess, I sat in the Escape at the crossing, reveling in the sight of the four vintage engines charging northwest with a long freight train trailing behind. Needing to share the experience I posted a quick report to Facebook about NAILING four blue and yellows.

One of the things that I love about railfanning is the exhilaration when things go just right. That might mean lots of well-lit trains, a meet shot, great company on a railfan outing, catching a rare move (for example, the 4449 traversing the Staples Sub), or stumbling upon a really killer consist like this set of power. Lots of the time fanning can be mundane, an enjoyable way to pass time, and a great hobby. But once in a while it surpasses that, and to me at least offers great excitement and a feeling of reward. That's how I was feeling as I sat at that crossing. I did nothing to deserve this show, and still was rewarded with the appearance of these handsome locomotives. It's the kind of rare experience I'll have great memories of and will be able to share with lots of other people. Thanks CP, and keep up the good work!

A Train and Some Other Stuff

It all started out hopefully. The trip from Owatonna to Red Wing was carefully designed to parallel railroad tracks for much of the way. Around Utica, a train showed up, lumbering slowly through the cornfields and woods. The ensuing chase yielded this shot, among others:


Surely the River Sub would offer up something to shoot on this lovely evening. And it did, although not what I expected.

A stop at Lock and Dam #5 was slotted in to allow any nearby westbounds to catch up with me, and permit shots at a number of locations as he made his way to Red Wing. While no trains showed up, a catfisherman did, and he was more successful at his pastime than I was at mine. I offered to take a photo and email it to him, and he graciously accepted. He confessed that he had never been cat-fishing on a Gold Wing before and wasn't exactly sure how he would get the bountiful harvest home.


Next stop was the north curve at Maple Springs, one of the many lovely photo locations along the Minnesota side of Lake Pepin. The BNSF ran a train during my 45 minute wait, but no such luck on my side of the river. The time wasn't a total loss in the transportation photography department, though, as a long raft of barges passed by.


And finally, another fisherman, this time of the winged variety. As I watched, an eagle swooped down to the surface of the lake and grabbed a fish. No decent picture was had, but here is my best effort, with no editing software to improve it.


With that I gave up on the vigil and headed off to Red Wing. After a few emails I decided to post these photos and put together a story of why something other than trains made my day.

More River

Many of you have had the experience of travelling down a highway that parallels a railroad right-of-way, keeping one eye peeled for oncoming rail traffic at all times. That's what I was doing Tuesday evening, as I took the scenic route from Red Wing to Austin. That means I drove a good length of Highway 61 along the Mississippi River.

I was just south of Lake City, not even to Maple Springs, where I had hoped to stop and set for a spell, when a glimpse of what looked to be headlight caused me to dump the air in my vehicle and pull over to the side of the road. Grabbing the camera and crossing the highway, I barely had time to shoot this:


Just ten more minutes, and I would have caught him in nice light sweeping around the curve at Maple Springs. Oh well, no sense waiting for a train there now. On I went.

I missed the headlight on a train I met at Lock and Dam 5. The only indication of that train was the cars flying by me in the opposite direction. Since the stretch of highway was 4 lane a u-turn and chase allowed me to overtake the train near Minneiska for a couple of shots as the power rounded a curve. It's pretty down there, but I sure wish the CP would cut brush instead of spraying it.



That jumbled up mess of power reminded me of something I saw in New Ulm a couple of weeks ago-a four unit set of power with no two painted the same. Seems these lashups are spending time on the mother railroad as well.

I got one more mixed-up consist in Minnesota City. More lease units, this time waiting in a siding for yet another westbound to pass.


With miles to go before I slept, I angled off for Austin here and travlled though some gorgeous scenery in the Rollingstone area. No trains there, though. So that's it for this short installment of look4trains.com.

Jim

The River

Monday evening offered the opportunity to overnight in Red Wing, which is always conducive to railfanning. The CP's River Sub and the St. Croix Sub of the BNSF parallel each other along opposite sides of the mighty Mississippi. With such an opportunity, who can stay in the hotel room and pick away at the computer? Work can wait, now it's time to railfan.

So I headed south on the Minnesota side, intending to get a shot of a CP train and then hopefully do the same across the river with a BNSF train. The wait wasn't long before the sound of a locomotive horn drifted up the valley from the southeast-this train was headed in the proper direction. I've shot from this crossing before, and since it is so close to town I decided it was a good place to catch a train again. The train turned out to be what the Paynesville Sub crew refer to as a "one unit wonder", and that one unit was an old CP SD40-2 with the remnants of a multi-mark.



It likely was an empty ethanol train, but after thinking about it, I suppose those tanks could be empty crude oil cars too. I didn't get a car number and never thought to look at a placard.

Having successfully completed the first half of the project, next up was Wisconsin. I've driven through the area once before, and wasn't aware of a lot of good shooting locations. In fact, Bay City was the best bet that was in range, so I decided to wait there for whatever Mr. Buffet would send my way.

The first action was announced by a detector at MP 391 (I think). After looking at the milepost on the crossing, this had to be an eastbound. Even though it was backlit, I tried a shot, without success. I shortly got another chance as a second eastbound came through, and this one was a little better. The most interesting part, though, was the engine number-BNSF 1060, the very same unit I shot sitting by the prison in St. Cloud that morning. I had engaged in a couple of hundred mile chase without even knowing it. The second unit in the morning consist had been removed, presumably at Northtown.


After waiting a bit longer, with one eye on the sun and the other on the tracks, I was about to give up hope when I heard a horn from the east. That's what I was waiting for. I tried to figure out how best to compose what I hoped would be a nicely lit shot, as the area was turning pretty golden in the setting sun. I feel like it turned out pretty nicely.


That final shot marked the successful completion of my evening's mission, and so it was back to the hotel. There was still some work waiting for me, but I sat down at the computer with a smile on my face, knowing that my evening along the river had been a success. All in all, a good day at work and a good day along the tracks before and after work.

Jim

Red Wing Day 3-or "How I Drove 225 Miles to see a BNSF Coal Train"

Any of its few faithful readers will know that one of the most common subjects of this humble journal is the BNSF coal train. Living in Wadena and travelling the Highway 10 corridor gives me almost countless opportunties at shooting these trains, which are commonly powered by EMD SD70MAC locos. One of the attractions of shooting along the River Sub was the chance to broaden my horizon, so to speak, by working other roads into my photographic gallery.

On this, my last evening along the CP, (see the first day here, and the second day here)I decided to once again visit the Maple Springs area. After arriving there, I settled down with a novel to wait for the arrival of a train. I waited for over an hour before the eastbound signal lit up green, which forced me to head to the other end of the curve and prepare for a backlit shot. Imagine my surprise when this old friend rolled around the curve and out of the trees. This is one of the COLX trains that we see so often on the Staples Sub between Dilworth and Coon Creek.


I clicked away madly as he made his way around the curve with the heavy train. This image is probably my favorite from the whole trip. I love the contrast between the shaded and sunny sides, the glow of the greenery, and the way the right side of the image is framed by the tree.


After a quick run to Wabasha chasing this train (bonus-the DPU was BNSF 9999, one of my faves), I headed back to Maple Springs to wait again. After about half an hour, with no action, I decided to call it a night. However, just to the north, I came across a CP train waiting in a siding. I figured this meant a westbound was coming so I high-tailed it back south just in time to catch this.


Once again, the chase was on. I decided to have a go at him at my old faithful curve south of Red Wing, but ran out of light.

All in all, my impressions of the area are as follows: the scenery is gorgeous, and there are numerous spots to get great shots of trains passing through it. Traffic relatively steady, and Amtrak might be passing through during daylight, especially if you head far enough south (for #7) or are shooting in the morning (#8). Scouting the area will pay dividends in getting good photo angles. There are many shots that I don't have any idea how to shoot, for example, areas where the track is below the highway or the trees are so thick you can barely see the trains.

It's a great part of the state, and I can't wait to get another chance to visit.

Jim

First Impressions of the River Sub

Monday June 22 found me bound for southeast Minnesota. In the past I have spent the evenings in Zumbrota, but this trip I decided to establish my base in Red Wing. It's a bigger town with more hotel and restaurant options. It's also right on the CP River Sub so there were some railfan opportunties involved as well.

After I checked into my hotel, I decided to do a bit of exploring. This is a completely different kind of terrain than I am used to and it calls for a different approach. I caught a DP westbound through town just a few minutes after setting out, but the shot I got at a grade crossing in town was very crowded. I decided to head south and see what opportunities were available.

Just south of town I found a curve that seemed to have promise. Once again, I didn't have to wait too long for a train-and he was even heading into the sun! This is probably the best shot I got although the shadow from the crossing gate really irks me.


Next I headed further south to scout the area. Imagine my surprise when I met Amtrak's Empire Builder westbound at track speed! I made a quick u-turn and gave chase, which allowed me to catch but not pass the train by the time I got back to the curve in the photo above. I grabbed a going away shot but won't post it. Knowing Red Wing was a stop, I rushed into town, past the depot, and set up on an overpass to wait for him to come by. Sadly, the light disappeared before #7 appeared. I packed it in and headed back to my motel, which was just across the street from the tracks, and listened to CP freights pass by well into the evening.

I had a location in mind, and decided to try and be prepared for the Builder the next evening. With a plan and a long drive behind me, it was off to bed with visions of red GE's dancing in my head. So ended my first day along the River Sub.