A Train a Day...

That's what I have from the last part of the week. No big railfan trips or ventures to exotic locales, just run of the mill pounding the pavement on Highway 10 and the resulting photos.

On Thursday, the short run to New York Mills and home a few hours later gave me the opportunity to grab a photo of coal loads as they headed east through Bluffton. A real tough sun angle didn't give me the chance for anything conventional, so I conjured up this broadside of a pair of Grinstein MACs as they approach their crossing of the Leaf River.


Momma always told me that if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. So, at least these motors are in matching paint...

The former GN line between Sauk Center and Wadena would have been fertile ground for my travels on Friday, when I headed to Eagle Bend. But with that line long gone, the chance of any rail action was non-existent. Or so I thought, as I headed uptown for a quick stop before going south. Another eastbound, this one a stacker, blew through town as I approached the crossing. A reconfigured plan had me chase him east to the Todd County Hwy 9 crossing, where I shot the photo below. Immediately after releasing the shutter on this mixed up pair of GE's, I was off for Eagle Bend, taking the "scenic route".


The sun has moved south to the point that shots in the Staples area are almost directly nose-lit in the morning, as the shot of the intermodal (above) shows.

And finally, on Saturday, Mrs. L4T and I were in Park Rapids for a family function. Again, the abandonement of the GN line through the area made the chance of seeing a train nil. But once again, as we arrived in Wadena, the BNSF delivered. As I sat at a red light at the junction of Highways 10 and 71, the crossing gates began to sing their sweet song. Quick thinking and optimism motivated me to make a quick right turn in hopes the train was headed west and into the sun. Luck was with me, and I passed the power on this coal empty as it went through Bluffton. A quick set up at Otter Tail CR 143 yielded this shot.


As many times as I have staked out a train here, I still like this spot. The sun just works here, and the curve adds some interest as you get a glimpse of the dark side of the train. There is not much traffic and a safe place to pull over and get the shot.

Thus ends this train a day post. Let not clouds, or work, or prior commitments, keep you from your appointed rounds of trainwatching. Remember the old saying: a train a day keeps keeps the railfan happy! Or, a train in the viewfinder is worth two on the ATCS display.

Jim

3-Wait, No, 5 of a Kind

Mrs. L4T and I took a July 3rd jaunt to Brainerd this afternoon. Our last stop was Home Depot, and as we were checking out (bought a paint brush), I heard a train pass by. A glance out the door revealed a westbound coal empty.

Traffic was heavy on Hwy 210, and we didn't catch the train until Motley. I decided to have a go at him just east of Staples, and here is the result:


The leading ACe of the three in this consist was the same one I shot last week near Bluffton.

When we made it to Staples, I was surprised to see a loaded coal train with two more ACes on the head end. A chance to get 5 of these units in one frame, even if the lighting wouldn't be great. I stopped along Highway 10 to shoot this:


After supper there were three westbounds showing on the ATCS display, so we decided to head out even though there was a thick layer of clouds in the sky. No better time to try something new, eh?



My last offering for the night is another shot of the same train, a few miles further west. This stacker had a CP GEVO as the second unit. Time to try a pan, again. The results are a little better than my prior attempts.


And that's all for tonight. Hopefully this cloud blanket will lift sometime tomorrow so we can at least make an attempt at some sunny day photography.

Jim

First One from Verndale

 

Well, I made it to Verndale and the first train just went by. This intermodal had a pair of consecutively numbered new ES44DC's up front, trailed by a pair of Dash 9's. The photo suffers from high sun and lack of processing, but it's hot off the camera!

Jim

Three from the 13th

It's been a busy weekend. Today we celebrated the birthday of the heir to the L4T empire and Saturday was filled with chores around the house. The only railfanning I managed to fit in had to come early Saturday, between about 6:30 and 9:30 AM.

The BNSF wasn't overly cooperative, but I got a couple of shots I enjoyed. I started out by heading west until I met a train, which was all the way to Ottertail CR 75, about a mile and a half outside Wadena. I immediately turned around and gave chase, shooting him passing the Wadena depot, passing through Vernadale, and passing a loaded coal train sitting in the Staples yard. I wasn't real happy with any of these.

Another eastbound was right on his heels, and I decided to run a bit further east and try some new shots. I ended up between Cushing and Randall, where I barely caught the first train as he travelled down the Staples Sub. This was actually shot out the passenger window as I didn't have time to dismount before he arrived.


Right behind were coal loads with (you guessed it) another MAC up front. This is from the exact same location, but the angle is a little different. I think this is my favorite shot of the day. With some experimentation this area should offer some nice photo ops in the future.


I decided to work my way back to Wadena, and paralleled the tracks as much as possible through the Philbrook area. The only train I saw was a vehicle train that caught me by surprise. I really need to address the scanner situation as there is either a radio or antenna problem that is screwing up reception and making chasing tougher.

When I made it to Staples I found a wireless signal, fired up my laptop, and saw on ATCS that an eastbound was just passing through Wadena. I headed west and made it past Aldrich before I spotted him. A quick u-turn and dash through the ditch yielded this shot:


I made it home with no further action. That was the end of my fanning for the weekend. I am looking forward to the Verndale get together this coming Saturday and hope that some of you are able to attend.

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

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

Another Sunday Night in Staples

Seeing how Sunday night is "date night" in the L4T household, we are always discussing where to go for supper that evening. Strangely enough, the destinations almost always turn out to be somewhere along the Highway 10/BNSF corridor through central Minnesota. This last Sunday night was no different.

Since we had been hitting the DQ circuit pretty hard, Mrs. L4T hinted that a different atmosphere might be appreciated. Not wanting to risk my reputation as a gentleman, I graciously agreed. And so it came to pass that we headed for The Spot in Staples on this glorious May evening.

As we approached Staples, I spotted a headlight in a location that usually indicates a westbound is coming out of the yard. Sure enough, another string of GE's was easing an H train out past the signal bridge on Main 2, so I swung into the Dower Lake crossing to grab a photo.


Before they made the crossing, they stopped and radio chatter indicated they might be dropping cars in the yard. Given that they would be working for a while, we headed to The Spot and enjoyed a sit-down supper in view of the Staples Sub. Not a train passed while we ate.

When we finished, the H train was still at the west end of the yard, having set out two Dash 9's in the yard. In a moment, a coal empty off the Brainerd called asking to enter the Staples Sub. The dispatcher told him to wait for the H train to leave, while at the same time an eastbound was approaching on Main 2. I ran out to the west end of the yard to grab a shot of the coal loads as they passed the waiting manifest. This Superior bound train then stopped in front of the depot to wait for the empty to make room for him on the single track Brainerd Sub.


As the manifest got underway, I headed back to the 6th Street crossing and set up to shoot the empty as he swung onto the Staples. Finally, some EMD's to break the monotony of the GE parade I had been stuck on, with the exception of the ACe third out on the loaded train. These MAC's had obviously seen serious duty and could stand a trip to the wash rack.


While all this was transpiring, I heard another train clear a warrant at Wadena and decided to try and find a spot where an eastbound might have some light on it. The county road out south of Staples offers a view of the tracks across some muskeg, and I decided to try a long distance profile. It's a real long ways, and this is a spot where a 300 mm lens might offer some help. But heh, it's a different view, and a somewhat lit up eastbound in the evening. Not all bad.



A final note: when I passed the depot in Staples, I noticed there were two bucket lifts and a carry-all type vehicle parked just east of the building. It made me suspect that the long-rumored roof replacement project might just be close to happening. I'll keep an eye on things when I get the chance to pass through and update you on any Staples depot progress.

Jim, out

GE Potluck

With business in North Dakota again this weekend, Mrs. L4T and your humble correspondent ventured west once again Saturday AM. Sun in the forecast and a bit of free time today raised high hopes that traffic would be as heavy as it had been the previous Saturday, when poor weather and a tight schedule prevented any photo ops.

Alas, it was not to be. Having met only a Z train near Frazee, and not having a good spot to grab a photo of him, I arrived at Dilworth with the camera still in the bag. Chatter on the scanner and a headlight on the main indicated an eastbound was likely, however, and we staked out the overpass near Northern Grain to wait for a shot.


With a strong northwest wind and a temperature hovering near 40 degrees, this shot took a toll on Mr. L4T. I certainly hadn't come equipped with gloves in late May, but I could have used them as I waited for the train to arrive.

As you can see, this consist was a mix of GE products, with the GEVO units getting ever more common as time passes. All but coal trains have become almost exclusively GE powered as the recession allows BNSF to store the less efficient power in hopes of a better day. What started with stored SD40-2's has progressed to the Oakway SD60's, Green Giant SD60M's and even the warbonnet SD75's apparently having been laid up. The only EMD's left on the Staples Sub are the MACs and ACes on coal, and 4 axle power on locals.

One unusual (to me) move I noticed as we passed through Moorhead was a loaded coal train passing west through town, headed for the Hillsboro sub and I suppose ultimately Clay Boswell. Is that normal, or does coal for the Grand Forks sub normally swing north in Fargo? Seemed unusual to see coal moving west.

As we headed home in the evening, I stopped and grabbed a few shots of the Stockwood Fill, with no trains anywhere to be found. After finishing up with that, I headed for Hawley, and soon heard BNSF 6130 (I think) get a warrant for Richards Spur-Wadena. The dispatcher asked if he was one engine, and the conductor came back, no we are 6 units light power. Huh? I sped up to maximum authorized speed plus a bit, and finally spotted this consist nearing DL. I was able to just keep up, and when we made it through town I finally caught him leaving Frazee as the light gave way. This is a going away shot of the mixed bag of GE's going...somewhere.


And that's all there was to see on a long day, Wadena to Fargo to Grand Forks and back. Traffic was light, but as always, if you look long and hard enough, you will find something that surprises.

Jim, out

A Few from the Road

I am lucky(?) enough to have a job that gives me the chance to travel the state. At the same time there are places I have to be at given times, so frequently I am along tracks with no time to stop and wait for a train, I just grab whatever targets of opportunity present themselves. This past week was a good example of that.

Monday morning I headed northwest with a destination of Warren, MN. I followed the Staples Sub from Wadena to DL, the CP Detroit Lakes Sub north to Erskine, picked up the BNSF Grand Forks Sub west to Crookston, and the Noyes Sub north to its crossing with the NPR at Warren. Yes, I am like that, and do plan my routes with railroads in mind.

Anyway, there was no traffic until I passed through Erskine and met what I believe was the Cass Lake local working the propane plant in Mentor. The sun was high, but I stopped and grabbed a couple of quick shots before moving on. This is probably the best one. (NOTE: I have changed the formatting of photos on the blog. Starting with the last couple of posts, clicking on the pictures should make them open in a new window, rather than the existing window like they used to.)


Looks like the swamp mats are still moving somewhere. I also noticed that the shuttle elevator at Erskine had a train stored on the loop. I found another stored train on the loop at Argyle the next day.

Now, I have had pretty good luck along the Noyes Sub in the past. Not a lot of trains, but one train a day each way has given me a chance at a shot almost every full day I spend up in the area. The flooding north of the border had really clamped down on the traffic this week, though. Seeing or hearing nothing for the first couple of days (with the exception of an eastbound NPR train in Warren that work prevented me going after), I figured the Noyes was as good as closed. But on Wednesday, I heard a horn while in Stephen and almost crippled myself rushing out the building, with just enough time to see a string of yellow rock cars of some sort head north. I never saw the power.

I was in Hallock that night, staying at the Caribou Inn and dining across the parking lot at the Caribou Grill, when what I think was the same train sailed through town southbound. All I saw from the window were the tops of two orange locos passing by. My view was obstructed by buildings and I wouldn't have seen the cars if they were along for the ride.

So flash forward to Thursday, on my trip home. I noticed that the unit trains stored on the loops at Argyle and Erskine were both gone. However, once again, traffic was light almost all the way to Perham. Finally I spotted the headlight of a westbound and pulled over to the nearest crossing to grab a shot of an ES44DC leading three Dash 9's on an intermodal.


Continuing east, I spotted another westbound just as I left New York Mills. I had a few minutes to spare so I made a u-turn and raced west, considering a shot from the Highway 10 overpass. I decided to try a shot at the Perham curve instead. This train was really flying, and I had hardly any time to get out and run through the ditch before grabbing this shot of him just entering the curve at Perham.


So, having travelled almost 600 miles (including daily trips along portions of the Noyes Sub as I worked in that area), and paralleling railroad tracks the entire way, I came home with a grand total of three shots. This was not my most productive railfanning week by any means. Strangely, on Saturday Mrs. L4T and myself were up and out early as we headed to Fargo to help the Son & heir move from Fargo to Grand Forks, and I met 5 eastbounds between Wadena and DL, along with passing a westbound. So there are still trains out and about. You just have to get lucky.

Tonight we will probably head out after supper and see if any traffic is moving. The skies have cleared and the temp is a very pleasant 60. Next week, I will be travelling the Staples Sub, the UP in southeast MN, and some DME and ICE trackage, so with any luck, I will get some shots to share from that part of the state. Thanks for looking!

Jim, out

That "New Loco" Smell

Along with a number of other OMR members, Mrs. L4T and myself spent a little time on the west end of the Staples Sub Sunday afternoon. I thought a few westbounds would show, and sure enough we got a couple of chances. First up was this empty coal train, that passed through Wadena a few minutes before we left. I caught up with and passed him around Frazee and decided to try a shot at the curve near Richards Spur:


A quick getway allowed me to pass him once more and grab a shot from the Highway 32 overpass. I like this location a lot, and I got a friendly toot on the horn from the engineer.


I soon heard another westbound clear up a warrant, and fretted about where to shoot him. In hopes of a new angle, I headed to the crossing south of Hawley, and got there with only a couple of minutes to spare as this intermodal with three like-new GEVO's on the point with two more trailing in the consist roared down on me. I thought I could smell fresh paint as they rolled by.


I decided to try for another shot of these new locos, and chased him all the way to East Dilworth. However, the sun angle was pretty much head-on at that point and the shots didn't turn out too well. It did give me the chance to gas up in Glyndon for $1.93 a gallon though so it wasn't a wasted trip.

After supper at the Hawley Dairy Queen, where people were lined up 4 to 5 deep at the counter trying to get tasty treats, we decided to meander home to Wadena. I made it almost all the way back (halfway between New York Mills and Wadena) before meeting a merchandise train with three Dash 9's up front. Time for a u turn and a run back to the overpass west of NYM. A short wait yielded this shot.


Met one more westbound coal train before getting home but we didn't try and catch him. We had a good time and managed to see a few trains. What more could a man ask for on a lazy Sunday afternoon?

We had to have crossed paths with Jeremiah and Bryant at some point that afternoon, as I heard the 8300 working its way east just behind us on the trip home. Looks like the two of you had a great outing. Keep up the good work.

Jim, out.

What is ATCS?

What if I told you that as I sit here typing out this meager offering I was also monitoring the train traffic on almost the entire Staples Sub at the same time, watching a display that is very similar to what the dispatcher in Texas is seeing and having it updated in real time? That I can see the passage of the train I just heard blow for the crossings in Wadena? (According to the radio, it's BNSF 5254 east, clearing up a warrant just now.) And, it's all free?

Click to open in a new window

I first learned about something called ATCS Monitor about a year ago. When Mike and Craig came down from Canada last May, they were set up to monitor signal indications remotely (using a radio and laptop) and I remember being fascinated by the possibilities this offered.

A little research put me in touch with a group in the Twin Cities that was very involved with this technology. They were looking for someone in this area to host a radio and server for capturing the signal information from the Dower Lake and Wadena control points, and thought I might be able to do that. One thing led to another, and I was soon sent a radio and got the instructions and help for how to get my install up and running. I was seeing signal indications from Dower Lake and Wadena on my server. These guys are good!

Life, as it often does, occupied my time and put installing and getting ATCS running on my main computer on the back burner. Finally, a week or so ago I decided to get with the program, and with some help from Don Schoenberger in the Twin Cities, got my display operating. The results are shown in the picture above. I have to say, it is impressive. The work that has gone into this is very extensive.

So, what are some of the highlights and shortcomings of ATCS? First, it only works where CTC signalling is in place. That covers a majority of the Staples Sub, but if you look closely at the screenshot, you can see that the two sections of TWC territory are greyed out. Richards Spur to Wadena and Gregory to St. Cloud are not covered by CTC, thus ATCS Monitor can't capture any information on these segments. As you can see, the rest of the Sub is CTC and thus the radios and servers in various locations capture the signal indications that are communicated by radio between the various control points.

Not every trackside signal is shown. I don't know the proper technical term, but I think of the sections as being between crossover switches or sidings, and approaches for them. I'm still trying to figure out how to interpret the information I see. Basically, the red sections are occupied by a train, and the green sections have a signal lit up allowing a train to enter them. The small diamonds along the side of the track represent the signals. Sometimes you will see a train stopped at a red signal. Other times they will have green signals stretching out a long way in front of them. The route through turnouts and crossovers will be shown. Trains will sometimes (logically) occupy multiple sections at one time.

Given that we are blessed with a couple of sections of TWC, radio traffic is required as well as signal indications, with trains being issued and clearing track warrants. In my opinion, this makes for an almost perfect railfanning environment, with ATCS allowing you to see trains well in advance of their arrival, and track warrants being cleared and issued giving you some idea of what train you are seeing on the display. Defect detectors also help to ID trains, given that intermodal trains are usually in the 200-300 axle range, coal around 480-500 axles, with manifests being the wild card.

Last night Mrs. L4T hinted that ride would be nice, and the sun was peeking out from time to time. I took a look at the ATCS display, and sure enough, there was a westbound looked to be stopped at Wadena on Main 2, and another leaving Staples on Main 1. By the time we made it uptown and crossed the tracks, I could see two headlights to the east, and set up for a shot.


I knew there were a few more westbounds out there, and we managed to get some more chances that I will share later.

I think ATCS is a great railfanning tool, and it's one more "piece of the puzzle" when you are trying to figure out what is happening on a certain stretch of railroad. I'm a fan, and want to encourage others who might be interested to try it too. There are a lot of helpful users, and it's not as hard as you would think at first glance.

One drawback: as far as I know, this is Windows-only software. I know there are some faithful Mac users out there, sorry.

A last thought as well. There is at least one webmaster that is hosting the dispatcher image, and has it set up so it refreshes every minute or so. I have emailed him asking how he does it. If it is not too difficult or costly, that is something I would like to try and do in the future.

Jim, out

C4's on the Move

Having read numerous railfan reports of BNSF's new A1A-A1A configured ES44C4 locomotives criss-crossing the area over the last few days, I've been anxiously awaiting my first sighting. Tonight, that dream was fulfilled when Mrs. L4T and myself headed for the Staples Dairy Queen for supper.

Just east of Verndale I spotted the rear end of what appeared to be a stopped intermodal train, and as the power came into view, I immediately noticed the consecutively-numbered units. I let out a yelp that no doubt made Mrs L4T suspect that I had, finally, made it all the way around the bend, and made a u-turn at the next opportunity. When I reached the crossing where they were waiting, I jumped out and started snapping photos.


The conductor was on the ground, perhaps checking fuel levels, as I shot this my first photos. I decided to head around to the dark side to get a detail shot of the truck, including the unit designation for posterity:


I headed east for a DQ treat, but didn't make it to Staples before meeting a westbound, so once again it was off to the races. I caught this train at the same crossing, while the new locos were still paused.


While waiting for this train to clear the crossing, the eastbound started pulling, and so I decided to try and catch him in a spot where I could get all three units. Since he was heading away from the sun, it is a going away shot.


I don't know why they were stopped, but I suspect there was a train in front of them that was slowing them down. I heard the dispatcher talking to an eastbound CSX about going into emergency, and the C4's crossed from Main 2 to Main 1 in Staples, I suspect to run around that train.

So, my first C4's are in the bag. They don't LOOK a lot different from all the other GEVO's running around, but we all know that they ARE different. I posted to the OMR list from the DQ in Staples that they were through Staples at 1800, one of the few times I have ever posted from my BlackBerry.

Thanks to all the fans who have been keeping the railfan community aware of the movements of this new power. Your efforts are appreciated.

Jim, out

Friday the 13th Part II-Delay of the Empire Builder

Yesterday I talked about looking forward to midnight and the end of Friday the 13th for a change in my luck. And while my luck seems to have taken a turn for the better, there is a group of Amtrak passengers and employees who no doubt have yet to see a change.

I learned this morning that today's #8, the eastbound Builder, was looking at a significant delay. With sunny skies, I had already floated the idea of a railfan outing with Mrs. L4T, having proposed a trip to Detroit Lakes to catch BNSF traffic as it passed through and with luck hook up with a CP eastbound and chase him through hill and dale south of DL. The reaction was positive and such an outing was pencilled in on the L4T activity calendar. The news about the late Amtrak called for a slight change in plans. Given what we knew, it looked like we would be able to catch him in nice light at the Lake Park S-curve, so off we went.

Traffic was light on the trip over, with the scanner quiet and only one train spotted, an eastbound near Audubon that I chose to pass up so I wouldn't miss the Builder. BNSF 7545 got a warrant at Hawley and I suspected it might be the Builder, but alas, it was not to be. Instead this turned out to be a huge manifest train (530 axles) with 5 mismatched units up front. The leader was an ES44DC, followed by an SD75M warbonnet, some kind of cascade green GP, a 6000 series ES44AC, and a blue leaser geep. I was ready and waiting for him at Lake Park.


And I never even noticed this oversize or heavy load right behind the power until I got home and took a look at the photos.


At this point everything was quiet on the western front. A decision was made to head for Hawley, for some reason, and just as we arrived there I heard a westbound clear up a warrant from Wadena to Richards Spur. I headed to the curve coming into town, where I shot this warbonnet in so-so light.


With a hope of finding a better angle given the position of the sun, I investigated the other side of the tracks. It affords a magnificent view of the elevator, and should permit working a train into the shot as well. BNSF delivered with a second westbound, this one a coal empty with a GE leading. I'm predominately a tele shooter but I broke out the kit lens at 28mm for this shot.


I've no idea what train this was or where it was coming from. These cars are unfamiliar to me, and there were a bunch of old steel BN and Santa Fe hoppers mixed into the train as well. This hopper car was built 01/08, so someone somewhere is still buying steel bottom dumps.


Just before 2:00 I heard something that sounded like Amtrak clearing a warrant. I figured they would be along shortly and headed back to Lake Park with the hope of good light. And good light it was, at that time. I spotted another photographer on the bridge in Lake Park, and stopped to consult. Turns out it was a couple who were supposed to be on the train but had given up due to the lateness, which would have caused missed connections. They decided instead to take advantage of the rare daylight passage through the area. They had news relating to the cause of the delay, involving stopping to set off drunks, hitting a car west of Minot, and waiting for a St. Cloud to crew to be cabbed to Hillsboro after another crew died on hours. Indeed, it was a Friday the 13th sequel. After learning the train had yet to leave Fargo, they opted to head to Manitoba Junction for photo ops.

A radio conversation between SWA and the crew of the Amtrak confirmed that they were indeed being led by a pumpkin C44, due to a grade crossing accident west of Minot. Shortly after that I heard the train signal its approach at the crossings west of Lake Park. I shot him as he approached:


A couple of times in the curves,



and once more after a mad dash to Frazee which luckily involved hitting a grand total of ZERO red lights in Detroit Lakes. See, I told you my luck would change.


Then we chased him all the way to Wadena, starting about a mile behind him leaving Frazee and just catching the power as we arrived at Wadena, thanks to a slow order near New York Mills. Even with a pumpkin up front he was stepping along nicely.

After that, back home and taking a look at the photos. Hope you enjoy them, and take the chances you are given to look for trains.

Jim