Just Another Road Trip

Driving-it's just how I roll. Not that I'm a truck driver or anything like that, but the Excape does pile up some highway miles. This week was no different, with a trip to Hallock to start the week, drive back to Wadena on Tuesday, an easy Wednesday with only a visit to New York Mills in the evening for a meeting, followed by another meeting Thursday, this time in Rosemount, and wrapping up with yet another meeting on Friday in Plymouth. The trip up north yielded a couple of photos.

And so did the drive to the cities yesterday. An eastbound oil train appeared out of the woods just as I passed Lincoln, which was a prime opportunity for a photo. After abject failure just south of Randall due to a long dead battery saga, I had recovered enough upon reaching the old Soo Line overpass south of Gregory to clamber up the hill and grab a photo as the train approached.


Since the train had no need to stop for fuel in St. Cloud like I did, he passed me once more. This was a good thing as it allowed for another shot. This time the targeted location was the curve where Chris and I wandered around in the grass for a bit last fall, which idea was promptly foiled by a westbound stack train. So I moved down the line to the potato farm crossing, where the tank train soon came into view.


This should be a precious photo, as it shows how I can cover up some painting mistakes on the front of a BNSF GE. In real life this one appears to have spent some time recently in the body and fender shop.

The trip home turned out to be pretty uneventful. During a stop in Randall ATCS showed an eastbound near Philbrook. I decided to take the back roads home and try intercepting the train. The gates were already down as I drove up, so after leaping out of the car and running up toward the tracks I snapped this.


And then it was off again, to reach Wadena in time for supper.

NOTE: I did catch one other interesting thing on the trip. This jumped out at me as I drove through Rosemount and seemed unusual enough to rate a u-turn.

Another day of looking for trains, in the book.

Shows What I Know

After spending some time a couple of days ago putting together a post lamenting the lack of locomotive variety we now commonly see on the Staples Sub, it seems obvious in retrospect that fate would reach out and show me the error of my ways in drawing conclusions, and today that happened.


I spied the rear of a moving train as I approached Gregory. He was moving quite a bit slower than me, and I had no problem overtaking the power. What the heck-a rare GP40X (and it looked familiar to me), a pair of cascade green SD40-2's, and and H1 GP? Kind of blows my theory about old units on the main, I guess.

And not only that, but there was a westbound sitting on Main 1. Of course he was led by a GE wedgie, but that was the only new paint scheme to be found of a group of 8 engines, which between them sported 5 distinct paint schemes. The shot isn't much (actually, it kind of sucks) but you can't claim to get 5 different models of locos, from 2 different manufacturers, in 5 separate paint schemes in a single photo too often these days along the Staples. So I'm posting it.


I was so flummoxed by the first train I stopped again after I had passed him to grab another photo of the power just north of Royalton, with a touch better nose light and no billboards.


Well, that certainly had my attention. And since I seemed to have been issued a GP hunting license for the day, BNSF obliged me by setting up a couple of more targets of opportunity sitting on Main 2 at Becker, just after a stack train had run around them on Main 1. I figure this must be the returning St. Cloud local. Sure was a pretty GP leading with a shiny H3 paint job.


One more shot-a sneak peek at what I will try and fit in this week. Here's the DPU on a UP manifest I shot on my way to supper this evening. With any luck, I will get a chance to run out to the new Kate Shelley High Bridge tommorow after work.


A pretty good day of looking for trains while I drove 400 miles for work. I'm a lucky guy.

Jim