Twin Ports Oddities and More

Well, maybe not all "oddities", but in a few cases, certainly, "things I don't see every day". 

I slipped away this afternoon for a short jaunt around Duluth and Superior, intent on finally taking a few train photos. My first stop was Rice's Point, where I found the CP local power gurgling away on the lead to one of the Port Authority tracks. The most unusual unit for me in this day and age was the SOO.

Just turning around, I spotted this thing in the yard. Now we're getting somewhere on the oddity front. Not sure of the heritage of this former caboose, but it's sure not something I see often, or even ever before. 

TEXX is a logistics outfit that arranges transportation for unique cargoes, according to their website. The unique cargo in this case might be the heavy load shown below, which was spotted in CP's Rices Point yard a couple tracks over from the caboose. 

With those shots in the bag, I headed to Superior, and swung by the BNSF facility. That's where I spotted these freshly painted sno-dozers, waiting patiently for mother nature to provide the conditions that will allow them to strut their stuff. I'm waiting too!

 
Then it was on to the yard, where I spotted a couple of BN grain hoppers coupled next to each other. The difference in paint condition was enough to get me to stop. These photos will go a long way toward helping me get the weathering right on some models in the future. It is amazing how almost anything I can imagine can be found on the railroad in one way or another. A great example of life imitating art.

Finally, after getting a text from Mrs. L4T recalling me for more mother in law moving duty, I started back for Duluth. As I crossed the yard on the 21st Ave viaduct, I spotted a train that forced me to make a short detour. It's not everyday that you can see a pair of former bluebonnet GP's handling a coal train. OK, it wasn't actually an entire train, but it was a goodly sized cut of coal gons, and while the power was another example of why the Twin Ports might be the world's EMD capital, this specific power set-a GP50 leading a GP40X-is anything but common. It was enough for me to call it an oddity, and a day. 

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.

Some Superior Shots After Work

After work today I decided a swing by the BNSF facilities in Superior was in order. (All of you with your Virginian photos must have inspired me.) To give you an idea of what Superior is like, the first of these shots was taken at 4:18 PM. The last was shot at 4:28 PM. And yes, the same day. I also passed on a CP train that wasn't very well lit, and another unknown train that I heard blowing for a crossing but never saw. In addition there were 3 other GP's and a pair of Dash 9's at the engine terminal I didn't shoot.

But first up, at 28th Street, an SD40-2 is headed south with a cut of cars while a pair of GP's rest. Interestingly (to me at least), I also saw these two engines on my way to Superior last night. They were just west of Home Depot in Baxter with a string of gondolas. It was strange to the 2801 leading and the 2785 bringing up the rear, as if it were a DPU. I figured they were headed into the spur at Baxter.


Next I decided to head up to the engine terminal and see what was happening, but before I made to 21st Streeet another SD passed me going south. Since it had nice looking paint I decided to shoot it, even though the nose is not well lit.


There was something going on with an ACe at the terminal. I don't think it was good news after looking up the website on the side of the van.


A lone GP sat on the short engine track, tempting me to try shooting it, so I did. And now I'm posting the photo.


I was going to post one more shot of the people working on the ACe, but decided not to. And now I have made a post for September. Hopefully my wild life will soon begin to settle down so I can get back to posting a bit more regularly.

Independence Day

The fourth of July always brings to mind a day 5 years ago now when I shot this photo. Oddly it's not the only Independence Day shot I remember. This one from 2009, and this 2008 shot from Verndale are both products of the fourth as well. Last year I must have been in the basement working on the now-defunct West Central Minnesota Railroad.

All of which is a long introduction to this morning. For some unknown reason I checked the status of the eastbound Empire Builder, and sure enough it was late. In fact it should be in Staples at about the time that would allow me to attempt to duplicate the 2007 shot linked above. And so I was off. I decided to wait for the train at Wadena, where the dispatcher had him lined to cross over from Main 2 to Main 1. Consider that shot accomplished.

Then it was off to the races. Amtrak was making great time, and even risking a speeding ticket wasn't enough to keep pace. By the time I reached Aldrich he had built up a fair lead, but I knew (or hoped) that I could stop faster than the train, and would make up time as they approached the station. Sure enough, the head end passed the station about the same time as I did. There was only one fly in the ointment, though-for some reason the dome car was at the end of the consist, so the conductor decided to stop with the final car of the train at the platform. As a result the power was blocking the crossing east of the depot. Here's the shot I was able to come up with, which I didn't like near as much as the one from 5 years ago.

Finally, in that shot, there was a coal train waiting to cross over and take the Brainerd Sub. This year the situation was reversed, with an empty waiting to get onto the Staples after Amtrak cleared. I decided to shoot him, and after getting home and looking at the photo, was glad I did. Strange, strange power on this coal empty. Been a long while since I caught a coal train with DC power, much less a GEVO. In fact this may be one of a kind for me, certainly worth the "oddity" tag.

With that, it was off for home to work on the house. Now, after mowing, painting, and trimming hedges, I've squeezed out a moment to post to this long-neglected blog. More is coming, when time allows, including my report of the greatest railfanning day of the year, VR2K12. All for now.

Granite City in the Rain

Saturday was the annual great train event known as the Granite City Train Show. While it's always fun to go and browse around for bargains, the last few times I have gone it seems that seeing what Ian has cooked up has been the highlight of the day. Yesterday was no different.

Before we get to that, though, a few very poorly lit train photos. These are all of the same train, and none would have been shot but for a few oddities that jumped out at me. Mrs. L4T and I passed this train just after it met a westbound at Darling. It was moving slow and something about the lone auto rack caught my eye, so I pulled off at Little Falls. The first oddity I shot was the head end power, complete with an illuminated headlight on the second unit, facing backwards. That seemed strange.

And then a couple of "loaded" centerbeams. Oddly enough Chris had just pointed out a super sale at MB Klein on these cars, and now I have a different load. Might have to pick a couple up.



And then, the sight that first interested me. Another busted up auto rack. I shot one near Staples last fall and just like I described it that time, looks like a car that fell off the layout.

And then the final oddity of this train. It was rainy and cloudy, but the power was wild for a short manifest. Nice pair of ACe's. Finally got them south of Rice, where the track curves away from the highway.

The train show was packed. Parking was the worst it's been since I started attending. But it was worth it, as Ian and Lorrie were working the layout. He always has some neat idea for a small layout. And the thing is, he builds them. I think he gets more done than most people with a basement full of trains.

Here are a couple of poor shots of the front of the display. I think it's two feet wide, and Ian has figured out a way to actually have operational potential. It's wild. Locomotives are shuffling cars back and forth, and best of all he even figured out a scenario where he needs to use a Railbox car as an idler.

The show was the biggest I have ever seen. If the GCTS is any indication, model railroading is not dying-far from it, it's growing. And why not, it's fun.

I picked up a couple of things, including some 28' UPS trailers, and came home excited about modeling again. Back to the basement!

Coincidence

A couple of Christmas's ago Mrs. L4T surprised me with a wonderful Greg Garrett framed print showing a pair of MAC's bringing a loaded coal train through snowy western scenery. It was a fantastic gift, hangs in the living room where it can be admired on a regular basis.


It's hard to see but the leader of this train is EMD SD70MAC BNSF 9905. For many years these AC units have been among my favorites, but with more than 800 of them on the BNSF roster catching any specific unit is like finding a needle in a haystack. Ever since recieving this gift I've kept an eye out for the 9905, and last Monday I finally caught it rounding a curve between Lake Park and Audubon.


Now I have a photo of the same loco pictured in the print. Next up, finding the same engine leading in the snow, with another orange MAC trailing.

Creature of Habit

In the last almost 2000 days, a lot of things have changed, both in the railroad world and in my own little world. I have a new job, lots of new friends (some of them thanks to this very blog, which is also something new within that time), new interests, a new camera, ATCS and radio traffic, and new traditions (see Verndale Rail, Granite City, and Rollag as examples). The railroad world has seen changes as well. BNSF 7802 used to be an SD40-2, but now is a GEVO. The handsome nose logos are gone from the SD70MAC's. But not everything has changed.



On July 15, 2006, at 7:05 AM I shot this photo. It was one of my first two shots accepted to railpictures, and I still remember how exciting that was. The excitement of watching the train approach and "getting the shot" lives on.





This morning found me in the same location, waiting for another BNSF train led by a pair of engines wearing the H2 paint scheme. I was a bit over a month and 16 minutes later, but the location is still one of my favorites. I am a creature of habit.





I still chase trains too. This one seemed like a prime candidate, and so it was off to the races, next stop the east end of the Verndale sag, MP 160 on the Staples Sub.





And with four lane highway between Verndale and Staples, it was easy to beat the train to the depot for another shot. This Superior-bound coal train crossed over from Main 2 to Main 1 at Dower Lake, offering the chance to shoot him passing the depot on the near track. BNSF even was nice enough to pose another engine in the yard, peeking around the coal train.





I left him to continue his journey east in peace. After walking through the Staples depot to check out the book sale going on in conjunction with Railroad Days, it was time to head for home. The radio surprised me when BNSF 1113 called approaching Staples from the east. Even though the shot would be backlit, a trip to the Dower Lake crossing was in order. At least I captured an oddity. Take a look at the nose door on this Dash 9.





That H1 paint is just killer, so one more shot between Staples and Aldrich. Strange how these engines can look so good when the H2's whether GE or EMD, look so scruffy.





That's it for my short outing this morning. An hour and a half from start to finish, in some ways it was a repeat of so many other railfanning outings, yet every one has its own twists and turns, revealing something new if we are but willing to look and listen.

Over and Over

This morning found me in Perham to conduct a morning training session. The folks I was working with had their own work to do, and were in a hurry to get done, so a relatively early trip back home was in order. Sometime between 9:30 and 10:00, while leaving the shop in Perham, I heard a horn. This called for an investigation.

I found the Wadena local sitting in Perham, pointed east. With a set of old grungy hoppers in tow, an imminent departure seemed likely, and sure enough they started to pull before I even got a shot. Traffic was wild on crazy days, and it seemed like the train would get well ahead of me, but as quickly as they started, they stopped, and uncoupled from the train on Main Two at the east edge of town. I reached the crossing in time to see them back into the trailing point spur, grab a few more of what I believe were tie cars, and run back up to the main, as seen here.


Just as all this was going on, a headlight appeared at the curve near the Ottertail River bridge. Although the light was awful for a westbound, the power was unique enough (for Perham at least) to warrant a shot. For the second day in a row CP GE's graced the lens of the Pentax.


With the crew putting the local back together, a quick trip a mile or so east found me at the bridge. Before I knew it, the GP's came flying down the hill and around the curve, surprising me so much I only got this shot showing the dark side.


Hopping back in the Escape I gave chase, finally getting a bit of breathing room east of New York Mills. Here comes the local once more, undulating across the swales of the Staples Sub.


I figured if I hurried I could get him once more as he rounded the Bluffton curve. Sure enough I was in place with a minute to spare. They still had these GP's wound up as the train climbed out of the Leaf River Plain.


It's always enjoyable seeing how the train works Wadena. To the best of my knowledge the only run-around that is available is down by Drywall Supply, and when I stopped to watch them work, I found that track occupied by a covered hopper being loaded with what I think is edible beans. This is again new business for Wadena to the best of my knowledge.


This raised the question of how the hogger would get his power on the proper end of the train. As they backed into the spur, it seemed that somehow the loading operation would be interrupted. Was I ever surprised when, after clearing his warrant, the dispatcher and conductor started talking about work they had to do in Staples! All of a sudden they headed up the spur, light power, and indicated they would be leaving as soon as everything was properly lined.

With that I was off, intending to grab a shot of the pair of geeps as they made their way east. It was a competitive chase, and I barely managed to get ahead of them on the west side of Verndale. In fact, this was shot out the car window as there was no chance to dismount.


Well, now you know the story of shooting the Wadena Local "over and over", plus what happens where Jer gives me free reign to shoot red GE's. Thanks for looking!

Another Oddity

For the last 3 years or so, by my estimation, BNSF has been running coal trains powered exclusively by AC motors. Coal trains run through Wadena with some combination of SD70MAC, SD70ACe, and ES44AC tugging and shoving. While DC engines were common on coal when I moved to the area 6 or 7 years ago they are now gone, sentenced to a life of manifest freight, intermodal, and grain and tank unit trains.

Since this seems like such an ironclad rule, of course there has to be an exception. That's just what I found last Tuesday morning on my way through Staples. A loaded coal train was posed in the yard with a MAC up front and a Dash 9 as the second unit. I just had to turn around, go back, and take a picture.


This oddity got me to thinking about another similar oddity from a couple of years ago. Mrs. L4T and I were taking in the sights of the Powder River Basin when the BNSF tossed another oddity our way-and that time, the DC motor GE was shoving as a DPU. You can see a photo in this post.

Another oddity of the day was the fact that although I followed the Staples Sub to Becker and spent the evening in Red Wing, this was the only train I shot all day. So it was a double oddity day!

A New Year's Wonder

Checking the traffic on the OMR mailing list on a lazy New Year's morning yesterday revealed chaos along the route of Amtrak's Empire Builder. Seems that for some reason the #7 westbound had been stopped, with plans for it to return to Chicago. The interesting part was how Amtrak decided to accomplish this.

The day's #8 (eastbound), which was already running late, was tasked to couple onto the rear of #7 and continue east. This decision led to the creation of a "monster" Amtrak train. Three Genesis units were leading and providing the power, followed by a baggage car, 20 Superliners, another baggage car, and three more Genesis units from the annulled #7.

A thoughtful passenger sprang into action, reporting these events to the list in real time. I was lucky enough to get about an hour's advance notice. Mrs. L4T kindly fortified me with a late breakfast and sent me out into the storm with the assignment of getting some good pictures. I was happy to try and oblige.

As soon as I left home, I heard the dispatcher talking to Amtrak 122, giving them a warrant from Gregory to St. Cloud. I had a flash of fear that they were already by me, but it seemed impossible so I continued uptown. The question was where to set up and try a shot? I contemplated trying as they passed by the depot. The faint indications of the defect detector at MP 174 indicated the train was getting close to Wadena. Then the radio came to life again, and Amtrak told the dispatcher they would be stopped for 10 minutes or so in Staples for a crew change. Hearing that the decision was made-Staples. Off I went, on an ice covered Highway 10.

The Builder was clearing his Richards Spur-Wadena warrant before I even reached Verndale. Given the road conditions getting to Staples in time to catch the train seemed iffy, so I pulled over to catch him as he passed east of Verndale. The wait was about one minute.


I realized at this point that shooting the train at track speed with fresh snow might be fun, but it wouldn't reveal what I was looking for. Again, it was off to Staples with a renewed fervor.

The conductor called out the approach signal at Dower Lake, along with a speed- 75 mph. Man, I hope I make it!

Finally, I spotted the tail end of the train. By the time I reached the west end of the Staples yard we were neck and neck and the train was slowing for the depot. Swinging into the west entrance of the Amtrak parking lot allowed the chance to shoot the entire train as it approached on Main 1.


Then it was off to the 6th St crossing, for a shot as the head end changed crews. The train was so long, this was the first of three stops they had to make at the Staples depot.


After pulling ahead, the train stopped again, spotting #8's coaches at the platform. The lead unit is just short of the 6th St. crossing in this view. The curve in Main 1 as it approaches the depot hide the tail end of this train. By my count, two Superliners, a baggage car and three Genesis units are tucked in behind the last visible car in this view.


The radio was busy with chatter almost the entire stop, anything from coordinating when to change channels (Staples West is on a different channel than Staples East), whether the rear units needed a qualified engineer on board, how the brakes should be set up ("direct" vs. "gradual" release, apparently due to train length), how far to pull ahead for the next spot, etc.

I got a final set of shots as the train spanned both crossings. I believe they were offloading the Staples passengers from #7 in this view. The word on the web is that all the #7 passengers were being dropped at the station where they boarded, which probably meant that there were multiple stops at every station due to the length of the train.


So that's the story of what is probably the most unusual railroad occurence I've ever had the opportunity to photograph. I can't thank Craig, the passenger on the train who was providing location information, enough. Without his heads-up, this train would have passed through the area without my even realizing it.

With a start to 2011 like this, who knows what else the year holds? This Amtrak monster train will be hard to top, but yesterday morning it never seemed possible that something like this would pass through Wadena. Keep looking!

Oddities

Way back when, I used to frequent a website known as the Cyberspace World Railroad. One of the things I liked about it was that each month or so they would post an oddity-something seen along the tracks that made you go....hmmmm.

I've always liked that type of thing, and am on the lookout for something unusual whenever a train is about. One of the oddities I've noticed along the BNSF the last year or so is a sizeable number of late model covered hoppers with heralds that look like this:


I've conjured up a couple of theories as to what is going on with these cars. Maybe some elevator has a car mover that grabs the cars and pulls them ahead, and wipes the grime off the car where it is grabbed. Or maybe-well, I guess I only thought of one possible cause. And that one is, admittedely, a stretch.

Here's another example of what I'm talking about.


This next picture finally got it through my thick skull that the cars are having a reinforcement welded to the car body near the slope sheet. You can barely make the plate out in the photo above. This next photo is about the best illustration of the reinforcement that I have.


Next question was why is this being done? A (poor quality) photo shot as a train passed through Staples the day of the World's Greatest Hobby show proveded a clue as to why these cars are getting worked on. The area where the reinforcing plate would be installed on this car is kinked. That can't be a good thing.


That's my story of one of the strange things you might see while looking for trains. And it's an example of the reality that when you see something strange, keep looking. The answer is probably out there if we just keep searching.

Jim