From 02/26/1977 at Spaulding, IL where the MILW's line west from Chicago crosses the EJ&E. Amazingly, the EJ&E's Spaulding Tower was saved and moved 30 miles to the Illinois Railway Museum where it stands today. I haven't been back to Spaulding in 45 years. It was a rural spot out in the country in 1977. My goodness, take a look at it now!
My first new-image Amtrak sighting on #7 this morning. Surrey, ND, just east of Gavin Yard, and on the western end of the Devils Lake Sub.
Westbound grain loads streak at 15 MPH over Gassman Coulee Trestle after sunset. Photo from private property, with permission.
I think it was a 1/8-sec exposure, so the train is blurry. The wind picked up yesterday, and stripped the coulee bare! Brown season here, now, again...
That GMTX 2671 is unusual, looks like a GP38, but with extended dynamic braking? Doesn't appear to have the normal "cracker box" on the roofline like the others.
https://www.thedieselshop.us/GMTX.HTML according to this, it is a CRR 2000 GP38 from April of '67. Extended DB may be a new addition?
What is probably the worst looking locomotive in Class I service I've ever seen was CSX SD-40-2 8238 (former L&N 3610) at Greenwood, SC on 09/28/1991. In the golden era, Greenwood (not to be confused with much larger Greenville) saw trains from the SAL, SOU, Piedmont & Northern, Georgia & Florida and Charleston & Western Carolina. Of all of these lines, only the former SAL main remains today. However, Greenwood's Maxwell Yard remains an important spot for CSX, with several manifest trains originating there each day.
That's correct! It was rebuilt into a GP38-2 later on. It still has the looks of a straight '38. Interesting: Roberval & Saguenay has three SD70ACe's! The aluminum business must be hopping.
If that were a car, it would be pulled over and sent straight to the inspection garage of the motor vehicles department! Poor thing...
The 8238 must have been a fright at grade crossings, a camouflaged hulk emerging from the woods. It'd make a great first model weathering project, impossible to overdo.
I love the pictures of the old towers like this, especially after having seen a few in real life. It's just sad that most of them are now gone. Doug