Two NS shots, with the first from July 2001 at Cramerton, NC crossing the South Fork of the Catawba River west of Charlotte on the SOU main. I seem to recall that the GE C40-9Ws were delivered in primer and were circulated through NS's paint shop in Chattanooga as time allowed. The second shot is from January 1994 at Columbia, SC with a B32-8 (later renumbered) and an SD-40-2.
In January of 1975, a BN unit coal train split a switch at Barrington, IL on the EJ&E. I was just a high school kid and rushed out to grab some images with my square-format Kodak 126 Instamatic on a cold and dreary day. Note the Baldwin centercab working the other end. The J's SD-38-2s had arrived a year earlier and the Baldwins would soon be out of work.
In the rain and overcast of a day in April 1980 in the Chicago area, I decided to railfan for some reason where I found MILW 963 in Bensenville and CNW 425 at Melrose Park.
Deval Tower at Des Plaines, IL was always a busy place, with multiple track mainlines of the C&NW and MILW crossing, along with the Soo's main, all forming a large triangle. Deval suffered an electrical fire in 2005, which dealt severe damage to the interlocking equipment within the tower. As a result, the decision was made to remote its functions and demolish the tower. The first two shots were taken July 1979 and the last in April 1980.
Des Plaines, IL has a large station for commuter trains, but looking at current pictures, it doesn't look like this one. I'm not sure what's up today. The station in my picture was a C&NW standard, seen across the system with small variations. [July 1979] Long ago, things looked this and with the C&NW's traditional left hand running in view.
Nice little station - just begs to be modeled. Along with little details like what seems to be one of those weigh scales that charges a penny and not only gives you your weight but your fortune too! Depends... some might not want to know either of the two...
"Today's Fortune": "You will live in the year 2020 but be able to travel back in time to this location and time."
Some C&NW "scoots" at Barrington, IL from late 1977 and early 1978. By March of '78, new F40PHs from the RTA were appearing, displacing the aging Fs and Es. The 117 is crossing the EJ&E.
When I shot this structure at Decatur, IL in April 1987, I wasn't sure of its heritage and thought it looked oddly isolated. Years later I found that it was the sole remainder of a once-grand IC station. You can see it to the left in the old photo.
You may be right. I find station architecture interesting in the golden era. It's as if railroad management invited architectural expression, sometimes with an eclectic collision of materials and styles and at other times with classic design.
That second 'Scoot' is crazy long. Was that normal? The F40PH's HEP can't support that many cars, so most Metra trains I have seen are only around 7 or 8 cars.