Looking back to my stop in Longview TX on 1/20/23, here is another switcher I caught there. This one looked all ready to head out. It was sitting with a pair of UP big GE's but none were running so it wasn't leaving right away.
From February 1984 at Montgomery, AL and Prattville, AL, the ICG's Mill Job is rolling west to a large paper mill. Within a few years, the ICG would sell portions of the line to NS and SBD and tear up the rest. The line was built by the Mobile & Ohio in 1899. Those Paducah geeps always sounded great when they were pulling hard.
The dual sealed beam headllights atop the short hood were called "frog eyes" by some. I miss the sight and fresh cut log smell of shortwood cars, now long gone from southeastern railroading.
Interesting beastie. I looked it up and it's a rebuilt SW1500, riding on Flexicoil trucks. They really did a number on the cab! Or even envious of!
The grain cars I see anymore are becoming less interesting every year as the often interesting and colorful paint schemes they originally wore are disappearing into a sea of gray repaints. While maintenance is a good thing, the cars are taking on a sameness that varies only in terms of a few different types of construction, a variety of graffiti, level of weathering and a variety of leasing companies' reporting marks. However, as I've stated before, once in a while something interesting shows up here. Today was one of those days when I discovered that something interesting definitely had showed up. Not having seen the train that dropped these cars, I have to wonder if maybe this car appropriately rolled into town behind any of Huron and Eastern's ex-Rock Island GP38-2's. BTW, I'm very grateful I'm not one of the elevator guys that load these cars today as the thermometer in my truck dash said 8F when I shot these photos with a forecast for a colder day tomorrow.
Going into the wayback machine, it is April 2015. These signals are on the west end of Bozeman tunnel, And this train is roaring up the pass westbound heading for those signals. I missed the train, which is why the signals were red, it had just rolled by.
Amtrak 7 crosses Gassman Coulee on the advertised on 21 Jan 23. A very lost 'Belle rests in Minot at the CP yard depot:
Wednesday, February 1, NS 38G, a PSR monster, has its power 1x2 as it approaches Wyo JCT on the NS Harrisburg Line.
A little touch of warped humor for the weekend proto fun Turns out the balloon is a high tech railfan drone Okay, I'll crawl back under my rock now.
I wonder about that brown third car in line. It looks a bit like I feel some days. All bowed down and weak.
Don't forget your tinfoil hat so the Chinese can't spy on your brain (they tried that once on me and it fried their equipment setting them back 30 years). I'll take one of those! -25C with a wind chill of -42C here.
Nice view with the wheel stopd stranded in snow! That would be sweet!! Which locomotive is that? Tickets for railfan rides will be advertised next week!
The locomotive is a former CB&Q 2-8-2 Mikado that was retired in 1957. After several changes in ownership it is currently running on the Grand Canyon Railway #4960.
Is the German balloon making drop shipments of Kölsch or helles? The wheel stops are for the so-called "roundhouse track", but Minot's Soo Line yard only had a wye and simple engine house, not a roundhouse or turntable.