From 106 and blazing sun at 5pm in Willits on the 18th to 45 miles west, 8am, 56 degrees and indecisive marine layer in Ft. Bragg on the 19th. The California Western staff gets ready for the short excursion up Pudding creek. The engines here have a shed to stay in. Out she comes ready for another day.
For the last few days I have been seeing this locomotive on the BNSF locals coming south out of Somerville to Rosenberg. A rebuilt GP30 that BNSF now calls a GP39-3. It appears to have a brand new coat of Pumpkin paint and the latest "swoosh" logo on its flanks.
That it does. They've been rebuilding the GP30 fleet into these at a fairly regular pace. I think they've even purchased some back that they let go.
That sure is an interesting loco. Still has its turbo stack, but the 36 inch center fan was removed. They seem to have modified the sheet metal over the cab, as the original GP30 roof bulge extended over the cab. Most likely just put 645 power assemblies on the 567 base. Nice to see those old GP30s still getting around, even with a heart transplant. Makes for some nice variety from the ubiquitous heavy 6-axle power. Yoho - I love that old and dilapidated engine shed. That just screams to be modeled!
Not often do we get to see a pair of these coupled together for a train. Here they sit at the Glendive service track yesterday among pumpkins and one lone Citi, at far right. And WOW! A green caboose! Shades of the predecessors still linger..... I sure wish I could learn to hold my camera level!
A backlit shot taken Monday 06/26/17 of CSX Train Q614 (New Orleans => Rocky Mount, NC) at Catawba, SC. Line is former SAL.
Had a run to Miles City yesterday and was able to catch this train at my favorite bend in the Yellowstone just east of Miles. This is the tail end of the train racing west away, and a video of it here and going by Tusler siding.
Went out to Belmont on the Racetrack (BNSF Metra) and saw a few cool things: F40ph-3 repaint/rebuild And the Southwest Chief with an F59phi
How many viewliner cars actually are there? I see the baggage cars taking over the older fluted side (budd?) cars, but I've never seen any other car in real life. I know Kato has a sleeper in the N scale set, but where are all the real ones?
