Blizzard warning! We got lambasted with a 3-day storm dumping some 36 inches of snow on Minot, ND and most of the state was shut down due to conditions. Before the state shut down, I bagged a couple shots. Westbound Q train drifts into Minot and passes the old GN yard: Westbound grainer digs into the slick rails along Burdick Expy in Minot:
Last time I saw anything near that amount was back on March 4th-5th 1971. We had just moved out of Montreal proper and into one of the more boonie-like 'burbs... Once the storm was over, it took two or three days for the plows to finally get to our neighborhood. I was about six years old and I enjoyed the snow a lot more than my folks did... Now that I'm doing my own shoveling, the enjoyment has fallen off somewhat steeply with age... We had around 20 inches of snow but it was blowing snow piling wave-like drifts in the streets up to six feet high. Nearly everything came to a standstill, but there still were some freight trains running while nearly all other modes of travel were snowed in. Most travel was by snowmobile, since most autos were buried in snow...
The road is open eastbound again, and here we have an afternoon train of empty oil cans, possibly heading for the Fryburg, ND upload plant? The second unit is a CN, recently renumbered 8811.
There's one of the exSP snow fighting 38-2s and then a contract service engine. Looks like a 40 converted to a 38 to me. One fan is removed. Here it is as an attachment
From 04/22/1986, an NS train is at Saluda, NC and will soon begin its descent down the famous grade. Sadly, here's what the scene looks like today per Google Maps:
Had an interesting week railfanning wise. Wasn't to sure what to start with so we'll go with this trio if NS engines. The event leading to these pics happened back on Saturday night, Nov. 27, 2021. I had it in my mind that it happened earlier this year while I was traveling but in looking up the date, it was much earlier. We must have had something going on with the mom-in-law that prompted me not to go check this out back then. Either way, I would a have for sure thought this would have all been long gone soon after but then this past Saturday night, I got a tip to drive down to Hiram GA (It's only 10 miles from my house so no excuse for not going by sooner) and check things out. Here is what I was very surprised to find! The leading theory on the cause of the wreck is that the lead unit split the switch. The crew was banged, bruised, and battered but otherwise okay from what I heard. Really cool to see how they have these big GE's loaded on the heavy duty flats and ready to head off to whatever fate awaits them. It's interesting that the C40-9 (Or as NS calls them D9-40C) seems to be loaded on a slightly less heavy duty car that the ET44AC and ES44AC. Light wasn't really great but hope you all enjoy these pics.
Wow, those are fantastic captures! I can't begin to imagine the work involved in lifting anything as massive as a locomotive onto a flat car and tying it down on cribbing. Their trucks must have taken a different route out. If NS does the repairwork, they're bound for Altoona.
Wow.... That's quite a bit of damage but the cabs are largely intact save for some dents and a blown-out window here and there. Those are really tough cabs. They did what they're designed for - protect the crew. It'll take more than a couple of gallons of paint to fix that up.
Chris Toth's excellent NS loco roster lists all 3 units as stored with wreck damage. Sounds like no decision has been made on repairing them.
Wednesday, April 13, 2022, found both units on the LANO job. GP18 is ex-NYS&W, and looking good at 60 years old, or close to it. I caught them waiting for permission from NS to occupy the main at Sinking Spring, PA, to run East to Spring ST yard in Reading and interchange.
1801 looks like it just rolled off the assembly line in La Grange! With a paint job that shines in the sunlight.
Not a great photo, but someting unusual and spur of the moment. I was heading back to the yard in Lathrop, Ca and got caught at the crossing by and interesting UP grain train. One UP, one CP and a CSX on the point and a CP DPU:
