Model Railroading > SD40-2's on the CRANDIC and Grand Road

My friend Lee Ryan received some new N scale InterMountain SD40-2's, one a BN unit and the other a Iowa Chicago and Eastern unit. Like we did with Dean Dickerhoof's UP engines, he asked if I could photograph them on the Grand Road (see http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,4179711). To start out Pat Lana had me shoot some reefer trains on the CRANDIC which is a terrific granger railroad centered, but not limited to, the Iowa area. While we were set up, we put the SD40-2's on the layout and took a couple of photos. Then we moved over the my Grand Road layout and took the rest. There are a total of ten photos in the post. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do taking them.
#1. An Iowa Chicago and Eastern SD40-2 leads a freight train through the Iowa corn fields. Clouds are building and rain is in the forecast.
#2 Going the opposite direction later in the day a BN SD40-2 is paced by a railfan on a motor cycle. He better hustle as it is going to rain.
 

Paul Brennecke
Golden, CO

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We move over the the Grand Road which is a contrasting layout. It is all mountains and not an operating layout which the CRANDIC is.
#3. A BN SD40-2 is leading a TOFC train into Terror Creek. This train would be the RPDNTR (Roper Yard to Denver Trailers)
#4. The same train is passing the Terror Creek depot.
#5. Another shot of the RPDNTR at the Terror Creek depot.

More coming.

Paul Brennecke
Golden, CO

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#6. Going the opposite direction would be the DNRPTR (Denver to Roper Yard Trailers) led by Iowa Chicago and Eastern #6418.
#7. Leaving Terror Creek the DNRPTR starts the last climb up the western slope to the tunnel.
#8. Pulling a freight across the Terror Creek deck bridge is ICE #6418.

Just a couple more next.

Paul Brennecke
Golden, CO

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#9. Here we catch the two SD40-2's on the Terror Creek deck bridge. To get this shot, I use a first surface mirror because I cannot get the camera up here with out breaking a bunch of trees off.
#10. Finally, we have the BN #6353 splitting the signals just beyond the Terror Creek deck bridge. This is an autorack train. In the foreground is a solar powered dragging equipment and hot box detector. For the SD40-2 era this is probably not prototypical but, as you know, there are still SD40's on the road even today.

Hope you enjoyed.

Paul Brennecke
Golden, CO



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/17 12:42 by grandroad.

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awesome nice layout and equipment

 beautiful !!!   Doug

Wow, great shots with the dramatic sky. The IM SD40-2's look really good.  Thanks for posting....

John Parker
Longmont, CO
BNSF Fall River Division

John - I did some photo work for Pat's CRANDIC and used puffy clouds like we have here in Colorado. After looking at the photos he said Iowa does not have puffy clouds, they are all connected there, so I used the most connected clouds I have in my sky file. 

Paul Brennecke
Golden, CO

Great work!

Jim