Western Railroad Discussion > Toto Tuesday: No Heritage at Winifred

Yesterday I got a post-lunchtime tip that UP’s D&RGW Heritage unit, the 1989 was leading an intermodal train down the Gibbon Cutoff toward Marysville, KS. At the time of the text this train had been “past Gibbon” (NE) for almost an hour. I was at a convenient break-point in my endless scanning chores. So I calculated a best-possible running time scenario for the train and decided I still had plenty of time to make the 50” trip (give or take) up to the Marysville area. I landed at tiny Winifred, KS which is at the east end of the 2 main tracks running out of the crew-change terminal of Marysville. As I arrived I saw that an eastbound movement was already lined up. Little did I know I was about encounter the first of a total of 6 (count ‘em, six) eastbound ‘false alarms’. And I never did see the 1989…

1. On main #2 UP 8784 was leading another current fashion-fad double coal train. This 2x5x1 outfit was the first of 2 such doubles I would see during the afternoon.

2. UP 6308 led a 5-unit, mid-train DP consist, with a pair of foreign “pumpkin-looking suspects” infiltrating Uncle Pete’s operation.

3. UP 6605 is the lone DP on the rear. According to my D7100’s EXIF info this train took almost 5 minutes to physically pass my photo spot!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/20 11:36 by santafe199.

---

---

---

4. 13 minutes later UP 8045 pulled to a stop on main #1, well short of the Pheasant Rd crossing. This had all the earmarks of a train about to get run around. Could that headlight be the 1989???...

5. Nope, it’s another coal train. This time it’s a single, headed for the Jeffrey Energy Center down by Aikins. UP 7994 led with another orange interloper and…

6. …BNSF 6274 interloping as the rear DP.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/20 11:12 by santafe199.

---

---

---

7. & 8. Next I took up position at the Pheasant Rd crossing to observe the scene for a bit. As I suspected, the 8045-led manifest got a signal and left town.

9. 3rd out in consist was a showroom floor-shiny bauble, UP 3080. But it wasn’t running. It was just rolling along dead in consist. She shore was lookin’ purty, though…
(photos 1-9 taken at Winifred, KS)

---

---

---

At this point I decided to take advantage of what I thought was a break in trains and make a run for the Matador Rd overpass near Upland (Jct). But I immediately became aware of 2 things: Another train & the fact that the overpass shot was shadowed in more than I thought it would be. An eastbound grain train -not pictured here- was sitting on main #1, stopped short of the 16th Rd crossing. It was in perfect position to get run around, maybe by the 1989??? But just as I was discovering the shadow situation on Matador Rd it began moving ahead. So I scooted right back to 16th Rd and took up shooting position up a rise south of the crossing. The broadside sunlight would be fine for shooting the 1989 when it finally showed up…

10. I didn’t have to wait long to see the X-ing gates come to life. But it was another false alarm. Instead of seeing the 1989, UP 5565 led another eastbound manifest down the Kansas Sub on main #1.

11. I waited just over an hour for the next train. When the crossing gates activated I thought “Shirley, this is the 1989”. (And don’t call me Surely! ;^) But when UP 2644 with another coal train started lumbering over the crossing @ 10 MPH or so, I became uneasy. Sure enough…

12. …when UP 7680 led a 3-unit mid-train DP I was convinced this double coal train down main #2 would clip my view of the 1989’s passing on main #1. I had no choice but make a run back to Winifred…
(Photos 10-12 taken at 16th Rd southeast of Upland Jct, KS)

---

---

---

When I got back to Winifred UP 2644 was just coming to a stop way short of the crossing. But both eastbound signals were showing red. It was right then I got a return phone call from a UP engineer friend of mine. He was able to trace the 1989 and discovered it was still up in Nebraska. Silly me!!! I thought one of Uncle Pete’s 70 MPH intermodals could run the 142+ miles between Gibbon & Marysville in less than 5 hours. I just don’t know WHAT I was thinking…

13. There’s UP 2644 on my 2nd double coal train of the afternoon stopped maybe a half mile back.

14. & 15. So I turned my attention the other way and was eventually rewarded with my best shot of the day. Here comes UP 6561 on a westbound manifest. And in that “golden hour” sunlight, to boot…
(Photos 13-15 taken at Winifred, KS)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/20 06:48 by santafe199.

---

---

---

Knowing that shooting the 1989 was now just failed fantasy I thought I’d head to the other side of Marysville for a go at some sunset images. My old stand-by farm road crossing east of Herkimer seemed like the best spot…

16. I knew that westbound manifest I saw at Winifred might change crews and run right on through Marysville, so I crossed my fingers and waited. The sinking sun looks pretty sick in this Herkimer ‘scene’ shot. But this might have been my last shot of the day…

17. & 18. …or NOT! I finally heard a horn to the east, telling me that UP 6561 would once again grace my D7100. Even the usually reliable canary yellow paint didn’t show much glint in that sick sunlight, laced with the recently imported West Coast haze. I guess it just wasn’t in the cards for me to shoot any UP Heritage in Winifred. Or Herkimer either, for that matter. But I still had a good afternoon!

---

---

---

Oops, just one more:

19. There’s faithful FRED, tagging along behind the 6561. It’ll be a long dark trip to North Platte…
(Photos 16-19 taken at Herkimer, KS. ALL photos taken September 21, 2020)

Thanks for the tip!
Lance Garrels
santafe199









count-down to norman ah bates

---

Just think. There will be a time in the future when coal trains are as scarce as hen's teeth. People will marvel when us  old geezers when we pull out photos like this.

King_Coal Wrote:  > ...  People will marvel ...
Ain't THAT the truth...

> ... old geezers when we ...
Say (snickering), if you're gonna call me an old geezer you best be spelling that word in ALL CAPS!!! Probably wouldn't hurt to embolden it either...

;^)

Great photos all, but those of the UP 6561-led train really pop!

Rich

Well, you didn't get the grand prize but at least you didn't get skunked.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

Looks like you had a very busy day with lots of activity and a great Sunset!

Larry

If you'll give back those orange engines, we'll let go of that heritage engine:).

Nice post....you had a good afternoon.

Too bad you didn't get the 1989 but if you had just been out shooting trains I'd say you had a great day. When I shot the 1989 in Indiana a few years ago things worked out a little better for me. Got the UP heritage unit in a couple of places and some other CSX trains to boot.

Kim Heusel

Excellent series!

Thanks gang, I did have a fun afternoon. Heritage or no, the fun factor is what this great hobby is all about!

twjurgens Wrote: > ... If you'll give back those orange engines, we'll let go of that heritage engine ...
Let's see now... you'll take a coupla coal dust covered pun'kins and I get a big Western slope Colorado peach? Sounds like a pretty good trade to me... ;^) 

Lance



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/20 06:59 by santafe199.

My favorites are Pics 14 and 16!!

These are wonderful photos.  I am the new Archivist for the Marysville Union Pacific Depot and part of the Preservation Society.  I would love to use some of the photos in the Archives Room with your permission.  If you have not been in the Depot lately it is starting to look like the Grand Old Lady it once was.  As you are aware, the UP all but ruined it by putting a drop ceiling  throughout and putting carpet on the slate tile floors.  However, after two years of scraping off glue from the floors, removing the extra walls put in the lobby, patching and repairing the 25 ft ceilings we are almost ready to show it off.  This last week we were removing PAINT from the beautiful wood wainscot in the lobby and it is looking elegant once again.  You may know that the windows on the East side had to be replicated and replaced but we were able to keep the windows on the west side after some restoring techniques.  The room to the left as you enter from the East side of the Depot is our focus throughout the winter.  The floors are in better shape so they will just have to be cleaned and oiled.  The walls and ceilings have been re plastered and repaired and ready for paint.  Six new lights that were created to look like the original lights are being installed this week.  This is where we will have the first Archive Collection with over 40 Shadow Boxes along the walls telling the story of the Railroad in Marysville.  Someone is at the Depot most days if you would like to stop by.  My husband and I actually live in Atlanta but we go to Marysville about 2 weeks a month to work on the Depot.  If you would like to visit please email me at AnitamWelch@gmail.com and I will arrange.  Thanks for letting me share.