Western Railroad Discussion > Several from this past summer in IL, WI & MN

The past few summers I have gone to visit my parents in suburban Chicago for the month of August and do a curling tournament or two.  Well despite my best laid plans both of the tournaments I had planned in Cedar Rapids and the Chicago area were cancelled for various reasons.   So I ended up going to lovely Bemidji, MN to curl.   

1. August 5th, 2024 made a brief stop in Downers Grove, IL where I see Metra BNSF Train 1251 pulling into the Main Street Station.
2. UP SD60 sitting at Winona, MN in the UP ex-C&NW yards.
3. RRV&W GP7 (I think) sitting in storage at Glencoe, MN

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4. Jordan Spreader and a CF7 in Glencoe, MN
5. Little Falls, MN Depot was hoping to get a train sweeping around the curve with the depot but that didn't happen.
6. Staples Amtrak ex-NP Depot.

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good pics, interesting locations, not often photographed besides chicagoland.

7. In between games in Bemidji I had time to check out the old 
On the way home I took the scenic route via Hibbing, Duluth, Superior, Portage and Madison.   This is where the fun really begins of the catches.  
8. BNSF SD40-2 likely the local switcher for the papermill taking a break on Sunday afternoon.
9. ex-GN HIbbing Depot.

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After getting to my hotel in Superior, WI I was tired and originally was planning on going straight home.   However a little birdie called me and said a Dash 8 was leading the Borealis inbound to Chicago.  Obviously that changed my plans.

10. CN Local coming into Proctor, MN.   Hoping to spend more time up here someday.
11. The Mark Twain Zephyr at the Wisconsin Great Nothern in Spooner, WI.
12. The Special of the Hour.   Amtrak 519 a Dash 8 leading Amtrak 1340 the eastbound Borealis at Tomah, WI.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/24 20:50 by CubsFanJohn.

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I finally got back to my parents and spent a few more weeks there.   But with busy seeing all of my friends it didn't leave much time to railfan.

13. Metra BNSF Train 1259 a Naperville Super Express (makes only Naperville, Route 59 and Aurora) rolls thru Downers Grove Main Street.   I'm only enough to remember when most of the Naperville Expresses (there were a few in the morning than ran with shorter sets) were ten or eleven cars.
14. Metra BNSF Train 1267 rolling towards Naperville.
15. A long-time railfan friend of mine who I have known since I was in High School talked me into going out to photograph the CN Gas Local one night at Lemont.   Forgot my tripod but I kind of like this photo.

That's all folks.   Hope you all enjoyed it.

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brc600 Wrote:
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> good pics, interesting locations, not often
> photographed besides chicagoland.

Thanks.   I love getting out when I can on the backroads and photographing smalltowns.  

RRVW 4105 is a GP15C, a product of Generation II locomotives, a company who repowered some first-generation and early second-generation Geeps with Caterpillar prime movers.  4105, powered with a 1500 HP Caterpillar prime mover, was one of several diesels purchased from Generation II by Soo Line.  4105 started life as New York Central GP9, numbered 6071.  Soo Line numbered the locomotive 4105.

Matthew

Roadmaster Wrote:
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> RRVW 4105 is a GP15C, a product of Generation II
> locomotives, a company who repowered some
> first-generation and early second-generation Geeps
> with Caterpillar prime movers.  4105, powered
> with a 1500 HP Caterpillar prime mover, was one of
> several diesels purchased from Generation II by
> Soo Line.  4105 started life as New York Central
> GP9, numbered 6071.  Soo Line numbered the
> locomotive 4105.
>
> Matthew

Boy I way off. How long ago was this done? I've never heard of them until now.

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/24 10:17 by CubsFanJohn.

The Soo Line Historical & Technical Society did an excellent article about the CAT powered units .Summer 2004, Volume 26, Number 3.

Generation II did 10 GP20C's for the BN, 7 GP15C's for the Soo Line, 3 GP30C's for the Soo Line. All done in 1990/91.
All but two of the CAT's would eventually go to the RRVW & TCWR. GP20C 2000 wrecked and retired in 1991. GP15C 4102 was wrecked and scrapped in 1996.
Unfortunately the CAT's lives may be running out, both RRVW & TCWR have been picking up more used EMD's.
GP20C's
RRVW 2001, RRVW 2002, TCWR 2004, RRVW 2005, TCWR 2008, RRVW 2051, RRVW 2052, RRVW 2053, TCWR 3516
GP15C's
RRVW 4100 thru RRVW 4106, minus the 4102.
GP30C's
TCWR 4300 thru TCWR 4302



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/24 12:07 by PJ-F40PH-2M.

BN "Cat" 2000, previously BN 2059,  CB&Q 923.  Re-powered by Ziegler Cat of Babbitt, Mn.  Early summer of 1991 a swd barge,  company, actually owned by CSX failed to make the  curve in the Mississippi River just south of Fountain City, Wis.  MP 333 on BN.  They were unable to move.  The captain  at some point reversed the screws, aka propellers   and being right up against the BN right of way,  they sucked the ballast out from under the ewd track.  Along comes a BN ewd  with a GP 50-  B30-7A, we called them "slugs", tho just cabless, and then the BN 2000.  With a student engineer in cab, the brakeman was riding in the 2000.  The first 2 motors rolled over the " sucked out ballast" and  stayed on the rail.  The 2000 however, did a nose dive and fortunately for the brakeman,   hit the tug and bounced back on the right of way.  This was brakeman's last trip,  he elected not to return to service  after this event.

Attached are 2 photos,  the first one showing the location of the incident,  hard to make out where the eastward main was.
2nd photo is about 2 miles west at the back track at Fountain City, Wis  with Hulcher's loading the remains of the 2000 on a flatcar.  2000  retired 07/25/1991.

PWM



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/24 20:28 by Quakerengr.

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