I have a small line that runs by my house. From the one corner of the yard, my grand son and I can runn out and see the trains go by. It’s a lot of fun for him to go running out to see them and I enjoy doing it also.
Yesterday morning we heard a train coming and ran out to greet it. The lead unit was a Silver and Red Santa Fe War Bonnet and then there was a Green and Black Burlington Northern Unit behind it. Now this is something I just don’t see every day in Upstate New York. The little guy LOVED it because he’s seen my GP9 BN and my SF units in the basement. I try and buy new stuff that he will see on the rails around here, hence some of the newer CSX and some Conrail Blue.
BNSF, Santa Fe, and BN are common here as we are on one of their main lines. We also have the UP that travels through here. On that line you are liable to see anything. Southern Pacific, CSX, CNW, MP, Conrail, Rio Grande, Norfolk and Southern, etc.
That is cool. Im in southern IL and live by the NS line to St. Louis. Our local usually has two NS engines. Well first time they changed it they were using a NS engine with an UNpatched CNW dash9, next they used a UP SD70M with a NS engine, and most recently was a BN Green with white face, a CR dash 8, and a NS unit. It is very cool to see unexpected locos on the tracks.
Why’d they always run them when you don’t have your camera? [sigh]
I’ve taken to keeping a cheapo disposable camera in my van… pics aren’t top quality but I can grab and snap so that I do get something. It’s also useful for fender benders. I actually had one woman claim that she wasn’t there, witnesses and everything… shame (for her) she must have forgotten that I’d got her to point at the damage done to her car as evidence “for her”… for her to pay up … Sneaky but…
Sunday of Memorial Day weekend I drove past the BNSF yard here in Phoenix…two passenger cars, one Santa Fe, one Rock Island (if I remember correctly) on a track right next to the road. Drove over to the UP yard and watched a UP-UP-BNSF-Conrail lashup (again, if I remember correctly- no camera, of course) being moved into the yard. What’s up with that?
You would think someone that works for a Large Photo Company like I do would never be far away from a Camera! LOL! Saw some nice UP engines come through the rails yesterday. I’m starting to really pay attention to the horns as they come through. When I hear something not quite right it always turns out to be an odd-ball lash up or leased unit from outside this area.
I see some of the old red and silver war bonnets and the old green and black BN locos come through Leesville, La. sometimes. Recently, I went to the local rail yard with a friend of mine and same 2 BNSF road slugs close up. Close enough to know for sure there were no prime movers in them. These were definitely slugs. I was not aware that BNSF had any slugs.
NYC56 -
I can relate just as well to the ‘wish I had a camera for this’ moments! I live about 5 minutes from the CSX yard here in DeWitt (Syracuse) NY and have seen all kinds of various engines. One lash-up I saw over this past winter, was a CN that had a ex-IC engine in the consist. Another was a CN w/ a ex-WC. I seen UP, NS, BN, BNSF, CR, CSX, CN, CP, and all kinds of leased units on both locals, yard switchers, and through-freights!
Given this, it just gives me more motive power to choose from when I buy any!
Take care and Happy Rails!
JP
BNSF engines, along with former Conrail locomotives are pretty common on NS freights here in Pittsburgh. Throw in the various CSX trains opposite downtown, plus the primered NS GEs, and things are pretty colorful [:D]
MMA that serves from Magog to farnham QC, use a lot of weird motive power. One the same lashup you might see BN, CN , NS, CP …then they have a N de M and a tunnel motor from D&RGW. Thing is, all the engine are so shot they need twice as many to do the job. if a run uphill would need 3 engine, its not rare to see from 5 to 7 engines go along. I guess for a shortline modeler this would be a dream prototype …
A couple of years ago we overnighted in a camp ground south of Detroit thatis within sight of two main lines running between Detroit and Toledo. The first 2 trains by had BNSF, UP, NS, CSX locos. I think there were also CN.
Here in Milwaukee along the CP line, there’s all kinds of power, but it’s almost all big power. We don’t get too much NS or UP but on any given day one can see BNSF, CSX, CP, CN and the railroads they’ve eaten represented.
However it’s almost all very big power, the smallest thing one is likely to see in an afternoon is an SD40-2. Maybe once a day a Geep or MP15 is sent out or in as part of a consist, but it’s usually sandwiched between two AC4400s.
Just last night , (of course no camera) the gate went down and here comes an NS gp60 ? long hood forward two covered hoppers, and a caboose !!! red wooden caboose, would you believe it .
That kind of happen to me too. One night after running trains at the Livingston, Montana Train Club at the Livingston Depot, I was in the parking lot talking with some other members when a BNSF Maintenance train came through with the second engine being TFM. I had never seen one before. Camera in car not in hand.
