I Saw an WSOR TRAIN Yesterday it was being pulled by. I think a lone Gp7 and it was really moving slowly up the grade. I think it had about 25 cars that were fully loaded. So any way what is the best WSOR train have you ever seen and how long or short has it been or what is the best looking WSOR loco around. Well anyway like I said the train must have been movin only about 20or25 mph because of such a load on the loco. But after it made the grade it started to move alittle bit faster [2c][2c]
well the coolest engine is the 25th aniversary one. The E9’s(or 8’s) are cool too. Ive never seen a WSOR train though.
Alec
Railfan, It couldn’t have been a straight GP7, the WSOR no longer rosters any. But, they do roster GP7U’s, which have a funny squareish cab and the long hood is quite different from a normal GP7(okay, so I like to nit pick[;)], nothing personal). Do your remember the road number? That would tell you what model it is. The WSOR numbers it’s locomotives so that the first two numbers refer to the model Number. If it was a 38XX, it was a GP38, if it was a 40XX, it was a SD40-2, if it was a 20XX, it was an SD20, and if it was a 7XX, then it was a GP7U.
I see WSOR trains at least once a week, sometimes more. The ones I see are the MALPM, the Madison Area Local, PM job. The length Varries, from one or two cars and one locomotive to up to 10 cars and 2, and once and a long while 3 locomotives. I rarely see trains longer than than that, as I don’t get to other parts of the WSOR system much.
Also, do your remeber where you saw the train? If it was in Milwaukee, it would have to have been either, the OLDM, found on the North Side of Milwaukee, the JH, found along the CN tracks the go through Duplainville, or if it was in the area of North 35th street, it would have been the WSOR’s little yard job at there very, very small yard in North Milwaukee.
The best looking WSOR locomotive. It’s a toss up. All most all of the WSOR locomotives have the same scheme now a days. The only ones with different schemes are the 25th anniversary locomotive, and the two E9’s(offically). I’d have to say it’s a tie between those three really, All three are awesome looking.
A really big WSOR fan (As you can probably tell),
Noah
I saw it on the North side of Milwaukee it started out by 35th and Hampton and it went North and if I remember right it was a three numbered loco. And maybe it only had 10 or 15 cars I couldn’t really watch it because I was driving. But the times I did see it was really moving super slow and I though maybe because of the weight of the cars on this little loco [(-D][(-D]
That would have been the OLDM then, the train out on the Superior Sub(the new one that the WSOR just bought from the CN/WC) the locomotive would have to have been a GP7U then if it only had three numbers. And the reason it was moving slowly was because until they get to CN trackage, the track is almost comepletely 10mph. It wasn’t because of the train, I’ve seen 1 locomotive take a 15 car train down the track at 25 mph.
Noah
TRAINS mag is going to have a 25th. anniversary article on WSOR in next months issue…can’t wait to see the article on this classy regional road.
I heard about that. I’m really, really looking forward to it. The WSOR hasn’t had a feature article that I know of since 2000, and that was in Railfan and Railroad. They have had the occasional photo in TRAINS news section lately. I’m probably going to be buying a few extra copies of the magazine this next month…
Noah
Some of us remember (and have slides from when) when the WSOR had its blue paint scheme, and a variety of GPs including GP 18/20s. Even then it was railfan friendly though.
Dave Nelson
I’ve only seen photos of the blue scheme, both the two tone and the striped versions, but I always liked it. And the original Green/yellow lettering Scheme was okay, but I’m glad they ditched that one after two engines.
They had two of the GP20’s up until late 2004. I can remember peeking in from the Edge of Horicon and seeing the two of them, with there “Wisconsin and Southern” lettering removed. Shortly after that I believe was when I had heard that they actually left the property.
I still wi***hat the WSOR had the eclectic mix of older locomotives that they once had. Many of them look really good in WSOR Red and Grey. But, I can see why they went down to four types, it’s a lot easier that have to get parts for only four kinds vs. a bunch of types.
Noah
The E-9’s are the best although ive never seen them in person.
Hope to this summer though.
[^] I will tell you that personally being able to climb into the cab of WSOR unit E9 number 10C was one of the highlites of my railfanning life. I got to sit in the engineers seat…nice seat, not your standard type but rather an arm chair type with a office chair type high back…and walk back through the engine compartment all the way to where they used to locate the steam generator. WOW, what an experience.
I got the same experience with 10A at the 25th anniversary celebration in Janesville, and it was great, your right. Getting to put my hand on the throttle, and sit in the engineers seat, one of the more luxurious seats that I’ve seen, as you mentioned. It really was the experience of a life time.
Noah