Yes we operate with Track Authority.
Quiet around this place lately, though I suppose if anybody else is like me finals time is approaching and that keeps a person busy.
I did take a brief time out this morning though to make a nice little catch. I was headed to school this morning when I saw a headlight down the tracks. Figuring it was probably just the local, I decided to check it out just to see what the power was before continuing to school. But to my surprise as I went to where the train was sitting, I found the local, but also a WSOR plow train! This is only the second time I’ve seen the WSOR run a plow up on the Reedsburg sub, and the last time it was after dark so I couldn’t get a picture.
Only problem was that I didn’t have a camera with me. I did a few quick calculations, I decided that with about 20 minutes left until class started I could make a quick run home, hurry back to grab a shot, and probably arrive at class just as the bell rang. So I hurried home on the slippery roads, found the camera and got this:
Nothing exciting photography wise, but it’s still a neat catch in my eyes. The other unusual thing is that there are technically two seperate trains in this picture, and I think that is the first time I’ve ever seen that happen in Reedsburg.
I ran back to the car, hopped in and did just manage to make it to school. It was worth it I think! I seriously thought about “taking the morning off” too, as it was clearing off and the plow would have made a great chase back to Madison. Oh well, there’s always the next time they run a plow train (or at least that’s what I keep telling myself…).
Noah
Excellent photo, Noah! That is worth the time to go grab the camera. I’ve had that happen in the past when trains have been sitting on the ex-Rock Island in Joliet. Yeah it has been quiet around here, no doubt because of school and the fact that many are taking finals. I myself just haven’t had any time to post anything here, plus with the recent lack of activity I haven’t been able to reply to anything until now! Lets try keeping this place active!
Well I am in exam week, pretty busy, still have 4 exams left, in 2 days…
I do have some new videos to post here, but I think most of you have found them on Youtube if you are really that interested. I’ll post them eventually. Next one will be driving a GP9RM (no, not in the cab, but from a beltback. Still pretty darn cool!)
That’s it guys. Sorry I don’t post too much. I’m still focusing on video, even though I got the point and shoot camera. I guess this isn’t so hot a place to post videos, that’s all. Of course pictures are alway popular, so I’ll have to find a way to do both while still making videos more exciting than locking the tripod head and having one scene of the entire train. I’ve been giving the “artsy” stuff a shot, and well I don’t know how it turned out honestly, because I haven’t had the time to look at it.
But don’t fear! I still have been railfanning! Last trip was already two weeks ago. Me and Sean put down close to 500 km, and we didn’t even find anything interesting to shoot. There was some stuff, but it was a bad day. We missed almost every CN train that went by, CP was shut down until the Saturday (New Years Break) and so I am guessing my best shot would be the Adirondack at the Quebec/New York border. (Kinda funny how there was a Border Collie barking at us while we were driving along a Cul-de-Sac that ended right at the border. Also some funny sights. The road just ends at the border, with a wooden post sticking up, with two cameras. I don’t know why I thought that was funny, but…)
Enough said, and goodnight! Got a Physics exam from 8:00 - 11:00, then History from 12:15 - 14:15. Another long day ahaid…[sigh]
I haven’t been railfanning since December…
Noah: Nice catch! Looks like it was worth it to get the camera!
Alex: I looked, and didn’t see any new videos, or maybe they’re not THAT new…
I haven’t made any big railfanning trips since December 30th to see the pair of SD60Ms in Plano. I have taken a couple of short trips to Joliet and one short trip to LaVergne while in the area but that’s about it. With the extreme (and I mean extreme!) railfanning will be on hold until at least Saturday. The next change of having a decent day without extreme cold or snow will be next Tuesday.
The last few days have been bad ones for Metra and Amtrak here. First, a BNSF coal train derailed out in Earlville, IL which is between Mendota and Aurora, effectively blocking the Galesburg-Chicago mainline for a day and a half, forcing Amtrak to cancel 4 Lincoln Service trains and to detour the Southwest Chief down the Santa Fe side. What makes this detour interesting is because the Southwest Chief ran down the Santa Fe side prior to the BN/ATSF merger. BNSF moved it to the BN side shortly after the merger. Here is a vid of it running through Coal City. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwTZE1O-84c&feature=channel_page
Then yesterday morning, a incident with a Secret Service agent and a Metra ticket agent not communicating caused a Metra train to be searched at Lisle and all other trains be stopped, creating a huge mess on the racetrack. Then yesterday afternoon, the Amtrak Southwest Chief (back on its normal route) derailed at Chicago Union Station, tying up the afternoon rush on the racetrack. Talk about a bad day for the racetrack!
Not too good!
Ty, I meant I have new videos if you don’t look for them on Youtube. They are new from the last time I posted some here.
well been busy here too. finals arnt until next week but we had a snow day today cuz it was too cold out so really a freezing weather day. possibly tomorrow no school either. i missed the plow train go through NL last week & i hope they run again. i also went out last saturday & havent posted my pics yet. better get to it. & the plow train they used the EX GBW X-190 plow which woulda been neat to see on its old home rails.
well heres some pics from Last saturday.
i went to neenah to meet up w/ some buddies of mine we had some pizza down the st from the yard & thne we hit the yard. i call my freind who was working & nothing was going on but we got the extra yard job comming into neenah & he said 3004 was out working in kaukauna & that 3018 was going out to kimberly later.
heres the extra yard job… my batteries were dieing on me again. & they blew the horn ban & blew for us foamers standing along the st takin pics & blew all the way in
well nothing was running so we head down to oshkosh where one of our buddies lives & is part of the oshkosh model railroad club so we went there. i got to run a few trains & heres some pics
well me & tim head back to neenah & find 529 is leaving w/ the 3018
get them at lake st where they broke the horn silence & blew for us
then we chase them into appleton & then we find them working the yard in atown & i find the power i seen in NL on my way to Neenah
Nice photos there Brent! I like the one of 3018 at Lake Street.
Well it is so cold out tommorow that all college classes were cancelled today (I don’t go on Tuesdays and Thursdays this semester anyway) and now all classes are cancelled tommorow as well. It’s supposed to get down to twenty below zero here tonight! It is causing havoc on all railways here as switches are getting frozen up and it’s too dangerously cold for workers to go out and fix them. EJ&E has been imposing speed restrictions for the entire railway due to the cold. Thats how bad it’s getting! I think the vast majority us will be getting school off tommorow considering most of us are getting nailed by this extreme cold.
Yeah, it was -2 degrees when I got up this morning…
That is one dirty Geep in the 1st photo! And I agree with Alex, that photo of 3018 is really nice. I really enjoyed the trip report!
Looks like CN pulled a good one off at Buffalo Grove this morning & the Metra North Central trains were shut down.
Gotta love -35 temp…and still running trains…the yard crews didnt look happy to b out side
You know, there are some days when I think one has to be slightly crazy to be in this hobby. That or just “really dedicated.” Yesterday was one of those days for me, but I came back with some decent result…
On the previous page I posted a photo of the Wisconsin and Southern plow train in Reedsburg. I figured that was probably the only shot I’d get of the thing this year. But Wednesday night things began to fall into place. As a couple of people mentioned, most of Wisconsin closed school yesterday (and today) because it’s just so cold around here, and we knew by Wednesday evening we wouldn’t have to go in the next day. I also got an email from an “anonymous source” late Wednesday that the WSOR was going to be running the plow train again on Thursday, but this time on the line from Madison, to Prairie Du Chien, WI (over on the Mississippi River). Since that line is only about 30 minutes from me at the closest point, I started giving some thought to chasing.
Thursday morning dawned bright and clear. Only problem was going to be going out in the -15 degree air temperature with windchills of -25 to -35 below. Most normal people(except Matt, I would guess) would probably stay inside considering they called off school because it was that cold, but I decided to go for. With several layer of clothing on, I left the house in the morning with hopes of catching the plow train just a little ways out of Madison and chasing west. We dropped down to the tracks and started tracing backwards to meet the train. Finally at Cross Plains we saw the plow and the WSOR 4003 running behind some houses. The chase was on. My photos aren’t perfect in that the train was nose dark or even completely back lit most of the way, but I still think they came out at least okay.
First shot in Cross Plains plowing through a ditch:
Just west of Cross Plains:
[IMG]http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/WSOR_3807/snowplow1-09/
CN pulled off one of their finest moves and derailed this morning at Buffalo Grove on the former WC. This adds to Metra’s woes for the week as it effectively blocks their North Central Service for today. Metra just can’t seem to catch a break lately! This will probably effect movements on parts of the WC system also. Here’s the artcle. http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/01/metra-north-central-train-service-canceled.html
Good job CN…
Nice shots, Noah, you were certainly brave to go out in this kind of weather.
Thanks for the trip report, Noah! I really enjoyed it! This is why I visit this thread - not because I have any photos to post, but to see the photos others have taken (in trip report format) as an alternative to railfanning, which I can’t do…
I have been editing a few photos that I’d taken that were flawed… These required major work, as they had stuff in the way (switchstands, telephone poles, etc) of the scene. I removed those in Adobe Photoshop 6.0. Here are two of the best results:
MBTA GP40MC 1124, inbound to Boston at Acton, Massachusetts.
Amtrak 54 and 67, power for the Westbound Lake Shore Limited, accelerate out of Palmer, MA, after a meet with a CSX local.
Enjoy!
Nice trip report Noah! And of course nice photos!
Ty, looks good. I went back to look at the originals, and they look good!
Thanks for the comments guys. And You’re welcome Tyler. That’s actually part of why I come here too, to see pictures of things that I rarely or can’t visit to see and then share what I do get to see with others.
Nice shots too. I still like that MBTA engine with the bars over the windows, the wide nose, and all the other little details. Makes me want to model the unit, and I don’t model anything that remotely resembles a commuter operation…
Noah
Tyler, what kind of cars were those on the MBTA train? They look kinda like CIIs but I didn’t think anyone else had those.