UP Z-Train in the Snow

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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Greetings,

Starting on Friday 01-21 around 7pm and ending Saturday 01-22 around 2pm Milwaukee, Wi area got about 12-14" of snow. One of the biggest storms in about 4 years. It’s about time too. Below are some photos I took Saturday morning 01-22 about 9am. I heard the signal maintainer talking to the Z-train at Butler Yard, so a quick shower and grabbed the camera and set the Trailblazer to 4-HI and took off. Below are the results.

Here the UP Z-train is heading east soon to turn south at St. Francis, WI.

Here the Z-train is kicking up that fresh snow. East of here is where the St. Francis Tower used to stand. Also the former CNW Kenosha Sub and New Line separate at St. Francis.

Here the Roadrailer trailers really kick up the new snow. Plus the new snow was falling at about 1" per hour or more.

Here is my Trailblazer in the snow waiting for the Z-train to arrive. Oh boy is 4WD fun.

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OOps Need to get the pictures to come up.

Keith

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Much better with pictures. Sorry about that.

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Looks like a great day! I love fresh snow and combined with an interesting train like the roadrailer would be great. Coming from rain soaked Seattle, I am a little jealous. Even our ski hills got washed away last week.

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Thanks for the good pictures. I’ve been watching the trains go by front door in Elmhurst, IL today. Traffic has been a little slower. I guessing that the crews were having trouble getting to the trains.

The combination of a foot of powder snow on top of containers+a 1 &1/2 mile stack train+40mph wind gusts+train in motion=a train with its own snow storm! Some of the lead engines are caked with snow and appear as if they just busted through a huge snowdrift.

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Nice pictures Keith! And the snow is just where it should be - north of us!

Mookie

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…Wow, that is sure a Winter storm in process…The darkness and blowing snow depict more Winter than I care to go looking for…Enjoyed your shared photos. That kind of snow the Trailblazer should do just fine…Looks like you have the heater going good and have it warmed up well. We have the Triple Crown that comes through our area here in Muncie.

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I was not railfanning with Keith this day but I can testify that about the time he took these pictures, we could not see our neighbor’s house at all, the snow was that intense.
Dave Nelson