The GALNTW passes MP 349 on the St. Croix Subdivision.
December 26, 2007 With the memories of the last TCR railfan trip fading fast it was only a matter of time before another trip was in order. It only takes a few post in the forums and just as many phone calls to get a plan in motion. We settled on the day after Christmas for a run along the BNSF's St. Croix sub.
Myself and Xray are well versed on this route; we had several spots picked out from previous runs to try for some snow shots. Along for this run was Braham - a three tour veteran - as well as two first timers: John F, a recent transplant to the cities from northen Minnesota, and the youngest train chaser, my little guy, Chip. We set our sights on a early morning meet in St. Paul.
After grabbing coffee and snacks we made our way across the river into Wisconsin at Prescott. After a quick stop at the lift bridge to check the signals, we saw that they were all red; we decided it was safe to head south without missing any trains.
Driving out of Prescott on Hwy 35, you leave the tracks for several miles. This has proven fatal on prior trips with the scanner announcing a train when you are no where near the tracks. As we listened to the silence on the scanner, we also enjoyed the absence of a voice clearing a warrant at Prescott. Rounding the hill near milepost 392 we had arrived at our first location to try our luck.
Sitting in a small dirt driveway along the double track, a great view of the west bound signal can be had. Knowing there was an eastbound train out of St. Paul, we waited for its arrival. Five minutes turned into ten. Still no sign of the eastbound train. As Xray got out and walked along the road to see if the eastbound signal was lit the rest of us sat and kept watch down the line for headlights. While waiting for a yell from Xray, we saw the westbound signal turn from red to yellow. Thinking this was strange for an eastbound train we all turned our heads to the left just in time to see the approaching lights of an empty taconite train. Yelling for Xray that an westbound was coming we all got into positions and bundled up to protect ourselves from the blast of wind as the train blew past.
As the taconite train cleared, we saw headlights of the eastbounder that we had been waiting for round the hillside and heading our way. After the traffic cleared we all hopped back in the ol' Chevy to warm up and vote on what to do next: Wait for another train or continue south with the sun hiding behind clouds and light snow falling. We decided to push south, making our way towards Bay City, WI.
Passing the city of Diamond Bluff, we chatted about the last trip when we were mistaken for BNSF Management by a Maintenance of Way employees; the guy just could not believe we were there to take pictures of trains. We laughed as we continued on. The scanner remained quite and the signals dark. After a quick stop on the bridge over the tracks in Hager City, to marvel at one of the straightest sections of track along this route, we made it into Bay City.
Here there is a double-crossover protected by signals. Being out in the center of the subdivision we would no longer be able to hear trains get track warrants from Prescott or La Crosse on the scanner. We would have to depend on signals from here on out.
Making a quick pit stop at the mini-mart we parked along side the tracks to wait for any sign of action. We only had to wait a few minutes until cross arms started moving down. The sound of a horn to our north announced the arrival of a eastbound stack train. Piling out of the car here she came - a great looking consist of BNSF Dash-9s and two KCS SD70ACes in the "Southern Belle" paint scheme. As the rest of the gang got their shots, I could only curse as my camera malfunctioned and left me with only memories of my "first" KCS Southern Belle sighting.
If we were to make it to La Crosse before the sun went down, we had little time to stand still and wait. We climbed back in and made it to our next stop: Alma, WI. As we drove there, we talked up Alma as one of the better places to take pictures. Our the last two trips proved Alma as a hotbed of train activity with one about every 15 minutes. As we arrived on the northside of town, it looked as if our Alma hot streak was still in effect. Taking a road to the small boat marina, we were happy to hear the voice of a conductor calling out his approach. Taking up positions on both sides of the track we all were ready for the first train of what we hoped would be many in Alma.
A short manifest train with a pair of faded BNSF Dash-9s whistled freely warning to railfans that he was on his way. As we climbed back into the truck, sounds of crossing bells started to ring and John was out the door in a flash. I had one foot on the ground when a laugh from the back of the truck made me look back. Turns out the little guy had taken video of the last train and was watching a replay. The audio made us think there was another train when in fact, it was the one that just past. With a chuckle we headed for the power plant to see if there was a train in the dumper shed.
Finding none, we went back to the famous walking bridge at the Lock and Dam to wait for the next trains. The first train to arrive was a surprise. A westbound manifest snuck up with no forewarning, so any possibility of getting a good shots was out. Nothing but wind-driven snow and a small hint of BN cascade green was all I could see. Climbing the stairs to the center of the walkway we heard the dispatcher talking to a train at milepost 344 - we knew a train was on its way but when?
We hatched a plan to get payback on the little guy and sent him on a mission. Xray told Chip to head down to the signal hut and see what milepost we were at. The only thing was that the hut was about a block away. As we all stood and watched him run down the sidewalk, we could only laugh - and of course, throw snowballs at him. We got our answer from Chip - MP 349 - just as the train approached. A nice looking set of cascade Dash-2s pulled the H-GALNTW under our feet, giving us a quick blast of heat from the stacks.
Deciding it was better to get moving, not only to keep on-time, but to stay warm, we said goodbye to Alma and continued on our journey. Braham has a knack for finding cool bridges that would make great shots… if only a train were there. So I was surprised when Xray pulled off of the highway and into a small State Park to show us a bridge that crosses the tracks. Where, if a train were there, it would be a great shot. Making a U-turn we just about got stuck in a snow drift. Braham and myself made some cracks about Chevys when Xray hit the Four Wheel Drive and Bang!, we were back on the road but, before we made it I swear I heard Xray say "I wish I had a Ford" but I'm not certain.
The trip continued with our crew's arriving in La Crosse. Heading for the La Crosse yard, we intended to get our fill of beer shots. We found nothing special in the way of BNSF power that day, but the sight of a bright red switcher on the westside drew everyone's attention. Finding a road to get us over there was tricky. Behind a building here, over a bump there, miss a tree there, we found a spot. The Diesel Locomotive Co's DLCX 1202 was sporting two buckets on her stacks and the words "The Power of Red" were painted on the cab. The unit sure looked great with the snowflakes falling all around her. Getting our fill of shots and enough weird looks from employees of the cement plant, we were back on the road.
After checking out the small Canadian Pacific yard we decided it was getting late and what light we had left was fading fast. Xray pointed the Chevy towards home.
As we drove back we talked about the days adventures, the best trains, and the places we wanted to check out again. The scanner kept quiet until we reached Nelson, WI, although it was dark, we still decided to stop and shoot some video of the train. Little did we know, this train was the longest train ever! It took the train traveling at 50 mph just over three minutes to pass. We all just about froze our fingers and noses off. As the train cleared we ran like heck back to the warmth of the truck and decided it was now too cold and dark to do this again.
Pulling back into the parking lot in St. Paul, were our journey started fourteen hours before, we said our goodbyes and all agreed we would have to do this again soon - but when? All we could agree on was it had to be warmer and there needed to be plenty of sun. With the spring temps on the horizon, and snow giving way to green grass, I have a feeling the time for the next trip is almost here.