Crossing the Missouri River in search of trains

June 16, 2007 With Friday's rail adventure behind us and a good night sleep, we were greeted by clear skies which beckoned us back to the rails. After filling up on some breakfast we set out to see what, if any, rail action there was in Sioux Falls. Being able to see the small BNSF yard from our hotel room, we swung by to see what there might be.

Crossing the tracks I immediately was drawn to the sight of BNSF 2020, a GP38-2 rebuild in Swoosh paint. Looking for a good spot to get a picture we moved along side the yard and around a warehouse. Rounding the building I saw my prize; there were two additional BNSF Geeps. Although not as fancy looking, they were new additions to my roster - so pictures where a definite. Pausing long enough to look around, I noticed two BNSF flangers and a plow set out on a stub track between some buildings. Making sure I would not be trespassing I walked over a grabbed the shots. I did recognize one of the flangers as it was seen several months earlier in the yard at Northtown, and the faded pink color was the thing that stood out the most.

After taking in all that the yard had to offer, I was still hungry for rail action. Knowing that there was a railcar rebuild center north of town we set out in search of it and what if any motive power they would have. A short drive northeast from the city we found what we were looking for: the headquarters of Midwest Railcar Repair.

Pulling into their parking lot all I could see, from one end to the other, was row after row of damaged pieces of rolling stock. The bad part was no sign of a locomotive anywhere. Taking a country dirt road south along the facility, I spotted it out of the corner of my eye. It was a nice blue-over-yellow General Electric 50 Tonner; the bad part, again, was it was too far away and directly in front of the sun. So, any chance of photos were out of the question.

Down but not out we headed south out of town along the tracks. Several miles away we were met by a pair of BNSF SWs (switching locomotives) moving slowly to the west with a cut of tank cars. Checking my roster sheet the two units were missing; so, again, roster shots were in order. Still in need of more trains I took a look at the map and decided a trip into Iowa was called for. The order of the day was to: look for and photograph the Iowa Northern.

There was no big welcome sign crossing the border between South Dakota and Iowa, nor any physical signs such as a river or stream as is the case when crossing from Minnesota into, say, Wisconsin or North Dakota. Chasing trains in western Iowa would prove to be a bad idea.

After venturing 15 miles into Iowa I lost the tracks. Even with a fairly good map, finding a road that was not under construction and thus subject to 20 mile detours was hard to come by. Once we did find our way back west, along the stateline, tracks where nowhere to be found. After traveling 50 plus miles we crossed back into South Dakota; near the town of Elk Point we found the tracks again.

Having no idea where we where going or what we would find I had a good feeling when I spotted a grain elevator in the distance. Trying to obey the speed limit in this foreign state, I did my best to remain calm. Cresting a small rise in the road I saw a locomotive reflecting in the sun - almost like a sign from above, calling me to it. Now, just a few miles away, I was excited! What would it be? Maybe just a trackmobile? Nope, it was a nice NW2 sitting on the rails in Jefferson, SD.

The unit, painted for the Southeast Farmers Co-op and numbered 1272, was just calling out: "Take my picture, please." So, like any good railfan, I obeyed and took two.

After basking in my triumph we were on the move again. Just miles outside of Sioux City, we saw the first real train of the day, a Union Pacific (UP) manifest. The train was headed north, out of town, with four dash twos and a single GP38. Taking as many shots as I could before she moved into the trees along side the tracks, I took in the smell of diesel exhaust and was energized to continue on with the adventure.

If you have never been to Sioux City, Iowa, it is a very confusing place. Not only do you have three states meeting in one location, but all three nearby cities have the same name; the South Dakota one being North Sioux City, and Nebraska's being South Sioux City. To make it even worse, to get from South Dakota to Nebraska, you have to go through Iowa first.

After getting turned around, (almost as bad as I do when I head to Xray's house driving through the "Unweave the Weave" project of 694/35E) I finally made it into Nebraska where I guessed all of the UP scanner activity was coming from. After getting my bearings I located the tracks along the northern edge of South Sioux City, NE. With the scanner going non-stop, I expected to see a train anytime. Ten minutes turned into 45, 45 into an hour and a half... still no train.

Tired and hungry we decided to fill the gas tank and our bellies, then, once again, we head for our temporary home in Sioux Falls. Before leaving Nebraska for good I wanted to search a little deeper. I hoped to find something to shoot, just to say I had been here. Scanning the horizon for anything, I saw what looked like a grain elevator in the distance. Knowing that this is always a good possibility, we found our way over to it. Driving in circles around the massive complex something finally came into to view. Moving slowly with a few hoppers was a brown SW9; ConAgra painted along the hood. Waiting for it to come closer I leaned out the window for what would prove to be the only picture I would get from Nebraska.

With the click of the shutter I had captured one little piece of Nebraska and called the trip a success. With a few hours of sunlight left, we said good by to both Iowa and Nebraska. Headed back north for one last night in Sioux Falls, we would prepare to complete the final leg of the weekend's adventure: the trip back home.