BNSF Sioux Falls Depot
June 17, 2007 With two of three railfanning days behind us, it was time to make for home; but, as with any adventure, the route was chosen keeping the rails in mind. Leaving Sioux Falls I wanted to make one last stop in Brandon and Midwest Railcar Repair to see if I could manage a shot of the General Electric Tonner unit I spotted the day before.
As we pulled out of the hotel parking lot I made note of the office building across the street. It had both the Dakota Minnesota & Eastern (DM&E) and Iowa, Chicago & Eastern (IC&E) logos on it. We spent all this time here and I never saw this building before. I was staying right across the street of their headquarters! I snapped a few pictures and headed back towards Midwest Railcar. Again, I drove down the same dirt road, along the perimeter and saw the unit in the same spot it had been the day before. With no chance to get a shot, I made a note of her existence and now I have a reason to venture back this way.
Heading northeast out of town we drove over the same stream we had crossed close to 30 times. Crossing paths with the same body of water that many times in its self is some thing unheard of but what made it even more unique was the amount of cattle allowed to roam freely along banks and in the water. If I was a rancher, I would have no clue where my livestock was, I would have lost my shirt, and I would have gone belly up. Laughing all the way back to the South Dakota-Minnesota border, we joked about the cows wading in the water around every turn.
Again, as the day before, crossing the border into Minnesota from South Dakota, there was little fanfare; no big sign, no visitor center, and no sign stating that we were now on Pipestone County, Road 1. We would not have to travel far before coming to our first scheduled stop: Jasper, MN and the Eastern Farmers Co-op.
Pulling into a parking lot I could see the faded blue of an ex-Conrail SW1200. This unit was similar to the one seen on Friday in Miloma, MN and, as a matter of fact, both were in the same order placed back in 1956. As we neared the end of the silos I saw another locomotive sitting behind the SW. This one had me confused! Its colors looked to be that of an ATSF blue bonnet, but what could it be? After closer inspection it turned out to be an ex-BNSF GP9u 1657. The Geep was still lettered for the BNSF, but obviously no longer on the railroad's active roster.
Getting shots of both units I was glowing with excitement. I had my golden catch. This goal was the first one of the day which made it even better. After getting all the shots I was looking for, we again set out with the nearest town on the agenda, Split Rock, MN. Other than being a station sign, Split Rock does not show up on the map, therefore I did not know how far we had to travel. Just south of Pipestone, MN I got my answer. We crested a hill and needed to pull over for an ambulance. As luck would have it we stopped almost right next to the former Great Southwest Railroad SW9 sitting in full view of the road taking the Sunday off. Snapping the needed pictures we off once again. Now we headed for a meet with a former Red River Valley & Western CF7 in Ruthton, MN.
Although driving along side the tracks we were not seeing anything in the way of train activity. Our only clue that these tracks were still in use was the fact that we had passed by a track inspector going about his duties. He was checking the rails, heading east, along the rolling hills of western Minnesota and the vast expanses of wind energy farms that dot the landscape. The windmills alone are an awe-inspiring sight and warranted several non-train related photos.
Arriving in Ruthton we did not have to look too hard for the CF7. She made her presence known by basking in the warm morning sun along side the elevator in town. Pausing only long enough to get a picture, we were back on the move. With several miles to go before our next stop in Hanley Falls, MN, we had time to watch the scenery pass by the windows and think back to the past few day's adventures. A quick stop was made in Marshall, MN to get some provisions and recycle the mornings coffee. We did manage to take some time to look around the town just to see if there might be something not seen before. Not seeing anything of interest we were once again shut out.
Pulling into Hanley Falls I got the feeling that while a locomotive was here, it was out of sight. Checking around the elevator I saw tracks leading into a shed and guessed that was where the engine was hiding.
Leaving Hanley Falls empty-handed we set out for Maynard, MN with our sights on the Cargill elevator. Coming into Maynard, the elevator was easy to spot; towering high above the surrounding landscape, it called out to us. Pulling past the elevator I was not expecting to find the unit working on a Sunday morning, but there she was, shoving several hoppers under the loading shed. As I got my pictures, it was not hard to pick out this unit's heritage: ex-Southern Pacific SD9. Now "NREX" spraypainted along with the number 4338. It paused long enough for me to get several pictures before backing out of view.
Patiently waiting next to a dirt road for a crew was a pair of BNSF GEVo ACs tied down to a long string of brown BNSF grain hoppers. [Ed note: often referred to as an earthworm train due to its appearance.] Grabbing some pics of this - common for western MN - train we headed back north, towards the more familiar territory of Willmar, MN.
Getting into Willmar we went straight to the diesel shop to see what there was to see. Willmar has never let me down on previous trips, so I had high hopes for today. Parking on the street, next to the yard, I made a bee-line to the treeline along side the turntable. Here I spotted the first of several great finds! Sitting in the fuel line was TFM AC44CW 2621; beyond her was the BNSF GP28M 1500, along with several BNSF road units. I managed to grab a few more new SW units for my roster collection.
Since traffic on the rails had been nearly non-existent and feeling tired after three days of driving over 700 miles, it was decided to point the car home. Home was east, along Highway 12. This allowed us to chase the BNSF's Wayzata sub back into the cities. An hour and a half later we arrived in Minneapolis. During this last leg home, we had not seen a train nor heard a peep on the scanner.
Driving south along Hiawatha Ave, the first train I would see since Willmar was a northbound lightrail train pulling out of the Lake Street station. As you know, I am not one to pass up any chance! I snapped a photo of the two Bombardier cars as they glided out and down the grade towards downtown.
Sitting back in my chair, looking over the 200-plus photos from my three day railfanning session, I could not help but think about the next outing and where that one might take me. For now, I think the adventures will be closer to home; and maybe, just maybe, I will get to ride the train in Duluth the next time. I plan on that, but then again, some trips work out better if there is no destination.