Today Christopher Muller (railtalk) came down to the Twin Cities. I fortunately had the day off so we decided to hit up some frequent spots. We started off by swinging through Pig's Eye and then back out. Next stop would be S.S.P. where we got some shots of a train waiting to depart.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=275531(Click on link in remarks section to see a candid of my accomplice!)
Not seeing anything overly worth waiting for and not wanting to walk in the windy and cold weather we decided to head somewhere else in hopes of catching more action. We eventually found ourselves at Victoria Street where we witnessed numerous kids walking the tracks, crossing the tracks and acting immature. A woman and two house dogs walked up and said "I have a question". She asked if we were "train buffs" to which replied we were. She then went on for a bit about how her entire family was as well since she had family that worked on the railroad. I believe it was her grandfather that worked on the GN for 50 years! She wished us luck and as well as warmth. Eventually a train would come in to play as the Como crossing began to flash and gates lowered.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=275532Debating what to do next I made the decision to head to Bandana Square simply for a different vantage point. We would spend the rest of our time there. The BNSF 5522 seemed to be held next to us for what seemed like forever. I witnessed some kids with backpacks approaching the tracks. There was an empty flat car. I made the comment to Chris that these guys are probably going to climb over them. Sure enough, one kid climbed the ladder on the flat and ran to the other end of the car. His buddy followed suit and they hung around for a bit. They then climbed on the ladder again, this time climbing to the top. I said I was going to "glass them" as I got out and started to walk over they got down and started to walk down the street near the fields. An eastbound came (BNSF 4026 & BNSF 5515 w/baretables), then shortly after that the BNSF 5522 finally took off which was good news for us because as we would soon find out the flood gates appeared to open up. As BNSF 5522 continued west I grabbed a shot of the SKNX 397417.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnfladung/3350628216/Next up we'd see another eastbound led by the BNSF 4075, second unit was the BNSF 8228 followed by the currently nice looking BNSF 7202.
After this train cleared we saw headlights coming west so we jumped out my truck and setup for some shots. The most varied consist of the day easily went to this CP train led by the CP 8574.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=275533Check out that consist!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnfladung/3349801153/http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnfladung/3350628556/I'm wondering where the ILSX is in transit to? It appeared to be "offline" in the consist. That CP 4513 is a really sharp and bright looking unit!
Next we'd see another eastbound CP stack train led by a "One Unit Wonder" CP 8760. It's fun to hear units crest the grade! After that we'd eventually see another eastbound. This time it was coal led by two EXEC units (BNSF 9804 & BNSF 9748). Two units up front and we figured we'd be seeing a unit in DPU. Sure enough as the end of the train came into view the BNSF 9810 could be seen. I thought three EXEC units on one train was neat! I tried more panning shots on this train but nothing turned out. I'll keep trying and I'm bound to get something to show for it eventually!
Next we would see another baretable train heading east led by the NS 9492 along with the NS 9191. The last train of the day for us would be the returning trip for the BN/CP Transfer.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=275541Those units have been on the transfer for a bit now. I hope it continues!
I really hope this didn't get too overly long! Thanks for reading and looking!
Railtalk, if you're reading this thanks for coming down and the company!
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