Friday, May 25, 2007
Weekend Excursion to Twin Towns (part 2)
(Click here to go back to part one of this series)
Ray: Picking up from where we were in the last post, we were heading up the on the Minnesota side of the river. We came across a mixed freight in the hole awaiting crew change. Before reaching the head end, a sulfur train (616) came east.
Upon reaching the head end of the mixed freight, we discovered the hodge podge of power, which Galen termed the "Dog's breakfast." In some respect, it was a glimpse into the history of this railroad, with several GP40 ex-Milwaukee Road units, an ex-Milwaukee MP15AC, a SOO GP38-2, and a CP SD40-2.
Further up the way, we came through Red Wing, MN. Where the depot is in good condition, serving as an art gallery. Several post-modern pieces of art were out front, having the appearance of some discarded piece of industrial ductwork, were clashing nicely with the architecture of the building. One could of only hoped that the truck with the oxyacetylene bottles in the pictures would soon cut them up and haul them away for recycling.
Galen: The other depot in Red Wing was formerly used by the Chicago Great Western, before a succession of fast food restaurants. When I first came through, in 1994, it was a Hardees, with the drive-through orders being filled in the operator's bay.
At Hastings, MN, all was quiet. A lone CP Rail GP38-2 sat quietly just south of the lift bridge. Despite the appearance of the bridge, the signmaker that the Milwaukee Road hire must have used a very good grade of paint, as the herald on the lift tower continues to appear to be in good health.
Nearby, in Prescott, WI the BNSF (ex-BN, nee-CBQ) lift bridge spans the mouth of the St. Croix River. With this weekend offering a glimpse of summer-like weather, the boating season appears to be in full swing here.
We headed into town next...
Click Here to go to part three
Ray: Picking up from where we were in the last post, we were heading up the on the Minnesota side of the river. We came across a mixed freight in the hole awaiting crew change. Before reaching the head end, a sulfur train (616) came east.
Upon reaching the head end of the mixed freight, we discovered the hodge podge of power, which Galen termed the "Dog's breakfast." In some respect, it was a glimpse into the history of this railroad, with several GP40 ex-Milwaukee Road units, an ex-Milwaukee MP15AC, a SOO GP38-2, and a CP SD40-2.
Further up the way, we came through Red Wing, MN. Where the depot is in good condition, serving as an art gallery. Several post-modern pieces of art were out front, having the appearance of some discarded piece of industrial ductwork, were clashing nicely with the architecture of the building. One could of only hoped that the truck with the oxyacetylene bottles in the pictures would soon cut them up and haul them away for recycling.
Galen: The other depot in Red Wing was formerly used by the Chicago Great Western, before a succession of fast food restaurants. When I first came through, in 1994, it was a Hardees, with the drive-through orders being filled in the operator's bay.
At Hastings, MN, all was quiet. A lone CP Rail GP38-2 sat quietly just south of the lift bridge. Despite the appearance of the bridge, the signmaker that the Milwaukee Road hire must have used a very good grade of paint, as the herald on the lift tower continues to appear to be in good health.
Nearby, in Prescott, WI the BNSF (ex-BN, nee-CBQ) lift bridge spans the mouth of the St. Croix River. With this weekend offering a glimpse of summer-like weather, the boating season appears to be in full swing here.
We headed into town next...
Click Here to go to part three
Labels: canadian pacific, milwaukee road, trains
Sunday, August 06, 2006
MILW 261 6/24 (part 2)
I got right back on 90/94, got off to shoot at Kilbourn East, but the gates were dropping when I was pulling up to the crossing, so I stopped short of the photo line, flared the car, and grabbed one before wyeing and heading east...
...stopping first downtown, where they were unloading and loading passengers, and greasing...
...and gathering intel (yeah, it's got a Hemi™))...
and finally stopping at Lewiston East. I had about 5 minutes (to water the grapevines and do some pruning) before he hammered through.
At this point, I figured my bag limit was full, given the encroaching cumulonimbus and cumulostratus, so I went east from Portage on 33, with thoughts of maybe turning south on 26 to go to Watertown (again bypassing the chase parade on 16), but I kept going east when I got that far, thinking that since it was the first 261 excursion to run on the advertised that I'd ever seen, they were likely to continue doing so, and I'd have no shot. Stopped in Beaver Dam, looked around in Horicon (no sign of UP 8522, which will become the CNW heritage unit to join the last two in original paint [both on ABEBE in Belvidere] in about four weeks), and caught a southbound CN at Allenton before turning south on 41.
At this point, I figured I was done. I headed over to Kopps for some reward on a good day (my first protein of the day), and headed down 76th street to CTH K, intending to fuel again at Kwik Trip on STH20 before hammering home. However, even after a leisurely meal at Kopps SW, I still was down to 20 by 20:00, so I headed over to Sturtevant to get a few more shots. He headed through northbound 2 minutes earlier than Friday, with a hair more sunlight, though shadows were across a good portion of the area.
...stopping first downtown, where they were unloading and loading passengers, and greasing...
...and gathering intel (yeah, it's got a Hemi™))...
and finally stopping at Lewiston East. I had about 5 minutes (to water the grapevines and do some pruning) before he hammered through.
At this point, I figured my bag limit was full, given the encroaching cumulonimbus and cumulostratus, so I went east from Portage on 33, with thoughts of maybe turning south on 26 to go to Watertown (again bypassing the chase parade on 16), but I kept going east when I got that far, thinking that since it was the first 261 excursion to run on the advertised that I'd ever seen, they were likely to continue doing so, and I'd have no shot. Stopped in Beaver Dam, looked around in Horicon (no sign of UP 8522, which will become the CNW heritage unit to join the last two in original paint [both on ABEBE in Belvidere] in about four weeks), and caught a southbound CN at Allenton before turning south on 41.
When I got to MKE, I on a lark drove over to the east end of the depot, thinking that they'd be just about ready to head down to Sturtevant when I got there at 17:45. To my surprise, no sign, so I went west, and set up on the new Canal street overpass just west of Cut Off. At 18:15 the eastbound Builder rolled through (the same 4 hours off the advertised that it was when I'd checked at 13:00), and at 18:17 the 261 rolled by, destinating at the depot on track 1 at 18:27. Something stabbed them between Portage and Milwaukee, to the tune of a half-hour worth of schedule; probably not the Builder, since they likely weren't caught up until two-main-track at Pewaukee.
After a few obligatory stationary pictures on the curve, including a meet with a westbound...
...I decided to try a (first-time) shot on the Florida Avenue curves, so I drove down there. I climbed the embankment, and found a spot to shoot from. I realized within about two minutes, that since the 261 was still going to be on track 1 until Lake, it would be passing about 3 feet away from where I was set up. Not having a desire to get my legs steam-cleaned, I took one shot as it entered the curve about 19:00, and retreated down the bank.
...I decided to try a (first-time) shot on the Florida Avenue curves, so I drove down there. I climbed the embankment, and found a spot to shoot from. I realized within about two minutes, that since the 261 was still going to be on track 1 until Lake, it would be passing about 3 feet away from where I was set up. Not having a desire to get my legs steam-cleaned, I took one shot as it entered the curve about 19:00, and retreated down the bank.
At this point, I figured I was done. I headed over to Kopps for some reward on a good day (my first protein of the day), and headed down 76th street to CTH K, intending to fuel again at Kwik Trip on STH20 before hammering home. However, even after a leisurely meal at Kopps SW, I still was down to 20 by 20:00, so I headed over to Sturtevant to get a few more shots. He headed through northbound 2 minutes earlier than Friday, with a hair more sunlight, though shadows were across a good portion of the area.
Labels: milwaukee road, steam locomotive
MILW 261 6/24 (part 1)
Broke camp at 7:40 Saturday 6/24, fueled at Portage at 10:10 driving straight through from the apartment (168 miles). Looked around the yard, saw the coal train BNSFs laying over, and noted that foamers, daisy-pickers and looky-lou's were still around, so I'd not missed Steve Sandberg's show. Drove west, and set up at the location of the former rainbow bridge just west of Lewiston East about 11:10.Was vindicated by hearing the detector at 159.9 go off at 11:15, so I put on the sunscreen, knowing I had a wait in front of me.
The 261 and consist rolled through about 60 per at 11:47, and they got to the Dells right on the advertised at 11:59.
I set up at Kilbourn East (the I90/94 embankment), and they got out of the Dells on time at 12:28, and by me at 12:35.
I hopped on the superslab to bypass the parade on STH16, had a momentary thought of jumping off at Mauston, but when I'd barely caught up to the tail end of the train by Lyndon Station exit (doing 74-ish), I pressed on to New Lisbon.
I set up at Kilbourn East (the I90/94 embankment), and they got out of the Dells on time at 12:28, and by me at 12:35.
I hopped on the superslab to bypass the parade on STH16, had a momentary thought of jumping off at Mauston, but when I'd barely caught up to the tail end of the train by Lyndon Station exit (doing 74-ish), I pressed on to New Lisbon.
They arrived there at 13:00, and pulled at 1/2 walking speed up the wye's east leg, stopping eventually by the Legion hall (clearing the wye switch and distant approach signal, but not fouling STH 80) where they filled both water tenders.
While they were filling the tender, Wisconsin Dispatcher sent a freight through eastbound.
They'd used more water than expected, so it took an extra ten minutes, but they were backing around the wye westward by 14:15, with an eastbound departure around 14:25. (I haven't yet applied the "Keith Schmidt Filter" in Paint Shop Pro to these. :>) )
Finale in Part 2....
While they were filling the tender, Wisconsin Dispatcher sent a freight through eastbound.
They'd used more water than expected, so it took an extra ten minutes, but they were backing around the wye westward by 14:15, with an eastbound departure around 14:25. (I haven't yet applied the "Keith Schmidt Filter" in Paint Shop Pro to these. :>) )
Finale in Part 2....
Labels: milwaukee road, steam locomotive
MILW 261 6/23
First, while the trainset was being turned on the wye, C&M Dispatcher sent the Amtrak Evening Hiawatha south through the assembled masses.Then, 261 and the 'Dinner Train' came through, less than 2 minutes before the sun disappeared behind a cloud.
More to follow....
Labels: milwaukee road, steam locomotive
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
261 sightings over the weekend
I was working Saturday morning in the yard at Portage, and didn't think to take the camera along when I left for work. I was hoping to get out soon enough to run home and get it before the WB trip, but no such luck. I was tying down the yard engines (a couple of SOO GP38-2's) when I heard the whistle for the crossings down by Portage Junction. I climbed up on top of the cab of the GP, and saw the top of the boiler go by a cut of boxcars sitting in the yard. Oh well...anyway, I went home, got the camera ready, and went back down to Lewiston East around 1500 and got the first picture.
Sunday, I was called for 883, Columbia coal empties, at 1215. I was up at my in-laws in Camp Douglas overnight, so I didn't catch the westbound trip (again). I had hoped to chase it back from New Lisbon that afternoon, but duty called. We went out to the plant with the power, and watched some interesting storm clouds roll just to the south of us.
Once we departed the plant, we went into Lewiston Siding for 261. I probably pissed off a few railfans at Lewiston when we went into the siding; there were a few cars pulled over along Hwy 16 waiting for a runby, but as soon as I pulled in, most of them took off. Oh well, you takes your chances...
Marty
Labels: milwaukee road, steam locomotive, weather
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