Midweek Photos 2/18/2015

Nice images Tim, an inside look at an active shop!

Here are some from the recent snow storm in Dexter MO, 2/16, 2/17 maybe 8-10 inches. The railroad seemed to be running normal.

FXE 4666 North rolls a UP train past the ex Missouri Pacific depot at Dexter MO just as it is about to enter Charleston Jct 2/17/15

UP 4108 North, passing depot in downtown Dexter MO 2/16/15

UP 5212 North passing the Mopac depot the next day 2/17/15

UP 7514 South, train ZG4HO departing the Dexter crew change, running on time  2/16/15

UP's Air Force 1, finishing blowing the snow out of the crossovers at the Dexter crew change, 2/17/15, quite a powerful blower with a nozzle that is directed from inside the cab.

Hey guys. Here are the photos I got today, First two on the way to Walmart. Then the 2nd two I caught a west bound Amtrak  when I discovered I had a dead battery on my Gopro camera and I have 3 new ones sitting at home.  Next time I guess  2-18-15

I'm a day later than usual, but I did get a few shots this past week.

1. BNSF ethanol train near Sioux Falls SD, e/b on Corson Sub.

2. DAIR (Dakota & Iowa Railroad) s/b at Akron, IA.  This is my favorite rail line!  They are a short line that runs from a quarry in Dell Rapids, SD to Sioux City, IA.  I like shots where the train is "emerging" like this.

3. S/B BNSF grain train on Marshall Sub, Ruthton MN.  

4. A close up of the white engine, and a story.  I've seen this engine a hundred times sitting there at the elevator and never thought much about it.  Locals call it the "ghost engine," and I've also heard it called the "Franken-Loco."  It was bought by CHS (Central Harvest States) to shuffle grain hoppers around a number of years ago.  I rode in it once upon a time.  Last week I was out chasing trains with an engineer from the RCPE and we drove past the Ghost Loco.  His jaw dropped and he said, "THAT'S A CF7!"  I replied something to the effect of, "A who?"  Turns out this is a fairly rare engine.  It started out around 1950 as an EMD F7.  In the 1970s, ATSF was needing road switchers, so they decided to overhaul and convert their old F7 units for this.  They took off the old "covered wagon" cabs and put on home made ones (Ft. Worth shops) so train crews could see behind without sticking their head out the window.  ATSF sold all of these off by 1987.  So here it sat on a cold snowy night in Minnesota.

I stopped by the day before to talk to the CHS general manager about the engine, and to make sure it was OK to come take some photos some night.  (He gave me his card with permission written on the back.)  He then said, "It's for sale.  Are you interested?"  Believe it or not, this is the third time I've had someone try to sell me a used loco!    I asked him if it was running, and he said, "You can take it for a spin if you want."  At first I thought he was kidding, but he replied "You can run it up and down the siding.  Just don't throw any switches."  I was thinking this over.   I slowly replied, "If I bought it, I don't suppose I could just keep it here, huh?"  If it was cheap enough, that might be kind of fun.  I could bring my foamer buddies up and say, "Hey! Let's hotwire that old loco and take it for a joyride!"    The general manager said, "No, I'm afraid it has to go."   I told him the only place I had to put it would be my back yard, and my wife would certainly kill me.  She almost did that the time I bought the 1937 fire truck a quarter century ago.  I didn't want to think what her reaction would be if she came home and found a locomotive in the back yard.     I mean, she never goes in the back yard in winter, and I could keep the shades down on the back windows, but that would only work for so long.  I had to pass on it.    So, I ended up just getting a few photos of it.

Kent in SD

Some early 60's Naperville, IL Burlington action. I found these photos on a Naperville Facebook group.

 franktrain

 My photo a few years later.

two23............what was the asking price$$$$$  ?

 franktrain..........before we left Naperville, my folks bought some Kroehler furniture just after they announced they had to close the factory. 

thanks again for the Naperville photos.....