September 2006 in SEMO

This train was tied down on Ives Siding as we were going to Scott City to the Malden vs. Scott City Football Game. After that we went to St. Louis where I met a friend and went to Rochelle, IL.

At 23:41 UP Train ZDUMQ 02 waits to leave Dupo as the crew is getting settled onboard the Unpatched SP Locomotive.

The Lead Unit on UP Train ZDUMQ 02 sits ready to go at 23:42. Gotta love that tasty unpatched unit.

A friend and I drove up here this morning from St. Louis and arrived at 05:10. This photo taken at 05:29 shows the CNW Searchlight Signal Bridge and the brightening western sky with the sun coming up in the east with the stars still out.

A friend and I arrived at 05:10 this morning and we ended up leaving at 19:40. We spent 14 hours and 30 minutes here or in Belvidere or De Kalb, we also went 43 hours with no sleep, but it was worth it, I'd reccommend a visit to anybody! For more information visit: http://www.rochellerailroadpark.org . The place got PACKED today and there were even cars there when we showed up before dawn. The gift shop staff and the other fans were great, we can't wait to go back! It was amazing to actually be there after years of looking at pictures of the diamond and watching the Trains.Com Webcam!

Another 3 Heritage II Dash-9's came by into the sun this time under the Old Burlington Route Searchlight Signal Bridge.

This has only been on display since Spring 2005 and is a neat old engine sitting in the town it was built in.

Sitting back in the Del Monte Plant was UPY 700, built as MP 1700 in March 1982. It is now equipped with ATS and ATC for operation along Old CNW Lines. UPY 700-714 are so equipped.

Here we see 4 Brand New SD70ACe's of the most recent order headed over to Global 3.

The last unit in the consist is the last UP Painted Unit of the current order. UP 8521-8523 are painted in the DRGW, CNW, and SP Heritage Locomotive Schemes.

This is my favorite shot of the day from Rochelle, 2 ex-CNW SD40-2's and a CSX lead a train under the Old CNW Signal Bridge running on the left main on Main Track 1 like CNW used to. The lead unit even had a nose gong bell. Rochelle Railroad Park used the photo as their "Photo of the Week" for November 26-December 2, 2006 at www.rochellerailroadpark.org .

Shortly after that another train comes over the diamonds.

Might as well shoot them while they're new.

A good looking CNW Box Car rolls by the park eastbound.

A couple more ex-CNW SD40-2's come by with a long train in tow.

Somebody had fun with the nose bell on the 2983.

A Dump Train came by with an interesting trailing unit.

This former New York Susquehanna & Western SD45 was the trailing unit. This was the first NYSW Painted Unit I'd ever seen, I always liked their scheme.

The guy gave us permission and man do they look great in that sun!

A couple UPY Units of MP and SP Heritage sit coupled to a cut of autoracks.

Sure was great to see the final duo together!

Here are the Final Two, CNW 8701 and 8646 and the look great. This is one of the best schemes worn by a Dash-9. I found them switching in UP Belvidere Yard coupled onto a cut of cars after they came in on UP Train ABEBE 02 at 06:19 this morning. I talked to the UP MYO on duty and asked for permission to take a few shots. I ended up with pictures and a Chicago Service Unit Cap.

A couple Old MP Locomotives coupled onto autoracks lean pretty bad on some old track.

After eating we headed back to the park. The conductor motions the engineer to stop short of the signals.

The engines back west over the diamonds after timing out the signal. UP did maintenance all day on the diamonds.

Out on the east side of town we found BNSF Local Power in the form of ex-BN Rebuilds.

Two more ex-CNW SD40-2's bring a train through town.

Shortly after another Z Train with 3 GE's zooms over the diamonds.

After the BNSF had the diamond for a little while, UP came through with 2 AC's on the front.

A Patched CNW leads a train on an ex-CNW Line which was a nice treat.

The ex-CNW heads for the ex-CNW Coaling Tower.

The DPU shoves hard on the rear end of the coal train under the coaling tower. I got to go on this unit on 3-4-06.

Another coal train comes across the diamond with a mixture of hoppers.

This unit is an ex-CNW Veteran and sits in Litchfield before being fired up Monday to do some switching. This was shot at 23:45 at night.

This was a nice treat to finish off a long weekend of railfanning.

This unit has some "TEST DIRT" on the battery boxes.

The BNSF Madison Turn comes through Gratiot Tower on the way back to BNSF Lindenwood Yard with a bunch of old EMDs for power. Today, all of these unit numbers are occupied by orange GEVOs.

The train had just changed crews at North Dexter and the conductor had just gotten off to shoot a couple pictures of his train.

The MP and MKT Units stop at the North Dexter Crew Change Point with a Dirty Mo-Pac and a Cleaner Katy on UP Train MPRPB 07. This was the first time My Grandpa Bob had seen them and was quite impressed. "I remember them Missouri Pacific's with the eagle on the side, that's alright!", he said. The engineer inched the train forward as they headed towards the advance approach signal and highballing out obviously to let us get a good look at them.

One neat old logo on a neat new locomotive with a big horn.

Miss Katy trails the Mo-Pac out of North Dexter very slowly.

I saw UP Train ASHAS 09 go through Poplar Bluff a couple hours earlier with CN/IC and IC Power and headed to Dexter after work, hoping to get a picture of it, but I found it tied down in Ives Siding across a ripening soybean field.

It's 8:02 A.M. and I'm up and at 'em shooting UP Train MNLAS 10 at Ash Hill with 9 units and the first 3 online.

The engineer (on walkway) and conductor (on steps) had to cut off their train at Broadwater Road and pull&down to the yard office to fill the trailing WC unit up with water since the engine tripped an alarm, it was almost out and had to be isolated in Dexter, leaving just one unit to bring the train the last 20 miles.

This is the only ex-PRR GG1 I've ever gotten to see, and is part of the National Museum of Transportation's Railroad Collection.

Manufacturers Railway Company 211 had a sign on it for its upcoming cosmetic restoration.

This was once known as WAB 547, the last diesel delivered to the Wabash before the merger with Norfolk and Western in 1964.

The UP DD is supposed to be repainted coming up pretty soon. Maybe they'll knock off those goofy looking double handrails while they're at it.

Here's the First Diesel Freight Demonstrator Unit.

The C&O 2-8-4 sits under the trainshed chillin'.