UP everywhere

Nearly everywhere I traveled in my recent Midwest trip, Union Pacific units were there.  Top photo, UP4636 enters Indiana Harbor Belt's Blue Island Yard from the east on May 10.  Below, UP stack train travels north through Momence, Ind. on May 11.  Second below, UP auto rack train heads east through Schoolcraft, Mich. on May 18.  There also was a set of power at Willard Yard, a CSX sorting yard near Willard, Ohio, when I was there May 14,  And, bottom photo, a former UP now operating under the CREX banner (but with only its number, not any identifying marks) waiting for its next assigment at the CSX Yard in Walbridge, Ohio, on May 14.

IHB paint schemes

May 9 to 19 I traveled through the upper Midwest, touring railyards and hotspots.  A couple of pictures from that trip already have been published (May 26 & May 27) showed current views contrasted with photos taken in 1999 at the same location. 

I came away from the trip with several general convictions: 1) intermodal traffic is now the major component of eastern railroading, at least in the Midwest; 2) the two eastern railroads run many more trains than we ever see in the Pacific Northwest; 3) Norfolk Southern takes better care of its locomotives than any of the other railroads I've seen recently with many new paint jobs ; and 4) With very few grades or winding routes, trains run fast, very fast. 

So for the next months, I'll show some highlights from the trip, starting today with another picture from the Indiana Harbor Belt yard show new and old paint schemes.

A rosy visit

Union Pacific Heritage unit 1983, painted in a commerative Western Pacific scheme, waits in Vancouver next to the rose bushes as part of the WOVW ore train headed down the hill on June 3.

Canadian Pacific FP9s

Canadian Pacific FP9-A and FP9-B were stored in Calgary in 1999.  These units are used only for special officers or senic trains.

Rebuilt slug in Edmonton

In September 1999, Canadian National was using these rebuilt units, a slug and a GP9RM to switch its yard in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Soo slug

Soo B unit or slug, SD40B number 6450 in Calgary's Alyth Yard in 1999.

Calgary's Alyth Yard

Engine House at Canadian Pacific's Alyth Yard in Calgary in September 1999.  For years this was CP's main engine and car repair facility and still performs much of CP's maintenance work.