#emdsd35

Surprise on the C&EI

This was an interesting sight: a northbound (TOFC) train with Southern Railway power on the former Chicago & Eastern Illinois (Mopac by this time). We're in central Illinois, not far from Tuscola.

Perhaps this run-through arrangement was a way for the Southern to make it to Chicago—they really should have snapped up the Monon prior to the L&N getting that road in 1971.

That lead unit, as SD35, was built for the Central of Georgia in 1966. It's interesting to note that the Southern purchased all their locomotives with high-short-hoods and tended to run long-hood forward, but not always. I always loved this idiosyncrasy with the Southern Railway as well as the Norfolk & Western.

Smokey Day, Part One

The Traverse City Turn got into town without me hearing it, but I caught it leaving after a run to Amerhart, the lumber yard over by Williamsburg, Michigan. The train is first seen on the former Pere Marquette (C&O), while the three following images have it on the connector track to the former GR&I (Pennsy).

It's not overcast, but smoke from Canadian wildfires is mucking up the sky, smoke stated as at "unhealthy" levels. The EMD SD35 was built for the Norfolk & Western in 1965—I'm assuming it had a high short hood but was chopped. Later owned by the Montana Rail Link.

Horseshoe Curve

Here’s the first train I saw at the famous landmark: coming down the hill. Of course I had to shoot the head-end power (through a PC auto rack) going in the opposite direction across the valley.

As per usual, it seemed, helper engines hitched a ride on the rear end, probably to simplify the amount of movements dispatchers would have to deal with.

Interesting to note that we have SD35s on both ends of this train. And one will also note that they are both ex-Pennsylvania units as one can see the keystone peeking out from under the PC logo on the lead unit, and both sport the distinctive (if subtle) font of the Pennsy on their number boards.

These were taken during the first year of Conrail, but luckily look pretty much as they would have in the Penn Central era (although the presence of C&NW power might mean something in this regard).

Traverse City Turn, Part Five of Five

The TC Turn, of the Great Lakes Central, is alongside River Road well south of Traverse City, Michigan. The train is making its way up the former Grand Rapids & Indiana branch line to the main at Walton Junction, headed for Cadillac. (This railroad, built in early 1870s, would be folded into the Pennsylvania in 1918.)

There are a couple of interesting things in this little sequence, the first being evidence of a game trail crossing the former Grand Rapids & Indiana line here—visible in the first image. The landscape here, alongside the Boardman River, is pure northern Michigan.A second intriguing aspect here is the trailing unit, an SD35, which I'd not seen on the line prior to this. This locomotive was built for the Norfolk and Western and so we know it was built with a high short hood; Southern Railway and NW owned 180 of the units together, meaning that exactly half of all of this model from La Grange were so equipped when built.

The engine is sporting the (slightly altered) paint scheme of its former owner, Montana Rail Link.The train, moving slowly, has another eighteen miles on the branch, then another twenty on the main to its home base in Cadillac.

Traverse City Turn, Part Three of Five

The TC Turn is still alongside Keystone Road south of Traverse City; one can see the J. H. Rogers Observatory on the hill behind the train.

We now have our first glimpse of the interesting trailing unit: an EMD SD35. This was built for the Norfolk and Western (with high short hood) and was later owned by the Montana Rail Link and still sports its paint scheme.

Nashville Action

Here we see a southbound Amtrak Floridian just south of Nashville, Tennessee, proper at Berry Road. The train has already made its station stop at the massive Union Station there.

And the final picture is of an L&N train, also south of Nashville, along Wilson Pike, just north of what is now called Crockett Park. The first and second locomotives are  EMD SD35s, with a large Alco following.