#emdsd45

Effingham, Illinois

A little action is seen here on the former Pennsylvania Railroad in Effingham in central Illinois. While this appears to be the Penn Central era, this image was made on the eve of the Bicentennial—not long after Conrail was formed.

We see some light power (two EMD SD45s) move about near the crossing with Illinois Central's famed Main Line of Mid-America.

I enjoy the plethora of railroad accoutrement in this shot: the distinctive Pennsy signals, multiple train order racks, and copious amount of code line on the poles. By the way, that first locomotive, number 6107, was built for the PRR in 1966.

On the New Line

After poring over Google maps (for several days, no less) I’ve come to the conclusion that these images were made along Chicago & North Western’s so-called new line between Chicago and Milwaukee.

The train is northbound between West Buckley Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, in North Chicago, just west of Great Lakes Naval Base.

I enjoy seeing an SD45 sans dynamic brakes (the CNW must be the only road boasting this idiosyncratic unit) along with the big Alco (which is of the former Norfolk & Western) behind.

Westbound

Not certain of the location, but I believe this is a westbound (on the Big Four, NYC) west of Avon, Indiana. Specifically I'm wondering if this might be to the east of Greencastle, but west of Fillmore (at N. County Road 300E).

Update: a pal of mine used to shoot at this very spot: it's located at the "town" of Reno, a bit further east than what I was thinking. The road cross is listed as N County Road 900 E on Google.

We're seven and a half months into the Conrail era. While the lead locomotive sports the Penn Central colors, the number boards gives us a clue that this is a former SD45 of the Pennsylvania Railroad; it was built in December of 1967. A blue GE U-boat follows.

Run-Through Train

Here is a Burlington Northern run-through train rolling on the Southern Railway near the bottom of Indiana. The train has recently departed Louisville, run up a steep grade (through a tunnel), and is now racing westward with its sights on Centralia, Illinois.

And what a locomotive consist: we have an SD45, followed up by an SDP45, with another SD45 bringing up the rear. We know right away that the passenger-capable engine is former Great Northern as these units were fairly rare with the GN being one of the three railroads who owned them. The lead engine was built for the BN, while the final engine was built for the CB&Q.

Along the Mississippi, Part One

These two images, from southwest Illinois, were made on the Missouri Pacific Railroad—along side the Mississippi River. A pair of Southern Pacific EMD SD45s are dragging a train southward; I believe it will cross the great river at Thebes, though this was never my turf. This particular spot is just northwest of Chester by a few miles.

The Southern Railway in Indiana

This photograph was made on the Southern Railway line that travels through Indiana from Louisville toward St. Louis. Here we see an eastbound train with 3152, an EMD SD45 built in 1967, on point. The locale is near Milltown, Indiana.

Northbound Grand Elk, Part Two

Continuing yesterday’s post, here are a few more shots of a northbound Grand Elk train arriving in Kalamazoo. In the first two images the train is approaching East Michigan Avenue. In the going away views one can see the tight clearances between restaurants in downtown Kalamazoo.

The train will soon round the wye onto the old Michigan Central, cross the Kalamazoo River, and roll into the yard on the east side of town.