#sd40a

Just South of Humboldt

SD40A 6021 leads a southbound train on the Illinois Central "Main Line of Mid-America". This image was made just south of Humboldt, between Arcola and Mattoon. The bridge carries the mainline over a stream called the Flat Branch.

The Illinois Central was the only railroad that owned the SD40A—which was an SD40 built on a SDP40/45 frame to accommodate a larger fuel tank (of 5000 gallons).

Near Effingham

Here are a couple of shots I don't believe I've posted on Tumblr: both taken on the Illinois Central main line near Effingham, Illinois.

The first shot shows a northbound train with an SD40A on point. This unit was a variation on the SD40 that only the IC owned—kind of a precursor to the SD40-2, at least by spotting details if not electrical components. The location here is north of Effingham, half way to Sigel, with Buening Equipment in the background.

Not sure of the exact locale of the second shot, but I believe in was taken in the same general area as the first image. That's a GP40 on point of what appears to be a local train; the loco is sporting the old black, with green diamond logo, paint scheme.

Sigel, Illinois (SD40A)

This is a southbound hopper train on the Illinois Central main line; we’re looking north toward Sigel, Illinois.

That’s an SD40A on point, which was an EMD locomotive that introduced some of the field marks that demarcate dash-two engines: sight glass, class light cut-outs, and the  “L” shaped windshield we see so well in this shot.