Spring has Sprung
The sun has already been over the horizon for a couple hours as IAIS 505 leads two brothers (including the Rock Island Heritage 513) on the South Amana to Cedar Rapids turn through the Iowa countryside south of Walford, Iowa. The hefty train is being lifted over the top of the grade, and will soon be on the roll downgrade on the last few miles towards the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City (Crandic) yard on the southeast side of Cedar Rapids. Ahead they'll drop the interchange and pick up the maximum number of cars the three GE products are rated for on this line (to the disappointment of the Cradic yardmaster who wanted to get rid of more cars...) before returning to South Amana.
While I've had a chance to photograph the Iowa Interstate a number of times, I hadn't managed to get a train on the Cedar Rapids line despite the relatively regular schedule (It seems like I always get distracted by IAIS trains on the "main line" whenever I'm in the area). But I decided to set out on this fine early spring morning with intentions of finally chasing the SACR and CRSA. Things couldn't have worked out much better; just as I arrived the southeast side of Cedar Rapids, I heard the IAIS 505 get a warrant north. This line, owned by the Crandic, has a lot of character as it winds it's way through the Iowa Countryside with just a few backroads following alongside. Track speed is just fast enough to keep things interesting but just slow enough to allow one to chase, and there's lots of neat curves and props (like the wooden bridge I'm standing on to take this shot). While it's not a gaggle of Crandic Geeps or even IAIS SD38s running through here anymore, it's still a neat line to shoot.
Spring has Sprung
The sun has already been over the horizon for a couple hours as IAIS 505 leads two brothers (including the Rock Island Heritage 513) on the South Amana to Cedar Rapids turn through the Iowa countryside south of Walford, Iowa. The hefty train is being lifted over the top of the grade, and will soon be on the roll downgrade on the last few miles towards the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City (Crandic) yard on the southeast side of Cedar Rapids. Ahead they'll drop the interchange and pick up the maximum number of cars the three GE products are rated for on this line (to the disappointment of the Cradic yardmaster who wanted to get rid of more cars...) before returning to South Amana.
While I've had a chance to photograph the Iowa Interstate a number of times, I hadn't managed to get a train on the Cedar Rapids line despite the relatively regular schedule (It seems like I always get distracted by IAIS trains on the "main line" whenever I'm in the area). But I decided to set out on this fine early spring morning with intentions of finally chasing the SACR and CRSA. Things couldn't have worked out much better; just as I arrived the southeast side of Cedar Rapids, I heard the IAIS 505 get a warrant north. This line, owned by the Crandic, has a lot of character as it winds it's way through the Iowa Countryside with just a few backroads following alongside. Track speed is just fast enough to keep things interesting but just slow enough to allow one to chase, and there's lots of neat curves and props (like the wooden bridge I'm standing on to take this shot). While it's not a gaggle of Crandic Geeps or even IAIS SD38s running through here anymore, it's still a neat line to shoot.