SDfourD
L-GP101-02 @ Perkinston, MS
For the last few years I thought I had missed out completely on the pre-belle KCS. As I wasn't able to travel extensively during the mid 2000's when gray SD40 variants were the norm, I looked from afar. With the SD70ACe's and GEVO's, it was all but cemented.
But after driving all the way down to the end of United States land mass in Gulfport, Mississippi, I was thoroughly pleased to feast my eyes on three gray SD's on the sand track. The 651 is a showstopper for most, and while I do like it, I couldn't be happier with it absent. The leader was a very unexpected surprise, and the best of the bunch in terms of paint to boot. Not only does it sport the proper KCS plate on the nose, but it also maintains the funky flexicoil shock struts that KCS found necessary on many of their SD40-3's.
The crew wastes little time getting out of Gulfport this morning, and is shown here twisting to the NE enough to get decent light in the process. Tall trees and gorgeous blue skies made Mississippi a nice location as is, but the three EMD's really drove it home. The former IC is a hilly and twisting piece of railroad that allows the thunderous pulse of EMD 645's to smother the surrounding landscape even with a short train. That was found out as I paced these guys on their way to and from Hattiesburg through the tall pines and twisting back roads, having as fun an experience as I can remember in the process. The bucket list is getting shorter.
L-GP101-02 @ Perkinston, MS
For the last few years I thought I had missed out completely on the pre-belle KCS. As I wasn't able to travel extensively during the mid 2000's when gray SD40 variants were the norm, I looked from afar. With the SD70ACe's and GEVO's, it was all but cemented.
But after driving all the way down to the end of United States land mass in Gulfport, Mississippi, I was thoroughly pleased to feast my eyes on three gray SD's on the sand track. The 651 is a showstopper for most, and while I do like it, I couldn't be happier with it absent. The leader was a very unexpected surprise, and the best of the bunch in terms of paint to boot. Not only does it sport the proper KCS plate on the nose, but it also maintains the funky flexicoil shock struts that KCS found necessary on many of their SD40-3's.
The crew wastes little time getting out of Gulfport this morning, and is shown here twisting to the NE enough to get decent light in the process. Tall trees and gorgeous blue skies made Mississippi a nice location as is, but the three EMD's really drove it home. The former IC is a hilly and twisting piece of railroad that allows the thunderous pulse of EMD 645's to smother the surrounding landscape even with a short train. That was found out as I paced these guys on their way to and from Hattiesburg through the tall pines and twisting back roads, having as fun an experience as I can remember in the process. The bucket list is getting shorter.