My Last Push
Just a typical catch of helpers on the tail of M-347 on the Oliver Bridge crossing into Minnesota. However this hazy and humid September afternoon shot turned out to be my last orange push. It was the last time I caught a J pair helping a train north out of Pokegama Yard and up Steelton Hill as in the fall CN changed their operations around Pokegama eliminating helpers. Guess for now they putting more ponies on the head end. It was fun while it lasted.
Shortly after this the Helper Link engine (665) was sent to work in Central Wisconsin along with a couple of the J engines around here. The Helper Link was taken off the 665 and it was last seen working around Stevens Point. A pair of J engines remains in the Twin Ports as Pokegama Switchers and you can sometimes still see orange running back and forth between Stevens Point and Pokey on 403/404.
Change keeps coming. The next big CN change around the Twin Ports involves how CN will classify and switch cars. CN is spending millions of dollars to add track and switches to Proctor Yard to handle flat switching of northbound core and transfer business, taking some of the pressure off Pokegama. Will be strange seeing mixed manifests and transfers heading in and out of the north end of Proctor Yard. Would be nice if some of the J units came back north to switch it.
My Last Push
Just a typical catch of helpers on the tail of M-347 on the Oliver Bridge crossing into Minnesota. However this hazy and humid September afternoon shot turned out to be my last orange push. It was the last time I caught a J pair helping a train north out of Pokegama Yard and up Steelton Hill as in the fall CN changed their operations around Pokegama eliminating helpers. Guess for now they putting more ponies on the head end. It was fun while it lasted.
Shortly after this the Helper Link engine (665) was sent to work in Central Wisconsin along with a couple of the J engines around here. The Helper Link was taken off the 665 and it was last seen working around Stevens Point. A pair of J engines remains in the Twin Ports as Pokegama Switchers and you can sometimes still see orange running back and forth between Stevens Point and Pokey on 403/404.
Change keeps coming. The next big CN change around the Twin Ports involves how CN will classify and switch cars. CN is spending millions of dollars to add track and switches to Proctor Yard to handle flat switching of northbound core and transfer business, taking some of the pressure off Pokegama. Will be strange seeing mixed manifests and transfers heading in and out of the north end of Proctor Yard. Would be nice if some of the J units came back north to switch it.