View allAll Photos Tagged DC_Power
I was reminded this weekend while looking for a family photo, that I have now been shooting with a digital for 10 years. That's kind of hard to believe when I think that after 5 more years of shooting digital I will have equalled all my time shooting slides. Did come across a few shots I forgot about from a decade ago.
Here BNSF 9294 East is about done with its morning trip on BNSF's Brainerd Sub. as it approaches Carlton, MN on March 24, 2007. A decade ago BNSF coal traffic into Superior was reaching its highest point ever and they still used mostly DC power at this point. Always liked the green 9200s and was happy to catch many on the Brainerd Sub. The BN/BNSF SD60Ms always looked at home pulling coal and ore through the northwoods.
Consist on this morning was BNSF 9294, EMD 9050, and BNSF 9296 pulling 123 new DETX cars. The patch job on these Green Giants was quite tasteful, even later when they became 8100s.
A westbound BNSF 9445 leads empty coal as it splits the signals at MP 18.0 on the KO Sub near Mapleton, ND.
I never caught many wagon wheel MACs in North Dakota, so it was nice to catch one leading. Catching AC-powered motors was still a rarity on northern plains coal at this stage of the game, but it would not be too much longer before the DC-powered motors would be pushed out of the Glendive power pool.
I always liked being out along the KO Sub west of Fargo; it was always quiet and peaceful yet the trains were screaming.
The early February sky isn't doing much to help the lighting at Bobolink road bridge, as Canadian Pacific's westbound train 471, climbs out of the Reeseville Marsh basin. The leading locomotive is carrying a yellow "thoroughbred" mane, indicating this locomotive has been rebuilt from a DC powered unit to AC, making it more suitable for heavy tonnage.
CP 471
NS 1800, DPU NS 7532
Reeseville, WI.
February 10, 2022
The lily pads and green of summer have been replaced by the brown and ice along Highway 210 here back in November 2006. Back in 2006 the DC power on coal trains hadn't been replaced yet though. Oakways, BNSF SD60Ms & SD75s were still the most common power on the Northern Corridor coal trains into Superior.
Shot this easbound behind BNSF 8215 and 9261 approaching Tamarack, MN before work heading to McGregor on what looks like will be a mostly cloudy day. Miss those BNSF DC coal trains rolling across the Northern Corridor to Superior.
Fog looms over Bruner’s Cut as loaded Catawba coal train 744 descends Old Fort Mountain with some older DC power on the point.
BNSF 8207 is leading a westbound Clay Boswell coal empty as it makes its way down the siding for a meet with a grain train with a pair of un-renumbered SD60Ms (www.flickr.com/photos/chris_paulhamus/49928252677/).
But, yeah, Warbonnets on northern plains coal. Seems like a lifetime ago. Their days were coming to a close as MACs would make the move to Glendive and push out the DC-powered coal units.
I looked at the notes from this particular day, and, while I have no recollection of it, I was quite sick and had just gotten a prescription for a chest cold in addition to taking the day off of work. I also had lost my voice. So what better way to recoup than to head out in the ambient -5F temps and chase Warbonnets and ex-BN SD60Ms?!
Sydney's Olympic (Accor) Stadium at sunset.
The AC DC 'Power Up' Concert.
November, 2025. Sydney.
Here's AC DC with 'Highway To Hell':
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikFFVfObwss
So I attended the AC DC 'Power Up' concert at the Sydney (Accor) Olympic Stadium, at Homebush in western Sydney, last Friday 21st November, 2025, and then again on Monday, 25th November, 2025.
It was VERY loud but amazingly energetic. My two daughters were NOT at all impressed, arguing that Taylor Swift is far better and more popular. "Well," I argued back, "let's see who has sold more tickets, and which tickets sold the fastest?" So we looked at the Ticketek website and guess what? AC DC destroyed Taylor Swift for sales!!! "OMG," declared Miss 18, "there must be SO many old people in Sydney." See what I live with.
A mobile phone photograph of dubious quality, lol.
Processed, to some extent, in Adobe Lightroom.
Back in 2007 I made a trip to North Dakota to shoot the coal route from Glendive to Dilworth. Here after a 4 hour wait this Cohasset, MN, to Spring Creek Mine, WY, empty is on an island as they roll over the Crystal Springs Lake.
The afternoon on the Jamestown seem to be very quiet today. In the 5 days I was out here, the trains seem to run steady all day, but today from 1pm to 5pm was a dead period for the Jamestown Sub. Hard to believe this DC power is either off the roster or demoted to local service.
Two BN SD60Ms and an old ex-Oakway SD60 lead a coal train over the Missouri River Bridge at Bismarck, ND, the morning in September 2004. This bridge links Mandan (crew change and service point) with the state capital of Bismarck on this ex-Northern Pacific main line which sees mainly coal trains. Back in 2004 DC power was still a strong hold as power. AC-DP power would eventually make it to this line, but would hold off for long time.
Scanned Slide from September 2004.
The Aberystwyth Cliff Railway / Rheilffordd y Graig opened on 1 August 1896. It is a 778 feet (237 m) long funicular railway in Aberystwyth and is the second longest funicular railway in the British Isles, after the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway. Since November 1987, the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway has been a Grade II listed structure.
The Cliff Railway was developed as an element of Constitution Hill, a Victorian business venture by the Aberystwyth Improvement Company in the 1890s. The funicular took visitors to the top of the hill, where attractions such as a camera obscura were established. The cliff railway was originally a water balance system, but it was electrified during 1921
The cliff railway was originally a cable-drawn balanced system moving a pair of cars, with a maximum capacity of 30 passengers, permanently connected via a continuous cable.[1] When opened, it operated using a water balance system, which used a Worthington Corporation compound steam engine water pump housed in the lower station to move water to the upper station. Each passenger car had a tank in their chassis that could hold 4 tonnes of water. Water was added to the tank of the top car, which descended under gravity, hauling the lighter lower car on the parallel track to the top station.
The railway is straight, ascending about 430 feet (130 m) over a horizontal distance of 778 feet (237 m), a maximum gradient of more than 1:2 (50 per cent). The gauge is 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm), slightly narrower than standard gauge, and laid on timber sleepers.
In 1921, the railway was electrified using a 41 kW ATB AG [de] Morley DC motor. In 1934, after changes to the town’s electricity supply, a mercury arc rectifier and transformer were installed in the lower station to provide a 440V DC power output. The cars are moved using a high-tensile steel cable attached to both vehicles. It passes around a drum, mounted on a vertical axis between the tracks at the top. The motor drives the drum controlled by an automated cut-off which stops the motor and the cars when required.
About 27 hours after I caught this train with full buckets in the frigid air of the Grand Forks Yard (www.flickr.com/photos/chris_paulhamus/48333693376/), it is now storming through Hillsboro, ND empty and heading south (RR west) having dumped its load at the Clay Boswell power plant near Cohasset, MN.
DC-powered coal was still somewhat common on Northern Plains coal in early 2007, but their time hauling coal was coming to a close. More and more AC units filled BNSF's roster and the SD75s, SD60Ms, and Oakways would find their way onto other mainline trains.
Sydney's Olympic (Accor) Stadium in the early evening.
The AC DC 'Power Up' Concert.
November, 2025. Sydney.
Here's AC DC with 'Back in Black':
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vWNauaZAgg
Sydney's Olympic (Accor) Stadium at sunset.
The AC DC 'Power Up' Concert.
November, 2025. Sydney.
Here's AC DC with 'Highway To Hell':
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikFFVfObwss
So I attended the AC DC 'Power Up' concert at the Sydney (Accor) Olympic Stadium, at Homebush in western Sydney, last Friday 21st November, 2025, and then again on Monday, 25th November, 2025.
It was VERY loud but amazingly energetic. My two daughters were NOT at all impressed, arguing that Taylor Swift is far better and more popular. "Well," I argued back, "let's see who has sold more tickets, and which tickets sold the fastest?" So we looked at the Ticketek website and guess what? AC DC destroyed Taylor Swift for sales!!! "OMG," declared Miss 18, "there must be SO many old people in Sydney." See what I live with.
A mobile phone photograph of dubious quality, lol.
Processed, to some extent, in Adobe Lightroom.
A rare solo-DC powered Train 920. This might be the first time I've seen a single DC lead a freight train in these parts in three and a half years living here. Albeit 'only just' a train - this was about it, with no coal on today.
This pice celebrate moving from level 4 to 3 in our local lockdown status overnight, but even so I walked.
28 April 2020 Train 920 DC 4346, Oamaru SIMT-NZ.
Classic northern plains coal power from the mid-2000s hustles a Clay Boswell empty south on the Hillsboro Sub through the town of Thompson, ND.
So this was the coal scene when I moved to North Dakota in 2005. It would stay pretty consistent over the next year and a half or so until the AC-powered units started displacing these older DC-powered workhorses.
Interestingly, BNSF 8206 would be the last SD75 Warbonnet I'd catch leading a coal train in the summer of 2008 before leaving North Dakota for good in early 2009.
CN SD70i no.5610 takes the lead of CN stack train Q14921 01 through Newtonville in some great afternoon light.
After hearing about the previous day's 148 being this pair of DC power, I set my sights on the Kingston Sub on this beautifully sunny 1st day of April. Historically, 148/149 would be a trio of SD75s/D8s/D9s + more almost every day, but as more GEVOs have flooded the CN roster it has become increasingly rare to find anything but a pair of ES44s or ET44s on the Kingston 148/149 loop. So when you get a pair like this these days, you gotta take advantage.
BNSF 9750 is on the spur track next to Main 1 on the Joint Line in Spruce, CO.
BNSF will park locomotives at various locations on the Joint Line between Denver and Palmer Lake to help out if a train stalls out climbing the grade. Traditionally, these units would be located in Castle Rock, here at Spruce, and Palmer Lake. I'm not sure if they park one in Castle Rock any more, and I can't remember the last time I saw one in Palmer Lake.
This is the first time I've seen a MACe serving in this role, and, with only 20-something of these on the BNSF roster, after this one leaves, it might be the last time. The H3 scheme looks good on these updated MACs, but I prefer the look of the H4 scheme that's on their DC-powered sister units. Hopefully BNSF turns more of their MACs in MACes, but I'm not holding my breath...
The sun is rising on a clear summer day as CN Z111 rolls over the Parry Sound trestle with an attractive duo of CN 5611 and BCOL 4646. The two DC powered units are doing their best to keep CNs highest priority intermodal moving, as they quickly get up to track speed after clearing CP Reynolds on the Parry Sound sub.
BNSF 8258 leads a SD60M and Clay Boswell empties south down the Hillsboro Sub in Merrifield, ND.
Not all SD75s kept their Warbonnet scheme, but it was still nice to catch DC-powered coal trains at the end of 2007.
I caught this train coming in to Grand Forks with an Oakway second out (www.flickr.com/photos/chris_paulhamus/11356039513/), but that unit got left behind in the yard for a later train.
When I made a trip to North Dakota to shoot the Northern Coal Route, this route was just starting to change over to the AC-DP coal trains. For many years DC power will the strong hold for this route due to the smaller train sizes out of the PBR. Was kind of cool to see sets of ex-BN SD60M's, EMD SD60's, and ex-Santa Fe SD75M's muscling coal trains across this scenic piece of railroad.
Here a trio of BN SD60M's hammer west thru the swap area west of Steel, on the Mandan to Fargo section of this route.
Another empty coal train out of River Bank is heading back for loading in the PRB. It is amazing some of these trains are in the 140's already 5 months into the 2022 year. Coal and grain is moving heavy over the MRL the week we were out here. The train is eastbound on the 3rd sub and passing thru Avon, 60 miles east of Missoula. Crazy to see all the DC power on these trains.
DC power and steel cars...You can definitely tell this isn't close to current BNSF coal train protocol. Back in the early 2000s, the northern coal route stayed a little old school with DC power moving PRB diamonds. Here, 2 Oakways and an SD75 roll east of Sanborn across the many small lakes and ponds that litter the Jamestown Sub.
Scanned slide from 9-02-04
Back in 2007 we see a loaded coal train down to a grind as they work upgrade between Sully Springs and Fryburg. The train has a Glendive helper on the back helping the train fight the grade. Back then DC power was the standard setup for these coal trains on the Northern Coal Route. This is a very scenic badlands area west of Dickinson towards Glendive.
A pair of veteran CN locomotives freshly into their second life, lead manifest M356 east up the shores of the North Thompson River at Louis Creek, BC.
Both 3409, and 8324 began their careers as DC traction locomotives. CN, having the lowest, and most level crossing of the continental divide, was a longtime holdout on AC traction technology for their locomotive fleet. They coveted the lower upfront purchase cost of DC power, and bought some of the last commercially available models of this technology from the two remaining manufacturers. Only after a resurgence of their coal business in 2013 did the railroad finally indulge in a small batch of ES44AC units.
A decade later, and the staunch DC advocates at CN had been converted. Not only had CN embraced AC power with multiple batches of evolution series GE's, but they had committed to 'DC to AC' rebuild programs with both Progress Rail, and Wabtec for some of their aging third generation fleet.
CN 3409 began life as BNSF 4974 in 1998. After the successful completion of the first 50 CN Dash 9 units to AC44C6m specs, Wabtec sought out cores from other roads to help feed CN's appetite for more units quicker. The 3409 is the last of the most current batch.
CN 8324 was formerly CN SD75I 5789, built in 1999. Now sporting 6 AC traction motors, it is classified as a SD75IACC. This model and series was long delayed by Progress Rail. CN's initial contract with them was for a much bigger order than the 50 units currently being delivered.
The BN 9605 has just cutoff from shoving a loaded coal train to Fryburg. They are now waiting for this westbound empty depart Fryburg so they can go over to the back track to pickup the BNSF 8214. The 8214 is helper unit that was tied down here because the crew didn't have time to make it back to Glendive after a shove. In the siding to run west 1st is this ECOBSCM with a trio of Oakway SD60's. There could be alot of train active with the helpers and traffic between Dickinson and Mandan back in these days!
This was the 2007 era. In the 2017 era, helpers are no longer used out of Glendive, and most of the DC power is long gone in favor of AC-DP coal trains. At least the Oakways got a new life at CN. I was out here in October and traffic sure has dropped off too! Plus the TWC is gone and CTC rules.
CN 322 has CN 5690, CN 2593 and 116 cars as it approaches MP 14 of CN's Kingston Sub on a sunny morning.
If you're looking for big, DC-powered EMDs hauling mainline freights, CN (and to some extent, UP) is about the only game left in town. Running several hours late and with much urgency, Chicago-Montreal intermodal Z148 is about to pound the Holly Sub diamond in Durand behind SD70M-2 #8937 and SD70 #1024. On the head end are a pair of autonomous track geometry cars.
A Westbound empty coal train is just west of Sully Spring, ND. These days are long gone, but back in 2007 the change over from DC power to AC power wasnt quite in full swing. DC powered coal trains was still somewhat the norm.
BNSF 8277, a beautifully adorned BNSFbonnet SD75I, snakes a coal train through the S-curve entering Lake Park, MN on the Staples Sub.
So this was northern plains coal power in the mid-2000s: SD75s, SD60s, and SD60Ms. The days of DC-powered coal are mostly a memory now. There were a few re-paints at the time, but it was pretty common to catch the red and silver, Oakway blue, and Cascade Green mixed up in some combination back then.
This was a day I had met up with Christopher Muller (aka railtalk) and we were treated to gloriousness beyond just this photo, such as Cascade Green leading stacks:
www.flickr.com/photos/chris_paulhamus/36140423011/
Or a quartet of SD40-2s:
www.flickr.com/photos/chris_paulhamus/10862937546/
And a 5-pack of Geeps hauling a manifest:
www.flickr.com/photos/chris_paulhamus/35453406676/
Variety was the name of the game for BNSF trains in North Dakota and Minnesota in the mid-2000s...what a great time to have been out!
BNSF 9275 leads a trio of elephant-style SD60s south with Cohasset coal empties in Thompson, ND.
At the time, I assumed the leader was a re-painted SD75M, but when I got home, I realized it was actually a SD60M. I'm not sure how many dual-window SD60Ms had received the H2 scheme, but it was only a handful. My favorite locomotives to catch during my time in North Dakota were in fact the dual-window SD60Ms...in whiteface green. But this was still a worthwhile catch as all-DC-powered coal trains could still be caught on northern plains coal despite the ever-increasing numbers of AC-powered units...
The Aberystwyth Cliff Railway / Rheilffordd y Graig opened on 1 August 1896. It is a 778 feet (237 m) long funicular railway in Aberystwyth and is the second longest funicular railway in the British Isles, after the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway. Since November 1987, the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway has been a Grade II listed structure.
The Cliff Railway was developed as an element of Constitution Hill, a Victorian business venture by the Aberystwyth Improvement Company in the 1890s. The funicular took visitors to the top of the hill, where attractions such as a camera obscura were established. The cliff railway was originally a water balance system, but it was electrified during 1921
The cliff railway was originally a cable-drawn balanced system moving a pair of cars, with a maximum capacity of 30 passengers, permanently connected via a continuous cable.[1] When opened, it operated using a water balance system, which used a Worthington Corporation compound steam engine water pump housed in the lower station to move water to the upper station. Each passenger car had a tank in their chassis that could hold 4 tonnes of water. Water was added to the tank of the top car, which descended under gravity, hauling the lighter lower car on the parallel track to the top station.
The railway is straight, ascending about 430 feet (130 m) over a horizontal distance of 778 feet (237 m), a maximum gradient of more than 1:2 (50 per cent). The gauge is 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm), slightly narrower than standard gauge, and laid on timber sleepers.
In 1921, the railway was electrified using a 41 kW ATB AG [de] Morley DC motor. In 1934, after changes to the town’s electricity supply, a mercury arc rectifier and transformer were installed in the lower station to provide a 440V DC power output. The cars are moved using a high-tensile steel cable attached to both vehicles. It passes around a drum, mounted on a vertical axis between the tracks at the top. The motor drives the drum controlled by an automated cut-off which stops the motor and the cars when required.
BNSF 8246 is on the point of an eastbound coal load as it waits on the east end of the Dilworth Yard in Dilworth, MN.
I've already shared a photo of this train previously:
www.flickr.com/photos/chris_paulhamus/46990884232/
But this angle better shows off the grain structure that was prevalent in eastern North Dakota/western Minnesota when I lived up there.
DC-powered northern plains coal trains were always appreciated when I was out and about!
BNSF 9243 leads an eastbound coal load up the grade near Dale, MN along the Staples Sub. This shot was taken from a small hill we nicknamed Mt. Muller after local railfan Christopher Muller.
Hard to think this shot is going on 14-years-old. 2007 would be about the last year we would consistently see DC-powered locomotives on coal trains. As a harbinger of things to come, I actually shot my first SD70ACe on this very same day:
www.flickr.com/photos/chris_paulhamus/35205220541/
At least we knew we were in the waning days of this kind of power, and we were able to document it and appreciate it as best we could...
Due to some issues this past week that will remain nameless, a pair of DC units were pressed into service on 511/513 for a couple days. The usual AC duo made a couple round trips on 507/508 on both Monday and Tuesday, before going back to the "rightful owners" as gypsum power on Wednesday. On Monday however, it was a true throwback to a few years back when DC power was the kingpin on this train. Relic C44-9WL 2514, leads 8861 on the eastbound 511 with loaded gypsum from East Milford, as the train prepares to duck under Victoria Rd before arriving at the car's terminus at Wright's Cove.
SLR Class :- M6
Introduction years :- 1979 to 1980
No of Locos :- 16
Loco Nos :- 783 to 798
Builder :- Henschel Thyssen
State :- West Germany
Prime Mover :- General Motors - V12 GM 645 E
Mode of Power transmission :- Diesel Electric (AC to DC Power Transmission)
Power :- 1650 hp
rpm :- 900
Weight :- 87 ton
Length :- 54' 5"
Wheel arrangement :- A1A - A1A
Brake system : - Vacuum and Dynamic
Max speed :- 105 Km/h
Gauge :- 1676 mm
Type :- Locomotive
Purpose :- Main line Passenger and Freight train.
M6 793 Destroyed due to Bomb blast in 25.03.1986 between Pulliyamkulam - Vavniya.
M6 798 Destroyed due to Bomb blast at Tambalagamuwa in 05.12.1996
M6 785,788,792 and 797 re painted Red and Yellow colours for use Intercity train.
14 Locomotives are presently on service.
M6 788 used for Inaugural run “CALYPSO Special” Tourist train Badulla to Bandarawela in 05.04.2024
Information as at 09.07.2026
Description 📄:
The autumn season attracts tourists from all around the globe to visit the canton of Grisons, not only for its mountains and breathtaking landscapes, but also for the colours of its trees. A large railway network known worldwide stretches across the fairytale landscapes coloured yellow and orange. This is the Rhaetian Railway, which runs through the Grisons Alps for almost 400 km of tracks, reaching as far as Italy. Today, the Bernina and Albula lines are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, not only for their spectacular landscapes, but also for iconic pieces of architecture such as the Landwasserviadukt or the Brusio spiral viaduct. The Rhaetian Railway network is powered entirely by 11 kV AC, except for the Bernina line. The Bernina line is powered by 1 kV DC. This is a limitation for many trains in the RhB fleet, but not for the ABe 8/12 multiple units, nicknamed “Allegra”. These are capable of running on both types of power supply and are therefore used for trains such as the Bernina Express, which connects Chur to Tirano.
The Allegra trains were produced in two different versions: the ABe 8/12 (as shown in the photo) are capable of operating on both AC and DC power, and thanks to their eight traction motors, they were designed for the most extreme sections of the network. Fifteen of these were produced by Stadler between 2009 and 2010. Over the next two years, another five Allegra trains were produced, but they were slightly different. They have four carriages instead of three and only four motors instead of eight. The "Allegra STZ" (StammnetzTriebZüge) trains were designed for the Chur S-Bahn service, which is why they needed more space and less power. With the arrival of the new “Capricorn” trains, the Allegra STZ trains have been operating between Pontresina and Scuol-Tarasp since 2022.
Information ℹ️:
Date 📅: 11.10.2025, 15:56
Place 📍: Pontresina, Switzerland
Train 🚄: ABe 8/12 3512
Train Company 🏢: Rhätische Bahn
Line 🔢: R19 4645
Start 🚩: St. Moritz
Destination 🏁: Tirano
©️The photo was taken and edited by Nathan Urriani. Use of the image by others is only allowed with my permission.
BNSF 8208 leads a Clay Boswell coal empty out of the yard and around the wye for the Hillsboro Sub as it departs Grand Forks, ND.
I had previously caught this train thundering west across the border in Minnesota:
www.flickr.com/photos/chris_paulhamus/40432108863/
This was typical power for northern plains coal trains in the mid-2000s (SD75s, Oakways, SD60Ms), but there was a period in 2007 that saw a glut of AC-power leading coal...a harbinger of things to come. Soon, the era of DC-powered coal trains would come to an end.
SLR Class :- M6
Introduction years :- 1979 to 1980
No of Locos :- 16
Loco Nos :- 783 to 798
Builder :- Henschel Thyssen
State :- West Germany
Prime Mover :- General Motors - V12 GM 645 E
Mode of Power transmission :- Diesel Electric (AC to DC Power Transmission)
Power :- 1650 hp
rpm :- 900
Weight :- 87 ton
Length :- 54' 5"
Wheel arrangement :- A1A - A1A
Brake system : - Vacuum and Dynamic
Max speed :- 105 Km/h
Gauge :- 1676 mm
Type :- Locomotive
Purpose :- Main line Passenger and Freight train.
M6 793 Destroyed due to Bomb blast in 25.03.1986 between Pulliyamkulam - Vavniya.
M6 798 Destroyed due to Bomb blast at Tambalagamuwa in 05.12.1996
M6 785,788,792 and 797 re painted Red and Yellow colours for use Intercity train.
14 Locomotives are presently on service.
M6 788 used for Inaugural run “CALYPSO Special” Tourist train Badulla to Bandarawela in 05.04.2024
Information as at 01.05.2026
Another empty coal train out of River Bank is heading back for loading in the PRB. It is amazing some of these trains are in the 140's already 5 months into the 2022 year. Coal and grain is moving heavy over the MRL the week we were out here. The train is eastbound on the 3rd sub and passing thru Avon, 60 miles east of Missoula. Crazy to see all the DC power on these trains, but export coal is booming. The siding at Avon was removed recently.
SLR Class :- M4
Manufactures Model :- MX 620
Introduction Year :- 1975
No of Locos :- 14
Loco Nos :- 743 to 756
Builder :- Montreal Locomotive Works
State :- Canada
Prime Mover :- ALCO V12 25 1 C3
Mode of Power transmission :- Diesel Electric (AC to DC Power Transmission )
Power :- 1700 hp
rpm :- 1050
Weight :- 98 ton
Length :- 58' 3"
Wheel arrangement :- Co-Co
Brake system : - Air and Vacuum
Max speed :- 104 Km/h
Gauge : - 1676 mm
Type :- Locomotive
Purpose/Used line :- Main line Passenger and Freight train Presently not to run beyond Rambukkana.
M4 753,754,755 and 756 were Special designed with Dynamic Brake for Upcountry (Colombo to Badulla) Rail track.
M4 750 damaged due to Bomb blast at near Vavniya in 2000 back in service after repair.
M4 752 re painted Red and Yellow colours for use Jaffna Intercity. again Repainted Blue & Silver.
Upgraded with Air brake at C.M.E. Ratmalana.
M4 751used for Inaugural run “Yal Rani” Passenger Train Between Kankasantrei Murukandi in 11.07.2022
All Locomotives are presently on service.
M4s were named,
743 : Madu
744 : Sigiri
745 : Ruwanweli
746 : Namunukula
747 : Kelani
748 : Walawe
749 : Dunhida
750 : Isurumuni
751 : Diyaluma
752 : Point-Pedro
753 : Samanala
754 : Menik
755 : Mahaweli
756 : Luxapana
Information as at 06.07.2026
SLR Class :- M4
Manufactures Model :- MX 620
Introduction Year :- 1975
No of Locos :- 14
Loco Nos :- 743 to 756
Builder :- Montreal Locomotive Works
State :- Canada
Prime Mover :- ALCO V12 25 1 C3
Mode of Power transmission :- Diesel Electric (AC to DC Power Transmission )
Power :- 1700 hp
rpm :- 1050
Weight :- 98 ton
Length :- 58' 3"
Wheel arrangement :- Co-Co
Brake system : - Air and Vacuum
Max speed :- 104 Km/h
Gauge : - 1676 mm
Type :- Locomotive
Purpose/Used line :- Main line Passenger and Freight train Presently not to run beyond Rambukkana.
M4 753,754,755 and 756 were Special designed with Dynamic Brake for Upcountry (Colombo to Badulla) Rail track.
M4 750 damaged due to Bomb blast at near Vavniya in 2000 back in service after repair.
M4 752 re painted Red and Yellow colours for use Jaffna Intercity. again Repainted Blue & Silver.
Upgraded with Air brake at C.M.E. Ratmalana.
M4 751used for Inaugural run “Yal Rani” Passenger Train Between Kankasantrei Murukandi in 11.07.2022
All Locomotives are presently on service.
M4s were named,
743 : Madu
744 : Sigiri
745 : Ruwanweli
746 : Namunukula
747 : Kelani
748 : Walawe
749 : Dunhida
750 : Isurumuni
751 : Diyaluma
752 : Point-Pedro
753 : Samanala
754 : Menik
755 : Mahaweli
756 : Luxapana
Information as at 02.06.2026
The Aberystwyth Cliff Railway / Rheilffordd y Graig opened on 1 August 1896. It is a 778 feet (237 m) long funicular railway in Aberystwyth and is the second longest funicular railway in the British Isles, after the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway. Since November 1987, the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway has been a Grade II listed structure.
The Cliff Railway was developed as an element of Constitution Hill, a Victorian business venture by the Aberystwyth Improvement Company in the 1890s. The funicular took visitors to the top of the hill, where attractions such as a camera obscura were established. The cliff railway was originally a water balance system, but it was electrified during 1921
The cliff railway was originally a cable-drawn balanced system moving a pair of cars, with a maximum capacity of 30 passengers, permanently connected via a continuous cable.[1] When opened, it operated using a water balance system, which used a Worthington Corporation compound steam engine water pump housed in the lower station to move water to the upper station. Each passenger car had a tank in their chassis that could hold 4 tonnes of water. Water was added to the tank of the top car, which descended under gravity, hauling the lighter lower car on the parallel track to the top station.
The railway is straight, ascending about 430 feet (130 m) over a horizontal distance of 778 feet (237 m), a maximum gradient of more than 1:2 (50 per cent). The gauge is 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm), slightly narrower than standard gauge, and laid on timber sleepers.
In 1921, the railway was electrified using a 41 kW ATB AG [de] Morley DC motor. In 1934, after changes to the town’s electricity supply, a mercury arc rectifier and transformer were installed in the lower station to provide a 440V DC power output. The cars are moved using a high-tensile steel cable attached to both vehicles. It passes around a drum, mounted on a vertical axis between the tracks at the top. The motor drives the drum controlled by an automated cut-off which stops the motor and the cars when required.
SLR Class :- S10
Introduction years :- 2008 to 2009
No of Sets :- 15
Power car Nos :- 879 to 893
Builder :- CSR Qingdao Sifang Co. Ltd
State :- China
Prime Mover :- MTU - V12 4000
Mode of Power transmission :- Diesel Electric (AC to DC Power Transmission)
Power :- 1950 hp
rpm :- 1800
Wheel arrangement :- Bo-Bo
Brake system :- Air and Dynamic
Max speed :- 120 Km/h
Gauge :- 1676 mm
Type :- Diesel Multiple Unit
Set Formation :- One power car,Four 3rd Class Compartment and 3rd Class dummy car
Purpose :- Suburban and Commuter service.
Information as at 24.07.2025
After camping the night in Blue River, me and a friend woke up late to find a West bound grainer with an older DC powered lash up heading our way. Setting up at the north end of the small yard in town, a pair of old C44-9s bring a massive 800 axle grain train into Blue River for a crew change. These massive unit trains are comprised of 2 different grain trains put together and hauled under 1 crew, until they are re-marshaled and separated for their respective destinations in Kamloops
SLR Class :- M8
Manufactures Model :- WDM2
Introduction years :- 1996 to 1998
No of Locos :- 08
Loco Nos :- 841 to 848
Builder :- Diesel Locomotive Works (D.L.W.)
State :-India
Prime Mover :- ALCO/DLW - 16V 251 B
Mode of Power transmission :- Diesel Electric (AC to DC Power Transmission )
Power :- 2600 hp
rpm :- 1000
Weight :- 113 ton
Length :- 57' 1"
Wheel arrangement :- Co-Co
Brake system :- Vacuum,Air and Dynamic
Max speed :- 100 Km/h
Gauge : -1676 mm
Type :- Locomotive
Purpose :- Main line Passenger and Freight train. not to run beyond Rambukkana.
Information as at 07.06.2026
Here's something you don't see everyday...an all DC-powered coal train! BNSF 4156 leads a southbound coal train through the s-curve just south of Monument, CO.
I had originally spotted this train stopped in Greenland, but thought nothing of it...only that it had 3 GEs up front. It was fellow railfan Wes Greer who noted that the entire head end was made up of nothing but DC units. The rear consisted of 3 units, but it turns out the last two were manned AC helpers. Those helpers cut off after coming over the top in Palmer Lake, and the remaining DPU was also a DC-powered GE.
I cut my teeth in the railfan world during the twilight of DC-powered coal trains running across the northern plains in the mid-to-late'ish 2000s, but I didn't think I'd ever see it again. Granted, this train was not powered by SD60Ms or SD75s or Oakways, but it was still pretty neat to see...