View allAll Photos Tagged DC_Power
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
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.
Fog looms over Bruner’s Cut as loaded Catawba coal train 744 descends Old Fort Mountain with some older DC power on the point.
A new'ish SD70ACe leads a westbound empty Clay Boswell empty on the Grand Forks Sub near Mallory, MN.
This shot is a nice illustration of the changes that were taking place in the northern plains with regards to coal power. The prominence of DC-powered coal like the SD75M yielded to the MAC which would eventually yield to the ACe. As with most things, the ACe looked good when new/clean. These days? Meh. But, it's not like they're going anywhere soon. It's going on 15 years since this shot was taken, and it's not like the SD70ACe-T4 lit the railroad industry ablaze...
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.
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.
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.
BNSF 7538 is on the tail end of a northbound coal empty as it passes into the Greenland Open Space near Spruce, CO.
It's somewhat odd to catch DC power on a coal train in this day and age, and even odder that I caught a DC unit from this angle before I've been able to catch an ACe here...and I've been trying on the ACe for a few years now!
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.
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.
BN 9200 South wheels around the curve at Brook Park, MN with the all-rail tacontie train from Keewatin to Madison, IL back in June 2003.
This was a cool era for taconite and coal train out of Twin Ports with a variety of EMD DC powered SD60s and SD75s on the BNSF. These DC units lasted in this service until everything was made distributed power. This train left about the same time every afternoon out of Boylston and I should of made a few more chases with the nice DCs.
The consist here was BN 9200, BNSF 8266, and EMD 9021. The leader now works in black paint for NS, while the trailing Oakway is now employed by CN.
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.
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.
UP SD60M 2260 and two C44-9W's fly up the river on a beautiful spring day with coke bucket train 805 I think.. or 801. I don't know. Pre PTC, Pre 1x1 everything, Pre purge of every DC road unit on the roster. Slightly better times at Donehower West..
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.
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.
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.
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 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...
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.
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.
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.
CN 322 has CN 5690, CN 2593 and 116 cars as it approaches MP 14 of CN's Kingston Sub on a sunny morning.
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 I made a trip to North Dakota to shoot the coal line from Glendive to Mandan. Back then the change from DC to AC power was just starting. There was still plenty of old school DC powered conventional coal trains on this route. Definitely a trip for the ages! Especially seeing most of the SD75's/SD60's are now off property.
Here a loaded coal train slowly pulls upgrade out of the siding at Dengate. Any engineer that has started a heavy train on a .5% grade, knows it takes some TLC to keep the train in 1 piece. This engineer is laying on the sand and only using enough throttle to keep moving. Dengate is located 38 miles west of Mandan.
1911 Baker Electric Special Extension Coupe, Model V
In the first decades of the 20th century, electric vehicles seemed poised for primacy. Early internal-combustion engines were rudimentary, dangerous, and difficult to operate, requiring all sorts of pump priming and starter torqueing. Those tasks were uncouth for the wealthy gentlemen who were the automobile’s first customers and downright risky for the era’s women, clothed in voluminous, billowing Edwardian dresses and patriarchal notions of competence. Electric cars, on the other hand, were extremely simple to use. So long as the heavy batteries were maintained and charged, all one had to do was click the on switch, twist the go lever, and roll.
Having founded the American Ball Bearing Company in 1895, Midwestern engineer Walter C. Baker understood the basics of carriage production. This background gave him faith that he could make the leap into car building. Teaming up with his father-in-law and brother-in-law, he started the Baker Motor Vehicle Company in Cleveland in 1899. Seeing the aforementioned advantages inherent in electric vehicles, Baker decided to place his faith in this powertrain.
“Number one, it’s comfortable, and it’s not terribly difficult to drive,” said Stew Somerville, a volunteer mechanic at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome museum in upstate New York, which holds a 1911 Baker in its eclectic collection. “But part of the attraction of the electric automobile was the fact that it did not emit gasoline fumes, you didn’t have to crank-start the engine, there was no big wheel to wrestle with. It was a very smooth-handling automobile. You didn’t even have a loud, offensive horn. There’s a dainty little bell to warn of its coming.” Period ads were frequently, although not exclusively, pitched directly at women.
Baker’s first car to market was a two-seater, the Imperial Runabout. Priced at a competitive $850, it was first shown in New York at the city’s (and nation’s) first auto show. It attracted a number of notable buyers, including Thomas Edison, who purchased one as his very first car. (Edison designed the long-lived nickel-iron batteries used in some Baker vehicles.) By 1906, Baker was, briefly, the world’s top producer of electric vehicles.
But like many of his cohort in the emergent automotive industry, Baker wasn’t just in it for the business. He was in it for the speed. As his company was enjoying success in the consumer market, he was pursuing his dream by developing a series of advanced, record-setting racing cars. His first, the Torpedo, was built in 1902, at great personal expense to Baker. With its 11 batteries, 14-hp mid-mounted motor, outrageously low-slung 48-inch height, streamlined and lightweight white-pine and oilcloth body, and bizarre webbed canvas seat restraints, it seemed poised to set a world land speed record.
Sadly, in that year’s Automobile Club of America speed trials on Staten Island, the car was involved in a disastrous crash. After crossing the 1-kilometer (0.6 mile) mark in just over 30 seconds, Baker and his co-driver lost control and crashed into a group of spectators. One person died at the scene, and another died later from injuries. The drivers were both arrested and charged with manslaughter but were freed when it was determined that the crowd had pushed past protective barriers and onto the course. (Baker’s innovative safety harness likely protected the car’s occupants from serious injury.)
Further attempts with two smaller, single-seater race cars he named Torpedo Kid were also employed in pursuit of the land speed record but were subsequently abandoned following another, nonlethal spectator crash in 1903. Baker has often been noted as the first person to cross the 100-mph barrier, although his records weren’t official due to these wrecks.
Given this peril, Baker decided to forgo his quest for top speed. As gasoline-powered vehicles increased in popularity and gained infrastructural support, he shifted his attention instead to diminishing the electric car’s liabilities, particularly their limited range. He worked diligently on new battery designs, shaft drives, and other componentry. In 1910, Baker’s new chief engineer, Emil Gruenfeldt, set a record for distance driven on a single charge, taking a Baker Victoria for a 201-mile trip at an average speed of 12 mph. Not exactly Ludicrous speed, but an impressive feat nonetheless.
Baker’s successes gave the company prominence among the elite, and the company capitalized on this publicly. In advertisements around 1909, the brand boldly boasted about the King of Siam owning a Baker. The company made a similar splash in American politics when President William H. Taft’s administration purchased a 1909 model as one of the White House’s first automobiles. (A steam-powered White and two gasoline-powered Pierce-Arrows were also included, Taft hedging his bets on how the battle of the powertrains was going to play out.) Taft later added a 1912 Baker Victoria that went on to be driven by five First Ladies. The Baker brand maintains some celebrity allure today, with car-collecting comedian Jay Leno holding a 1909 model in his expansive collection.
As a means of offsetting some of the powertrain’s inherent shortcomings, Baker made investments in battery-charging infrastructure. The brand announced plans to open stations at every major intersection in Cleveland and to grow the network from there, although this effort became cost prohibitive and never came to fruition. Expansion into the production of electric trucks, police patrol wagons, and even trucks and bomb handlers for the U.S. Army during World War I was not enough to fend off the rising dominance of the internal-combustion engine, especially after the proliferation of the electric starter, first available on the 1912 Cadillac, significantly increased safety and convenience. By 1915, the Baker company was defunct.
By Brett Berk, Car and Driver
The westbound freight train across the NP route is carrying some coal motors and some odd ball head end power as they make their way towards Glendive. If you like alittle something of everything, this train is for you! The train is west of Dickinson as they pass thru Biefield, 129 miles west of Mandan. The BNSF Dickinson Sub that runs 216 miles from Mandan to Glendive on this mainly coal route. Back in 2002 the DC power was still the main stay power for the coal trains out of the Powder River, but a lone SD70MAC is tagging along on the rear.
Scanned Slide from September 2004.
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.
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.
Coal loads depart for Baltimore, MD from the yard at Cumberland, MD with a DC power set, a bit unusual on CSX, even in 2001. August 2001.
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.
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.
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 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...
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 19.12.2025
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 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!
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
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
Sweeping around an elegant curve beside the Thompson River, Vancouver bound grain loads sprint West in last light under a DC powered consist.
SLR Class :- M2
Manufactures Model :- G12
Introduction years :- 1954 to 1966
No of Locos :- 14
Loco Nos : 569-573 M2
591-593 M2a
594 and 595 M2b
626 and 627 M2c
628 and 629 M2d
Builder :- General Motors (G.M.D.)
State :- Canada and America
Prime Mover :- General Motors - G M V12 567 12C
Mode of Power transmission :- Diesel Electric (AC - DC Power Transmission )
Power :- 1425 hp
rpm :- 800
Weight :- 79 ton
Length :- 46' 9"
Wheel arrangement :- A1A-A1A (M2,M2a,M2b and M2d)
Bo-Bo (M2c)
Brake system : - Vacuum and Dynamic
Max speed :- 112 Km/h
Gauge : - 1676 mm
Type :- Locomotive
Purpose/Used line :- Main line Passenger and Freight train Not to run Matale and Kelani Valley line.
Gift from Colombo Plan aid.
M2c special designed for Upcountry (Colombo to Badulla) Rail track.
SLR purchased 02 Locos in 1966 from EMD plant America for Cement Transport (M2d 628 and 629).
All locos fitted train light system and fitted W1 cowcatchers at CME in 80’.
M2 572 use for “Ruhunu Kumari” Train inaugural run in 1955.
M2 572 use for “Udarata Menike” Train inaugural run in 23 April1956.
M2 571 Destroyed due to Bomb blast at Mullipathan in 04.10.1985
M2 570 Trapped KKS in 1990. because of Civil war transported to C.M.E. Ratmalana by ship in 1997. Back in service after repair in July 1998.
M2d 629 use for “Meena Gaya” Train inaugural run in 23 December 2004.
M2 591 Damaged by Tsunami waves at Pereliya in 26.12.2004. Back in service after repair in 26.12.2008
13 Locomotives are presently on Service.
M2s were named,
569 : Ontario
570 : Alberta
571 : Saskatchewan
572 : British Columbia
573 : Quebec
591 : Manitoba
592 : Nova Scotia
593 : New Brunswick
594 : Prince Edward Island
595 : New Foundland
626 : Montreal
627 : Vancouver
628 : Kankesanturai
629 : Galle
Information as at 13.10.2025
An empty Red Rocks train with a variety of DC power is running on the single track North Platte Sub near the north shore of Lake McConaughy, NE. It would be 3 more months before Union Pacific would take delivery of 9997-9999, the first AC4400CW's for the railroad.
5-20-1994
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 15.10.2025