View allAll Photos Tagged DistributedPowerUnit
With diesel exhaust billowing skyward, Kansas City Southern SD70ACe 4112 pours on the power as it shoves hard up a short but stubborn grade on CPKC’s undulating Pecten Subdivision. The unit is helping guide train no. 606 — a set of sulphur empties from Vancouver bound for Pecten — through the golden farmland of southern Alberta on a crisp autumn afternoon near Pincher Creek.
UP5578 pushes the end of a westbound coal train through Winfield, Illinois at Mile Post 28.10 of the Union Pacific Geneva Subdivision.
Nikon D5100, Tamron 18-270, ISO 200, f/11.0, 18mm, 1/100s
September 6, 2021: A BNSF AC4400CW GE engine sporting the H2 paint scheme performs rear DPU duty, as empty Norfolk southern coal train NS 733 heads down the Braswell Mountain grade near Rockmart, GA on the Norfolk Southern Atlanta-North District.
The distributed power units on the rear of eastbound loaded coal train 74W leans into the super elevated curve on Main 1 east of Princeton, Indiana, as westbound vehicle train 239 arrives on Main 2.
EMD SD70ACe BNSF 9115 brings up the rear of southbound unit train U-AUNBIR on the Thayer South SUb in Memphis.
Empty coal train NS 733 is westbound on the Norfolk Southern Memphis District with CP 6169 and BNSF 9759 as DPU's.
Rails buzz as BNSF 7699 shoves a mixed freight underneath the ex-Milwaukee Road searchlights at Hoffman West. In the distance, a Union Pacific train prepares to depart their small yard adjacent to Canadian Pacific's larger Pig's Eye Yard.
After a lengthy wait at Broadview for an ailing westbound that was slowed due to extreme winds on the open prairie, CPKC train no. 410 is finally on the move as the tail-end DPU, a surprisingly clean AC4400CWM 8210, splits the intermediate signals for Whitewood at Percival, Saskatchewan.
August 6, 2017: Norfolk Southern empty coal train NS 709 (Wansley, GA-Mt. Vernon, IL) heads back to the mine with a pair of EMD SD70ACe engines performing DPU duty, including the Savannah & Atlanta Heritage Unit, seen here passing through the rural countryside at CP Brice in Silver Creek, GA.
KCSM AC44CW #4526 is the better end of NS 29A as the tired GE shoves hard on the manifest end of this Atlanta bound combination intermodal and manifest train. My original plan was to flash the train here but getting sunshine is a good Plan B in my book.
Commemorative locomotive CSX 3194 was the rear DPU on the westbound Q015 seen leaving Connellsville, PA. It is very rare for this to come through here. The police station is actually located right behind the trees. Photo as seen in the September 2021 issue of Railpace Magazine.
April 2, 2018: Norfolk Southern empty coal train NS 739 heads back North passing the C-Line Junction at Seney, GA with a pair of BNSF EMD engines (SD70MAC, SD70ACe) performing DPU duty on the trip back to the mine.
DPU's BNSF 9006 & 9235 (SD70ACe's) bring up the rear of empty coal BNSF E MHSCAM 020A at KC Junction. The Scherer train came into Memphis as NS 733.
A new GEVO locomotive brings up the rear of a loaded coal train as it passes Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church in Slighs, South Carolina. CSX #940 is a DPU or distributed power unit. It can be controlled by the egineer on the head of the train.
BNSF 4039 shoves a westbound stack train along the frozen Mississippi River at Pepin, Wisconsin. The sun may be shining, but there won't be any swimming here today on this frigid January afternoon.
Knowing this train and its outward facing DPU I went back to lining up the shot I'd been waiting on much of the day. The grainer has almost completed it's turn off the south bank of the Snake River with its high crossing to tackle the rugged path along the Palouse River. The waters of the Palouse River are seen above the bridge, it empties into the Snake behind the bluffs at the right edge of the photo.
Once I had this shot in the bag I could tell the light had swung around more than I realized. The sun would be out of position by the time anything came south. September 3, 2023.
A westbound Union Pacific stack train passes the colorful cliffs west of Baskin, Utah, in scenic Echo Canyon on March 19, 2009. On the rear of the train and playing the role of a DPU is brand-new GE ES44AC No. 7375 on its first run west.
The DPU on loaded westbound loaded BNSF coal train streaks past the signal cantilever at East Siberia, CA, on a warm spring evening.
Some brakeshoe smoke rolls from underneath XCEX cars headed to Denver on a Union Pacific CEYPS unit coal train dropping downgrade through Rocky, Colorado, on the morning of February 9, 2015. In this view some exhaust from the mid train DPU is seen adjoining the house track, while the rear DPU glint some sunshine rolling off Little 10 Curve.
Norfolk Southern has been running a few monster trains lately. Freight train M2G came east through Cove (PT 116) on a perfect winter afternoon with two locomotives running DPU duty in the middle of this nearly 12,000 foot manifest.
A pair of BNSF Sd70ACe EMD engines bring up the rear of an empty Norfolk Southern coal train, as it powers Northbound through the scenic countryside of Seney, GA. As always, a cloud passed in front of the sun as this part of the train passed by. Story of my life.
Arguably the best angle in all of Parry Sound, one can view the entire town and miles surrounding from atop the old fire tower, now observation tower. Growing up seeing photographs of Canadian Pacific passenger and freight trains crossing this magnificent bridge in various Canadian railroading books I have always wanted to capture a photo of my own from this location. Although Canadian Pacific no longer runs the trains similar to those captured in Greg McDonnell's book 'Stand Fast, Craigellachie!', for instance, and southbound trains no longer run over this bridge (because of a Directional Running agreement), one can still occasionally get lucky if either CN or CP runs a lengthy train requiring DPU assistance. This is exactly what occurred in this photo, on a crisp July morning, a huge difference compared to the hot and hazy weather days prior. CN Q103 is seen soaring high above town with a hotshot stack train for the west coast, leading the train nearly a mile away is CN 8896, in the middle 2114 was shoving hard and doing the honours on the rear was IC 2698.
The DPU on the H-MEMGAL train is SD70ACe BNSF 8506 rolling through KC Junction, in Memphis, on the Thayer Souoth Sub.
The three-unit set of middle DPUs reflect some early morning sunshine on a Union Pacific CEYPS unit coal train dropping downgrade through Rocky, Colorado, on February 9, 2015. UP SD70ACe No. 8888 and GE AC4400CW No. 5609 lead the train of XCEX cars, and is assisted by two sets of DPUs.
CN 3228 was the Distributed Power Unit (DPU) at the end of the train. An older gentleman watching from the trail commented he counted 101 cars.
Pardon the title, I'm tired, un-caffeinated, and in need of sleep. Ferromex EMD SD70ACe 4070 shoves hard on the rear of NS 187 as the train slugs its way through Villa Rica on a dark and over cast evening. The train is on its way to Birmingham and running well but will fall afoul of the 671.6 DD just a mile or two ahead.
Got out to look for some Kansas City Southern Railway action while the snow is still hanging around.
Don't you just love it when the last DPU is facing you AND the headlight it on!?
Gotta get out there and see these Southern Belles before the merger with Canadian Pacific changes KCS forever.
The cantilever set of searchlights at Hope, Idaho was another spot I wanted to capture. With the pace of signal replacement on the east end of the railroad I worry they may be history by the time I return. It was an interesting taste of "home" to see a WC roofing granule hopper in use as a buffer car on this tank train. September 1, 2023.
Looking over the crossovers at Clay Spur as an empty rises over the ridge in the distance. I was in travel mode so part of this fleet of empties was observed and not recorded. September 9, 2023.
BNSF SD70ACe #8749 & Norfolk Southern CW44AC6M #4578 are the DPUs on the rear of Red Rock, OK bound coal (149 cars) at Santa Fe Junction in Kansas City, MO.
I followed the oil train west even though it was against the light. While not the preferred approach, there were a few spots I wanted to get so I did some DPU shots. The first at Noxon was one I'd eyed a couple times. I was just ahead of the train so thankfully didn't have to wait long. It is not an easy or relaxing place to shoot, while I didn't have to stand on the shoulderless roadway the perch on the guard rail wasn't much better. September 1, 2023.
CSX 3001 running as a DPU in the middle of a long train heading north over the Ohio River on the L&I RR Bridge. All 5 of the McAlpine Dam's upper Tainter gates were open partway flooding the fossil beds.
In the UK and Australia, these helper engines are called "Banking Engines" or "Bankers".
BNSF SD70ACe #8473 is the rear DPU on a southbound BNSF coal (115 cars) making the turn from the KCT North-South Corridor to the KCT East-West Corridor at Santa Fe Junction in Kansas CIty, MO. At Sheffield, this train will turn onto the Pittsburg Sub and head south. A KCSM grey ghost CW44AC and BNSF SD70ACe were the power up front.
GE C44-9W
BNSF 4157 & 4520 as the rear DPUs on a westbound intermodal.
Flagstaff, Arizona
April 7, 2019
GE C44-9W
BNSF 4157 & 4520 as the rear DPUs on a westbound intermodal.
Flagstaff, Arizona
April 7, 2019
A pair of unit trains found their way into this shot. On the left is what looked like a U706 (loaded) sand train and on the right was a U757 (empty) ore train. Just another day near the yard. For the record I think CN 5604 was an X588.
A pair of BNSF SD70ACes, #9093 & #8990, serve as DPUs on the rear of a southbound BNSF coal (135 cars) on the Ft Scott Sub at CP 30th in KCMO. This train is bound for James H Miller Power Plant in Palos, AL.
Yes, I said it, and it's true! The rear end of the 1-KOAMN-28 had a beautuful brand new SD70ACE. The new 70ACE provides additional power as it rolls through Dutch Flat at 18 MPH.
© 2013 Patrick Dirden Photography
All Rights Reserved
Back in October 2013 about the only distributed power units I saw on Norfolk Southern were on crude oils trains. Shown is a westbound on the Chicago Line lumbering through Olmsted Falls, Ohio.
NS 29A is on the final miles of its two day trip from Chicago, IL to Atlanta, GA. A rarity however is a end train DPU on the for this train usually caries its limited manifest block up front, if it has one.
However, the stars (and moon) aligned for this one as the nose out rear DP was a KCSM "Grey Ghost" AC44CW.
I was on my way to Costco on Interstate 35 and saw this train stopped on the Fort Scott Sub. When I saw this Ferromex unit, time for a detour. I had seen one or two of these before, but they were not shootable. On this day, I knew that would not be the case. BNSF SD70ACe #8544 and Ferromex ES44AC #4651 serve as DPUs inside a northbound BNSF empty coal train (144 cars) on the Ft Scott Sub at 25th St in KCMO.
My opinion on the Ferromex new paint scheme:
Absolutely, positively, outstanding. On a scale of 0-10, its a 10+ with me. Too bad its not leading and catching one of these leading around here is going to be almost impossible.