View allAll Photos Tagged F45
The engineer of an eastbound leans out to grab orders at Mississippi Street Tower in St. Paul on Nov. 6, 1976 - 31 years ago. This is the only shot I ever got of this tower. Behind the 6610 is SD45 6533 and F45 6644.
BN F45’s at East Skykomish
This is the Burlington Northern Railroad I grew up with. Dreary, gloomy, cool weather that was always bordering on drizzle or worse, a full on downpour for hours and hours until darkness. In the winter months the light was gone, if there was any, by 4:00PM, but honestly the light began to fade a little after three. The Cascade Green locomotives even if they were clean, but they usually weren’t, disappeared amongst the evergreen forests in the overcast, dismal weather. One could understand why the State of Washington for a period of time required a flashing yellow beacon on the lead locomotive to help with visibility. The nose striping sure helped but as an engineer friend once remarked, “if they can’t see the headlight they sure as hell aren’t going to notice the nose stripes!”
Four F45’s on one train?!? You’ve got to be kidding me?
A manifest train, BN 6645 East originated at Seattle’s Interbay Yard, had a pick up at Lowell, the connection to and from the ex-Great Northern’s Delta Yard in Everett, WA. After their work the train proceeds due east up the Snohomish River Valley with a river grade up to the aptly named location known as Startup, a wide spot in the road between Monroe and Goldbar. At Baring this train met a westbound train and their sole power was a single F45. Huh! That’s kind of odd. After the Baring meet, BNSF 6645 East continued to Skykomish and the train’s tonnage was such that it required helpers to be cut into the train. What was the power you might ask? Two more F45’s! A conversation was overheard on the scanner with the train crew asking, “where’s all the good power?” I thought, Damn! Four F45’s on the head end and two more F45’s as mid-train helpers is pretty good power. During this era the favored power amongst the crews was a mixture of SD45’s and SD40-2’s and was what most trains were powered with. Anything else such as six F45’s on one train would be considered exotic!
With the helper power cut-in and the set and release complete, BN 6645 East launches out of the siding at Skykomish, thundering over Airport Crossing and beginning the assault of the 2.2% grade over Stevens Pass that begins in earnest right at the East Siding Switch Skykomish. Watching this train depart Skykomish while assaulting my senses, was a sight and sound to behold!
This is the Burlington Northern I remember. The gray overcast skies were typical. It wasn’t pretty, but for what it lacked visual stimulation, it made up for it with true grit and braun! And the reason I continued to go back even when the weather forecast was less than appealing. You never knew what kind of jewels you might discover.
F45 is on an Hotham Valley Railway (HVR) tour to Dwellingup prior to departure from Perth Railway Station in October 1981. Photo: Jim Bisdee.
A coal train loaded at the Hiawatha loadout. Passes a new coal tower being built at Wattis. The combo of F45's would only last the rest of this month, as a pure set. Ex SP SD45's would come on the scene, and relegate the F45's to B units and helper engines. I was riding shot gun with dad on this day, as an eight year old. (Tom Ellis photo)
This gem of my dads, can be found published in Crossroad of the West. I can proudly say I was along for the ride that day, riding shot gun as an 8 year old. I was warming left over KFC on the roof. My dad bought a 1985 Bronco II, it was his first 4x4. We did a lot of exploring in that little Bronco.
Zeiss Ikon Novar-Anastigmat 11cm f4.5 (adapted medium format camera lens from about 1939) + Canon RP. Lens wide open.
Montana Rail Link ( MRL ) Eastbound Day Gas Local R-MRL809 comes into Missoula, MT. with a pair of MRL F45's in charge, that year in 2004 was a drought year in Montana & there were fires causing the filtered light, me & my friend Mike Dixon got smoked, but during the early part of the chase we got better sun around Ravalli & Arlee, MT. I apologize for uploading a photo that isn't perfectly lit like I usually upload, but this is the only time I ever photographed MRL's F45's together.
The demise of Montana Rail Link F45 No. 390 has been greatly exaggerated! Just before scrapping was to take place, someone bought the 390 from Progress Rail. It is not known who at this time, but I'm just glad it won't be part of my next shave. On October 15, 2000, Montana Rail Link's LM (Laurel-Missoula Manifest Freight) rolls through Louisville, Montana just east of Helena, on MRL's 2nd Subdivision. This was the only time I saw 3 F45s on a train.
In May 1987 a pair of BN F45’s (#6626 and #6631) are found sitting on a storage track at Burlington Northern’s shops at West Burlington, IA. They appear to be waiting a call to return to service that unfortunately will never come. In fact the Burlington Northern retired both units in 1986. Both units were built by EMD for the BN in April 1971. In the 1980’s as a result of ongoing high diesel fuel prices, the BN retired and sold their fuel guzzling 20 cylinder diesel SD45 and F45 models while many older locomotives continued to labor on for the railroad. Note that the #6631 has had its windows painted over rendering the unit incapable of being a leading locomotive on a train.
Brian Carlson and I drove a white knuckle 1.5 hours from my parents to Savanna in soupy fog after hearing IMRL 393 leading 112's train early one morning. The early morning sun was attempting to burn off that fog that hung all morning in the Mississippi River Valley at Savanna.
Here's 393 banging over the switch at Plum and throttling up for a climb up Red Barn Hill.
35mm slide scanned by Trainboy.
10-09-1999
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Mamiya C330 S and Sekor 55mm f/4.5
Bergger Pancro 400 developed in Rodinal (1:50)
Two Wisconsin Central F45's, back to back, the way they should always be run, depart Glandstone, MI with a transfer to Escanaba, MI. This was a train of boxcars, called "Paper Not Sold". Basically full boxcars of paper products from the local Mead plant that had yet to find buyers. The cars were going to Escanaba to open up yard space at Gladstone. And of course, Back To Back was one of my favorite Replacements songs. Probably played on the way back home from here.
MRL Eastbound Day Gas Local R-MRL809 passes through Arlee, MT on their way back to Missoula, MT after working a gas company in Thompson Falls with a pair of MRL F45's in charge, sadly these were retired from MRL the year after this visit in the mid 2000's, sure wish MRL had kept these in service for my next visits in 2008 & beyond but MRL is still decent even today, during this visit their were lots of forest fires from a drought causing the air to be smokey is why it looks hazy
Burlington Northern Railroad F45 6626 at Cicero, Illinois on an unknown day in October 1980, Kodachrome by Chuck Zeiler. Sorry, I forgot the cable filter. Number 6626 was built for the BN in April 1971 (c/n 37166) and retired in June 1986. At least one class light worked, or was shorted out, I don't know which.
The abandoned LTE at McDonald still has the super cool shit that they didn't scrap for one reason or another.
Stanton could be the next big thing in MLB. He is playing for the Jacksonville Suns, the Florida Marlins' AA team. He currently leads US professional baseball in home-runs.
During the beautiful last light of August 16, 1995, Montana Rail Link's LM (Laurel-Missoula Manifest) crawls up 2.2 percent grade of Mullan Pass at Austin, Montana, with a gleaming F45 No. 391 in the lead.
WC 6654 and 3017 cross State highway M-123 at Trout Lake as they head east with ESSOA, the ore loads. The ex DSS&A used to cross the former Soo just across the highway between the two poles on the far side of the road. The track visible to the right of 6654 is the connector to the Ex DSS&A to Newberry and beyond. It was seldom used in later SOO/early WC days due to its condition. Most crews decided it was much safer to use the SW wye behind the depot to back out of the yard on the line toward St. Ignace and then proceed over the diamond and head west towards Marquette. Before the diamond was removed WC replaced literally every tie on the NE wye to the right of 6654 and re-laid it with ribbon rail. 7-14-97
MRL Eastbound Day Gas Local R-MRL809 passes through Evaro, MT on their way back to Missoula, MT with a pair of F45's in charge, these were retired the next year after this photo was made in summer of 2004 so glad to have captured these before their retirement
Burlington Northern Railroad F45 6607 and SW1200 235 at Cicero, Illinois on an unknown day in June 1980, Ektachrome by Chuck Zeiler. The units headed by 6607 had just cut off its train and were backing to the locomotive facilities at Clyde.
MRL Eastbound Day Gas Local R-MRL809 rumbles through Ravalli, Mt. with a pair of MRL F45's in charge heading back to Missoula, Mt. after working a gas company in Thompson Falls, Mt.
On one of the coldest mornings that I’ve ever railfanned, Susquehanna F45 3638 idles near the engine house in Binghamton, New York. By Alaska or North Dakota standards, 14 below is not unusual, but it was a shock for me to feel numbness after taking off my gloves for a few minutes to operate the camera.
New York Susquehanna & Western F45 3636 with C636 3660 at the Syracuse Armory Square Ontrack station in 2006.
Another view of the Amethyst deceiver group I found two weeks ago. I liked the afternoon lighting but it was a bit harsh for macro, so I used the plastic bag i take to kneel on as a diffuser to create the softer lighting.
Tasty in risottos I've heard..
#MyAutumn
For a short time MRL ran a turn from Helena to Garrison to grab the interchange traffic there. I think this may have been one of those (either that, or it's the Laurel-Missoula manifest). On August 16, 1995, F45 no. 391 leads the train westbound at Tobin, in the late afternoon. Helena, Montana's capital, is in the distance.