The Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway
View allAll Photos Tagged GP35
Eight vintage EMD locomotives lead Montana Rail Link’s 640 local out of Manhattan, Montana, on July 2, 1994. A trio of SD9s, a SD7, three GP9s and a GP35, are eastbound with the local, led by MRL EMD SD9 No. 601, former Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range No. 127.
We know everything turns to shit eventually, but in the time before that there are some amazing things that happen. Long the domain of GP35's, a pair of GP9's creak across the old wooden trestle that has seen decades and decades of change. The sun shining, peaceful burbling of the stream below and the sound of 567's echoing off the hills is something that years from now I will still remember. ETTS, probably here sooner than later, but until then I am going to enjoy the show and be thankful for the opportunity.
On May 7, 2012, Montana Rail Link's 844 local climbs the 2.2 percent grade through Big Antelope Creek Canyon at milepost 3 south of Sappington, Montana, on MRL's Sixth Subdivision branch line to Harrison. Pulling the five covered hoppers and caboose is former Rio Grande GP35 No. 405.
Montana Rail Link’s Laurel to Missoula manifest freight, called the LM back then, arrives at Montana, Montana, on October 7, 2005. Three MRL EMDs power the train—F45 No. 390, SD40 No. 215 and GP35 No. 402.
A healthy Montana Rail Link Schilling local crosses Moccasin Lane heading back to Missoula after switching the huge Frenchtown pulp mill on September 22, 2008. Unfortunately, the local doesn’t run out here anymore after the plant shut down on December 31, 2009.
Westbound 841 local along the Missouri River at Clarkston. The Milwaukee Road western extension main line once occupied the opposite bank of the river through here. MRL GP35 401 is one of a pair of ex-DT&I units on the MRL.
2012 A Decade Later:
Digging through the archives takes us back to a decade ago today - March 27, 2012. Wheeling & Lake Erie GP35 2662 leads a westbound train across Warner Viaduct and Zippay Road along the former P&WV.
A northbound Fox River Valley Railroad freight train passes through Kewaskum, Wisconsin, on September 24, 1989. All three of FRVRs GP30s and a GP35 lead the train past some of autumn’s offerings. Happy Halloween everyone!
In April of 2022, the flowering trees were still in bloom when the Wheeling's empty stone train from Carrolton popped out of Robertsville tunnel late on a Thursday evening. On this day, the normally slow 10mph trek through the tunnel was slower than normal as there was a maintainer on the other side of the tunnel watching the train over a broken rail at walking speed. Repairs made to the tunnel when the west end collapsed are clearly visible in this view.
Montana Rail Link’s MLAUMIS, also known as the LM, is heading through McQuarrie (between Clinton and Bonner), Montana, on October 7, 2005. The westbound train operating from Laurel to Missoula is powered by MRL EMD F45 No. 390, SD40 No. 215 and GP35 No. 402.
The Absaroka Mountains form a spectacular background for Montana Rail Link’s Livingston Local as it claws its way up the east side of Bozeman Pass on its way west to work customers on the other side of the mountain. The two former Rio Grande GP35’s are no strangers to mountain climbing and have the short train of mixed freight well in hand as they have for the many years they have been assigned to this job.
Yesterday’s heartbreaking news about the inevitable end of this treasured regional railroad has had me reminiscing on the day spent chasing this job during the first of two trips I have made to shoot the MRL. An abundance of photogenic trains, classic signal hardware, and spectacular western scenery made for a vacation-like experience comparable to nothing else.
A former Southern high-hood GP35 brings Wheeling 617 west through Temple Tunnel on the former P&WV catching some of the last bit of good sun on a beautiful March evening. Fallowfield Township, PA. 3/21/20
The Montana Rail Link's 841 Bozeman Local has come into town to work the Ag Depot's grain elevator near downtown Bozeman, Montana. A pair of GP35's are on the pull back towards the yard with two MRL covered hoppers in tow from this small industry.
====Info====
MRL 2nd Sub
Bozeman, MT
MRL Bozeman Local (Local; Bozeman, MT to Logan, MT Turn)
MRL 401 GP35 Ex. GTW 6353, DTI 353 Blt. 1964
MRL 405 GP35 Ex. DRGW 3047 Blt. 1965
The Harrison local arriving back into Sappington with a pair of GP35s. While the lighting is harsh the scenery is unreal.
On a fine Fall afternoon, a pair of Housatonic Railroad GP35 rebuilds head for North Canaan, Connecticut with the interchange from CSX in Pittsfield. It doesn't get much better than this on the former New Haven Berkshire Line.
A strange consist to be seen out on the mainline with a pair of GP38's along with a pair of B23-7's sandwiching a pair of GP35's was rolling across the bridge over the Colorado River at the Arizona, California border in December of 1991.
A westbound Norfolk & Western freight rolls through East Peoria in December 1983. Even though Southern Railway and N&W merged in 1982, not much has changed yet. The train is powered by EMD GP35 No. 1322 and EMD GP9 No. 662, both equipped with N&W’s standard high-short hoods.
Nice catch as 4 Ann Arbor GP35's scream their way up "Boon Hill" with southbound heavy tonnage off the car ferries on May 17, 1981.
Emerging from a cold winter fog is a southbound Illinois Central Gulf “slingshot” piggyback train led by Gulf, Mobile and Ohio GP35 No. 637. The train is rattling over the diamonds past BN Target tower (ground level shack) that protected ICG’s former GM&O Chicago to St. Louis main line with NS’s (N&W) Peoria line and Conrail's Pekin branch in March 1984. This location is near the old Bloomington Union Depot in Bloomington, Illinois.
Ever see things and go "Did that really just happen?!?!". Well I felt this way for this, WE 101, 102, 108 all GP35-3 lead 78 loads of ballast down the Union Railroad Mifflin Branch. The train with WE 956 crew, WE Road Foreman, URR Pilot, URR Road Foreman will run around its train in the "Class Yard" and run it into three sections to Clairton so they can access the WLE yard in Clairton on the Clairton branch. This move is a result of a bridge on the branch being completely rebuilt. The train is currently passing under the Allegheny County Airport as one of many planes makes a landing
A solo GP35 brings a solo hopper down the 2.2% grade of MRL's 6th Subdivision under threatening skies.
With the Bloomer Line’s leased GP35 rebuild locomotives, the plow extra makes their way out of Cropsey and are approaching the Hwy. 165 crossing. After a couple of weeks of building up, the giant drifts of snow were no match for these two locomotives!
A westbound Santa Fe manifest, powered by a half-dozen GP30’s and GP35’s, passes over the track that it will soon occupy after it navigates the Tehachapi Loop.
On September 23, 2008, Montana Rail Link’s Polson local crosses the wood trestle at Moiese, Montana. Unfortunately, the “Flathead Flyer” doesn’t run anymore…
35 Thursday. Again from the North Platte trip with my dad. A GP35 "pilot unit" heads up a train that probably came of the BN at Grand Island. An everyday GP35-F45-U30C-SD45 consist. I recall every time we got out of the car there was another headlight showing in either direction. Highway 30 at its best!
With the rear end of their unit Grain Train clear Control Point Pitt on the CN and all back on home rails, the four pack of EMD's are notched out to get the heavy train up to track speed. Three 35's and a 38 lead this days train making for a nice matched blue set.
Light snow falls as Western Maryland GP35 3580 leads train DJ12 here completing an air test before leaving Detroit. In the distance is the red signal for the diamond with the DT&I RR and the landmark Uniroyal tire can be seen in the distance alongside I-94. The train is heading for Toledo and onward into Pennsylvania, the evening of December 19, 1975.
Montana Rail Links’s 844 local just departed Logan, Montana, and stops for some work just west of town. After tying down their train on the Fifth Sub main, the two GP35s head up a spur to a petroleum facility to fetch some empty tank cars spotted there.
A Reading GP35 leads an eastbound Conrail manifest into the cut at Bennington Curve on the former Pennsylvania main line. Because they retained their Reading numbers in the Conrail numbering scheme, many of the Reading GP35’s got patched or repainted late in the game. This one has been in the shops – the silver box on the walkway in front of the engineer houses cab signal equipment that allows the unit to lead on former PRR lines.
Two Conrail E44s lead four RF&P GPs on an eastbound freight over the Western Maryland Railway just outside of Hagerstown MD sometime in 1978. No, you read that correctly. E44 electrics led RF&P units over the Western Maryland-sans catenary. This was some sort of reroute of which I do not know the reasons for. Apparently the electrics were able to lead even without the overhead juice. Likely the crew enjoyed how quiet the ride was.
Kodachrome by Ray Slagle
A Palmetto Railway train led by pair of EMD GP35s entering State Junction Yard Limits for interchange with CSX. Location-Cordesville, SC.
South of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, a Soo Line freight attacks the grade up Byron Hill on March 22, 1987. This was in the colorful Lake States era on this portion of the original Soo Line, with this train rating two Soo GP9s and a leased Conrail GP35.
Good friend and savior of the 35's, Judd stands in front of a couple of his locomotives that are resting inside the Owosso shops. Judd has been a big pusher to keep the GP35's up and running and bringing them out of the deadlines to provide the railroad with reliable power and save the railroad the cost of trying to replace them with over priced four axles from today's outrageously priced markets
Reading SD45 (7601) and B&O GP35 (3509) and B&O GP40 (4017) by the roundhouse, serving this LV/Reading facility. The B&O was tied in with the Reading, which I think they owned.
A cyclone of chaos and turmoil on the GLC lead to a rare early morning southbound out of Clare, Michigan on this crisp September day. A GP35/SD40-2/SD35 consist boogies south near Rosebush, Michigan on the former Ann Arbor with an ONTN bound for Owosso.
W&LE 109, a former high hood Southern GP 35 leads the Carrolton local out of Robertsville tunnel directly into the setting sun that had dropped below the cloud deck from Hurricane Ian on an otherwise beautiful October 3, 2022.