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The Grand Trunk Huuritage unit made it's first visit to Edmonton Alberta today, although it had to buck a winter storm to get here! With a new crew on board CN 8952 heads west with train M347
The Erie Railroad Norfolk Southern Heritage Locomotive paid a visit to Northern California in April 2023. To the delight of foamers, NS 1068 led the westbound MROMI, Roper Yard (Salt Lake City) to Milpitas, CA manifest. With brilliant afternoon light and plentiful snow, the westbound cruises through Yuba Pass, CA.
BTW, missed all of you and look forward to catching up on what I've missed!
The westbound MROMI, led by the Norfolk Southern Erie Heritage Locomotive, passes through Rocky Point, CA in the late afternoon light.
A loaded BHP Billiton ore train cruises around a curve between Shaw and Garden with 4420,4485 and mid train units 4440,4457 on 21-6-15. Built by Progress Rail in 2013, 4420 hasnt been named.
With 128 wagons of iron ore and 11200 hauled tonnes it could be though to be too much for one loco, but two more are bringing up the rear as distributed power.
Perfect late afternoon sun highlights Aurizon Bulk Central's train 9612 from Wirrida to Whyalla as it passes the locale of Lincoln Gap, less than an hour from its destination. South Australia's Flinders Ranges dominate the background.
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Progress Rail operate a good number of plants throughout America. This one situated in a far flung corner of Wyoming at Rock Springs specialises in freight car repairs.
The subject under the threatening sky is a 1954 relic. The GP9 now rebuilt as a GP10 wears the Progress Rail colours and number 401. It seems as though this is a camera shy locomotives as I have only been able to find a couple more photographs online. Then again it was quite a drive to get to this site.
128 wagons of iron ore and 11200 hauled tonnes could be too much for one loco, but there are two more out of sight bringing up the rear as distributed power.
On Monday 24 April 2023, GWB103 heads Aurizon Bulk Central's train #9612 from Wirrida to Whyalla as it approaches the Stuart Highway overpass, just outside Port Augusta, South Australia.
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I made the trek south to Calgary on November 11th for the unveiling of CP's Military tribute units, but there was another opportunity to be had as well. Word on the street was CP train 112 had arrived at Field BC in the morning of the 11th with Script painted SD70ACU #7010 leading. Since I had yet to see or shoot one of these units, three of us bailed out of CP's Ogden shops and headed west to intercept 112. The first location turned out to be my best shot of the day, which doesn't always work out that way!
No, its not Morants Curve, its a better location not too far to the east of the Iconic yet overgrown curve. Near Mile 100 of the Laggen Sub, there's a view point called Storm Mountain that provides a decent location to shoot eastbounds.
CN 8952, painted in Heritage colors of the Grand Trunk Western, leads M347 over the Pembina River at Entwistle Alberta
A side note to this shot, local railfan Rob popped his cherry by doing the "Pembina River Bridge Guardrail Challenge" to get a shot here. The conventional way to shoot this location is to walk out onto the Highway 16 bridge, hug the guardrail and prey a semi doesn't clean you off of the spot or worse, one of the local Rozzers stops and asks you to leave!
Rob's Shot:
The Vulcan Materials plant loading limestone into some gondolas for interchange with the CN. I have never seen gondolas on the property until this day. Was neat to see them loading the hoppers by the CAT machine.
4402 built by Progress Rail in Muncie in 2013, leads 4400 and mid train units 4363,4347 on a loaded ore train through Cowra on 20-6-15.
4402 has not been named
CP SD70ACU #6644 leads a unit canola meal train down into the valley at Gwynne Alberta. Painted to commemorate the June 6 1944 Allied invasion of France, the unit definitely stands out from the rest of the fleet!
On UP's Roseville Subdivision, nothing comes easy. Especially for the heavy eastbound drag freights that battle the mountain daily. Its always a struggle between too many tons and too little horsepower. It always makes for a long, hard day for the crews. For the railfans, it's endless entertainment. Witness the eastbound MFRNP (Fresno to North Platte Manifest), struggling to maintain 10 mph as it rolls through Casa Loma. Engines screaming, sand blowing...it's a hell of a show!
One of the first to be released to traffic of what will eventually be sixteen members of GBRf's class 69 conversions, unit 69002 'Bob Tiller CM&EE'; stands at Tonbridge West Yard awaiting its next turn of duty.
Converted by Progress Rail at their Longport facility in Staffordshire, each locomotive is a substantial rebuild from a class 56 unit (aka 'Grid') released to traffic in the period 1976-1984.
The story behind the conversions is that GBRf, the owners, were looking for more locomotives offering similar performance to the class 66s which, since 2010, could no longer be purchased as they were deemed non-compliant with National Technical Specification Notices. As a consequence it was determined that converting an existing locomotive would prove to be more cost effective than designing and buying something completely new. The 69s include many similar control systems, as well as the same power plant, as that used in the class 66s.
In the case of 69002, the rebuild was from 'Grid' 56311 which was released to traffic in 1979 as unit 56057 fresh out of Doncaster Works.
Rather than take this shot over the footbridge rail, I opted to take it through the grid mesh as a spin on the narrative. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but........
4.10pm, 25th March 2024
Background info courtesy of Wiki
One of the last remnants of the friendly is gone. On November 23rd, the iconic Southern Pacific era searchlight signals guarding the entrance to Norden were decommissioned. The classic 1920's era signal bridge is now retired. In its place are standard vader tri-light signals. I regret not returning to get one final shot of these beauties. Here, on a July afternoon earlier this supper, UP 3079 leads an eastbound manifest under the classic signal bridge and searchlights. Farewell old friend.
NS 911 West with 37A waits for clearance to proceed up the hill in some sweet golden hour lighting. Altoona, PA.
Another spot I am now able to access on the Roseville Subdivision is the tunnels above Cisco. It's a nice two-mile hike from the trailhead at Big Bend along old US 40. From the top of the tunnels, one can spot trains approaching from Tamarack to the east and Crystal Lake to the west. Here, UP 8963 leads the eastbound ZLTG2 (Lathrop, CA to Global Two, Proviso Yard, Chicago Expedited Intermodal) pulling along track one towards the crest of the Sierra crossing at Norden, ten miles away.
© 2025 Patrick Dirden Photography
All Rights Reserved
One train per day brings ores from the Toquepala and Cuajone mines to the port city of Ilo, where they are processed
and loaded onto ships. We made the late first train east of Ilo. For the next 30 kilometers the train has to roll down over 800 meters towards the Pacific.
Taken by a drone.
KCS 4006 for the third week in a row leading MVNKC North on a Saturday in Central IL. This train runs from Venice, IL to the KCS Murray Yard in Kansas City. Here he is leading the train North through the small town of White Hall, IL on the KCS Godfrey Sub. As it is very visible the train had two of the Progress Rail SD70ACE-T4 units trailing. KCS has a handful of these units scattered across their system.
Recently rebuilt GP40-3 #7601 (rebuilt from a GP38-2) and Slug #601 await their first assignment in CN's Dunvegan (Edmonton) yard. For a 2 week period, the pair were used to train recently hired conductors in switching and BeltPack operations in the former Northern Alberta Railway yard.
Brand new SD70Ace locos 4479,4478 with older mid train bankers 4330,4396 lead a loaded BHP Billiton Iron Ore train to Port Hedland through the Chichester Ranges on 21-6-15
Metrolink F125 910 leads a late-morning train into the Claremont station on a sunny February day. You wouldn't know it was still winter with the perfectly clear sky and warm temperature. Further down the platform, a passenger gives a "friendly gesture", not sure if it was directed at me or another passenger.
3DA2 Intermodal from Darwin with locos GWB102,ALF20 are about 30kms North of Manguri as they make a stop to pump in fuel from the in line fuel tank as well as a crew change on 25-8-21
NYAR RS91 rumbles through Queens interlocking behind one of two Progress Rail-built PR20Bs on the roster leading an MP15 and a healthy cut of mixed freight from Pine Aire. Queens is one of a dwindling number of interlockings on the LIRR that is both protected by PRR-style position lights and controlled by a tower (seen in the background just to the left of the signal bridge). A large number of LIRR signal bridges and at least one tower were removed when the mainline was triple tracked east of Queens all the way to Divide (Hicksville).
The sun glints off 3AD1 intermodal service to Darwin at Impadna as locos GWB101,ALF24,FQ0. wait in the crossing loop for an opposing movement late on the afternoon of 12-2-20
A pair of Eco rebuilt units hustle the daily way freight east near Cranbrook BC. At one time the local travelled north on CP's Windermere Sub out of Fort Steele, but in recent years the crew has started their day 42 miles to the west at Tochty. The move, IIRC was part of CP's plans to shut down the yard at Cranbrook, with traffic now marshalled at either Fort Steele or the small pocket yard at Tochty
4DA2 with GWB101,ALF20 on the Darwin intermodal has pulled up on the branch line at Tarcoola waiting for a cross on the morning of 3-9-20
PeruRail operates in corporation with Belmond Ltd. the Belmond Andean Explorer. On time per week between Puno and Cusco and one time between Arequipa and Cusco via Puno. We could catch the Puno train near La Raya Pass at about 4000 meter.
After spending some time as a training unit for new conductors, rebuilt GP40-3 #7601 and companion slug #601 have settled into a new assignment as the Bissell switcher. Paired with GP40-2W #9601, the now trio work one of the industrial spurs in the north west section of Edmonton Alberta
NS SD70ACe 1072, painted in the eye-catching Illinois Terminal livery and lovingly dubbed the "Glow Worm," pushes on the rear of NS manifest 120 as it slowly crawls eastbound down the NS Kansas City District just over a month after NS 1072's debut from Norfolk Southern's Juniata Shops in fresh paint.
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Kansas City, Missouri, USA
September 7, 2025
Canon EOS 60D
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS
What better description to give a 175 car, 14K+ long intermodal train? Union Pacific's ZLTG2 train on April 10th was a monster. Thankfully, UP gave the train sufficient power to traverse the stiff grades of the Sierra Nevada range. In addition to the three motors up front, there were four additional units helping this train (two 100 cars back, and two on the rear) Here, at the Rawhide Crossing east of Alta, CA, the train is below track speed, but maintaining a good 18-20 MPH speed.
Running through the location at Garden with a loaded ore train heading to Port Hedland to unload are SD70ACE locos 4473,4397 and mid train units 4480,4354 on 21-6-15
CP 7019 South climbs the grade approaching Balzac Alberta. The urban sprawl that is Airdrie can be seen in the distance
B791 slowly glides over US 151 as the sun rises, giving nice morning golden hour light. Not only was the light good, but so was the lash up, being powered by CN SD75IACC 8312, C44-9WL 2501 & SD70M-2 8874
GWB102,ALF22+3+GWA006,GWA002 have pulled up for a crew change at Snowtown while working 3DA2 service into Adelaide on 30-5-21.
The rear 2 locos and crew van were attached at Port Augusta
The invasion stripes on the side of SD70ACU #6644 warn motorists on Highway 13 as the big SD departs the Cargill Plant near Camrose Alberta
I went out to shoot some fall color, and ended up finding a different shade of yellow.
EMDX SD70ace-T4 #7219 trails on westbound CN Train M311 at Carvel Alberta.
The 7219 is one of four units currently on the property. The last time I shot these units was in 2020, with CN passing on any orders at the time.
KCS 4006 & company making a pick up in Roodhouse, IL before they attach back onto their train and continue their trek to Kansas City from St. Louis. Here they are shoving past a pair of KCS GP38’s that are based out of Roodhouse for the local power there.
What I presume ti be NS 338 north of the Rock Hill yard has nNorfolk Southern 6712 on lead in 2003. It was an EMD SD60 built in 1989 for Conrail as CR 6858. Norgolk Southern sold it to rogress Rail in late 2019. This image was taken with an an Elan 7 and was scanned from a sliide.
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation’s premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 19,300 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia
UP 8829 leads an interesting intermodal train through a snow filled Soda Springs. Almost half of the train contained baretables.
The MOGRV (Ogden, UT to Roseville, CA Manifest) passes through the tiny community community of Blue Canyon, CA,
Southern Peru Copper Corporation operates two open-pit copper mines. Both are connected by a railway line to the smelter, refinery and port in Ilo. We took some photos of the second train of the day to Ilo at the Atacama desert.
Taken by a drone.
It's late afternoon on a brisk autumn day in November 33008 and a two train meet is taking place at Assembly Street in Columbia, Souh Carolina. The conductor for the outgoing train is ready to perform his run-by inspection of the incoming train. NS 8397 was a GE C40-8W built in 1993 for Conrail as CR 6191 and sold to Progress Rail in 2019.