QGRY - Quebec Gatineau Railway
View allAll Photos Tagged SD40-3
On a beautiful afternoon in North Dakota on August 30, 2018, Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western’s “wayfreight” crosses a tranquil Charlie’s Lake north of the town of Garrison. Powering the northbound train running to the Canadian Pacific interchange point of Max is SD50F Nos. 5408 and 5439 bracketing SD40-3 No. 6911.
On Tuesday, February 22, I took an extended lunch break to head to West Glacier to shoot the 16-hour late Empire Builder with two brand new ALC-42 locomotives (unfortunately behind a BNSF locomotive). Since the train was so late, I set up for a shot at the curve just east of West Glacier, a shot that is tough to get with the Builder even during the longest days of the year. But about 10 minutes after setting up, this snow dozer came by with a CSX SD40-3 leading and suddenly I forgot all about the window train with the broken Siemens locomotives...
CSX's office car train running as P001-23 is wrapping up a quick crew change on the main while a yard job pulls out of North Baltimore with a pair of rebuilt SD40-3's on the job. Soon the OCS will take off and hang a right at Galatea to head down the Toledo Branch. North Baltimore, OH 1/25/2022
Vivid carpets of northern Minnesota wildflowers form an vibrant foreground at Burnett, MN, for Canadian National train U71581 17, Minntac limestone loads rolling north towards the Iron Range on the Missabe Sub behind 4 proud examples of EMD muscle still exemplifying their top-notch versatility, the most junior of the foursome only one year shy of a half-century of service.
Before the SD70ACe's and even before the grey SD40-3's, this was standard fare on the NSM. The EMDX 40's blended in well with the NSM 40's at least.
It’s a beautiful fall morning on the range and the sun has been up for no more than an hour, as steamy Fairlane UTAC loads on U7199127 heads south for Canadian National’s Proctor Yard with an EMD trio of IC 6255 (SD40-3) CN 6017 (SD40u) and CN 5349 (SD40-2W). Seen here finding some of the first spots of sunlight along the Missabe Sub in Saginaw, MN, the train would eventually get dumped at Dock 6 in Duluth later in the afternoon. Taken: 9-28-21
The incredible depth of breathtaking Royal Gorge dwarfs a 16-car Royal Gorge Route Railroad passenger train as it negotiates tight, rocky confines along the Arkansas River near the old siding location of Gorge west of Cañon City, Colorado, on August 26, 2021. The view is looking straight down from the famous Royal Gorge suspension bridge that spans the chasm 955 feet above the river.
Three IC SD40-3s lead a loaded ore train out of fairlane to Proctor. After the previous day was pretty dull train wise, this was fun to chase.
Wisconsin & Southern's L464 heads west towards home in Madison, after making a run to Watertown to take care of Clausins Quality Chocolates. Here, they are crossing the Crawfish River in Hubbleton, with the setting sun adorning the flared EMD.
WSOR L464
WAMX 4223
Hubbleton,WI.
April 13, 2023
2 things that are no more - B&P powered empties on the MGA, and trains to load at Blacksville 2. But back in 2019, SD60M/I's that would replace the SD40-3's were nothing but a figment of imagination, and Blacksville 2 still was loading trains with regularity.
PTC eventually killed off the B&P power on these trains (which still do roam the MGA frequently to load, now with boring CSX power.) While Blacksville 2 shut down for good in 2021, being declared mined out.
I desired at least one cloudy day on the Escalante Western in order to pull off this angle, which would be backlit during any normal running hours. Our first day out there allowed for this, with ESWR 602 seen leading the coal shuttle back into Prewitt at the normal time of 1300L. It was snowing for about an hour here, but what little did remain on the ground was almost gone by the time the train arrived.
Carving out a spot along the shoulder on Hwy 33 was not an easy ask on this particular evening. Nobody works anymore.
The three oranges enter my fall vignette with some more limestone. It's been fun, DMIR. 10/10, will miss.
The distinctive nose of a DMIR tunnel motor leans into the curve at MP 26 and stares down the low-lying sun at Burnett, MN, powering empty ore jennies towards UTAC on Canadian National's Missabe Subdivision against a fiery backdrop of fall's golden splendor.
Canadian National SD40T-3 no. 903, SD40-3 no. 6013, and SD40T-3 no. 405 lead southbound train U71781 on the Missabe Subdivision at Alborn, MN on August 18, 2021.
A southbound Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western wayfreight passes through Wilton, ND on May 16, 2023, led by SD40-3 No. 6911.
ESWR's trio of SD40's are heading back to the power plant with 50 loads of coal. Taken from the Country Road 19 overpass on February 26, 2020 shortly after departing the coal mine.
Watch the 2019 and 2020 trip video at:
An improbable matched set of Bessemer tunnel motors (909, 904, 906) hustle 49 empty ore cars used to haul limestone to Minorca (U718).
Special Dutys on Saturday. Heading for the BNSF interchange near Sioux City with 50 loads of ethanol. A CN-WC-Alstom SD40-3 and a former KCS SD40 bracket an ex-UP-SP Tunnel Motor.
Progression of Power. After various demonstration tours of units of the four major builders at the time - ALCo, Baldwin, EMD and Fairbanks-Morse - dieselization of the Missabe started with EMD SW9 switchers and SD9 road units. SD9s began arriving in 1956 and were later supplemented with SD18s in 1960. Missabe's last purchase of diesels were twenty rebuilt SD40-3 units that started arriving the property in January 1996. Here an SD9 sandwiched between a pair Tunnel Motor rebuilds starts down the 1.8% grade of Steelton Hill on the Spirit Lake / Interstate Branch.
Under an insane dramatic storm cloud sky and after getting a fresh R921 yard crew at CN’s Proctor Yard, train U7198107 begins to descend the 1.8-2% grade of Proctor Hill with a duo of CN C40-8s (2039/2020), a IC SD40-3 (6256) and an SD40T-3 (DMIR 402). Seen here coming around the corner in full dynamics at the other side of “Spirit Mountain” in Duluth, MN with their train of loaded BFT (Blast Furnace) from the Minntac Mine at Mountain Iron, MN bound for Lake Head at Duluth, MN bellow Dock 6. Taken: 10-7-22.
Mornings on the Missabe can be quite magical with whatever weather rolls off Lake Superior and eventually makes it way up the hill towards the Iron Range, this being one of those breathtaking moments.
Canadian National SD40T-3 no. 903, SD40-3 no. 6013, and SD40T-3 no. 405 dump loaded ore train R92281 onto Dock 6 at Duluth, MN on August 17, 2021.
Wheeling's pair of Tunnel-Motors is assisted by an SD40-3 pulling 90 cars of interchange traffic out of Norfolk Southern's hump yard at Bellevue.
SD40-3 4001 ducks under the old wooden McKee Road bridge at Pittsburgh Junction, Ohio, on Aug. 12, 2017. The bridge was removed in November 2021, though it had been in rough shape and closed to traffic years before I took this photo.
Acting as a glorified shoving platform, the 328 conductor is on the 4001 toning radio switches and blowing the horn for crossings while the engineer is on a pair of CSX GE's on the other end shoving the train out of the Ohio River valley. Coming up from the CSX interchange at Benwood, they followed the river to Mingo Junction then took the P&WV west to Jewett, and finally east on the OHCR from Jewett for a handful of miles to the Nelms 2 mine north of Hopedale.
Climbing up a steep grade with 50 loads of ethanol. The town of Laurel is in the distance. A CN-WC-Alstom SD40-3 and a former KCS SD40 bracket an ex-UP-SP Tunnel Motor.
BLE 900 leads a train of steaming taconite pellets south to Proctor on this -10F below zero morning as it passes under the former DW&P line.
Full video at: youtu.be/a8Aq_G5IDlc
IC 6251 heads south through Zim in some nice storm light. I was pretty upset getting clouded out with the BLEs, but I think this more than made up for it.
Shortly after departure from Prewitt, NM, ESWR 603 and two siblings give it their all to get their 46 car train moving on BNSF's Lee Ranch Sub. During the last few weeks of operation, the coal shuttle ran once a day, Monday through Thursday to and from the Plant, with the last train reportedly running on the 29th of April. Luckily I was able to cover the entirety of the railroad quite well during the two weeks I spent there mid April. The set-up here was comprised of a 6-foot ladder on the roof of my Landcruiser, and an hour late departure around 0900L even allowed some light to hit the rear of the train!
A trio of BLE SD40-3s bask in a nice break in the cloud cover as they pull an empty limestone train into Duluth from Proctor Yard. The chase down Proctor Hill unfortunately didn't yield any sunny shots. But this was made up for later in the day.
BLE 906 comes around the bend about to glide under highway 37 with a mostly empty limestone train from U.S. Steel Minntac back to Proctor. #YBSNature21
With news that the Escalante Generating Station located near Prewitt would be closing by the end of the year, five years earlier than originally scheduled, I was glad to able to see this operation running one last time.
Watch the 2019 and 2020 trip video at:
J783 crawls up Botkins Hill and passes the signals at the north end of Botkins siding. With neatly 14000 tons on their drawbar, the SD40-2/SD40-3 combo are making sure everyone knows EMD's can still get the job done.
3 Buffalo & Pittsburgh SD40-3's take 120 loads of coal north out of Consol Energy's Bailey Mine at Time, PA. It only took 3 years of trying to get all the stars to align together, so as the saying goes... "persistence pays off."
I would've loved to been able to do this in the pre-powerlines era though...
M511 blasts off from Robb Avenue with a fresh crew under rapidly building fog.
Processed with Adobe Lightroom Denoise AI
Train: M511 with CSXT 8887 (SD40-2), CSXT 8051 (SD40-2), CSXT 4059 (SD40-3)
CSXT Toledo Subdivision
Lima, Ohio
CN U719 rolls north into Grand Lake, Minnesota on a perfect autumn afternoon with a trio of B&LE SD40T-3s.
A fun surprise trailer on the KCKNTW train was this Arizona and California SD40-3. Probably the best look at this railroad I will ever get. Nice that the sun came out too.
Early morning sun in certain area’s on the Missabe can be quite magical in terms of lighting conditions and weather. One of those times we had a dark blue stormy sky with zero rain the night before, making whatever rolled off Lake Superior linger until the morning hours making for a dramatic scene.
The color from the Maple’s are starting to pop in the Duluth - Proctor area, as train U7198107 heads off the Scale Track and enter’s CN’s Proctor Yard with mixed bag of GE’s and EMDs. A pair of C40-8s (CN 2039/2020), a SD40-3 (IC 6256) and a SD40T-3 (DMIR 402 lead the cut of back haul BFT (Blast Furnace) cars from the Minntac Mine at Mountain Iron, MN that would eventually have a straight shot down Proctor Hill and to Lake Head in Duluth for unloading once the R921 jumped aboard at the south end of Proctor Yard. Taken: 10-7-22
On August 30, 2018, the Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western’s “wayfreight” to the Canadian Pacific interchange point of Max, North Dakota, reflects in Charlie’s Lake north of Garrison powered by SD50F Nos. 5408 and 5439 spliced by SD40-3 No. 6911.
It was cloudy, rainy, misty, foggy, patchy, drab, and hazy. The weather could hardly make up its mind. Then in the end, the sun came out, and DMIR 405 departed Proctor and ducked under the MN Route 33 overpass at Saginaw with U716 and its 141 empty jennies for UTAC. A finale worth waiting for.
A foggy morning in Munger, Minnesota finds CN U717 rolling under the ex-DW&P with a repainted IC SD40-3 leading three other CN-painted motors.
CSX SD40-3 #4018 brings work train C018-14 across interstate 24 near Whiteside, TN on CSX's Chattanooga Subdivision.
With a train of steaming pellets from the Fairlane Taconite Plant in tow, DMIR 406 leads CN U71781-04 as it slowly makes its way into the yard at Proctor, Minnesota and rolls past a trio of IC SD40's on R921 waiting for a crew to head down to the docks.
====Info====
CN Missabe Sub
Proctor, MN
CN U71781-04 (Iron Ore Loads; Fairlane - Forbes, MN to Proctor, MN)
DMIR 406 SD40T-3 Ex. SP 6768 SD45T-2R, SP 9501, SP 9171 SD45T-2 Blt. 1972
CN 2028 C40-8 Ex. CREX 9051, UP 9051, CNW 8529 Blt. 1989
DMIR 409 SD40T-3 Ex. SSW 9280 SD45T-2 Blt. 1973
CN R92181-04 (Iron Ore Loads; Proctor, MN to Duluth Docks, MN)
IC 6260 SD40-3 Ex. IC 6153 SD40-2, IC 6763, BN 6763 Blt. 1976
IC 6264 SD40-3 Ex. IC 6147 SD40-2, IC 6756, BN 6756 Blt. 1976
IC 6254 SD40-3 Ex. IC 6143 SD40-2, IC 6752, BN 6752 Blt. 1976