View allAll Photos Tagged SW1500
The weekly Conrail power move from Reading to Enola approaches its destination as it crosses the Rockville Bridge. This assemblage of local power from Reading, usually predominated by former Reading SW900’s, SW1500’s, and MP15’s, could also include GP10’s, GP15-1’s and GP38’s. These locos were mostly assigned to five-day a-week jobs, and were serviced at Enola on the weekends. This day’s lineup included eight SW900’s, an MP15, a GP38-2, a GP15-1, and an outlier SD50.
CSX SW1500 1101 was parked in Riverside yard in 1995. Built in 1970 for the Louisville and Nashville, the 1101 was no stranger to grey paint.
At the time, CSX was no longer "painting" its locomotives in the solid grey "Stealth" scheme since no one could see it.
CSX added yellow ends in an attempt to help such bland things to be seen.
In a twisted way, the 1101 was flaunting itself in front of the National Federation for the Blind.
Isn't it ironic? Don't you think?
After interchanging with the BRC at Commercial Avenue, the Short Line backs over the Calumet River at CP 509 as a stack train for Calumet descends down the Belt connection into Rock Island Junction. Due to a lack of a crossover between the CSL and the Belt, the Short Line has to shove out of its yard in South Chicago, pull off the CSL connection across 509, shove back across 509, and pull onto the Belt connection to get to Commercial Ave. The back-and-forth routine is repeated after the CSL is done at Commercial.
Would've been so much simpler if the B&OCT bridge never got knocked up.
Madison Railroad 3 tugs a cut of hoppers across their own railroad after retrieving them from CSX. The 3, an EMD SW1500, was built in May of 1970 for the TP&W before finding its way to NASA. Still wearing the paint it donned to shuffle cars around Cape Canaveral, this switcher can be found occasionally on Madison Railroad trains. Also of note, the tilt and CPL signals in North Vernon met their maker earlier this year.
The trailing SW1500 on QARG-17 lets out a big puff of smoke as the southbound Reading-bound train dissects the town of New Ringgold.
Sandersville RR's Deepstep Job goes about swapping empties for loads at Kentucky-Tennessee Clay, just outside of the RR's namesake city.
SW1500 NSHR 1946 leads four loads along the West Branch Susquehanna River toward Cargill in Winfield, Pa. The smokestack in the background is part of Bucknell University, presumably for the campus heating plant. Lewisburg, Pa
The Shamokin Valley crew returns back to the yard in Northumberland, passing over the Susquehanna River through truss bridge on the Buffalo Line. Leading the way is an SW1500 in North Shore's sharp EL style paint.
Three Cliffs engines raise hell in Lakefront Yard as they drag a loaded NS coal train into the Indiana Harbor Works passing a pair of resident NS GP38-2s.
It's business as usual on this fine spring afternoon at Wisconsin Central's Shops Yard, as SW1500, 1556 goes about it's switching duties.
WC 1556
Shops Yard
N. Fond du Lac, WI.
Spring 1989
The Short Line rolls through Whiting, Indiana behind two maroon and gold endcabs heading home to South Chicago with mill gondolas and coils from Cleveland Cliffs.
A Kansas City Southern yard job shuffles a string of boxcars around at the west end of Knoche Yard, the joint KCS and Canadian Pacific yard in Kansas City, MO.
A former Santa Fe GP30 and an SW1500 make for an odd pair as they bring the QARG-17 south through Molino.
A Prairie Line SW1500 pulling cars from the Budweiser plant on an early morning in St. Louis. I’m looking forward to shooting this job again someday.
Fordyce & Princeton (ex-CRI&P) SW1500 1504 trundles along the heavily wooded right-of-way leading to its one customer for today (and most days), the Georgia Pacific OSB plant just south of Fordyce, Arkansas, and only a mile or two ahead.
Although the crew is running out of time due to other commitments, they'll safely complete their trip down and back since it's not far. Luckily, they got out of Fordyce before the shadows completely consumed the scene at this, the only public crossing (overpass) between town and GP.
This appears to be a once-a-week thing, and apparently only on Thursdays, which was the reason I started off my week-long expedition the previous Sunday by heading due west instead of south into Arkansas.
A pair of year-old SD50’s teams with an SW1500 to lead a Conrail train out of Reading at Belt Line Junction.
Another failed attempt at the Shamokin Valley at least saw the Union County Industrial run from Northumberland to Winfield, Pa. North Shore SW1500 1946 leads four loads along the West Branch Susquehanna River toward Cargill in Winfield. Lewisburg, Pa
BNSF's H MADGAL 1-01 works its way through "WR Tower" interlocking at Granite City, IL, exiting TRRA trackage for a run up UP/KCS Springfield Main 2 to the UP Pana Sub at Lenox Tower. In trail are "The" Prairie Line (TPLX) SW1500 1001 (inexplicably hand-renumbered from 1002; now matching TPLX MP15DC 1001) and GP30 2007. The TPLX power is headed to Iowa on lease.
Thanks to MM for the TPLX info, WR for the train symbol, and western wildfires for the crappy haze.
On March 25, 1979 in Rochester, NY, Conrail SW1500 9579 is on the West end of what could have been a really cool all Alco consist if it was removed. RS11 7601 and RS32's 2035 & 2040 make up the rest of this set of power that was most likely for the train to Kodak and Charlotte. Here is a look at it from the other end with 2040: www.flickr.com/photos/85501582@N03/13994525644/in/album-7...
After pulling across Hick for headroom, the Short Line returns to home rails with an SW1500 bringing up the rear at 503.
After a torrential downpour and hail storm that nearly flooded businesses in downtown Gladstone and Escanaba, a numerical pair of Sconsin’ Central SW1500’s are seen working the remote-controlled job at the south end of the yard.
Switchers on Saturday. Alexander RR SW1500 no.11 blasts off toward the NS interchange at Statesville after switching customers outside of Taylorsville.
The Short Line pulls mill gondolas out of the BP Lead over Hick before returning to home rails. Most of the gondolas will go to Indiana Harbor West, the former Youngstown side of the Cleveland Cliffs mill complex in East Chicago.
A Kansas City Southern SW1500 has a string of boxcars in tow as it waits to head back to Knoche Yard after working the industrial park north of the yard in Kansas City, Missouri.
====Info====
KCS Pittsburg Sub
Kansas City, MO
Unknown Symbol (Local; Kansas City, MO)
KCS 4349 SW1500 Ex. KCS 1529 Blt. 1971
IHB 119 runs light across Bridge 631 towards the BP Whiting refinery. Bridge 631 was a Scherzer rolling lift bridge built in 1913 to take the EJ&E Whiting Branch over the Indiana Harbor Canal.
Lower Lake's Cuyahoga navigates the twists and turns of the Cuyahoga River. The classic ship is seen passing under Bridge Four which is owned by the now-shuttered Flats Industrial Railroad. FIRR's SW1500 can be seen near the base of the bridge.
After interchanging with the CP and picking up 6 loads of lumber and drywall, Progressive Rail SW1500 34 rolls east through Bloomington, Minnesota as it heads up the Dan Patch Line south of the Twin Cities. These cars are bound for the MacArthur Co. building supply store served by an industrial branch off the line.
====Info====
PGR Dan Patch Line
Bloomington, MN
Unknown Symbol (Local; Bloomington, MN)
PGR 34 SW1500 Ex. PGR 2347, SOU 2347 Blt. 1970
In September, 2005, a short train comes through Lancaster. The crew will get on former Southern Railway tracks and shove back to the AmeriSteel plant on Riverside Road.
After ducking into Savannah yard to allow the passage of Amtrak 89, Rail Link's Georgia Port Authority transfer train Z102 eases south onto the wye at Alabama Junction behind a pair of vintage EMD SW1500 switchers.
Running light on the PGR line between Rosemount and Eagan, where there's an industrial park with enough traffic to warrant service Monday through Friday.
These guys run early enough to railfan on my way into work, assuming I take the scenic route.
The Mountain Job arrives at Tamaqua with a former Santa Fe GP30 leading. In just a couple of months, these would all get the green and gold livery of the Reading & Northern, being reclassed as GP39RNs. Trailing the Mountain Job's consist is an SW1500 and an SD50.
Much has changed on North Carolina's Alexander Railroad since I first visited in 2014. Business has been getting better and most of the old 85 pound rail has been replaced with new 136 pound steel. Ties have been replaced, ballast dumped and surfacing done. Today, it is a beautiful piece of railroad. Everything is superbly maintained. Here, SW1500 No. 11 takes eight covered hoppers east near Stony Point. The backhoe was being used for track work.
After picking up an empty boxcar, an eastbound Alexander RR freight train departs Loray, NC enroute to the Norfolk Southern interchange in Statesville. Thankfully, we were treated to both pink and white dogwoods at this location.
A Southern Pacific Roseville to Kansas City merchandise train rolls through Lakota Junction, Utah on Sept. 29, 1996. A pair of SW1500 yard switch engines, disparagingly nicknamed ‘Cruds’ by SP employees and rail enthusiasts alike, are in transit, positioned second out behind the lead locomotive as was SP policy at the time.
An eastbound Alexander RR freight train rolls through Stony Point, NC on April 11, 2023 with SW1500 No. 11.
Sandersville Railroad's Deepstep Turn glides down Tybee Street in the RR's namesake town with more kaolin, or "white gold", from Imerys Clays northwest of town.
At Hoboken Terminal, a NJ Transit SW1500 rests on a siding on a hot & steamy September Sunday afternoon. Note the World Trade Center in the background, this would be the last time I would see the towers. Less than 48 hours later, they would be gone.
Noticed this shot the other day. Now that the sun is slightly on the opposite side of the standard TPL+brewery shot at the Budweiser plant, I thought I'd try a northward view.
The Prairie Line (TPLX, ex-ALS) SW1500 1002 shoves three hoppers into InBev's Anheuser-Busch brewery at St. Louis, MO, while the iconic Gateway Arch looms in the background. 1002 just about fits the gap...
#3 is on the Historic American Engineering Roster of the National Park Service (HAER No. FL-8-A), per the brass plaque inside the cab.
Taken and posted with the Madison Railroad's permission.
The conductor lowers the Black River bridge into place before walking across to verify everything is into place and telling his engineer to pull clear.
An interesting assortment of power has congregated side-by-side at Lehighton, Pennsylvania. From left to right are a Conrail SW1500, a Maine Central GP38, a Conrail SD45, and a Delaware & Hudson C420. The SW1500 is most likely to be assigned to the former CNJ Nesquehoning Valley branch, and it wasn’t unusual for a Conrail road unit to be set off in Lehighton. I’m unsure of the circumstances around the presence of the D&H and MEC units, but there is a crew in the 252. The LV roundhouse is still standing in this June, 1984 view.
The Shore Line crosses 95th Street light power to grab mill gondolas out of the Illinois International Port and take them east towards Indiana Harbor.
In the CN yard in North Fond du Lac, the Wisconsin Central EMD SW1500 was leading their work south though the CN logos with in view doing the smoke to hide it for a few seconds a few years ago.
The road where it was passed through in the yard has now gone and you can't easily park there any more. In the same and track changes for north and southbound trains that can still move through there rail quickly through town through this area.
WC 1565
Union Railroad SW1500 #2 pulls a cut of Norfolk Southern high top coke cars through the Maple Avenue gate at US Steel's Clairton Coke Works.
Steam rises from the quenching tower for 1-3 batteries as another push of hot coke is being quenched. US Steel announced back in April of 2021 that they would be shutting this same set of batteries by the 1st Quarter of 2023 as a part of their quest to be carbon neutral by 2050. The decision will eliminate about 250 jobs that are supposed to be spread out within the rest of the operations in plant, with no anticipated layoffs according to the company.
After pulling cement empties out of the Lehigh Cement plant, Canton's SW1200RS/SW1500 duo notched up for the pull to the coal yard.
The sound of these little EMDs was quite adequate.
The entire roster of the Madison RR works the interchange yard with the CSX at North Vernon. A pair of EMD re-engined Baldwins, a former NASA SW1500 and the distant red GP9. They had a larger than normal train this day as the CSX was handing them a storage unit coal train of empty hoppers. In addition, the Madison RR was replacing a bridge south of town and needed to leave the switchers in North Vernon to switch their customer on the north side of town.