View allAll Photos Tagged fp9
Cruising past the Chicago & Alton Depot along the KCS Mexico Sub in Higginsville, MO is KCS's FP9 A-B-A set on KCS train B-KCES-25 heading to East St. Louis, IL for the Verizon Indycar Series Bommarito 500 at the Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, IL. 8/25/17.
The distinct sound of FP9's (and a GP38) can be heard echoing throughout Kicking Horse Pass before CP #4107 pops its nose out of the trees and crosses the Kicking Horse River with the beautiful Royal Canadian Pacific.
VIA/CNR eastbound #74 to Toronto awaits departure from "Walkerville" station behind two FP9 (6529-6520.) Detroit's "Renaissance Center" is barely visible in the distance through the muggy warmth of early Autumn.
On the northbound trip after going all the way to Mexico City earlier in June, 2816 is on her way back north leading CPKC Train 41B-28 past the south end of Braymer Siding on the CPKC Kansas City Sub. Backing up the steam engine on the northbound trip is a heritage painted SD70ACU in addition to the FP9's. In the distance, Milwaukee Road searchlight signals protect the end of the siding from new masts, replaced after a derailment here a couple years ago, framed by what's left of the MILW code line.
CP 2816, known as "The Empress" is a H-1b Class 4-6-4 "Hudson" locomotive built in December 1930 by the Montreal Locomotive Works. It carries a builder number of 68535. The locomotive was retired in 1960 and languished in the Steamtown collection for several decades before being reacquired in 1998 by Canadian Pacific Railway for excursion service.
It was returned to service in 2001 and operated in Canada and the US until 2010. The engine was returned to service first in 2020 for tests in Canada, and was rebuilt in 2023 for the "Final Spike Anniversary Steam Tour" to Mexico City commemorating the one year anniversary of the CP-KCS Merger.
Locomotives: CP 2816, CP 7013, CP 1401, CP 4107
6-27-24
Braymer, MO
A week and a half after the CP Holiday Express came to KC, the KCS Holiday Express came into town, towed in by the railroad's beautiful FP9s and business train. I sure was hoping to shoot the KCS 1 alongside a westbound freight train, but the KCT didn't quite make that happen while I still had sunlight. Regardless, this shot of the train parked just north of the KCT mainline in golden afternoon sunlight was a nice consolation prize.
Canadian Pacific's business train waits out the eastbound traffic at Tamarack before continuing westward to Portage and beyond. The classy FP9's sure sounded great in the still summer night.
Canadian Pacific business train B40 travels along the Mississippi River on the Marquette Subdivision near Harpers Ferry, Iowa on October 20, 2022,
Purchased from Via Rail in 1995, this A-B-A set of former CN FP9's have spent longer under KCS ownership than either of its former Canadian operators. They've been in business train service for the last 30 years and have been well taken care of at the former KCS shops in Shreveport.
Here KCS 1, 2, & 3 sit with the 2024 Holiday Express in Port Arthur, the Gulf Coast Port that Arthur Stillwell founded as the end of his original dream for what became Kansas City Southern. Although some of the KCS passenger cars have been repainted into CP Tuscan Red, many railcars and the F Units have maintained their KCS paint. It seems for the time being that they'll keep their sharp paint scheme as they continue to operate business trains on the former KCS system.
CPKC Holiday Express
KCS FP9A #1 "Michael R Haverty"
KCS F9B #3 "Pittsburg"
KCS FP9A #2 "Shreveport"
Port Arthur, TX
December 12th, 2024
Yes, it's a re-tread, but as this must be the all time winning passenger train leading consist - in my experience - I figured it was worth the Adobe Lightroom revival and subsequent re-posting. Yet another rainy afternoon in the late Spring in the Maritimes...no surprise there. But during one of my many layovers on the way to and from Newfoundland, the CNR had a bit of a surprise on the head end of Montreal-Halifax #14, the "Ocean Limited." The 14 cars of the train were headed by two C630M's, FP9, Fb, RS18 (2000-2011-6528-6622-3119.) I'm guessing the two MLW "Big Kahuna" units (not CN's name, but from a WC conductor who used that for the SD45's) have been either borrowed to make up for a unit that's "not loading", or maybe being ferried to Halifax for a westbound. I could take a few raindrops for this one!
Snowplows were also far from uncommon on the WC but the power on this one was. The ACRI F's pulled a lot of freight along with there passenger duties but seldom lead freights. This was the one and only time I ever was aware of a set of the on a snowplow south of the border. On January 14, 1998 1750 and 1755 push the Gladstone based plow east near Cordell, MI.
No matter the situation, KCS' "Southern Belle" is a GREAT looking train. Here, after having let its dignitaries detrain at Knoche Yard and spinning itself at SW Jct., the train is seen back into the yard ahead of its southbound trek.
Fall was the best time to shoot the ACR/WC canyon trains as the trees added to the show and the trains grew to a huge size. It was also the hardest time to shot them due to the shortening amount of daylight and the tendency towards more cloudy days or worse yet early morning fog. that usually would lift after the northbound had cleared Searchmont and wandered off into a highly inaccessible area. September 13, 1997 was such a foggy day and no shots were possible until number 3 broke into the sun near Bellevue. 1755, 1754 and 1750 have 15 cars in tow headed for Canyon. This was just at the start of the fall color season so the train still is somewhat short. In another few days as tour groups started arriving it would grow to a 5 unit 25-30 car monster.
The day after shooting the Weed Sprayer with CMQ 9017, the Royal Canadian Pacific made an appearance on the Laggan Subdivision. We began our chase at Bearspaw on the western edge of Calgary. June 3, 2022.
Reading 902 and 903 are two very nicely preserved examples of EMD FP7As. A few feet longer than a standard F7, the extra length was used to house a steam generator for passenger service. While the FP7 and later FP9 found a lot of favor in Canada, they were not very common in the US, with most RRs relying on E units for passenger trains. These 2 are now privately owned and are currently stored/displayed at Steamtown in Scranton, PA.
Interested in purchasing a high-quality digital download of this photo, suitable for printing and framing? Let me know and I will add it to my Etsy Shop, MittenRailandMarine! Follow this link to see what images are currently listed for sale: www.etsy.com/shop/MittenRailandMarine
If you are interested in specific locomotives, trains, or freighters, please contact me. I have been photographing trains and ships for over 15 years and have accumulated an extensive library!
The KJRR can finally ease up a bit as it enters the first town west of Mapleton, the thriving metropolis of Glasford (pop. 1,000 -- a metropolis by Mapleton's standards, anyway). Here the route finally tops the hill and begins a slow decent to the aptly-named Breeds, the next town west.
Former VIA Rail FP9ARM with the road number 6510. Sitting on static display at Kam Park.
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Panasonic Lumix G 14mm f2.5
Hoya R72 Filter
Olympus OM-D E-M5
Wisconsin Central brought down an A-B set of F-units into Chicago for a five-car passenger train that ran over Labor Day weekend from 1999. Here they are just out of Schiller Park yard passing through Des Plaines, IL.
Just a random photo from one of my trips home back when I was still living in Alaska that I captured with my first digital SLR. Springfield Terminal high hood GP35 216 (blt. Mar. 1965 as NW 1328) leads the vintage Boston and Maine rail train into Pan Am's (the railroad had been officially been rebranded from Guilford Transportation to Pan Am a couple years prior) Lawrence Yard approaching the Andover St. crossing.
A couple years later she would be traded to the Conway Scenic along with GP38 252 in exchange for the famous FP9 duo that would become Pan Am's OCS power.
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Thursday September 18, 2008
"The Empress", CP No. 2816, arrives at Liberty on Main Track 1 of the CPKC Kansas City Sub as it traverses the high bridge above Highway H with the general public and railfans all marveling at the sight. Operating as CPKC train 40B, this is part of the Davenport, IA to Kansas City, MO portion of the "Final Spike Anniversary Tour" spanning the new CPKC system from Calgary to Mexico City. Trailing behind the 2816 are the FP9's, which complete the matching set of Royal Canadian Pacific equipment. Though unique and impressive themselves, they've been overshadowed by the steam engine's presence.
"The Empress", CP No. 2816, is an H1b Class 4-6-4 Hudson built in December of 1930 by Montreal Locomotive Works. It was in service for thirty years before being retired in 1960 and becoming a part of the Steamtown collection. It remained there until CP acquired it again in 1998 for use in excursions. In 2001, it was restored to service and operated in both Canada and the United States for nine years.
In 2021, news broke out that CP and KCS had agreed to merge, with the actual merger occurring two years late in 2023. CP CEO Keith Creel announced the "The Empress" would embark on a tour of the new transnational system from Calgary to Mexico City, and in 2023, the engine itself was rebuilt in preparation for quite the ambitious tour. 5/11/24.
I never shot better that an A-B-A set of three wagons together in SOO days. The size of pure SOO sets of wagons was kind of limited by the lack of nose m/u on the A's. That wasn't a problem with the ex VIA wagons WC bought for primarily canyon service and 4 and even 5 units became fairly common on the Agawa canyon passenger train. Not so common was a pure set in freight service. As Don has mentioned there was a general order/instructions that they were not to lead in freight service( I had a general offer to buy a case of beverage of choice to any crew that would lead a freight with a wagon, and I did buy a little beer lol) but on this day SOGBA was ready to go at Soo yard and this was all that was available. The F's made a Steelton-Rudyard turn, they had a meet with GBSOA at Rudyard and the power was swapped and here is 1752, 1754, 1756 and 1751 leading the 40 cars of GBSOA away from the meet at Rudyard. The sound of wide open 567 music was filling the humid air as the wagons got down to work on this hazy July 28, 1998 morning.
Needless to say it had been a while since anything royal visited Brownville Junction, but a year ago today the Canadian Pacific business train, aka the Royal Canadian Pacific, landed at the junction. Led by an odd SD70ACu, FP9, F9B locomotive consist, the 13 car train is pulling up to Siberia where an Eastern Maine Railway crew will hop on board to continue east to Saint John, New Brunswick. On the adjacent track a set of EMR power led by recently acquired SD70M-2 lays over.
Brownville Junction, Maine
October 3, 2021
On a cold and windy day, OSR 182 leads today's freight consisting of 5 tank cars bound for St Thomas.
Belmont, Ontario
Pan Am's PAR 1 and PAR 2 are on their way back to Waterville after leading the Circus train from Worcester, Massachusetts to Manchester, New Hampshire. Pan Am's FP9's are usually reserved for the business train, but since the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailley Circus train would be heading over Pan Am for the last time, they made an exception. Unfortunately, I had to work and was unable to chase the Circus train. Fortunately I was able to shoot PAR 1 and 2 on their return trip which was still worthwhile to get them light power on the main line.
VIA FP9 6541 leads VIA No. 1, the Canadian, east of White River Ont. on June 17, 1984. Even though it was technically nearly summer, I remember it being really cold for this chase.
With dozens of railfans waiting for the CP 150 train to enter the Port of Montreal, a drone user launched his drone nearly at track level (seen just to the left of the lead unit), which seemed dangerously low and was certainly very inconsiderate to the many railfans waiting to shoot this historic train in an unexpected location (the CN Wharf Spur).
The special has made their first service stop of the day just south of here at Laredo and is back underway with CPKC Train 41B-28 at MP 400 on the CPKC Laredo Sub. just south of Galt. Since we last saw the train in May, they've run thousands of miles all the way to Mexico City and back, truly the mainline big steam event of the year, if not decade.
Along the way they picked up a heritage painted SD70ACU to assist with the FP9's when needed, but the 4 times they passed my location today, I never heard them in a notch higher than idle, and the steam engine was getting a nice workout.
CP 2816, known as "The Empress" is a H-1b Class 4-6-4 "Hudson" locomotive built in December 1930 by the Montreal Locomotive Works. It carries a builder number of 68535. The locomotive was retired in 1960 and languished in the Steamtown collection for several decades before being reacquired in 1998 by Canadian Pacific Railway for excursion service.
It was returned to service in 2001 and operated in Canada and the US until 2010. The engine was returned to service first in 2020 for tests in Canada, and was rebuilt in 2023 for the "Final Spike Anniversary Steam Tour" to Mexico City commemorating the one year anniversary of the CP-KCS Merger.
Locomotives: CP 2816, CP 7013, CP 1401, CP 4107
6-27-24
Galt, MO
VIA train #77, Toronto - Windsor, entering CN's Longwood (now Chatham) subdivision at Komoka, behind VIA FP9 6516 and F9B 6653.
The Royal Canadian Pacific wastes no time passing through the town of Canmore, Alberta. The train is heading east on CP's Laggan Sub for their final destination in Calgary, Alberta.
CP 1401 leads the business train wes through Duplainville in Pewaukee, WI, with CP 281 hot on its heels.
A pair of VIA FP7s and an FP9 idle next to VIA's Toronto Maintenance Facility.
VIA 6530 FP9A (ex-CN 6530)
VIA 6550 FP7A (ex-CP 4099, 1400, VIA 1400)
VIA 6553 FP7A (ex-CP 4103, 1404, VIA 1404)
None of the WC engineers I knew was particularly fond of catching an F in the lead but a few would make the best of a bad situation and deal with it better than others. Engineer Ronnie Taylor climbs up on 1752 as he gets ready to leave for Soo yard with 6588 and 43 cars of train ESSOA on June 25, 1997. Ronnie was one of the few that would run through with out turning his power first chance he'd get. It made for good shots and fun times those rare days a wagon could be found leading a freight between Gladstone and Soo yard.
Hammering through Drexel past the elevators on the KCS Pittsburg Sub is The Belle, running today as KCS train B-KCSJ-25, with the FP9 A-B-A set leading the way. This is by the former depot site here at Drexel.
Today, the train operated out of Knoche Yard in Kansas City, MO bringing company officials on a lunch trip to Amoret, MO, where they were then transported back into town via a transit bus. Here, the train is returning home to Shreveport, LA with one more stop at Hume, MO to pick up some MOW personnel. 1/25/23.
CP's Fab Four (with apologies to the Western Pacific fans) grind out of the Qu'Appelle Valley on their way to Regina Saskatchewan. After discovering this location less then 2 months before, and getting hosed on a shot of a southbound, I was determined to extract a little redemption from the valley. This shot was the last of many taken of the special train celebrating Canada's 150th anniversary. I had spent three excellent days following and photographing the consist in some great weather and light. A friend remarked he was less then interested in the train because there was no steam power on the head end, but to shoot 4 beautifully painted F units on a passenger train in 2017 is interesting enough for me!
It's 23 March 1990 in this scene, and the older FP9 and FPA4 fleets of VIA Rail Canada are thinning out toward retirement. Equipment is being mixed up with many combinations of newer and older locomotives and cars being tried. We've seen LRC power units pulled off LRC coach sets to be used with conventional steam heated equipment. In their place new F40PH-2 units are substituting on the LRC trains. Here we see No. 6427 and an unidentified F40 mate powering an LRC consist along the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto. At left in the background, CLRV and PCC trolleys can be seen running down King Street.
2 Days ago I decided to head down to Knoche to snap a couple still shots of the KCS OCS Train, Which is Scheduled to Depart This Satuday around 9ish AM. I was lucky enough to run into a Friendly security guard to Offer myself to Walk close to the Locomotive, I was a pretty neat ending to the night,
B41B
Kansas City, MO
10/09/24
WC 7551 along with AC 1753 and 1751 lead GBSOA east at Kinross a couple days after Christmas in 1997.The Customer Minded unit leading a pair of FP9's on freight in sun could definitely be considered a late Christmas gift.
Railfans continue to converge on where the former TP&W line to Keokuk and Fountain Green Road come together on the south side of La Harpe, as the air brakes continue to charge on the Keokuk job.
Notice the ancient TP&W mile marker on the far right side of the image.
After finishing up their work, OSR heads back toward Salford with 1401 leading. Gotta love the nose of these locomotives.
The classic State Farm "I got you a dollar/you almost had it/you gotta be quicker than that" commercial comes to mind with this shot. Since I'm flying solo, I'm having to navigate, drive, and watch the train all at the same time. I got burned at the first crossing west of Cuba, and totally missed at the 2nd crossing, Depler Springs Rd. (image not even worth posting). Part of that was having to wait through the line of railfans who were by now giving chase. So my next opportunity was at the next crossing down with Highway 95. I again did not get to the crossing in time, so the best I could do was a nearly-broadside passing shot. After the the train passed, I had an opportunity to catch it at one of two rural road crossings just before Smithfield. But I didn't want to chance it, and into Smithfield I went.
In a scene that happened countless number of times, the power of two Keokuk Junction road jobs swaps trains in Good Hope, Illinois on June 21, 2010. The two GP20's have the train from Peoria that came in behind the F-units and are headed back west to La Harpe. Meanwhile, FP9 1752 and a B-unit and another GP20, are already on the train that came from La Harpe. They will head back east to Mapleton (Peoria) after the La Harpe job clears the switch.
Even though WC had a general order that the AC FP9's were not to lead in freight service west of Sault Ste. Marie I had an open offer to any crew that lead with an F that I'd buy a 12 pack of there preferred beverage. In this case I kind of felt shortchanged because there was no option, but a deal is a deal and I made my way to the store. Besides they had pulled up to the depot and were awaiting SOGBA which put the F's in the shadow of the building and were kind enough to back up about 10 car lengths to get the units out of the shadows. After I drove to the rear of the train to protect there back up move I was able to nail 1755 and 1753 on GBSOA on March 10, 1998 as the sun played hide and seek with the clouds at Trout Lake.
About 3 weeks after the previous shot of 6652 leading an ore train by the Ore Dock in Escanaba I bagged this view of the Tilden empties train SOESA arriving at Escanaba with AC 1755 leading 6626. This train ran west from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont to Larch on the old SOO and then took the connection onto the old CNW for the trip to the Ore Yard. Here the power will be swapped and a pair of 6 axles with take the empties to Eagle Mills and return to Partridge and pick up the loads and bring them to Escanaba. By that time this crew should be rested and these units will depart for Sault Ste. Marie with the loads. While FP9's were common on these trains seeing them in the lead wasn't. I'd followed this guy all the way from Trout Lake trying to get him in the sun and only managed to at Larch and here as he pulled into the yard. May 17, 1997