WCfan
A Different Shade of Orange and Black
LTWI661 with BNSF 1616 and 112 round the horseshoe between Bristol and Andover as they coast off the backside of the Coteau des Prairies. Both units are in heavy dynos, keeping their short but fat train of 35 rock loads and 2 tanks in check as they descend the roughly 14-mile long half-% grade. This horseshoe is a line change, one of many the Appleton Sub still bears witness to this day. Although a little less obvious than others on the plateau, there were in fact two other routes down to Andover, both closely followed the present day alignment of US-12. The newer of the two was used as the westbound main until it was lifted in 1959. As for the loop line, while it is mostly obscured by the surrounding hills, watching trains tackle this grade is still an impressive sight to behold.
A Different Shade of Orange and Black
LTWI661 with BNSF 1616 and 112 round the horseshoe between Bristol and Andover as they coast off the backside of the Coteau des Prairies. Both units are in heavy dynos, keeping their short but fat train of 35 rock loads and 2 tanks in check as they descend the roughly 14-mile long half-% grade. This horseshoe is a line change, one of many the Appleton Sub still bears witness to this day. Although a little less obvious than others on the plateau, there were in fact two other routes down to Andover, both closely followed the present day alignment of US-12. The newer of the two was used as the westbound main until it was lifted in 1959. As for the loop line, while it is mostly obscured by the surrounding hills, watching trains tackle this grade is still an impressive sight to behold.