Today's Train of Thought- Glengarry Glencoe, May 13, 2014

Today's Train of Thought takes us to the land of 10,000 Lakes (give or take) and features one of the Midwest's few remaining independent shortlines.

Originally built by the Hastings and Dakota Railway in the 1870s, the former Milwaukee Road line west of Minneapolis- also dubbed the Ortonville line. Prior to the 1977 abandonment of all Milwaukee Road lines west of Miles City, MY, the Ortonville line was a key line for the Milwaukee Road, linking the Midwest with the Pacific Northwest. However, the Ortonville line became redundant a few short years after Soo Line's 1985 takeover of the remnants of the Milwaukee Road when the Soo had a number of parallel lines.

In 1991, the Twin Cities & Western began operation on the Ortonville line with an assortment of former Santa Fe CF7s and ex Illinois Central GP10s [products of those railroads Cleburne, TX and Paducah, KY shops respectively- NANESB!]. By the mid 1990s, they began operating rebuilt Caterpillar Generation II locomotives that were operating the EMD locomotive's original chassis. With the expansion of Minnesota route 55 along the TC&W right of way and the Hiawatha light rail line, getting into the Twin Cities from the west was less than straightforward for the TC&W. Since the late 1990s, the TC&W has used a temporary connection along a bicycle trail in Hennepin County before operating over BNSF's Wayzata subdivision. While this was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, it remains in use as the TC&W and local transportation officials are at an impasse over how best to re-route TC&W trains out of the Minneapolis area.

Further west along the former Ortonville line, the logistics are far less complicated. Like many other towns throughout the upper Midwest, Glencoe, MN features a grain elevator adjacent to the railroad tracks that run through town.

Here, rrpicturearchives.net contributor Todd Reineccius caught TC&W GP20CAT #2004 leading another GP20CAT, a GP15CAT and a GP10 from affiliated railroad Red River Valley & Western through Glencoe, MN with a short train in July 2011.

The Ortonville line also frequently plays host to Milwaukee Road #261, who can sometimes be seen returning to 'home' rails during shakedown runs or hauling excursions with original varnish from the Milwaukee's Hiawatha- but this is first and foremost a freight railroad.

Today's Train of Thought- When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like A Big Fish Fry, March 27th, 2014

Once upon a time, when travel by rail was still prevalent, the thousands of railway stations along various lines throughout the USA had actually served their intended purpose. But as the number of intercity passenger trains declined due to the advent of jet travel and the interstate highway system, railroads began to tear them down, sell them off or at least use the structures for other purposes like storage or maintenance-of-way. Some big city passenger stations- such as Los Angeles Union Station or Washington DC's Union Station still serve their intended purpose while the passenger stations in Buffalo or Detroit are oversized decaying relics neglected for decades.

For some of the small towns along the rails, the fate of their depots are actually far more varied. Some towns depots still serve as active passenger stations for Amtrak or other passenger rail lines to this day, while others are still standing as derelict hulks, businesses, private homes or municipal offices- even if the rails that once served it have been ripped out years ago. For instance, along some of the former Boston & Maine, Central Vermont or Boston & Albany rail lines in western New England are former depots that serve as restaurants, beauty salons, breweries, bank branches or even a workshop that makes components for AR-15 rifles.

It's no different in the upper Midwest, either. Today's train of thought takes us to the former Milwaukee Road line through North Prairie, WI. Here, railpictures.net contributor Eric Shicotte caught Wisconsin Southern SD40-2 #4011 trundling past the former Milwaukee Road depot off of Main Street with Horicon, WI to Janesville, WI symbol freight T-004 in March 2013. As you can tell from the signage in the foreground, this old Milwaukee Road structure is now home to Tenerelli's Italian Restaurant [no reviews on Yelp, but on Google+ it rates 4.5 stars- NANESB!]. And as that other bit of signage indicates, not only does Tenerelli's offer Italian fare, but it also takes part in that time-honored Midwestern tradition of the Friday night fish fry.

Happy Belated National Train Day from Not Another New England Sports Blog!

Restored former Milwaukee Road ALCo 4-8-4 #261 seen chugging northbound on the BNSF Hinckley subdivision at Andover, MN with an excursion between Minneapolis and Duluth, MN on May 11, 2013- National Train Day.

Even though it shares the weekend with the much more time-honored holiday of Mother's Day, Saturday May 11th marks National Train Day.

While some holidays are dismissed as nothing more than mere creations of the greeting card cartels, Amtrak has a hand in promoting this much more recent holiday. The date is meant to coincide with the May 10th, 1869 ceremonial driving of the Golden Spike on the Transcontinental Railroad in Promontory Point, UT. Since Amtrak sponsors a number of Train Day events nationwide, its hardly surprising that the emphasis is primarily on passenger rail [although I thought this would be a good opportunity for freight railroads to promote themselves to the public- NANESB!].

Unsurprisingly, a number of railroad museums also participate in this holiday to either recruit new members, attract additional visitors and raise funds for ongoing restoration projects. These activities can include anything from static displays to guided tours of facilities to mainline steam excursions.

Perhaps the highlight of this year's National Train Day was Milwaukee Road #261's first excursion in more than four years, taking passengers up from the Twin Cities to Duluth in restored Milwaukee Road passenger cars. Other steam locomotives fired up for the occasion include Nickel Plate #765 which was scheduled to haul a Norfolk Southern employees special in northeastern Ohio and Spokane, Portland & Seattle #700 was on display at Portland Union Station in Portland, OR.

Of course, appreciation of trains doesn't have to be limited to early May- you can always find out more about the railroad heritage in your part of the country by finding your nearest railroad museum or National Railroad Historical Society (NRHS) chapter.

Quickie, Steamy Iron Horse Roundup for October 21, 2012

Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 #261 seen passing a farm in Plato, MN with an excursion in May 2008. Robert Butler photo

MINNESOTA- After a lengthy custody battle between preservation groups, a movie cameo with Johnny Depp and an FRA-mandated boiler inspection, Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 Northern #261 appears ready to go back into service for the Friends of the 261 non-profit.

The 1944-built ALCo was successfully test-fired at the end of September and a number of shakedown runs are scheduled for the next several weeks. The locomotive last ran on a BNSF employee special between the Twin Cities and Winona, MN in September 2008. Within a year, the Friends of the 261 and the 261's owner- the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, WI- were at odds with each other over the lease agreement. After advertising the locomotive for sale in the middle of it's 15-year FRA inspection, the Friends of the 261 and the National Railroad Museum eventually came to an agreement after a rumored sale to a 3rd party in California fell through. In May 2010, the National Railroad Museum announced that it had sold the 261 to the Twin Cities based non-profit for $225,000. While this gave Friends of the 261 sole ownership of the locomotive, funds allocated for the completion of her boiler inspection were used to complete the purchase.

The Friends of the 261 were able to raise funds by operating charter luxury railcar excursions using restored Milwaukee Road Hiawatha varnish behind Amtrak or Canadian Pacific. Prior to its 'final' run [before the FRA mandated boiler inspection, at least- NANESB!] the 261 made its way to Chicago for the filming of the Depression-era Dillinger biopic Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. Curiously, the 261 wasn't built until a decade after Dillinger was gunned down, although similar locomotives were used extensively at the time.

The 261 also holds the distinction of operating every year between 1993 and 2008. Besides holding down at least one excursion out of the Twin Cities every year up until 2008, the big Northern has even ventured as far afield as Scranton, PA and the New River in West Virginia in the 1990s.

Soo Line 1003 getting ready for a photo freight at Fairwater, WI in October 2008. Daniel Simon photo.

WISCONSIN- Speaking of steam locomotives in the upper Midwest, Soo Line 2-8-2 Mikado #1003 will reportedly be going back into service less than two years before she was withdrawn for her mandatory 15 year boiler inspection.

Stored at the Wisconsin Automotive Museum and successfully test-fired earlier this year, the Steam Locomotive Heritage Association announced that the #1003 was ready for service and would be hauling the 2012 Toys for Tots train over Wisconsin Southern rails between Milton and Middleton, WI on Saturday, November 3rd.

The 1913-built Mikado last ran on November 13, 2010 and some expressed doubts whether or not there would be enough funding to return the 1003 to steam.

Six Killed After Gunman Opens Fire on Worshippers at Sikh Temple in Wisconsin

Police in suburban Milwaukee were called to a Sikh temple where services were underway when a gunman barged into the grounds and opened fire on worshippers on Sunday.

The gunman, identified as 40 year old Wade Micheal Page, entered the grounds of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin on Sunday and began shooting at the gathered congregants, killing six and wounding two. When local police arrived, Page shot officer Brian Murphy nine times as he attended to one of the victims in the Temple's parking lot. As more officers arrived, Page began shooting at them after being ordered to drop his weapon. Oak Creek PD Officer Sam Leda returned fire with a police-issue rifle, fatally wounding Page.

Page had served in the US Army up until the late 1990s and worked as a truck driver until two years ago when he was pulled over for driving while impaired in North Carolina. In addition to his alcohol abuse and financial problems, Page was also active with white supremacist organizations. This included playing bass guitar with white supremacist heavy metal bands and travelling to a Georgia festival known as 'Hammerfest' which the Anti-Defamation League has called "a virtual Woodstock of hate rock".

Among some of the unlikely heroes from Sunday's rampage are the temple's president, 62 year old Satwant Singh Kaleka, who reportedly confronted Page with nothing more than a kitchen knife before being shot twice. Kaleka's actions were said to have bought enough time for other worshippers to flee to relative safety.

Some worshippers were also warned of Page's arrival by two children who were playing near a window in another part of temple while waiting for their parents to return from a nearby market with bread and juice for a communal lunch when they saw Page walking outside. They heard a popping that they thought might've been firecrackers until they saw people outside crumpled over. The two unnamed children then ran to the temple's communal kitchen where they warned the women there that there was a man with a gun outside. Although they were skeptical at first, everybody in the kitchen took shelter inside the kitchen's pantry when they heard what sounded like gunfire coming from inside the building.

Those killed in the attack include Sita Singh, 41; Ranjit Singh, 49; Suveg Singh Khattra, 84; Prakash Singh, 39; Paramjit Kaur, 41 and 62 year old temple president Satwant Singh Kaleka.

Wisconsin Recall-A-Palooza Update- With Walker Up in Polls, Democrats Getting Desperate; Walker Supporter Detained at Barrett Rally

With Wisconsin's June 5th recall election looming, the Democrat party and their union allies seem to be pulling out all the stops in their bid to unseat Gov. Walker. Running against Walker is Milwaukee's Democrat mayor Tom Barrett in what is basically a rematch of the 2010 Gubernerorial campaign.

Well.....almost all the stops. You see, just days before the voters were slated to go to the polls in Wisconsin President Obama hosted six fundriasers on Friday- dividing his time between the Twin Cities and Chicago. Yet Obama was conspicuously absent from that state that takes up real-estate between Illinois and Minnesota. If the Democrats on the national level were at all confident of a Barrett win, Obama likely would've made an appearence in the Badger State while on his Midwest fundraising trip (disguised as official business). Yet President Obama avoided Dairyland like it was a discussion on the most recent jobless numbers report.

Barrett has been trailing in nearly every poll in recent weeks. Although some polls had Walker up considerably in the last few weeks, Barrett was gradually closing the gap and while still behind Walker in some polling, he was within the margin of error.

Further telegraphing desperation is an early 'October surprise' liberal bloggers attempted to spring on Scott Walker over the weekend, citing anonymous and secondhand sources that Scott Walker fathered an illegitimate son with a classmate while attending Marquette University. The love-child story, floated by an outlet called "Wisconsin Citizens Media Co-op", unravelled in about an hour after a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter confirmed that the Scott Walker in question had a different middle name than the governor.

Around the same time, a left-leaning think tank began sending out mailers identifying individuals who did and didn't vote in prior elections.

When many Wausau voters checked their mail this past weekend, they got a glimpse of something unusual -- their neighbor's voting record.

"I had no idea that was a part of the public record," said Bryan Mergen, who lives in Wausau.

The mailer -- put out by the Greater Wisconsin Political Fund -- shows a list of people who live near you and whether they voted in two recent November elections. It doesn't show who you voted for, but even so, some voters said it's an invasion of their privacy.

Wisconsin's Government Accountability Board spokesperson Reid Magney said voter records are public records. With a name and a birth date, you can find election records right on their website. And some voters said they don't mind the exposure.

"My first reaction is, what's this?" said Mary Dominski, who lives in Wausau. "And then I thought, well, it's okay. I had no problem with it because I have no problem with my voting record."

Magney said many groups buy a copy of the statewide voter list. But he said this is the first time a group has used the voter information this way.

"I think it probably was not the smartest political move, because I think there's a lot of antagonism and a lot of people thought there was more information than there really is," said Dominski.

Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, a counterdemonstrator was detained by police at a Barrett rally that President Clinton was speaking at.

Particularly damning was the gathering crowd of Barrett supporters and union activists gleefully chanting 'Lock Him Up!' for the high crime of holding up a pro-Walker sign in a public park. The man identified himself as Dave Willoughby and in addition to being a former Marine, is reportedly the son of a prominent Florida Tea Party activist.

Attendees of the rally accuse Willoughby of acting in a belligerent and confrontational manner towards them and Milwaukee police cited him for disturbing the peace before booking him before getting released [During last year's protests against Scott Walker's budget proposal, union members and Democrats occupied the Wisconsin state capitol building, damaging doors, blocking traffic and threatening lawmakers- so even if the pro-Barrett crowd's version of events is 100% accurate, its pretty mild in comparison to what SEIU and AFSCME-affiliated protesters inflicted on the state capital last year- NANESB!]

Quickie Cuppa Sports Chowdah Update- Who's Won First? Sox Rally in Toronto; Scully to Miss LA's Home Opener; Guillen Suspended Over Castro Remarks

Getty Images

BOSTON RED SOX- Well, if I'm going to pout and kvetch when the Sox get off to an 0-3 start, then I might as well savor their first win of the season.

After the disastrous sweep in Detroit that left many in Red Sox nation with the unshakable feeling that the sky is indeed falling, the Red Sox took their road trip across the river and some 200 miles up the MacDonald-Cartier highway to Toronto for what would be the Blue Jays home opener.

With the roof closed on the Rogers Centre during a rainy, windy Toronto evening and Felix Doubront on the mound for Boston, the Blue Jays got off to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 3rd after Jays 2B Kelly Johnson was called safe on a close play at home and SS Yuniel Escobar was driven home on an Edwin Encarnacion RBI single. Those two runs notwithsanding, Doubront had a decent outing but was stymied by an apparent lack of offense until a solo home run in the top of the 6th by Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia to cut the Jays lead in half.

Doubront left after 5 innings of work- giving up 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 walks and striking out 6- and was replaced by Scott Atchison. Atchison would throw three shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three.

In the top of the 9th, the Jays sent Sergio Santos to the mound to close out the game. Pedroia led off the inning with a double and advanced to 3rd base on a passed ball, tying up the game when he came home on an Adrian Gonzalez sac-fly. Santos would then strike out Youlikis for the 2nd out, but walked DH David Ortiz and OF Cody Ross. Ortiz was lifted for pinch-runner Darnell McDonald and after OF Ryan Sweeney singled to shallow center, it looked as though Jays outfielder Jose Bautista's throw to home plate would cut down McDonald, except it clanged off the glove of catcher J.P. Arencibia to give Boston the 3-2 lead.

After what happened in Detroit on Sunday, understandably not everybody was comfortable with a mere 1-run lead. But Cody Ross would come home on a wild pitch by Santos to make it 4-2 Red Sox before walking C Saltalamacchia. Santos then got the hook and was replaced by Luis Perez who promptly got SS Aviles to hit into a fielders choice.

Alfredo Aceves would then come on for Boston to close out the game with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 9th, getting Lawrie, Thames and Arencibia out in order. Red Sox get their first win of the Valentine era by a 4-2 final and more importantly win their first AL East contest of the 2012 season.

Tuesday night's starter are going to be Daniel Bard for Boston and Kyle Drabek for Toronto. Bard had been previously assigned to the Sox bullpen and hasn't started a gmae since 2007 with the South Atlantic League's Greenville Drive.


MIAMI MARLINS- Not even a full week into the MLB season, Marlins Manager Ozzy Guillen has earned the enmity of south Florida's considerable Cuban expat community after comments about Cuban dictator Fidel Castro in a TIME magazine interview. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Venezuelan-born Guillen said-

"I respect Fidel Castro," Mr. Guillen was quoted as saying. "You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that mother f— is still here."

Miami is home to at least three generations of Cubans who have fled Castro's communist government which came to power after a lengthy civil war that toppled the Bautista regime. Immediately afterwards, Castro's government expropriated private property, arbitrarily executed 'counter-revolutionaries' and political opponents, jailed dissidents, outlawed opposition parties, took control of the press and heightened tensions in the Cold War by allowing Soviet bloc troops and armaments to be positioned in Cuba for a potential attack against the USA. Since Fidel and his brother Ramon took power, many Cubans have fled by boat to Florida, which is 90 miles to the north of Cuba's northern coast.

Although Guillen appeared with staunch Fidel Castro ally Hugo Chavez in 2005 and praised the socialist leader while returning to his native Venezuela after the Chicago White Sox 2005 World Series title, Guillen more recently was critical of Chavez's American allies such as actor Sean Penn.

Sean penn if you love venezuela please move to venezuela for a year

— Ozzie Guillen (@OzzieGuillen) June 8, 2011

If I may play devil's advocate for a moment, I'm guessing Guillen was inarticulately attempting to express admiration for Castro's longevity and durability, not a proclamation of 'Gee! His style of governing is so awesome- can't wait to hop on the next flight to Havana and experience the squelching of free speech and noticeable lack of basic consumer goods myself!'. After all, if Guillen is into that, he could return to Venezuela at any time and experience those things himself thanks to the way Chavez has been running Venezuela for the last decade.

Guillen will be suspended for five games with pay and Guillen apologized to the community during an hour-long press conference. Guillen has been known for polarizing comments about immigrants and gays before arriving in Miami, and some are already calling for him to be fired. Whether or not Miami's Cuban community will let bygones be bygones will be reflected in how many seats are filled at the Marlins Little Havana ballpark for the remainder of the season. The Marlins are currently 2-3 and 3rd in the NL East.

However, what I do find abhorrent regarding Cuba is the institutional and supposedly educated left in this country embracing mass murderers like Che Guevara and giving dictators like Castro and Chavez a pass for detaining and executing political opponents while taking away so many basic freedoms from people in those nations. While you could honestly make the argument that Ozzy took one too many fastballs to the noggin or needs to cut back on his alcohol intake, there is no ambiguity or lack of clarity in their words when our 'betters' on the left when they say they want to see more Castro and Chavez-style totalitarian rule in the USA and for her citizens.

ELSEWHERE IN MLB- This season has gotten off to a rough start for a pair of Hall Of Fame broadcasters.

The Milwaukee Brewer's longtime broadcaster Bob Uecker returned to the team over the weekend for the first time since the death of his 52 year old son Steve.

In a statement released by the Brewers, Uecker said his son had passed away at Milwaukee's Froedtert Hospital due to complications from San Joaquin Valley Fever- a fungus that infects the body after entering through the lungs.

Two years ago, Bob Uecker missed several weeks in the booth after undergoing heart surgery, returning later in the 2010 season. Also known as a pitchman for Miller Lite and appearances in sitcoms and the 1989 comedy Major League, Uecker was given the Ford C Frick by the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY and was enshrined as a broadcaster [while joking about how he never would've gotten in with his record as a catcher for the Braves during his Hall of Fame speech- NANESB!].

Meanwhile over in Los Angeles, the Dodgers announced that 84 year old Vin Scully would miss LA's home opener at Chavez Ravine due to a cold. The Dodger's statement said that doctors advised Scully to rest up, although he is expected to return soon.

Scully has been calling games for the Dodgers since 1950 when they were in Brooklyn and has been in the booth for such memorable baseball moments as Hank Aaron's 715th career home run, a battered Kirk Gibson hitting a walkoff home run in the 1988 World Series and four of Sandy Koufax's no-hitters.

In recent years, Scully has limited his travel with the team to away games in San Diego, Arizona and San Francisco, leaving the remainder of the play-by-play duties to former ESPN anchor Charlie Steiner.

Tuesday's home game would be the first home game that Vin Scully has missed since 1977 when he was in Augusta, GA calling the Masters golf tournament. It also marks the 50th anniversary of Dodgers Stadium.



NHL- No NHL hockey until Wednesday, but here are some TMZ pictures of Paulina Gretzky leaving a Los Angeles steakhouse while clad in what appears to be not much more than black lingerie and heels.

The Stanley Cup playoffs resume tomorrow with three games- none of them involving the Bruins, sadly. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh go at it in an intra-state matchup that gets underway at 7:30 ET on NBC Sports network. Detroit and Nashville will get underway at 8:00 ET on CNBC and the nightcap will consist of Los Angeles and Vancouver at 10:30- also on NBC Sports Network.

Wisconsin Democrats Kill Union-Backed Mining Legislation That Would Allow Iron-Ore Mining in Badger State

One year after fleeing the state to prevent Governor Scott Walker's bill that would curtail the collective bargaining ability of public employee unions from being voted on in the state Senate, Badger State Democrats have dealt a blow to private-sector unions.

Assembly Bill 426, which would've overhauled the regulatory and permitting for the mining of ferrous minerals in Wisconsin, was narrowly defeated by a 17-16 margin in the State Senate- 16 Democrat state Senators and GOP State Senator Dale Schultz, who represents the 17th District in Southwestern Wisconsin, voted against the measure.

Wisconsin’s mining laws were developed to regulate sulfide mining, which utilizes chemicals in its mining and refining processes. The ore deposit in Iron County is a ferrous (i.e., iron) deposit, not a sulfide deposit. The process relies on water and magnets rather than chemicals. Additionally, the Department of Natural Resources would have issued a permit for the mine only after it had confirmed that the mine would operate in an environmentally responsible manner.

The bill not only had support from Governor Walker, the Wisconsin GOP and businesses, but also labor unions including the International Union of Operating Engineers, Iron Workers District Council of the North Central States, the Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association, North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters; and the Wisconsin Laborer’s District Council.

Florida-based Gogebic Taconite had reached a Memorandum of Understanding with the unions that the company would use union labor and Wisconsin-based contractors while the mine was under construction and continue using labor once the mine was up and running. Gogebic had begun the exploratory process in Iron and Ashland counties in northwestern Wisconsin [see map above- NANESB!]. Once the anticipated deposits of taconite iron-ore were located, Gogebic estimated the mines and processing facilities could be operating for up to 35 years and create as many as 3000 jobs once the mine was up and running.

The anticipated job growth would not have been limited to northwestern Wisconsin. Two large mining equipment manufacturers- Joy Global [NYSE- JOY] and recently-acquired Caterpillar [NYSE- CAT] subsidiary Bucyrus International both operate out of the Milwaukee area and also employ union labor.

However, after the State Senate killed AB 426, Gogebic announced that they would be pulling out of Wisconsin altogether. Other mining companies are unikely to step in and fill the void unless the issue of overhauling regulations for mining ferrous minerals in the Badger State is revisited.

Since Gov Walker is facing a recall election this year, there is a school of thought that public employee unions like the AFSCME and SEIU pressured the Democrats to vote unanimously against AB 426 to deny Walker any sort of victory or good publicity heading into the recall campaign.

While some green activists claimed concern about environmental degradation or harm to adjacent wetlands, similar mining operations have been taking place for over a century just to the west in Minnesota's Mesabi range without the widespread environmental devestation activists claim is inevitable.

Today's Train of Though- The Many Faces of Soo, January 20, 2012

Today's Train of Thought takes us to the Frozen Tundra of Dairyland on a chilly winter day.

Here, railpictures.net contributor and Heartland Rails webmaster Ray Peacock found something of a rare catch making its way north through Astico, WI in January 2008.

Soo Line SD60 #6021 leads an eclectic lashup of power (SD60/MP15AC/SD60/GP38-2/SD60M/SD60) on a Twin Cities-bound mixed freight as every paint scheme from the last 25 years on the Soo Line is represented. The lead unit (as well as two others) are painted in their as-delivered white with red trim and black lettering, while the trailing unit- an MP15 switcher- is still in its Milwaukee Road orange and black paint scheme (Soo Line acquired the Milwaukee Road outright in 1986). The two trailing units are SD60s, sporting their as-delivered candy-apple red paint scheme. The only thing really missing from this scene to establish that it was taken under Canadian Pacific is the presence of a CP Rail unit powering the train shown above.

A diminishing number of Soo Line locomotives still in Milwaukee Road orange and black continue operating into early 2012, more than a quarter century after the railroad itself ceased to exist.

While Canadian Pacific is likely to keep the SD60s around for the foreseeable, a number of them are slated to be rebuilt and overhauled in Quebec and will receive CP Rail paint once finished.

Badger State Update- Dewey Kloppenburg Defeats Truman Prosser; Dane County Woman Charged in Sending Death Threats to State Lawmakers

In what is likely the most hotly contested Wisconsin judicial election this month, the contest between incubment David Prosser and challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg gained a degree of national attention.

Both conservatives and labor activists viewed the Wisconsin Supreme Court election as a potential referrendum on Gov Scott Walker's contested budget bill that limited collective bargaining for state employees that was passed last month.

The unions threw their support behind Kloppenburg, largely believing that she would rule in their favor should Walker's bill find itself before the Supreme Court. The night after Tuesday's elections, Assistant Attorney General Kloppenburg had declared victory as she maintained a slim 204 vote lead over Prosser.

Heading into Thursday morning, Prosser's best chance at victory seemed to be from an automatic recount that would be automatically triggered by such a close margin.

However, by Thursday afternoon Waukesha county clerk Kathy Nickolaus held a press conference in which she announced that the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield had erroniously been omitted from the tally due to 'human error'.

"This is not a case of extra votes or extra ballots being found," Nickolaus said. "This is human error, which I apologize for." Nickolaus said the most significant error occurred when she entered totals from the city of Brookfield, a suburb of Milwaukee, but they were not saved.

This mistake was discovered during an open meeting of the county canvass board in which the co-chair of the Waukesha County Democrat Party was in attendance and verified Nickolaus' version of events.

The error would mean that Prosser could stand to gain nearly 7600 votes after trailing by just over 200, which would push the margin beyond the threshold for an automatic recount.

ELSEWHERE- A 26 year old Cross Plains, WI woman has been charged with sending threatening e-mails to state officials.

Windell before e-mailing death threats

26 year old Katherine R. Windels, 26, was named in a criminal complaint after allegedly sending death threats to State Senator Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay) on March 9 before sending similar messages to 15 other Republican lawmakers that same evening. The e-mails read in part:

Please put your things in order because you will be killed and your families will also be killed due to your actions in the last 8 weeks. Please explain to them that this is because we get rid of you and your families and then it will save the rights of 300,000 people and also be able to close the deficit that you have created. I hope you have a good time in hell. Read below for more information on possible scenarios in which you will die.

Windels after e-mailing death threats

Windels was charged with two felony counts of sending out a bomb scare and computer message threatening bodily harm or injury. Her trial is slated to begin in late April. If convicted, she could face a maximum of 3 ½ years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Some social networking profiles thought to belong to Windels lists her as having an associates degree in early childhood education and work experience in Wexford Head Start and the Little Red Caboose.

[hat tip: Gateway Pundit; Althouse]

Dairlyand Drama Drags On- NY Teamsters Hop Bus To Wisconsin; Indiana Dems Skip Town

Does anybody else remember this chick from last year? Not only is she a Democrat, she's also on the Executive committee of the Milwaukee County Democrat party.

Odds are, she's a byproduct of Wisconsin public schools. Time to start contemplating if you're really getting any bang for your buck as far as the public schools are concerned, Cheeseheads.

As the protests got underway last week in Madison, an estimated 40% of the teachers in Madison staged a sickout, cancelling classes. As the teacher's protests against Gov. Scott Walker's measures in a bill limiting public employee unions ability to collectively bargain continued through the week, the teachers apparently continued to call in sick.

As absences from faculty increased, school district administrators warned that teachers would be docked pay for the days they were absent. However, University of Wisconsin Medical Center doctors were passing out doctors notes excusing absences to passersby on their way to or from the protests last week, standing next to handwritten placards with a red cross that read 'The Doctor is In- Come Get a Note'


Meanwhile. Union Locals from the New York metropolitan area, including the Teamsters Local 237 and Transportation Union Workers Local 100 promised to bus in hundreds of members to join the protesting teachers in Madison this week [after acquitting themselves so wonderfully during January's blizzard in NYC, it must be nice to have a government position with enough job security to skip several days for a bus trip to Wisconsin with no apparent repercussions- NANESB!].

Earlier this week, a 'journalist' named Ian Murphy managed to prank Gov. Walker by calling and saying he was one of the Koch Brothers and lulling him into a rather boring conversation that was supposedly scandalous and revealed his duplicitous side. For the record, Murphy's previous works include a lengthy 2008 screed directed at the US Military and veterans called 'Fuck The Troops'.

On Friday, the Wisconsin State Assembly had passed Walker's contentious budget bill after several days of heated debate on the House floor, but the 14 AWOL state senators prevent the measure from being taken up in the Wisconsin State Senate

I also thought it might be worth mentioning that at it's peak, crowd size for the protests in Madison was in the neighborhood of 70,000 last weekend, and that included several thousand counterdemonstrators from the Tea Party supporting Gov. Walker arriving on short notice. The total population of Dane County Wisconsin (which is where the Midwestern liberal bastion of Madison is located) is thought to be in the neighborhood of 491,000. For all the attempts by some of the media to portray this as a wildly popular spontaneous uprising in Dairyland, there's the undeniable fact that Union leadership and Obama's Organizing for America have taken an active role in coordinating much of the protests, despite media claims that the White House is distancing itself from these battles.

With such large, politically connected and well financed groups mobilizing against Gov. Walker, you'd think they wouldn't have to bus people in from out of state if these proposed budget cuts were so unpopular. But who knows? They could be just warming up for other states.....

In Indiana, a similar situation has developed earlier this week when 37 of the 40 Democrat state representatives also fled to Illinois to avoid a quorum on Right to Work legislation. About 3500 Union workers converged on the capitol to protest as House Bill 1468 passed the Indiana House, Labor and Pensions Committee and was supposed to go the the floor of the State House for a full debate.

[hat tip- Lonely Conservative; Jammie Wearing Fool]

VP Biden Has Run-In With 'Smartass' Small Business Manager During Photo Op

Joe Biden- the gaffe gift that keeps on giving.



Biden was in the Milwaukee area stumping for Senator Russ Feingold over the weekend when he swung by Kopp's frozen custard for a photo-op. When he asks the manager "What do I owe you?" the manager- tongue in cheek- replies "Lower our taxes and we'll call it even".

Biden apparently was not amused and hilarity ensues. Presumably hilarity continued ensuing when the handlers step in front of the cameras and said "You guys are done- thank you.." to the assembled media.

OK liberals, keep reminding me on how the USA really and truly dodged a bullet by not having a moronic, vapid, empty headed, inexperienced Vice President in Sarah Palin and instead went straight to the moronic, vapid, empty-headed inexperienced Community Organizer Commander in chief with the intellectual juggernaut that is known as Joseph Biden in the #2 slot.

Democrat and Arizona SB 1070 Opponent Needs Geogrpahy Lesson

Meet Milwaukee County Supervisor Peggy West. She's one of many municipal politicians who's against Arizona's SB 1070 and is in favor of some sort of symbolic boycott. This chick is to geography what AG Holder and Homeland Scurity head Janet Napolitano are to reading.

Her reasoning? "This [Arizona] is a state that's away- removed from the border"Yes- really. The sound you're hearing is a few thousand of my brain cells committing seppuku.

She also went on to describe how a cursory Google search will show articles and pictures of Gov. Jan Brewer's meeting with President Obama and she even alludes to Obama sending 1200 National Guardsmen to the 'Arizona border'. Did she think that maybe they were there to try and keep the NEW Mexicans out?