Today's Train of Thought- Roving Badgers, July 21st, 2013

Today's Train of Thought takes us to the heart of Dixie and highlights some visitors who are out of place.

With the 2001 acquisition of the Wisconsin Central by Canadian National, remnants of the Wisconsin Central fleet began showing up further afield almost immediately. Part of this had to do with CN repaying horsepower hours owed to CSX and Norfolk Southern- while newer CN units were assigned to the former WC, for awhile, your best bet of finding a unit still painted in Wisconsin Central colors was actually further afield in Pennsylvania or Florida.

One such train that regularly drew WC power far from home was CSX unit molten sulfur trains between Chicago and Florida. Sulfur- which can be used in making steel, acid or fertilizer- is typically melted so it can be shipped with relative ease.

Here, railpictures.net contributor William H Davis Jr caught  Wisconsin Central SD40-2 #6005 leading unit molten sulfur train K841-24 through New Castle, AL with another WC SD40-2 as well as a Santa Fe painted BNSF C40-8W and CSX EMD trailing on a sunny April 2004 day. The lead unit started out life as Algoma Central #187 in the late 1970s, which the WC obtained from their 1995 takeover of Canadian regional Algoma Central.

Iron Horse Roundup: Week of October 20-26

(railpictures.net/Brandon Kilgore)
Canadian National announced that it was purchasing 35 new 4400 HP ES44AC 'GEVO' locmotives from General Electric and 35 new 4350 HP SD70M-2 locomotives from EMD. The GEVOs are expected to arrive in late 2010 while the SD70M-2s are expected to be on the property by January 2011. Here, CNR ES44AC #2305 is seen with another GEVO on the former Elgin, Joliet & Eastern trackage in West Chicago, IL in September 2009.


(Dean Sauvola/Railpictures.net)

Tourist hauler Wisconsin Great Northern got a substantial increase in horsepower last month with the acquisition of former Wisconsin Central SD40-2 #6006 and Duluth Missabe & Iron Range SD38AC #200 from Canadian National. The railway already owns a 1940-built SW1 and a 1949-built EMD F7A primarily used for their excursions. However, with the recent downturn in traffic on many Class 1 railways, Wisconsin Great Northern agreed to store idle tank cars along its line and in it's Spooner, WI yard. Here, WGN employees are inspecting #6006 shortly after arrival in Spring Brook, WI. It's believed the #6006 and #200 will handle the stored freight cars while the 1940s-vintage diesels will continue with the tourist trains.

(railpictures.net/Jeff Faherty)

The New York, Susquehanna & Western has reportedly put their fleet of GP18s, GP20s and sole operating F45 up for sale. NYS&W F45 #3636 was thought to be one of the last F45s operating in revenue service in the country. Here, the #3636 is seen snaking though downtown Port Jervis, NY with Little Ferry NJ-Binghampton, NY freight SU-99 in June 2006. This would leave NYS&W with their former Denver, Rio Grande & Western and Southern Pacific SD40T-2 'Tunnel Motors' as the backbone of their locomotive fleet.

An Australian baby cheated death when his carriage rolled off a platform and in front of a Connex commuter train in Melbourne earlier this month. The incident was caught was caught on the Ashburton station's CCTV system. 6-month old Saurish Verma survived with some cuts to his face after being dragged roughly 30 meters before the train came to a stop.

*Workers for the largest union representing tranist workers from Philadelphia's SEPTA have voted unanimously to strike if no contract is reached with management this week. A walkout by SEPTA workers could take place when the Phillies are slated to host the Yankees for games 3, 4 and 5 (if neccecary) of the World Series. The strike would include the Broad Street subway line, which links Citcizen's Bank park and Lincoln Financial Field with downtown Philly. SEPTA's suburban commuter rail service wouldn't be affected, as those workers are represented by a different union.

*Authorities in Egypt have filed charges against three railway workers in a deadly 2-train collision that killed at least 18 people over the weekend. The two trains collided at Girzah south of Cairo after the first train hit some livestock that wandered onto the tracks before coming to a stop and the second train plowed into the rear of the stopped train at full speed. One of the rail workers is charged with abandoning his post.

Today's Train of Thought- Fall Colors and Fallen Flags in the Upper Peninsula

Today's train of thought is an excellent catch by railpictures.net contributor Dean Sauvola, proving that New England isn't the only place to catch some good autumn foliage.

Here, we see Wisconsin Central GP40# 3024 cross Moore Road in Bessemer, MI at a leisurely 10MPH with the White Pine local on October 11th, 2009. The Wisconsin Central ceased to exist in 2001, taken over by Canadian National. Since then, WC's fleet of older motive power has been systematically sold off or retired and replaced with newer power from Canadian National (or one of the many railways CNR has acquired this past decade like the Illinois Central; Duluth Missabe & Iron Range or British Columbia Rail). But as this shot illustrates, CN hasn't repainted all of the WC power that it retained.

It was also announced that the copper smelter at White Pine, MI which this line services anticipated shutting down in 2010. So like the leaves on the trees themselves, the 3024 and the line through the northern Michigan woods is on borrowed time.