Today's Train of Thought- Rolling Into the New Year, December 31, 2011

Seems as though no matter where you were in the country, we've been in for a pretty mild winter ever since the calendar officially flipped over to wintertime some 10 days ago. Don't get me wrong, a nice mild winter is good to have every now and then, but there's also something to be said for having a white Christmas- not to mention some of us try and earn some extra cash this time of year by shovelling sidewalks or plowing driveways.

However, that doesn't seem to be a problem in the Dakotas. For instance, the forecast for Fargo, ND for New Year's Eve is for snow flurries and a low of 19°. By way of comparison, the forecast for Boston, MA on New Year's Eve calls for some fog and temperatures of no less than 36°.

Winter in the upper Midwest actually seems like winter more often than not. And this is effectively conveyed in the photography of railpictures.net contributor Lew Ableidinger.

Here, he snaps a pair of Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western SD45s- led by #7510- rounding a curve just outside of Oakes, ND heading east on former Soo Line trackage with a loaded grain train on December 6, 2010.

And with that vision of cold steel and high horsepower, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for visiting this humble blog and wish you a happy and prosperous 2012!