Steven Rathke  Norfolk Southern Engineer "Flying" Pan Am" Late last week, an empty auto rack train from New England came into town.  The cars were headed for the Ann Arbor Railroad yard to be loaded with Jeeps and other Chrysler products.  What made this train so interesting was the trailing locomotive in the consist: Pan Am SD40-2 #3401.   Run through power on trains in Toledo is an every day occurrence. On Norfolk Southern, there are days when you can see almost as many BNSF and UP engines as home road engines.  Once in awhile, an occasional KCS unit will show up on an oil or ethanol train.  But rarely we do get treated to such a guest from the northeast.  Among the rail fan community, there was much speculation on what train the engine would leave town on and the direction it would be heading.  East, west, trail, or in the lead?   My opinion was that the unit would be added to the consist of an Elkhart bound freight train.  From there, the engine could be serviced and used on an eastbound train back towards home rails.  Turns out that Toledo was short on power, so the engine was to stay here and be used locally on yard jobs for the next week!   As I have mentioned in previous stories, I am blessed with very patient coworkers.  While they do not share my passion for railroading, they do their best to understand.  This means I get a fair dose of jokes, ribbing, and flack when they see me get excited about something like this engine.  When I asked the yardmaster if there was any way I could have this unit assigned to my job, he rolled his eyes and said yes.  I am sure this was much easier and painless for him than seeing me every morning and being asked the same question over and over again. Though a tad dusty, the Pan Am blue looked good on the #3401.  Being that this is the first time I have seen one their units in person, I have to say that I really like the colors and the scheme.  As I walked around the locomotive doing my daily calendar inspection, it was obvious that she was not your typical SD40-2.   The standout feature was the brutishly large fuel tank, reminiscent of the SD45-2s ordered by the Erie Lackawanna.  Other atypical features include the positioning of front and rear handrails, vented doors near the compressor room, and piping running across the car body roof and then bending down the rear of the locomotive.  Only one carrier rostered such a SD40-2: the Quebec, North Shore, and Labrador. Built in March of 1973, the unit began life as Quebec, North Shore, and Labrador #247.  The railroad wanted locomotives that could make round trips on their line without refueling, hence the larger than normal fuel tank.  Due to this specification the main reservoirs had to be relocated.  These are the torpedo-like tubes that lie just above the tank on both sides of the unit.  I found these to be in the compressor room, which explained reasons for the louvered doors and extra piping. My article two issues ago focused on my love of SD40-2s.  Like the engines mentioned in that piece, the #3401 did not disappoint.  I was very pleased to see that the engine still had the old Graham-White horn valve.  It has been quite some time since I have been able to play the horn, feathering it between the low and high stages. All class one carriers have replaced these valves with a large toggle-like switch.  There is no style to horn blowing now, as it is all or nothing. Inside the cab, I was very impressed with the control stand.  It still had the original General Motors gauge plates, all three of them!  I always liked the styling of this GM logo, as the large M did double duty in two words. The only change on the stand had been a replacement amp meter plate.  Other than that, the stand is as it was as built.     As with any piece of railroad rolling stock, sometimes it is the smallest of details that tell the story.  While we were stopped at Worthington Steel, I grabbed my camera and documented them.   Maybe it is the Dofasco trucks....or the GMD bearing covers.  It may be painted Pan American, but there is no doubt that the #3401 is 100% Canadian!       Over the years, I have taken many vacations which required flying.  Many of the carriers that I once flew on are long gone.  I never boarded a Pan Am jet.  But I certainly enjoyed my "flight" on Pan Am 3401!   NOTE: All photographs were taken by a professional railroader wearing the proper personal protective equipment, including reflective garments. Also, railroad safety rules and FRA Regulations were followed when photographs were taken.  Watching and photographing trains is fun, but it can also be extremely dangerous. Please be responsible when track side and enjoy our hobby in a safe manner!

 

News And Photos From Our American CRO Contributors. 

Mike Ray took this great roster shot of UP 6283 (ex-SP 309), at the Norfolk Southern Yard in Chattanooga TN in late-August. 

 Tennessee Valley Railroad GP7 (TVRM 1912), was shot by Mike in mid-September 2016 at Chattanooga, TN.  

Roberto Alinez caught UP 1988 SD70ACe soaking up the sun after being rinsed off by a quick downpour. Union Pacific displayed this Heritage diesel at Dallas Union Station for display on National Train Day in Dallas, TX on May 13th, 2016.

UP 1996 SD70ACe departs the Fort Worth Amtrak station after spending National Train Day 2012 on display in Fort Worth, TX on May 12, 2016.

Brand new UP 9023 was caught by Jason Murray at Rochelle, IL on September 4th.

Fresh from Cadrail in Montreal, Joe Schiavo caught this CSX train at Selkirk, NY on September 7th with GMTX 331 back in the USA in transit to New Jersey Dead in tow with Stacks capped).   

Former Jersey Transit F40PH-2CAT (BUGX 4129), was shot far from home sitting at East Riverbank, California as we went to press in late-August.   George Manley says she was interchanged to the CCT in Stockton, CA and is being sent to final destination at Turlock.  The unit seemed to take a grand tour of the area!  There are several BUGX locomotives stored at Chemurgic (seven miles from Turlock) on the UP's ex-Tidewater Southern trackage.  BUGX 4129 was later interchanged with the Modesto & Empire Traction in Empire, who later interchanged it over to the UP in Modesto, for final delivery to Chemurgic. (GM)

Mike Garza submitted the following shots:

 Iowa Interstate train CB-BI had NS SD70ACe 1000 leading at Mokena Ill. on August 20th.

CSX train Q-368 had the class unit CSX #1 (the Sprit Of Virginia) in the consist at Dolton IL. August 22nd.

The IHB light power (with NRE-built 3GS21c gensets), were at Riverdale heading up to the CN interchange to bring up a train of rail cars  on Sept 1st.

The Michigan State University switcher was at NRE in Dixmoor, IL for repairs in early September.

This new genset (UPY 913) was shot near the UP (Ex-C&EI Yard) at Dolton IL in early September.

The Cedar Rapids and Iowa City brand new unit is at the CSX. It was made by Relco. The model is L4-1500 XD -M. It means Locomotive 4 axles 1500 Horse Power Xtra duty - Mother. (to be mated with a slug)  These were all on August 22nd. The Fairfield Southern switcher was at the IHB Aug. 29th. The BNSF 617 former Dash 9 was converted to an AC44 C4 M. this was at The NS Colehour Yard in Chicago, IL on September 2nd.  (Mike Garza).

A former Montana Railink SD with the reporting marks YCR 332 was at CSX Barr Yard in Illinois on July 15. (The Reporting marks YCR are unknown).

 The east bound (Iowa Interstate) IAIS train CB-BI was shot by Mike at Tinley Park, IL on July 31st.

Rebuilt and freshly painted CSX 4381 and 4324 were shot at CSX Barr Yard on July 25th.

Mike also got a great shot of CSX ES44AC 3099 at Barr Yard on August 1st. Mike Garza photos).

Birmingham Southern Railroad owned and lettered Fairfield Southern SW1500 EMD-built switcher (FSR 352), was shot in the NS Yard in Illinois in August.  Then on September 2nd, she was lifted east by CN to Kirk Yard in Gary, IN.

Herb Theodore caught NS AC44C6M 4004 fresh from the Altoona paint shop. There are going to be 4 different paint schemes for these DC to AC conversion locomotives locos. Solid black for GE rebuilds, blue nose for the Chattanooga, TN Shop,  Tuscan Red for the Roanoke Shop, and black nose (Like this one) for the Altoona Shop in Pennsylvania.  Those done so far have been converted from standard Spartan cab, to the wide cab. 

Mike Ray shot NS 4001 in Chattanooga, TN, wearing fresh paint.

Rebuilt NS 8866 was first built in Erie PA in March 1995.   

On August 17th, Mike Ray shot Hi Nosed SD40 TVRM 3170 at Chattanooga, TN. 

On September 2nd, Sami-Lynn Metzer shot NS 1070, the Wabash painted SD70Ace heritage unit running solo at Shippensburg, PA.

As the early morning fog began lifting, a hole opened up for the New England Central Railroad's 323X-24 (the Carnival Express) a train that was hauling equipment for the James E. Strata Carnival, which opens in Burlington, Vermont, in late August. The NECR SD40-2 3405 and GP40-2W 3015 lead the 42-car (26 loads/15 empties - some equipment trucked from Buffalo to Burlington ahead of the train movement), over the White River at West Hartford at 0730 hrs on August 24. Kevin Burkholder shot the train on the NECR Roxbury Subdivision, at West Hartford Bridge in West Hartford, Vermont, on August 24, 2016.

On September 4th, Kenneth Borg shot CSXT empty grain train, V75830 heading westbound over the old C&O line at Rickett Road in Brighton, MI  The Motive Power is CSX 5318, and CSX 434. 

The same day Kenneth bagged NS BD07 heading eastbound With NS 9586 and NS 1035 at Delray Interlocking in Detroit, MI with coke for United States Steel Great Lakes Works on Zug Island in River Rouge, MI.

Kenneth also shot CP train #650 eastbound with loaded crude oil, led by UP 5552 and DPU (UP 5550) on the tail end eastbound on the old Wabash (NS) line at Romulus, MI on September 3rd, 2016.

Richard Roberts caught Horizon Rail GP40  (HZRX 3134) on August  27th, 2016  in Cleveland, OH. She is former Penn Central GP40 3118 built by EMD in 1968. 

 

 

Walter Pfefferle CRO Web Guy

 

Headed south again to Ohio to attend the Fostoria Rail Festival which is one of the largest in the area. It was well attended with the new RailPark packed all day long. here are some photos over the 5 days I was there.

 

First up were a pair of SD40-3's (EMD) 4033 and 4026 as they headed west through Fostoria Ohio. Sept 24 2016

 

 

Also in the area was NS EMD SD40-2 3326 switching in the back yard also on the 24th 2016

 

 

Next day in Bellevue Ohio more SD40's as Wheeling and lake Erie 6351 was on the trailing end of a southbound out of Fostoria. Sept 25 2016

 

 

This trio of UP's rolled out of the yard and were headed to Toledo UP 8677 UP 6517 and UP 6425. Not sure how UP 8677 ende dup with a bloody nose. Sept 25 2016

 

 

Spotted this box car that I had never seen before. McLoud River Railroad Company headed to the hump in the NS yard. Make a good model if anybody wanted to attempt it.

 

 

Next day although the day was wet and dark it brightened up as NKP 765 rolled through about 14:30 heading back to Fort Wayne after weekend excursions. Great looking as usual. Sept 26 2016

 

 

 

Right after NK 765 left this lashup up of KCS 4040, UP 7773, NS 7510, UP 3964 and NS 8057 rolled in heading to the yard. Sept 26 2016

 

 

Wheeling and Lake Erie 6358 ex BCOL 758 headed W&LE 6354 and W&LE 3964 heading to Brewster Ohio Sept 26 2016.

 

 

AS I was leaving Bellevue on the 27th I managed to catch the W&LE Toledo job returning to Toledo with W&LE 6994 and 6355. Sept 27 2016

 

 

CN & CP has trashed most of their SD 40's but many live on in new paint and location. Ohio is a hot bed of railways and there as so many places to go it keeps calling me back.

 

Would you like to see your photos here?

  Send us your USA Vignette photos.

 

Burlington Northern Vignettes (Part 1)

Always interesting in the 1970's Burlington Northern had a railfan Dream Roster, with locomotives from almost every American builder, and all in a rainbow of Fallen Flag railroad paint schemes.  Here is a snap shot of some of them courtesy of Kevin Piper.  (BN Part 2,  and Part 3 will come at a later date  in CRO):  

Great Northern SW1500 GN 204, was shot at Spokane, WA, in July 1968. It was the first of this model to get BN Cascade Green on 12-11-70 at Hillyard. KEVIN PIPER COLLECTION

Brand new CB&Q  General Electric U30C (CB&Q  890) looks lovely Burlington red and grey with crisp and sharp white lettering (photo circa 1970). (BILL HAIMES COLLECTION).

Kevin Piper photographed Northern Pacific 201, 308, 302, and 312 forming an impressive GP9 lineup at Spokane, WA, on 9-19-68. The units became the BN 1701, 1746, 1740, and 1750 respectively.  Note the huge spark arrestors on 201! 

The NP switcher paint scheme was simple, yet business-like and the yellow striping added a lot of character to a basic black carbody. SW1200 165 became the BN 224. Laurel, MT, 8-16-68 (Kevin Piper)

The ex-Frisco U30B's were great looking locomotives in BN paint, but they were also unreliable, and didn't last long after the merger. Ottumwa, IA, 3-13-82. MARK R. LYNN PHOTO/KEVIN PIPER COLLECTION 

Always interesting Burlington Northern had several homemade B-Units on their locomotive roster. The majority of those were rebuilt from their wrecked locomotives. On August 25th, 1985 BN SD40-2B 7502 was shot sitting at the Diesel facility at Denver, CO.  She was BN 6532 an SD40-2 built in March 1977 and was retired in the late 1980's.

BN NW2 460 was shot at in Fargo, ND back in September 1980, (Bill Grandin Collection. 

At Creston IA on April 4th, 1996, Kevin Piper shot one year old SD70MAC class-unit (BN 9600), wearing the attractive Grinstein Green Executive livery.  The locomotive was built by EMD in May 1995 

Kevin Piper shot NP GP9 338 at Auburn, WA, 8-20-61. NP 338 later became BN GP9 1923.

NP SW-7 107 is at the Mississippi Street Shop in St. Paul, MN, on 5-31-67. It became the BN 107, and was sold to DRI&NW in 1975. 

NP SW1200 155 was shot in St. Paul, MN, 5-30-68. NP 155 later became the BN 214.

BNSF's  Most Requested by CRO Readers: 

Alec Holmes took this great shot of BNSF GP9 1685. At the request of several CRO Facebook readers I will be posting a shot of the passenger GP7 in MIDLAND RAILWAY livery later on. She spent most of her life (Over 60 years in Manitoba and was donated by BNSF to the Prairie Dog Central and is in service on the line.

   

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Copyright CRO October 2016