SOUTH OF THE BORDER

News and photos from our American CRO contributors.

News

Christopher Bodkin submitted these news photos: West Tennessee Railroad's ex-BNSF B40-8W's 580 and 564 sit at milepost 407 on the former Illinois Central Cairo District at South Fulton, TN on December 10th with the Sunday-Tuesday-Thursday Jackson-Fulton turn.

GREAT SHOT! CN C40-8W 2187 and C44-9WL 2509 sit crewless under the US 45E overpass at South Fulton, TN on December 10th, as train M336 prepares to leave towards Memphis. C44-9W 2524 and SD60F 5554 are it's power.

GTW SD40-2 5937 and IC GP40R 3103 move about the yard in Fulton, KY.

CN SD60F 5535 sits alone in the bowels of the Fulton Yard, just north of the State Line Road overpass.

On December 11th, George Redmond bagged BNSF 3200 working as the switch engine SB at Centralia, IL still in ATSF bluebonnet.

On November 29th, Mike Garza photographed a rebuilt GE (running as the DAKX 0002), as she was being delivered by the Iowa Interstate (IARR) to the Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB) at Blue Island IL. She is destined to DAK Americas.

On December 2nd, Mike also caught the Ringling Brothers circus train on former GTW Sound Bend Sub trackage, which is now owned by CSX at Lansing, IL. about seven months ago, CSX bought the ex-Grand Trunk Western line from Munster, IN to Chicago, IL. The photo shows the train led by CSX 24 it was in transit to Indianapolis, Indiana.

On November 28th, Kenneth Borg was in Dearborn, MI. and bagged eastbound Amtrak train 350 at Mason Street, filled with Thanksgiving travelers.

Check out this former CP SD40-2 all pimped out! J&L Consulting owned JLCX 5996 is seen switching on a cold November 23rd day. at Mission Terminal in Thunder Bay, ON. JLCX 5696 was painted by the art students at Confederation College. After practicing en-training/de-training, coupling cars, cutting in air and spotting and then pulling up the cars to the end of the yard for CN to lift later, the boys head back to the shed. Note all proper PPE was worn while on property and taken with permission.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=460165&nseq=39

He also bagged Ex-UP nee-MP patched NS SD40-2 3583 along with repainted NS SD40-2 3515 at Chattanooga, TN on December 9th.

He also bagged Ex-UP nee-MP patched NS SD40-2 3583 at Chattanooga. TN December 9th.

Denis Weber submitted BNSF NTWSt.L with CSX engine Numbers CSX-7545-7544! The train is passing near La Crosse, WI on the Aurora Sub.

On December 6th, Mark Mautner caught Helm Leasing (HLCX) GP38 3600 in fresh paint MEI property with permission. She has quite the history! She was built as Penn Central 7821, and when retired from Conrail, went to Eureka Western, then became DME 3803, and finally was sold to Helm Leasing in the summer 2013.

Also on MEI property in early December was Motive Power Resources Inc. (MVPX) GP9u 1313. The unit was built at GMD London for CN as GP9 4307, and later rebuilt at the Pointe St-Charles Shop into a GP9u, and numbered AMT 1313 for the commuter agency in Montreal, Quebec. Seen just after her arrival on MEI property in East St Louis, IL Dec 6th, 2013 by Mark Matner with permission.

FTRL Railway GP9 207 (ex-Copper Basin Railway , exx-BN , nee-NP ), is seen inside paint shop at Metro East Industries in East St Louis, IL Dec 16th 2013. Unit will be painted blue with grey band and lease long term to Lange Stegmann Fertilizer Company in St Louis, MO. Taken by Mark Mautner with permission of both locomotive owner and Metro East Industries.

Helm Leasing owned ex-CP MP15AC 1445 is seen at Metro East Industries in East St Louis, IL Dec 16th 2013. This is a new arrival to MEI and Mark Mautner was unsure at the time who the unit will be shopped for. Taken on MEI property with permission.

Just shy of her 40th birthday, having been built for Milwaukee Road in May 1974, is Norfolk Southern SD40-2 3506. One of eighty former Helm Leasing SD40-2s being purchased by NS. This unit also has operated as Soo Line, DME, and of course HLCX. Taken in December on MEI property with permission.

NS Locos submitted this photo of view of partially painted Wabash E8 # 1009 at Chattanooga , TN.. The Wabash blue paint will come next will go on next and will look similar to the Norfolk Southern Wabash heritage locomotive scheme done last year.

Gary Knapp photo of Wabash Heritage NS 1070 at Plattsburgh, NY in early 2013

VIGNETTES U.S.A By Herb Iske:

Southern Pacific SD45 #7481 west leads this manifest train through the classic backdrop of the Chatsworth Hills in Santa Susana Pass on the Southern California coastline route in 1984.

© CRO January 2014