October 2013 Local Action

by Dave Ingles

What turned out to be a warmer than normal October in southeastern Wisconsin, spent mostly around home, began on a quiet note, train-photo-wise, as on Tuesday, the 1st, I caught just this one train, as I drove thru the Duplainville area. It's CN train #441, units 5751/5557, at 11:30 a.m., seen from the freshly repaved Green Road crossing.

Wed., October 2nd was a nice, sunny day and provided a bonanza of 10 trains to shoot between 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. around Duplainville and Waukesha, not atypical. First was CN stack train #116, units 5789/2328, which I shot from Green Road. Note the gates were NOT relocated to better align with the wider roadway when it was repaved. Time here: 3:02 pm.

Fifteen minutes later came CP train #636, an ethanol train off the DM&E, behind SD40-2's 5975/6075/6073, the lead one CP proper (leased to DM&E) and the others re-stenciled and renumbered into the DM&E series.

At 3:38, CP 2nd #289 showed up westbound behind two pairs of MU'ed units, CP 8816/8805 and NS 2687/9954. As he was going by, I was surprised by an eastbound which I didn't hear until the last second, what with the noise of the westbound. I shot a coming-on slide of the eastbound, but only going-away views on digital. Power was CSX 5495/7809, passing me at 3:39.

Twenty minutes later came CN #477, a new number to me but a train with a solid consist of 70 trilevels, or in BNSF parlance, a "vehicle train." I shot him on the Spring Creek bridge along Duplainville siding at 3:57, units 5699/2234.

Amtrak #7 was right on time. I got him at Springdale Road, just east of the diamonds, at 4:15 with engines 6/31 and the usual 11 cars.

I then went into Waukesha and got CN stacker #119 at the old Main Street yard site (WC shops and roundhouse here decades ago), engines 8872/8792 with 83 stack wells, at 4:42.

I had missed a neat CN southbound, which beat me to Green Road after I shot Amtrak, which is why I went into Waukesha, discovering to my pleasant surprise that he was going to meet #119 at Waukesha siding, which is pretty much inaccessible betweeh a big quarry and the Fox River. I set up and got the southbound coming by the Waukesha depot at 5:05. It's train #446 with units IC 1019/CN 2578/IC 2465, the latter one of the former GE leaser units with the "LMS" lettering that CN bought and assigned to the IC. He had 148 cars. Local L504 was back from Burlington and had tucked himself into the "tie-up track" across from the depot, with his cars, since the main line would be busy for a while and prevent him from going up to Duplainville to set them out. The night job would take care of that.

The last train of the day was at 5:20, CN #340 behind 8899/2161/8877, at the Main St. Yard site. He had 104 cars.

A dreary October 4th required going out to shoot Amtrak #7, since it had two of Steve Sandberg's "Friends of 261" Milwaukee Road cars deadheading home on the rear, including their Skytop observation. A bonus was a P32 as second unit. Engines 175/507 with 13 cars at Brookfield at 4:40 p.m., about 20 minutes late.

October 8th, which would have been my late father's 106th birthday had he lived another decade, had great weather that netted us 8 trains. First was CN #446 at MP98 in Waukesha, at Hartwell Avenue, with NS units 9603/2693 and 69 cars at 12:54 pm. At the left is Trackside Car Wash, which you might properly guess is our regular stop when our vehicles get dirty.

Later in the afternoon, still wanting to shoot the Empire Builder at Ski Slide Road along Cooney Siding west of Oconomowoc, we returned out that way, and wound up seeing both "Builders" plus 4 CP freights, one of them twice. First was #198 at 3:21 with 101 wells behind 8753/9584. The elevators etc. above the 8th or 9th well are west of the siding and around the curve in the village of Ixonia. We were gratified the farmer had not returned within the week to harvest the rest of his corn.

Local G-67 returning east from Watertown surprised us 10 minutes later, and I only got a slide, but no great loss -- it had Soo 4512, a GP38 still in what little is left of original MILW black and orange, and 15 cars. He was followed by Amtrak #8 at 4:10, about 3 hours late, with units 124/175 and 11 cars.

Next up was ethanol tank-car train 638, units 8911/CEFX 1044, with 101 cars at 4:27. He was on the siding to await Amtrak #7, which showed up at 4:49, a bit tardy, with 11 cars behind 86/197.

We knew CP #281, the train with all the trilevels for the Twin Cities, was "back there somewhere," but had not clue on specifics. Entering Oconomowoc on the way home, we checked the first crossing we came to, Elm Street, and here he came! I had time only for a digital: engines NS 6945/8813 and 102 cars, all trilevels, at 4:56. Oconomowoc is a quiet zone for its half dozen crossings or so, and a few years back some schoolchildren pedestrians were hit at one by a train, so these warning signs went up at some of the intersections.

Back in the Nashotah area, CP #638 had met #281, so we went to the Vettleson Road crossing curve and made another shot of his head end, at 5:22, to end the day's trains.

The next day, Oct. 9th, continued the string of warm, sunny, slight-fall-color days of that week, so I was at Duplainville before noon and wound up shooting a dozen trains! First up was CP #484, engines 9622/8935 with 83 cars, at 11:03 a.m.

I went back to Waukesha to await CN action near the depot, and at 11:30 came #349 with NS 9603/2693, crossing East Avenue.

Another northbound was behind him, but I had errands to do and wound up with a very backlit shot at White Rock Avenue, just north of the old Main St. yard site, at 12:16, engines 2601/8924 with a whopping 160 cars, 16 of them empty center-beam lumber flats at the rear. This train often has a longer such string at the back.

The next train caught me on the phone, so I had time only to grab a slide--stack train #116 with CN-IC 2716/BCOL 4605 at 12:45. Behind him by 45 minutes, at 1:34 p.m., was #446, but I was ready for him, sitting in the Carroll Univ. parking lot by the Grand Ave. interlocking where WSOR tracks diverge: engines 2173/5423, a nice second-hander duo of ex-Santa Fe and ex-Oakway, with 125 cars. In his train was a nice block of WC boxcars, a reminder of good times past. These and the short covered hoppers for roofing granules are our most constant sightings of WC rolling stock.

As I headed north thru town toward Duplainville, northbound #491 caught me by surprise, and I was ready to ignore him but thought I should peek at his power, just in case. Well of course it turned out to be the "consist of the day," with 2129, a normal-cab Dash 8, ex-C&NW, leading, and 3133, an IC GP40 trailing, the first one of that series I'd seen repainted. Zooming up 4-lane Highway 74, I didn't catch sight of the power until up near Sussex as he rolled right thru the unoccupied Duplainville passing siding area. I was ready to go clear to Ackerville, between Rugby Jct. and Slinger, for him if necessary, but owing to empty back roads and him being underpowered -- 137 cars -- he was struggling up the gentle "Sussex hill" and by speeding in the best Steve Glischinski imitation I could muster, I beat him to North Lisbon Road, up near the Waukesha-Washington County Line, for one sequence -- telephotos for the digital and close-ups on the slides. Time here 2:32 p.m.

Back at Duplainville, Amtrak #8 came thru at 3:02, only an hour and a half late or so, with 158/24 and the usual 11 cars.

CN stack train #119 was next, with 8903/2268/5681, shot at Spring Creek bridge on a slide at 3:20 and at Weyer Road 2 minutes later on digital.

The shadows were beginning to get long as Jeff Madden joined me at Dupy, and CP local G-67 returned east, having traded the ugly orange unit for repainted 4422; he had 12 cars and was by at 4:13, right ahead of Amtrak #7. which showed up 4 minutes later with units 175/162 and the usual 11 cars. For something different, I stepped back and included Jeff's Explorer SUV and my Chrysler Mini-Van, as for once there were no other fans present.

CP #281, the "vehicle train," was next, with units NS 2751/8828 and 108 trilevels, at 5:15, but I snapped a lot of the emblems on the rack-car covers and have made this a separate file on the website, just for something offbeat. The last train of the day I photographed was CP stacker #198, eastbound thru "Dupy" at 5:38 with 137 wells behind 8803/9775, presented here. I saw, but did not shoot, CN 8869 North in Waukesha at 5:45 on my way home.

After our day in Rochelle and environs (see separate Website file) on Thursday., Oct. 10, the good weather took a break. However, it turned nice on Sunday afternoon, so I went out to get Amtrak #7 going by the retention pond in the office park in Pewaukee at MP 103 -- engines 94/121 at 4:17 p.m., right on time. I tend to shoot here only on weekends, as you can park in firms' driveways to await a train and not be bothered.

The next day, CN #341 had a sort of different diesel consist, with SD60 (ex-Oakway) 5484 and 5263, an SD40-2W, which are getting rare to see, passing Grand Avenue interlocking at 12:55 p.m. Local L504 was ready to go south to Burlington, having met #341 at Waukesha siding, but other traffic was on its way, so L504 tucked itself and its 7 cars into the "tie-up track" by the depot to wait its turn. This was my first good shot of our newly assigned unit, CN-IC GP40 3110, only the second one in the series I've seen to be repainted from IC black. When CN took over WCL over a decade ago now, it sent 17 of the IC 3100s up to Wisconsin when it retired WC's older Geeps (the stuff inherited from Fox River Valley, mostly), but I think fewer than 17 are up here now.

The next train thru was CN stack train #119, but it had routine power, 5651/8882, and was of course backlit. Meeting him at Waukesha siding was #446, with NS 6754/8889/UP 7335, which then passed me (and L504) at the depot at 1:53.

I then went up to Duplainville, but a CP westbound, #289, went across the road just ahead of me. I managed a shot out of the car window of the 4 units after they passed me -- note the odd lettering, with the road name spelled out on one line and no emblem, on the flanks of the rear unit, 9731. The lead unit was 9617, with two CEFX 1000-series leasers in between. Time here 2:26 p.m.

CP 2nd #289 surprised me in Pewaukee, so I got on 4-lane Highway 16 and went out to Nashotah siding, getting him crossing Vettleson Road at 3:02 (pictured) behind NS 9797/9454, and then again along the siding a couple of minutes later.

He was going to meet Amtrak #8 at Cooney, but I went up along the CN and saw a stopped southbound, and wasn't quick enough to get back down to Duplainville for #8 and the gates came down ahead of me. No sweat, I thought, but then as the back end went by, I poked the digital out the window as 6 of Steve Sandberg's Milwaukee Road-painted cars were on the rear. Time here: 3:30. He had engines 824/162/114 and 17 cars.

Waiting for #8 to clear was CN stacker #116, which I shot going across the newly paved, and now completely striped, Green Road crossing. Note how far the eastbound signal/gate now is from the new curb. In the 2nd shot, that's friend Jeff Hampton trying an artsy angle on the lead unit, 5689; trailing unit was 2409, and it's 3:45 p.m.

I then went over to MP 101 in Brookfield for Amtrak #7, which came by on time at 4:15 with engines 197/175 and 11 cars.

Figuring CP #281 was behind him, I waited, and sure enough, he showed up at 4:44 behind 9596/9549 with 96 trilevels. I shot the rear unit to record its number, as i do in digital when my "clerk," Carol, is not along, but since it has that RCMP Musical Ride decal on it, I'm presenting it here. A lot of those AC44's' numbers are getting hard to read and seem to be peeling away.

Saturday,  Oc. 19th, I was out just to see the Empire Builders, and westbound #7 had the same units I'd shot 5 days before, typical of the cycle. But it was the rear end that makes it worth including here, as PV Sierra Hotel brought up the rear. Units 197/175, 12 cars, 4:27, about 10 minutes late.

Eight minutes later, having met #7 at the end of double track in Pewaukee, #8 came by, running about 3 hours late, with engines 162/130 and 13 cars including a surprise--two FRA cars on the rear.

When I first got to Duplainville this day, I noticed an inordinate number of fans hanging out at the CN Green Road crossing, but thought little of it. I went north, got a southbound CN train with routine power (2270/2125/2506) in a not-so-great spot, and went back to the CP for the Amtrak trains. After they went, a CN northbound was expected, so I went south to Joseph Road, just around a curve south of the CP diamonds, and got this shot of 2680 North with 5619 trailing, at 4:49. In the bed of the truck are Ron Wischer, a fan who once worked for the C&NW and now is retired from a career as sales manager for a retail furniture store, and a kid named Scott, who owns the truck. 

Ron, who hangs around Duplainville for most of his photography, is on the left; he maintains the duplainvilleusa website. What I then found out from him was that the WSOR was moving its ex-C&NW Chicago commuter bilevel cars from Horicon to Janesville, and the train had followed that southbound CN I'd shot and was waiting at the Dupy home signal to cross the CP once the 2680 North had gone past! I'd not turned my scanner on nor had asked anyone if anything was going on. And then the weather got me. As I headed into Waukesha to get this unusual train passing the depot, it was getting darker and darker. Crossing the CN at the south siding switch in town, I saw the signals were lined for the siding, so I set up at the old Main St. yard site and sure enough, here came L504 back from Burlington, at 4:55.

I assumed the WSOR train was still at Duplainville. Wrong, Geep-breath! He'd been advacned to the south Waukesha siding switch. As I approached the depot, the gates went down, so I scuttled that planned shot and went thru back streets to onto the WSOR just west of Grand Avenue. Then it began to rain! So my coming-on shot, passing the old C&NW depot (now a Mexican restaurant, La Estacion) and crossing Maple Avenue, is uncontrollably bad, with a super bright sky and a dark foreground. Here they are anyway, and you'll note how much better the west-facing going-away shots look.

That evening, I e-mailed with Ron Wischer and told him my sorry tale, and he kindly provided me with his images of the "rumby" of the WSOR special, shot along Duplainville siding when I was shooting the Amtrak trains. Here are his first and last of a series of 4 or 5 shots he made.

The last local shot I made before heading to Fort Wayne, Ind., for the weekend steam excursion (see separate file on the website) was of this CN southbound on Thurs., Oct. 24th, at West Avenue climbing "Cemetery Hill," as I was on my way for a haircut: Engines 2194/5777 at 2:56 p.m.

On Tuesday, Oct. 29th, we were anticipating taking few if any photos before heading for a slide show at Jeff Hampton's in Merton, but events swung the pendulum to action, as Craig Willett, having left home early for the show, reported seeing on the CP's C&M main line south of Milwaukee, a northbound empty oil train, symboled #603, with a BNSF unit leading NS 1069, the Virginian Heritage unit! So, it was off to Duplainville to shoot until dark, if necessary, to bag that Virginian.

First up was CP #281 with UP 4220/8484 at 4:15, on Amtrak #7's time. We figured whatever else was out there, the #603 would come on thru Milwaukee after Amtrak. That is what happened ... eventually.

Amtrak followed #281 by 7 minutes, at 4:22, engines 99/187 and 11 cars. Note the nice sunlight as he ran around #281, which would wait at Pewaukee for him to go by and also for #8.

Next up, first, however, was a southbound CN, which had waited for both CP westbounds and had an interesting set of power: CSX 846 and SP "patched" UP 6398, leaving at 4:33. Note the sun had gone under.

Complicating things now was Amtrak #8, running 3 1/2 hours late and facing all the westbound traffic. Craig Willett (portrait below) and Bob Fontana showed up, as did T.J. Van Haag, a mutual friend and former Amtrak employee (now with Walther's model rails) from Waukesha. We learned that the tank-car train was indeed out of Milwaukee, and in fact he was approaching Duplainville ... but for some reason had halted in Brookfield, blocking Barker Road. Most of the time a westbound waiting to go thru Duplainville will advance to Springdale Road, but perhaps he wouldn't fit there either without blocking Barker. We all drove thru the subdivisions and found the train had cut the Barker crossing, putting his engines just close enough for a photo to be accesible. The "No Trespassing" note was painted by CP on the rail where local citizens have established a path across the tracks to the big Mitchell Park.

We then set up for #8 first, hoping for a "meet" shot going-away, but alas, the tank-car train began to back up to re-couple his train just as Amtrak approached: engines 121/13 at 5:11 p.m.

I then went to Duplainville for the requisite shot of an "oddity" passing thru the interlocking, and got the "official" shot: CP #603, engines BNSF 5103/NS 1069 (VGN) at 5:24 p.m. The slides were shot wide-open at 1/125 second, IIRC. 

Picking up a McD's "supper" to go, i parked at the Pewaukee lakefront to consume it, and made a nice sunset photo (note the sun reappeared briefly after all the trains were gone!), at 5:40.

The sunset didn't quite finish off the evening's shots, as on the way home from the slide show, I went down Duplainville Road and encountered what I think was CN #441, the NS connection train, led by 9344, at 11:15 pm. Just for the heck of it, I tried some "action flash" shots with just the D70's built-in flash, with some interesting results on the foggy evening.

And speaking of fog, the next day was foggy, and I took the "scenic" route to the KPC office for a brief visit, via Duplainville, and made the last train photo of the month as a southbound crossed Green Road behind 2633/5411 at 10:15 a.m.

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