Jan.-Feb. 2012 Local Action

Photos by Dave Ingles

Southeastern Wisconsin is, as of late February 2012, still enjoying a record winter in terms of warm temps (many days in the 40s) with little snowfall, much less than most areas around Chicago and to the north in Wisconsin. December 2011 was virtually snowless, but on New Year's Day we got a covering. To prove it, I went into Waukesha and shot the parked local CN switcher, GP40W 9592, at 9:35  a.m.

Nine minutes later, a northbound caught me at the Hartwell Ave. crossing: engines 2324/2527/2680/2129.

The rear unit is ex-UP, nee C&NW.

This is the only snow that ever covered our "Christmas train" decoration, and we brought it inside a few days later when the temps had warmed up.

Gee, another shot of L504, our local, leaving for Burlington, Wis., on Jan. 2nd when I happened to be in town, the D70 in the car as usual. It's noon and he had only 4 cars.

It's Jan. 8, sunny, and I'm in Frame Park waiting for a southbound I knew was coming: train 446 with 2680/IC 2459 at 3:10 p.m.

On Jan. 13th, I was alerted to this consist coming and set up at the Amron siding switch in southern Waukesha. The train is #447 with 8865/2182, the 2nd unit still in the remnants of a bedraggled Santa Fe Warbonnet livery. It's high noon, and we have another modest snow cover.

My first slide of the year was the closeup on this train #446, which is passing the Waukesha depot a half hour after the above photo, with ex-CNW/UP 2133 leading 2339.

Desperate for snow shots, I made this at L504 up at North Duplainville's set-out track, MP104, at 1:08 p.m. on the 13th.

He left for Burlington, exiting the Duplainville siding just north of the CP diamonds at 1:17.

Next was CP local G67, returning to Milwaukee from Watertown, thru Duplainville at 1:28 with Soo 4435/4422 and 4 cars. Note the odd nose lettering on 4435; 4422 is repainted as CP.

The snow cover and no sun allowed this "wintry" view of Amtrak #8 in Pewaukee at 1:51 p.m., engines 191/161/123 and 10 cars.

Forty minutes after #8, it was CP #281's turn, with an unusual consist of 6 units including 1 Soo and 3 SD40-2's! Time is 14:32 at the old Pewaukee station site by the lakefront. Units: 9561/4525/Soo 4410/CP 6064/6050/5965.

To end the day, here is CN #193 with 102 cars, mostly empty stack well cars as usual, passing Waukesha depot at 3 p.m. sharp behind 2573/2564.

Four days later, Jan. 17, still cloudy but still a rare snowcover! Here's Amtrak #8 at Duplainville, engines 25/809 and an unknown 3rd unit, 10 cars, at 1:58.

Here's CN #193 again at 2:04 at Weyer Road at North Duplainville, engines 5689/IC 2720/2509/5740/5800.

For once, a sunny day, a little snow left in ditches, as Amtrak #8 approaches Duplainville diamonds on Jan. 27th behind engines 3/191/124 with 10 cars at 1:49, only about 10 minutes late.

At 2:15, CN #446 eases past Milepost 103 north of the CP diamond with 123 cars behind engines 2595/8834/2268.

Twenty minutes later CP local G-67 heads toward the diamonds behind CP 4508/Soo 4444 with 5 cars.

Next day, Jan. 28, CN L504 comes thru Grand Avenue (WSOR) interlocking in Waukesha, returning from the Amron Spur with two tank cars behind our GP40W replacement, GTW GP38-2 5861, ex-Rock Island 4379. We had this unit for several weeks.

Sunny weather continues on Jan. 29 as CN #446 passes the Amron Spur switch at 2:24 p.m. behind 2595/2196, the 2nd unit an ex-Santa Fe Dash 9.

I was on hand, really, for this guy, #335 led by BCOL 4625 with ex-UP 2133 and a GE "widebody," 2442, hauling 124 cars down Waukesha's Cemetery Hill at 2:49.

I got thru Waukesha, grabbed a slide at Duplainville diamond at 3:01, and shot both cameras up at MP104.5, Weyer Road, here at 3:04.

Next day, Jan. 30, I stumbled onto this one at Springdale Road, just east of the CN diamonds, at 4:05, with an all-Soo diesel consist: 6037/6024/4451/2041, the last an old "pumpkin" or "bandit," i.e., a Milwaukee Road-patch. I shoot throwaway digital frames to get engine numbers, but these do not deserve the trash bin!

I had gone out for Amtrak #7, here 10 minutes later at MP 101 in Brookfield, engines 43/155/167 and 10 cars.

Finishing out January with another shot of #7, at Brookfield just west of the station, at 4:14, engines 170/4/177 and 10 cars.

The sun on Sat., Feb. 4th obliged me to go out again, with the first result CN stack train #116, a relatively recent addition to our regulars, approaching Grand Ave. (WSOR switch) in Waukesha behind 2603/BCOL 4616 at 12:04 p.m.

Later in the afternoon I went up to Sussex to intercept CN #446, coming under UP's Adams Sub behind 2628/2647/NS 8335/8898 at 3:24 p.m. with 135 cars.

Back at Duplainville, GTW 5861 was heading back to Waukesha, light, at 3:40 after returning from Burlington. This is MP 103.

CN #347 nears the Amron Spur switch in southern Waukesha at 4:06 p.m. behind 5689/2170 with 152 cars.

A nice shot of the ex-WC/Soo/WCLtd/CN Waukesha depot and an encore by #446, which met #447 at Waukesha siding, finished out the day at 4:24 p.m.

I believe Waukesha is the last point on the former Wisconsin Central where a local engine ties up within sight of an original depot.

This concludes local action for a week, as the next day, Otto Dobnick and I leave for the Texas Triangle Amtrak trip (see photos in separate file).

Upon return home from Texas and New Orleans on Sun., Feb. 12th, I went out for a little afternoon action, first CN #446 at Joseph Road just south of Duplainville diamonds, behind 8937/8930 with 98 cars at 3:52 pm.

Amtrak #7 comes under Hwy. 16 into Pewaukee right on time at 4:19 p.m., engines 21/191/165 and the usual 10 cars, with friend Craig Willett at the throttle.

Three days later, on Feb. 15, Amtrak #8 skims along the shore of Pewaukee Lake close to on-time at 1:43 p.m., engines 172/73/203, with 10 cars.

Following #8 out of the siding at Nashotah was CP Local G-67, at Pewaukee at 1:51 p.m. with 2 cars behind CP 4508, an ex-MILW GP38-2, and Soo 4444.

Waiting for G67 at end-of-two-main-tracks in Pewaukee, MP 104.5 or so, was an #857 symbol, 122 cars behind 9804/8821, here at 1:59.

Next day, back at Pewaukee for #8, today with 10 cars, 2:04 p.m., behind 191/61/25.

I saw, but couldn't shoot (and didn't care) CN stacker #198 and CP #499 before getting this guy at Joseph Road, CN #341 behind 2435/2517 with a whopping 146 cars. The only subject I regret not photographing was the DPU on CN #198, which was black IC SD70 1010, which I've shot several times but not with the white "CN" noodle that now adorns its rear end! The lead single unit on #198 was 2690; I was caught on the shady side of a crossing.

The sun went away as CP #282, engines 8803/8880, passed MP 103 at 4 p.m.

Last shot of the day, again clouded, was Amtrak #7 at MP 101, 172/73/203, at 4:20 p.m.

Sat., Feb. 18 was kind of light for action, although turns out I missed seeing a fresh rebuilt Soo SD60, now CP 6240, on the point of an eastbound in midday; a friend nailed it south of Milwaukee. I have yet to see one in person. This is CN #116 at North Duplainville with 8005 up front, 101 cars, and 2304 on rear as DPU, at 11:07-11:10 a.m.

Later on, at 12:58, local L504 left town for Burlington behind a newly assigned unit, 9544, with 4 cars. One presumes GTW 5861 was due for inspection, or had a failure, for it is unusual to have two local engines in one photo here these days, unless there is a work extra or something. By next morning, 5861 was gone, and 9544 stuck around for a while.

Before heading for the CP south of Milwaukee for the E8 special on Feb. 19 (see separate file), we had errands in downtown Waukesha, and CN #390 came by at 10:38, with 8918/2542 as power. Didn't get a car count.

Monday the 20th was sunny, so in the afternoon I went out around Duplainville. Things were kind of quiet, but here is CN #335 at Weyer Road with 5620/2535 and 83 cars, 34 to set out here, at 4 p.m.

Amtrak #7 thru Dupy, engines 170/54/177, 10 cars, on-time at 4:16 p.m.

On my way to a haircut on the 22nd, I had 20 minutes to kill about 4 blocks from the barber shop and CN was lined for a southbound, so I waited, and was rewarded with perfect timing as #342 came up Cemetery Hill at 2:28 p.m. (my appt. was for 2:40) with 5746/2145/2561. I couldn't read the car count off the MP 94 detector as my radio antenna wasn't on the roof.

Sun on Feb. 25th was in order, so I went out in late afternoon. He's Amtrak #7 at MP 103 in the office park with engines 47/54 and the customary 10 cars, on-time at 4:18. Only two units? Has BNSF declared winter is over? (They require 3 units on the Builder in wintertime.)

Half an hour later I'm back in Waukesha at the old City Yard (Main St. yard) site for #347 with 5797/2562 and 108 cars, 4:43 p.m.

CN #347 met this southbound, not sure of symbol but I don't think #446 the NS connection, at Waukesha siding, so I went to the depot for this sequence at 4:52, engines 2331/2452, no car count.

That might have concluded photography for Feburary, but I have a thing about photos on Feb. 29th in leap years, and 2012 is one. So I went out in late morning after fog cleared on what turned out to be a day of constantly changing weather. I left home around 11 and the sky all cleared off and blue, so of course nothing was moving for a while thru Duplainville, and by noon, when CP #281 showed up (welders at the diamond were in radio contact, so i knew he was coming), I went to Pewaukee and the clouds were playing tag with the sun. Here it is, engines 8620/8540/9620 and 57 cars.

Note there is no sunlight anywhere to the west ... for probably 250 miles! A low was moving thru, and the clouds were attacking southeast Wisconsin.

With the sky to the east and southeast clear, I headed for downtown Milwaukee and the radio alerted me to this guy, which I got at the "KK bridge" (Kinnickinnick River) at Maple Avenue at 1:28. In reality this is an empty ethanol train with a "fill" of about 6 cars up front: engines 8811/CEFX 1030, a blue leaser we haven't seen much of on CP lately, no car count.

What blue sky there was, now was retreating south and east over Lake  Michigan, so I scratched plans to go toward Sturtevant. I had been just too late into the city to get Amtrak #336 leaving at 1 p.m., so decided to wait for #335. Meantime, out near the Airport, the CP Sturtevant Patrol, based there, was in the city and heading home. So I set up on Grange Ave. overpass north of the Airport Amtrak station, and here he is assaulting Lake Hill at 1:58 with the 4611/4600 and 40 cars. Note how full the flag is with the west wind.

The patrol met #335 south of the MP 72.5 Oakwood detector. Friend Craig Willett is doing a C&M turn today, having guided #330 to Chicago this morning. This is his return, leaving the Airport station on-time at 2:20 with engine 16, 6 cars, and NPCU 90224. I'm still on Grange Avenue, and just as I returned to the car, the rain or sleet finally began. Time to head home, but first, a quick to-go burger at Wendy's. While there, I heard about Amtrak #8 -- which was about 30 min. late, but which I'd forgotten about shooting, given the weather taking a dump -- being in the depot.

I figured I'd see, if not shoot, #8 at Waterford Ave., the first grade crossing after one leaves downtown Milwaukee. It's now a quiet zone, with paddles in the center of the street making parking near the crossing impossible, but turns out I timed it just right. As I crossed the tracks and stopped (no traffic behind me), the bells came on and gates went down, so I stepped out of the car while in the street, protected by the gates, and snapped this shot on the curve (and a close-up slide): engines 47/116/54, 10 cars, 2:33 p.m. Yielding to the weather, still dripping rain, I went home, having shot 5 trains this February 29th.

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