September 2015 Local Action

Photos by Dave Ingles

September generally was a dry and warm month, but with a few notable exceptions, the Waukesha-area rail scene was mostly routine. On Thurs., Sept. 3, I was alerted by Terry Norton, who lives trackside on CN in Grayslake, Ill., that a “triple zebra” was headed our way with the NS connection train. After shooting him in Waukesha, I got him again at Duplainville crossing the CP 17 minutes later at 12:04 p.m., with 157 cars behind units 2417/5552/5555.

Back in Waukesha, the Burlington local L504 was making an early return, passing the depot at 12:39 behind GP38-2 4705, an original CN unit (in the 5500 series, originally) with 4 cars.

Three days later in mid-afternoon at 4:30 when I was in town, a southbound Green Bay coal train approached Grand Avenue with UP 6511/5593/6302 leading the empties.

Two of CN’s newest GEs, the 3000-series still being delivered, led #342 across Arcadian Ave. in Waukesha, on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 7, at 12:22 pm, with 3009/3001 on 114 cars.

Later on, at Duplainville to more or less just watch things, I got lucky when Amtrak #8 showed up at 2:06, only about 25 minutes late, with P32 507, a former “Pepsi Can,” in the lead, ahead of173 on the usual 11 cars.

On Wed., Sept. 9th, usual CN southbound stacker #198 showed up in Waukesha with a bit of an unusual motive-power setup, GE 2441 up front solo, with 2259 on the rear as DPU. Time: 4:02 p.m.

A bit later, up at Duplainville, two more of the new GEs led an older sister south on a potash loads extra: 3017/3025/2855, at 4:23 p.m. Friend Jeff Madden is in the candid shot returning from his vantage point, as a man “outstanding in his field.” Well actually, we was walking briskly.

On Tuesday the 15th, CP #281 had nice vintage power, passing Duplainville at 12:10 p.m. with 75 cars, 60 of them trilevels, behind an SD40-2 trio: DM&E 6076/IC&E 6214/CP 5911. In the going-away view, that is Ron Wischer, “guardian of Duplainville,” who when he’s there shoots everything he sees. He maintains the “DuplainvilleUSA” website, at http://duplainville.freeforums.org/index.php

“The word was out” on this day that NS’s Wabash heritage unit was leading a westbound oil-tanker empty, which is what had drawn me to Duplainville before I headed to Kalmbach to put in some “Classic Trains” hours. He passed at 12:58 p.m., with NS 1058 trailing. This was my third encounter with this unit (I’ve personally seen 9 of the original 20) but the best light conditions and angle by far. “Wabash” 1070 was with “Illinois Terminal” two years previous on the NS Employee Special, powered by NKP 2-8-4 765, which Carol & I chased from near Lafayette, Ind., to south of Decatur, Ill., over two days. Then later Wabash 1070 led a northbound CN train thru Waukesha but in midday with terrible backlighting.

Saturday afternoon the 19th found me at Duplainville in very late afternoon, and I went over to Pewaukee for a very late CP #281, which had been running closer to noon westbound, going thru behind an unusual pair, NS 9017/CP 3018, the latter a GP38-2, at 5:10 p.m.

The next day Carol and I caught a southbound CN ballast train of Herzog gons leaving the Waukesha passing siding area at 5:10 pm behind 2888/2835, with 89 cars total, the lead 29 being new aluminum and red cars, trailed by 60 of the older “boxcar red” or brown cars.

On Monday the 21st after a routine Amtrak #8 passed Pewaukee at 230 pm, 7 minutes later a westbound which had waited for him at the end of double track headed out led by a stunning blue leaser, CIT 118 with CITX SD40-2 3089 trailing on a whopping big train of 148 cars.

Back in Waukesha at 3:30, a northbound came down Cemetery Hill behind 2691/2020, the latter Dash 8 one of the ex-C&NW/UP units but lacking the CN emblem on the flanks. The train had 71 cars.

Later on at Duplainville, an otherwise routine northbound stacker #199 (I think) would not rate inclusion except for its trailing unit, IC 2465, the second of the ex-LMS GEs in Conrail blue that CN acquired the lease for circa. 2002. Led by 2259, the train had 161 container wells and passed at 5:32 pm.

Twenty-three minutes later, I tried for some “glint” sun going-away shots as a short CP westbound passed Duplainville  at 4:44, with units 9700/9769 and 59 cars.

To conclude the day, I caught this 3-unit southbound CN train with 117 cars behind 2904/2519/2639 passing the newly opened vantage point just south of the diamonds at 6 p.m. sharp. The next day, Carol and I made what has become pretty much a once-a-year foray north to Byron Hill and environs on CN south of Fond du Lac, which is a separate file. This file will continue with strictly local scenes after that day’s outing.

On a pretty Sat., September 26, 3 days after our trip up to Oshkosh and Byron Hill, I went out for Amtrak #7 and wound up getting 3 trains, one twice, in less than 45 minutes, not unusual for this time of day locally. The Empire Builder passed my favorite non-lake Pewaukee spot, at the Oakton Ave. crossing (a.k.a. “wooden owl crossing” for the statue on the pole cross-arm), on-time at 4:16 pm with engines 19/191 and the usual 11 cars. CP had a piece of M/W equipment parked on the siding at the right, which is about all that track is used for anymore.

My second train was a CN southbound stacker which was creeping down the Duplainville siding for a meet when I arrived back trackside from Pewaukee, 3 miles west. He was in DPU mode with 2875 up front of 156 container wells and 2876, numerically next, on the rear. I shot him at MP103 on the curve under the Capitol Drive overpass, which is in reconstruction that occasionally will close Duplainville Road passing underneath, tho not this day.

I went to the diamond for the northbound, which turned out to be a coal load for Wisconsin Public Service in Green Bay, with UP 6045/6401 (patched SP) up front of 121 cars with DPU 6515 on the rear. After shooting him at the diamond, I went north, first for the last slides on the roll from the Byron Hill outing at Spring Creek bridge, of the UP-SP set, then up to MP 104.5 near Weyer Road for the shot of the “meet” with the stacker’s DPU. These train sets include hopper WPSX 1027, which I of course always look for, but this one didn’t have it – best I could do was WPSX 1111.

The last day of the month, Wed. Sept. 30th was nice and sunny, so in mid-afternoon I went over to Duplainville and wound up staying out until virtually sundown, nabbing 11 trains (one twice) in 3 hours in one of the better examples of our “afternoon train rush.” First was CP stacker #199 at 3:24 pm behind 8518/8711.

Back on the CN, northbound #343 was on the main alongside Duplainville siding – with 2828/2919, waiting for a meet with what turned out to be a huge southbound behind 3008/2935 in front, then 95 cars, DPU 2934, and 52 more cars, which I shot up at MP 105 at 3:38 pm. This spot has gotten clear for a shot with the recent removal of the trackside pole line. After the meet, at 3:43, train #343 pulled out. The vehicles on the road shoulder are not the usual other railfan photographers’ cars but workers doing road work on the intersecting east-west Lindsay Road.

The fourth train was Amtrak #8, running about 2 hours late, with 19/91 and 11 cars, across the diamond at 3:52, included here mainly for continuity.

It became evident that CP would keep the diamond lineup for Amtrak #7, so for something different I went over to MP103 in the office park for a “pool shot,” plus the backdrop of #199’s stacks (the train had stopped to wait over the #7 overtake at the end of double track) and was surprisingly rewarded with Heritage P40 822 on the point of #7, on-time at 4:16, with trailing unit 14 and 11 cars.

The fifth train was CN’s usual afternoon northbound stacker, which was and still may be #119 (I don’t keep up with CN train numbers anymore), behind 2639/2570, shot at Spring Creek at 4:32 and again included only for continuity here.

I then set up for the expected CN southbound, parked off Duplainville Road, but was surprised by a westbound empty oil train on CP, with 9682/KCS 3909 up front at 4:41.

CP kept the diamond for one more westbound empty oil train with 8944/9727 as power at 5 p.m. sharp. Note the odd single-line lettering, not “stacked,” on the second unit. That’s the man from Plets Express video, I assume, photographing trackside. At least his van’s license plate read “PLETS.”

The patient southbound CN train finally got its turn to go at 5:10 p.m. The cut of 95 cars ahead of the DPU included a string of 55 tank cars.

We were not done, no sir. As I headed home on Springdale Road, east of the diamond, CP had ANOTHER westbound lined up, so I turned around to get the 9th train of the visit, a short, mysterious 11-car train with only CSX 8535 as power, at 5:49. The shadows along Marjean Lane were getting tricky to avoid to keep the trains in sunlight.

CSX 8535, the 10th train of my afternoon, trundled by slowly, and sure enough, the home signal eastbound lined up, so I stuck around, and at 6:06 got what I assume was a #470 train off the DM&E with a nice power consist of CP 9663/RCPE 6419/CSX 7754/CSX 8357, at 6:06. As a reminder, RCPE is the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern, Genesee & Wyoming’s name for the former DM&E west of Tracy, Minn., which it bought from CP a year or two ago.

Finally I headed home, making a convenience store stop at Kwik Trip for Carol that I had not had a chance to squeeze in. As I emerged from the store, what should appear just to the east but a northbound CN potash train crossing Watertown Plank Road, so I thought, what the hey, and back to Duplainville I went, shooting him in deep shadows crossing Green Road at 6:20 p.m. with 2255/5690 pulling about 100 potash cars. I got in line of the waiting eastbound traffic, and finally headed home … only to see, crossing the CP on Springdale Road, ANOTHER westbound high green. Nope, enough is enough, supper is running late and the Cardinals baseball game has started. I called it a month, and what a finish September had!

 
 

This page was designed and is maintained by Mike Condren.
mcondren@cbu.edu.