Daily Uploads

[David Collins]

The Virginian by David R. Collins, on Flickr

A very clean NS 1069 (Virginian Heritage Unit) leads NS 11N into Sterling Heights. Here they are stopped at 16 mile road as a conductor throws switches into the yard.

[David Collins]

Cool crew, Cool locomotive by David R. Collins, on Flickr

The conductor on 11N with the 1069 leading throws a peace sign out the window and calls out to my friend while NS 1069 coasts north by Chicago Road.

[SD80MAC]

70s North by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Puffy clouds paint the sky as a trio of SD70s lead CN A407 north on the former Illinois Central mainline. 7/6/2024

Twelve Twenty Three by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Pere Marquette N1 2-8-4 #1223 proudly welcomes visitors to Grand Haven, MI, being the first thing you see when driving into "downtown" or to the beach. The engine and its small train are displayed at the site of the former Grand trunk Western yard, the coal tower being about all that remains of this once busy car ferry port and its associated infrastructure. While the PM did go through Grand Haven (the line is today operated by G&W's Michigan Shore), the 1200s never went up there due to their massive weight being too much for the line's bridges. 7/27/2024

Tip Up by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

With a long train in tow, TP&W's HL2 lead by GP50 #5015 does some switching at the CN interchange in Gilman, just before sunset. 7/5/2024

Ice Ice Baby by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Iowa, Chicago & Eastern SD40-2s #6420 and #6427 head west through Bensenville with MCCHU on January 4, 2008. Apparently I did not want to include anything else in the frame! 1/4/2008

Brand New Gevo by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

A brand new Union Pacific ES44AC leads a C40-8 and an SD9043MAC west through Elmhurst in May of 2006. 5/6/2006

Autumn in Saginaw by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

A beautiful late October day finds Huron & Eastern's 702 crossing the Saginaw River bridge, heading for Durand. Once regularly hauled by the HESR's fleet of older GEs, "The Rocket" on this day was powered by one their newly acquired SD40M-2s, the New England Central GP38 and one of the HESR's own GP38-2s. 10/25/2012

Returning From Sappi by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Mid Michigan GP9 #180 is headed back to North Yard after switching out Sappi Fine Paper Co on the South Horn Branch. Once a very busy branch for predecessors Pere Marquette and C&O, by this point Sappi was the only customer left on the branch. It would cease operation a few years later and today is completely gone, as is the South Horn Branch. #180 would also meet its fate a few years later as well; after suffering some irreparable freeze damage, it was scrapped. 7/4/2007

[David Collins]

Good enough by David R. Collins, on Flickr

After bailing on a two hour long line to see UP 4014 at Global 3 yard, me and my dad went to take a look at this gem. BNSF SD40-2 #1706 (Ex BN #6802).

While it has a lot of absolutely hideous white overspray on the roof and it has a nose headlight, it's still my first shot of a Cascade Green locomotive with a BN logo on it. It drew a lot of railfans from the 4014 event out after since it was literally right next to a parking lot. I got the drone up and snapped probably about 30 photos of the unit, this one probably being the best out of the 30 or so that I shot.

[SD80MAC]

Freight Comes First by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

As SP #4449 neared the end of its journey to Owosso, there was one last stop at Oak St in Durand as BNSF coal empties C767 left town to head for Chicago. Crossing over from #2 to #1, the train had just backed out of the yard in Durand. Once the coal train clears, #4449 and its train will pull up to the depot and pause for a bit while the Amtrak P42 is removed from the train and the GS-4 gets a much needed drink. 7/19/2009

Glub Glub Glub by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

There is nothing quite like the sound of an old 4 stroke GE FDL engine as it spools up to its maximum RPMs. On this day, I was treated to some nice triple FDL action as Huron & Eastern's 701 climbed the hill out of Durand behind U23B #8903, B30-7 #5492, and C30-7 #5175. Time was short for the #8903, as it would be out of service for good the following year. 3/26/2010

HLX1 by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Bumping across the CN diamond at 10 mph, TP&W's HLX1 lumbers its way east through Gilman behind a quartet of EMDs from various G&W properties. 7/6/2024

Marne Rounaround by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Coopersville & Marne train 101 is halfway through its one hour and twenty minute round trip as SW9 #7014 runs around the train in Marne. After a quick brake test, the train will depart back west for Coopersville. 8/3/2013

Grain Train Power by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Running engines light, a CSX CW44AC, an RLCX B39-8E, and a GCFX SD40-2 are rolling through the siding at Fox. About 10 minutes later, an eastern coal train would also roll into the siding behind the light power, as both trains waited for a west-bound CP train. It's Fall 2005, and you can see anything and everything on CSX! 11/11/2005

Famous Berkshire by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

With Pere Marquette #1225 down for maintenance, Nickel Plate #765 visited the Steam Railroading Institute in the Fall of 2011 for some excursions. With a 10 car train in tow, the #765 is heading north on the Great Lakes Central mainline near Elsie. 10/15/2011

Ex Cons by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

A former Conrail SD60I and C40-8W are headed west at Fox with a 5 car Q327 in the Spring of 2010. 4/4/2010

Discussing The Plan by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

The Grand Rapids Eastern crew talks with the crew of CSX's Y597 as they figure out a game plan for their interchange. Y597 has a few cars of miscellaneous freight plus 50 empty coal gons for the GRE. It was decided that the CSX crew would first deposit the freight at the west end of Fuller yard, then pull the train of coal gons west until clear of the interchange switch. #24 would then tie on and head east. The CSX crew would actually push them a little ways east of the diamond and cut off on the fly. The only time I've ever witnessed helper service on the GRE! 6/25/2009

Big Engines, Little Train by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Still wearing YN1 paint, SD40-2 #8048 leads an HLCX SD40M-2, an AC4400, and another SD40-2 along with 6 cars of freight on Q326 at Fox. In the distance, C&O searchlights still protect the west end of the siding. 12/2/2006

An Infrequent Visitor by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Burbling away in "Jog" at the GR Amtrak station is P32-8HW #518. The crew has just secured the train for the night in Grand Rapids after turning on the wye. Recently the fleet of Midwest Chargers has been rendered mostly OOS due to failures and the current inability to get parts from Siemens. As a result the Dash 8s, which hardly ever leave the yard anymore, have been called upon to keep the trains running. Amtrak management was a little nervous sending out #518 (500, 504, 517, 518, and 519 are the Chicago Dash 8s), as it always seems to have issues when it leaves the yard, but the locomotive performed well. This was #518's 4th trip on the Pere Marquette in recent weeks, and the first time I had personally shot a Dash 8 on the PM in over 10 years! 7/25/2024

B&O to C&O by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Autorack train L290 (normally Q290, CSX was on their typical "let's call it something different so it won't look like its late" BS) is taking the connection from the B&O to the C&O at Fostoria. This train would head up the C&O to Walbridge and ultimately head on towards Detroit, IIRC. Leading was a former SCL SD40-2. 9/18/2010

Giving A Push by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Consecutively numbered NS SD40-2s #3338 and #3339 push on the rear of a freight as they head up the mountain from Altoona. 7/23/2006

[David Collins]

Home Sweet Heritage by David R. Collins, on Flickr

CN's Grand Trunk Western heritage unit leads CN E251 on home rails by Davisburg, Michigan

[AARR]

Nice picture David

Home Sweet Heritage by David R. Collins,

[David Collins]

Vibes of Canada in Michigan by David R. Collins, on Flickr

CN Q116 rumbles down the hill through Shiawassee Basin Preserve Park with a solo CN ES44AC doing the honors. This scene in my eyes looks like the woods of British Columbia or Alberta and the CN locomotive only adds to it.

[GP30M4216]

And now for a brief master class on some of the Grand Elk's more interesting power in and around Grand Rapids:

Adding a blast of color to any Grand Elk consist it joins, 4190 is clearly a former Wisconsin & Southern SD40-2 transplanted across Lake Michigan. In 2022, it often held down the Grand Elk-CSX interchange job, where it is seen inbound through the Plaster Creek plant on October 21, 2022.

Great Lakes Central isn't the only GP35 show in the lower peninsula! Grand Elk currently rosters a pair of them and in recent times they are typically kept together holding down Grand Rapids interchange and local operations. 3534, of CNW heritage, leads Z439 back toward home Elk rails at Oakland Avenue on April 22, 2024.

The other half of the GP35 duo, 3531 was one of the original units assigned to the Grand Elk at start up and continues to work the local territory. Originally bearing the blue and yellow bonnet of Santa Fe, today it is one of the few units on Grand Elk that still sports its original long hood logo. Worth a catch every time! Here it is passing the recently rehabbed American Box Board Company Building at Godfrey, May 8, 2024.

[SD80MAC]

ORPTB by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

A loaded coke train has just about reached the end of this part of its journey as it arrives in Superior behind a trio of UP GEs. 6/10/2023

HESR C30-7 #5086 by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Time was almost up for the Huron & Eastern’s fleet of old General Electric units when I visited in December of 2012. As far as I can tell, #5086 was the last one active and on this day was only being used by the 740 crew due to no other engines being available. Built in 1980 for the Burlington Northern, 5086 was one of over 150 GE C30-7s built for the BN. It spent 20 years hauling coal for the BN, running untold tens of millions of miles. In 2000 it was sold, along with 2 other C30-7s and a B30-7, to the Central Michigan Railway. It then became property of Rail America’s Huron & Eastern in 2004 when they purchased the CM. Old, but still a good unit, it was retired at the time of the Genesee & Wyoming takeover of the Rail America properties. It was scrapped unceremoniously the following spring, still in good working order. 11/30/2012

Storage Move by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

All three of West Michigan’s operable units are on deck tonight as the crew prepares to move over 70 storage cars from the end of the line in order to dig a few out that are going back into service. 9/12/2024

Decatur by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Decatur & Eastern Illinois Geeps take the afternoon off on a quiet Saturday in Decatur. The old Wabash (?) coaling tower looms in the background. WAMX #3896 began life as a Southern high-nosed unit, while the #3947 was originally a Delaware & Hudson engine. 7/6/2024

South McGrew by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

After switching Barrette Custom Molding Services, LSRC's X103 is headed back north to McGrew Yard behind GP38-3 #4201. The signals and track arrangement here still adhere to the Pere Marquette practice of always placing the signals on the engineer's side, even looping the mainline around the signals in some cases. South McGrew likely once contained a few crossovers, but now is just a switch-less control point still guarded by classic C&O searchlights. Per C&O rules, the bottom light on a 3-headed signal is not required to be lit if the indication does not call for all 3 lights. 9/22/2024

Just In Time by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Thinking we had time to shoot an east and a west-bound meeting at East Durand and *then* move over to the Holly Sub to shoot E251, that's what Mr. Hall and I did. 251 ended up showing up a lot faster than anticipated, and it was looking like we weren't going to be able to catch up to them. Thankfully they had to slow to meet another east-bound, and with some spirited driving, we were able to get them near Vernon. #8952 was the whole reason for this mess. 9/22/2024

Y101 by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

One of Lake State's newest purchases, ex Union Pacific SD70M #6435, shoves on the rear of Y101 as the train heads west on the CN to interchange at Bristol Yard. 9/22/2024

Endangered Species by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Port Huron-based local L533 rolls into Flint with a short train headed by SD75I #5688. With CN's SD75ACC rebuild program underway, it won't be long until these staples of CN motive power are history. Thankfully, the rebuilds retain the overall same look. 9/22/2024

[GP30M4216]

Let's look at some recent logo shots! As cars are ever more graffitied I always keep a lookout for interesting railroad logos. Here's a few:

A few of the original Grand Elk locomotives still have their original logos now 15 years after the start of Kalamazoo Branch operations. 3531 doesn't have the best one (I think 4125 has been touched up), but it came along slowly on a Z439 run and was worth the photo. It's too bad WATCO gave up putting logos on most equipment.

Strange to think, but RailBox is 50 years old this year, which means the "Next Load, Any Road" logo is also half a century old. The old 50' standard boxes are slowly being replaced by high-cube FBOX and TBOX cars, including this recent example.

Not many CNW cars were painted with the ball and bar "Employee Owned" logo (1971-1982), but a large class of P-S hoppers built in 1981 did. Here, a former CNW car now owned by NOKL is sighted with two stacked logos - the original Employee Owned version, and the later "System" logo in use until 1995. The car also started in the dark green paint but later got the Zito Yellow treatment. It was fun to see this one up close on a local industry spur.

[SD80MAC]

Dooooorand by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Oil train U713 passes by some of the attendees of the 2024 Michigan Railfans & Railroadfan.com meet up at the depot as the rain clouds roll in. 9/22/2024

EAS Grandville by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Passing the EAS at Grandville, as well as milepost 6, Q326 swings onto Main #1. C&O searchlights, code line, and plenty of Spartan Cab EMD leaders are still the name of the game on the Grand Rapids Sub on this October 2008 morning. 10/18/2008

Swinging Around by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Q116 is taking the Chicago Wye from the Flint Sub to the Holly Sub on an overcast Fall day in Durand. 9/22/2024

Heading East by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Y106 is doing every bit of 40 mph as the short train rounds the sweeping curve just west of Breton Ave. 9/25/2024

Pre-PTC by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Great Lakes Central's OSTN is north-bound on CN's Holly Subdivision, passing Durand Union Station. In this pre-PTC view, the diamond was protected by this dwarf for south-bound trains coming out of Durand Yard. When the entire Durand interlocking was rebuilt a few years back, there is now an electric split-rail derail here, along with a mast signal. 4/13/2012

Fresh Rebuild by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

A newly-minted CN AC44C6M and an ES44AC leads A492 east in the single track at Duffield. 9/22/2024

Beginning Of The End by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

The 2010s saw lots of changes come to the US railroad scene. Two of the biggest were Genesee & Wyoming swallowing Rail America (and several other independent shortlines), and the government-mandated switch to Positive Train Control. The latter unfortunately prompted the Class 1s to begin a wholesale signal replacement, and many classic signal installations that harkened back to railroading's golden age were removed.

So here is a juxtaposition of two subjects that coexisted very briefly: G&W Orange and the C&O cantilever at Godfrey. The Marquette Rail's original trio of SD40-2s (now #3389, #3390, and #3391) were making one of their first runs into Grand Rapids all together in their fresh G&W paint. The Godfrey signals were on borrowed time, only having a few months yet to live. 10/23/2013