On August 23rd-25th I took a three day DME Waseca/Tracy Sub trip. If you’d like you can just look at the pictures, and not read the whole report, as it is VERY lengthy. Also, on this trip, I was trying to do some more interesting compositions, so excuse some of the bad ones. I also took many videos, which will eventually all get uploaded to youtube.
August 23rd
My father and I left on Sunday around noon. We didn't plan to really do any chasing on Sunday, just to get to a Hotel in Owatonna or Waseca. As we approached Owen WI, we heard a defect detect go off for a NB train. I didn't know what the Mile Posts were around the area, so we just decided to head into Owen to check it out. Upon our arrival we found EJ&E 659 and a welded rail train.
After we left, I decided that I wanted to head down the CP a little ways, and try my chances with a train there. As we crossed over the BNSF tracks at Hager, I saw a WB train. I figured they weren't going to be moving fast, so we took our time to get to the tracks. Looks like I was wrong, they were moving pretty fast. I grabbed a few shots out my car window. I won't post any of those shots.
At Red Wing, I wanted to pull into the yard to see if there was any power sitting there. Re-painted SOO geep 4432 greeted us. Again I won't post the picture.
As we moved down the river, I could hear a few BNSF trains get some Warrants. Looks like I picked the wrong side of the river. When we got to Lake City, I decided to call it quits and head west to Rochester. As we headed through Rochester, I could hear a DME train somewhere get a warrant for a backup move across a defect detector, I had no idea where it was, so we kept heading west. At Owatonna I decided what town to stay at, I choose Waseca MN, as it seemed like a good mid point to head east or west.
After we checking out the yard, and finding nothing there, we checked into out hotel and relaxed. I was flipping through my scanner, unlocking a few channels, when I ran across the DME dispatcher. Looks like a West Bound was in Waseca Siding, and an East Bound was leaving Mankato. I had no idea where the siding was (I forgot my timetables), so I gave a good guess that it was west of town. My guess was right, and I was rewarded with DME SD40-2 6368 leading CP SD40-2 6043 and a DME geep.
I didn't expect the east bound to arrive anytime soon, as I knew that the line was riddled with slow orders, so we decided to call it a night.
August 24th
It was a new day, and I was hoping that we would catch at least one train in good light. After checking out the yard and finding nothing there again, we decided to head out to Waseca Siding. Sure enough an empty Ethanol train that was holding the main with Two DME SD40-3s (6050, and 6052), a DME SD40-2 (6365), and 3 ICE SD40-2s (6428, 6405, and 6433). The crew was just tying down the train as we got there. I was sure happy to catch this full blue and gold consist.
I decided to keep heading west in hopes of running into an East Bound. We didn't run into anything along the way, and at Eagle Lake I was debating weather to check out Mankato yard, and risk missing an East Bound at Lime, or to stay put at Eagle Lake. I decided to risk it and we went into Mankato. At the UP yard we found two LLPX geeps, a former SP Geep, and former SSW Geep for the yard job. I won't post the pictures.
After running around Mankato and finding nothing, I decided to head back east in hopes of DME 6050 leaving. For some reason my dad stopped at Eagle Lake, but I was happy he did. A local was trying to get a warrant out of New Ulm to head west, but the dispatcher said an East Bound CP 5933 was leaving Tracy. I almost considered going back for DME 6050 in hopes that they would have left, but I decided to go for the east bound “Red Bomber“, as we would always have the west bound to fall back on. I figured we'd meet the East Bound at Springfield MN.
At New Ulm we found the local waiting to get their warrant with DME 4005. It was terribly Backlit, so I won't post the pictures. We met CP 5933 out side of Sleepy Eye MN, we chased them back a little ways and caught them at this generic crossing.
The chase was on to beat them back to New Ulm MN, which was very easy. At New Ulm, I set up in front of the depot, and waited for 5933 to come. It sure took them a long time to get there, but 30 minutes later the dispatcher gave them a new warrant from the siding to West Mankato YL, and in a few minutes they where rolling through town. I didn't know how to do this composition, and I don't think it turned out well. I have a few other pictures I'll try cropping to see if they turned out better.
We gave them a chase back to Mankato where I set up outside the yard at a small wooden trestle. I didn't really like the spot, so we moved around. In doing so, we missed a UP train heading west with two geeps. After the UP train cleared the 5933 rolled right in.
At Mankato we stopped and ate lunch. After a quick break we were on the move again heading back east in hopes that DME 6050 had left, or that another west bound was coming. We got all the way to Waseca siding with out seeing a thing. DME 6050 was still holding the main, so it allowed me to get a better shot. It’s a very lonely place out in Southern Minnesota.
As we where going into Waseca we ran into DME 6091 West tying down in the yard. I was hoping these guys would leave soon, but I lost hope in them even getting a crew anytime soon.
My father and I were deciding weather to leave and go home, or stay the night. I decided to head home, feeling like the trip was a bit bitter sweet. But just as we were rolling out of town we heard DME 6068 west get a warrant from Dodge Center to Waseca. We set up outside of Meridian where there is a nice rural trestle. While waiting I took this shot, it is a very lonely place out there.
Sitting there all we could do is listen to the scanner. We heard CP 5933 East get a warrant from Mankato to Waseca. They had to follow a work train, so it would take them some time to get to Waseca. After a few hours, I was sick of waiting for the west bound; and we started to head back to Waseca and check into our hotel again. As we were driving down highway 14 we heard the dispatcher ask where DME 6068 was, they said they where leaving Owatonna. We hightailed it right back to the bridge figuring that we would have a little time to spare. We made it back just in time. In this picture, I clicked the shutter too soon, and I wasn't standing in the middle of the road, so the shot didn't really turn out.
Since we were heading back to Waseca we decided to give them a chase. At the Waseca depot, I saw a crew leave; I figured they were heading out to DME 6050 that was still on the main. After waiting for quite some time for 6068 to arrive, I found out that they had tied down just outside of Waseca. We drove out there and I got this shot.
As we left they were just getting a new crew to bring 6068 into the yard. This gave me time to head back to the depot. I played with a few different compositions and I found that this one fit well. I don't know how I feel about this photo exactly. Sometimes I like it, yet sometimes I don't. I'm not sure if I did it right. (Noah I noticed that this photo is almost exactly like yours! I had no intention of copying it!)
Out next stop was to check out Waseca Siding to see if indeed the crew I saw was there. While driving to the siding, we came across CP 5933 East rolling out of the siding. It was very backlit, so I won't post the picture.
At the siding, we found the engineer firing up the last locomotive. Not too long afterwards they got a warrant west. The light was getting really interesting, so I was very happy that they where leaving at this time. We caught them between Waseca and Janesville.
Our next spot was Janesville. While I was all set up and waiting, some lady asked me why I was pointing a camera at her house. I told her that I was waiting for a train to come; she just gave me this weird look like I was crazy, and said "What ever". About ten minutes later they rolled though town.
The engineer must have been really happy to see me, as they went by; he gave me a wave like what some little kid would do waving to an engineer. I did feel stupid afterwards about my hobby. When you think about it, I was setting up in the middle of no where chasing a train. I love the hobby, but sometimes crews can really make me feel stupid.
I could have chased the train farther west, I should have chased the train farther west, but I didn't. My dad and I called it a day, and went back to the hotel.
August 25th
The 25th was the day that we'd start heading back home. The night before I decided that we wouldn’t do any chasing if it was raining. My dad woke me up much later than the day before, as it was raining pretty hard, and he wanted me to get more sleep. We headed back out to Waseca siding, where to my surprise; we found a welded/continuous rail train in the siding. To add to it, we saw an east bounds lights off in the distance. The east bound was moving at a turtles pace, you could walk faster than it was running. It took a good 5-10 min to get from the Elevator in the distance, to where I was standing.
After they had popped into the siding, the welded rail train got a warrant to head east. We chased the train back to my spot at Janesville, and I caught them there in the rain.
I didn't really want to chase them any farther west, so we headed back to Waseca, for the last time. Along the way, we heard a warrant for DME 6091 west out of Mankato. If we had another day we probably would have chased that to the Minnesota/South Dakota Boarder. At Waseca, DME 4002 was sitting but, a rain drop got on my lens. The picture is kind of ruined, so I won’t post it. I decided to head out of town for the last time, and head home.
On the scanner I could hear some train working some where. I choose to head to Dodge Center, in hopes of getting an east bound or a west bound in the siding. I didn't find any east bound, but I did get a local train working. After a work train popped into the siding, they headed out.
The trip between Dodge Center and Winona was uneventful. At Winona, we found our East Bound CP 5933 at Goodview.
At the UP yard, there wasn't a whole lot of power. Just two GP60s and a patched SSW GP60.
Afterwards we stopped in the Ace Hardware store, and checked out their hobby Isle. I picked up some rolling stock for my layout, and a magazine. On our way home, I wanted to stop back at Owen. To my surprise I found EJ&E 659 again sitting in the same spot it was 2 days before. I won’t post the picture as you have already seen it.
800+ miles, 3 days, and 485 pictures; I think this trip was worth it. It was a nice closing to the summer of 2009, and I was happy to catch all the SD40-2s and SD40-3s. It was nice to get a piece of one of my favorite railroads; the DME and ICE.