CNW in 73-74-75

[traingeek087]

Can anyone give me any infromation on the CNW in the years above? Any history, photos, paint shemes, ETC will help.

I believe the CNW made it to the powder river basin, what year was that and what equipment did they use?

[traingeek087]

Also what route did the coal trains take?

Thanks to all, I know that my Qs are a lot to answer, and somehow they do get answered. Thanks again.
Traingeek087

[CShaveRR]

The coal line to Wyoming was still little more than a dream then. It wasn't opened until the middle 80s, so coal trains operating over the CNW (there were some) originated in other areas (Illinois and Colorado, for the most part).

I remember early 1974 well; it was when I was working as a yardmaster. To say we were short on motive power would be an understatement...maybe that should be good motive power. We had gotten 15 SD40-2s by that time; soon after I resigned as a yardmaster they began receiving units from an order of 50 more. But I remember a number of occasions when we'd use yard jobs to push Wisconsin-bound road trains out of the yard, and hope they'd make it on their own from there. We still had some Fairbanks-Morse units hauling freights then. Somewhere in this time frame was when CNW first borrowed the Alco C628s from Norfolk & Western that they would later purchase and use in Michigan.

I believe (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) that 1974 was when CNW received massive "4R" loans to begin rehabilitation of its east-west main line and to rebuild the west end of Proviso's classification yard (all of the switches and most of the retarders were renewed when this happened). Before the upgrade, I remember orders limiting the maximum speed on the east-west main (at least outside suburban territory) to 40 m.p.h., except that the new piggyback train (245, the first of the Falcons) being allowed 45. Maximum speeds of 70 have been typical since the line was rebuilt.

In early 1975 the Proviso hump was re-powered with ten new SD38-2s. UP moved some of them out when they took over the place, but five of them are still used at Proviso. Immediately prior to theit arrival, pairs of SD9s were being used; those had been brought in to replace the ex-CGW and original CNW TR2 sets and the GP7/slug sets that had worked there before. Hard to believe, but the SD38-2s have been around for longer than the TRs and GP7s ever were!

I also think that 1975 was a recession year for us, and the layoffs came pretty close to getting a lot of us.

[joseph2]

I remember watching the FM H16-66's up in Escanaba Michigan.I suppose they also used Alcos on the line in western South Dakota. Joe G.

[route_rock]

South Dakota I beleive was the bastion of Alco RS units that and parts of Southern MN.Plus 40 foot boxcars.There was a short story in an old trains called"The Alcos wheezing?"I know that was a line in it the picture showed the brakeman and engineer at a phone box calling the DS to go across a set of diamonds.Thats where the 40 foot and Alco reference come into play.Plus an old issue of the C&NW historical society magazine had a reference to old RS units being on the Nightcrawler a Tracey to Waseca train.Hope this helps.

[traingeek087]

Tons of infromation! THANKS! Hey I have a Q that came up reading these. I might have missed it if u put it in and all, but u said they hauled coal out of Colorado in that time period. Where all did the coal go? and what route did they take? <- Did they go through Nebraska/Kansas/Etc.........

Thanks.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

I was an undergrad at Northern Illinois University in De Kalb at that time and the usual power on through freights was SD40's and SD45's with UP SD40's and U30C's showing up on run-throughs. A GP7 was assigned to De Kalb as the local switcher and to work the branch running south.

[CShaveRR]

Coal from the west would have gotten onto CNW's main line at Fremont or (more likely) Council Bluffs, and come across. Coal from southern Illinois would have come from Peoria or points south on that line. The destinations at that time were basically Oak Creek and Sheboygan, Wisconsin...Pleasant Prairie wasn't up and running yet.

[Anonymous]

Check out any of the books by Rick Mills i.e.
North Western rails: A pictorial essay of the C&NW's Western Divisions 1868-1988
by Rick W Mills
That book is on Amazon.com

Also check.... http://www.cnwhs.org/

chicago northwestern historical

[traingeek087]

Thanks much.

[Anonymous]

2 other Rick Mills Books that would help you a lot would be
"The High Dry and Dusty" which is about the "Cowboy Line" from Omaha across Northern Nebraska to Chadron and on to Lander Wyo. The other Mills book is I believe North WESTERN Lines - which focused on the Western end of CNW. Rick lives in Hermosa SD so he's had a lot of 1st hand experience out there.

Although this title is out of print, the publisher may be able to help you find a copy -

http://www.southplattepress.com/outofprint/cowboy.html

Also, I'd check out the CNW Historical Society Magazine. (see there website - link is in my prior message.) You could advertise for books in their classifieds.

[traingeek087]

Got that book! - The first one, friend gave it to my dad for taking care of his cat. I'll have to go dig it out.

[traingeek087]

I've been looking for that book but it's missing from my collection.

[joseph2]

I have a copy of the book The Cowboy Line.Its mainly about construction,bridging the Noibrara,and abandonment. Joe G.

[traingeek087]

I tore the collection apart last night looking for it. (It's a good thing because I put all of our trains magazines in order from 1969-2001. I even arranged the books we have in order of the railroad. [burlington northern books are together. ETC...]) But I still didn't find it.

[Anonymous]

Ihave the Northwestern Rails book also...paid $90.00 dollars for it from Como Shops in St.Paul,Minnesota.I also have the Cowboy Line,CNW Memories,1985 roster book by Bob Baker,a 1975 locomotive diagram book from the cheif mechanical officer,and various CNWHS books,including the all time freight car roster book,and a map of the CNW in Wausau,WI. I'd be glad to make copies of certain stuff for anyone interested in the CNW. Just contact me off-line at my email.
Sincerely,
Andrew
[e-mail]