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[WCL]

Ok kids lets not fight now....Let's all get-a-long here like a happy family and move on here :)

[EJE818]

Right on! I say lets get this thread back on topic. I did get a second CTA photo in to Railpictures yesterday. CTA isn't getting funding from the state, at least for now, and may have to cut back service next year, so it will be interesting to see what happens. Hopefully it all works out for the best.

Also, I keep hearing CN is going to allow the leases to expire on the WC SD40-2s, the real ones and the fake SD40-3s (the gray 6900s). I don't have any official word yet, but get your photos while you can of them just in case. There is a good chance this is true, as WC 6002, 6003, along with 3 of the 6900s have been retired, and I saw the three 6900s and 6002 in the deadline last trip I made to Homewood. If that happens, I would imagine the IC 60XXs and the GTW SD40-2s, repainted or not, won't be too far behind. The IC 6100s and 6200s were rebuilt more recently, so they may be around a little longer. Plus CN has retired at least three DM&IR SD40-3s. Looks like CN is keeping the lower numbered DM&IR SD40-3s, but many of those are now in CN paint. Makes me start to wonder what exactly will happen to EJ&E's fleet of engines. I've always said that they may stick around because they are technically SD38-3s, but with CN getting rid of the gray 6900s and the DM&IR SD40-3s I'm thinking they could be gone pretty quickly.

[WCfan]

Nice photos EJE. I need to get some shots lkike that of the new sky scraper in Town. A wopping 10 storys!!

Oh my, I heard that the SD40-3s where getting retired. Oh man, I know now for a fact that WC 6005 is our switcher. I hope she say here till Thursday because that is the very earliest I can get down to he yard (On Wenesday I have BBall pratice till 6 ]. It does make you wonder about the EJE locomotives. I pretty sure they will stay on CN for ATLEAST 6 months. So you, and all of us will still have a good chance of seeing them. Lately I have been seeing alot of 61XX and 62XX Serires IC SD40-2 up here lately. Usually we get the 60XX.

[EJE818]

Get that 60XX as many times as possible because I think that those could have their days numbered since CN is starting to get rid of SD40-2s. Hopefully they will be around for at least 6 months, preferably even longer then that. I know that high-hood SD18 EJ&E still operates is in big trouble on CN. Only problem is it is nearly impossible to see that without trespassing, so I am kinda in the hole on that. Then there is the GP38-2 which I have yet to see. It usually is assigned around Waukegan, and I am hoping to get up there and see it. I know that EJ&E engines will probably roam the system, but I wonder how much. The DM&IR engines are still on the DM&IR but it is due to the special braking system. I guess the only thing good about this whole deal in the Joliet area would be occasional WC or DM&IR power, that is if any of them are left when the merge occurs. DM&IR often would work with EJ&E and the two lines, as well as the B&LE would often trade engines with each other. In fact, EJ&E still owns 9 ex-B&LE engines (two of which, the low hood SD18s have been retired) and 7 ex-DM&IR engines, so all of those will be under one owner again. I wonder if the EJ&E SDMs still have the special brakes. They are also remote control equipped for yard switching. Maybe CN could send them up to the DM&IR and make use of them for at least a short time.

[EJE818]

 

Here are some more new photos from Saturday's trip.

A Metra electric train arrives downtown. Notice the Santa Fe building in the background.

A CTA train decorated for Mentos Mints heads into downtown Chicago.

Another CTA train heads through Chicago's theatre district.

Yet another CTA train, this one decorated for American Airlines, nears downtown Chicago.

Catch of the day, a coal train on the BNSF at Brookfield led by a pair of CSX AC6000CWs.

[coborn35]

The DM&IR engines are still on the DM&IR but it is due to the special braking system. I guess the only thing good about this whole deal in the Joliet area would be occasional WC or DM&IR power, that is if any of them are left when the merge occurs. DM&IR often would work with EJ&E and the two lines, as well as the B&LE would often trade engines with each other. In fact, EJ&E still owns 9 ex-B&LE engines (two of which, the low hood SD18s have been retired) and 7 ex-DM&IR engines, so all of those will be under one owner again. I wonder if the EJ&E SDMs still have the special brakes. They are also remote control equipped for yard switching. Maybe CN could send them up to the DM&IR and make use of them for at least a short time.

The Missabe is a few engine retirements short of being CRITICALLY powershort.

I doubt the EJ&E kept up the maitenence on the straight air/ I think the Missabe removed it already. Plus the SD-M's and SD38's ran fine, and CN is retiring them even with straight air.

[oscaletrains]

The EJ&E SD38-2s in the new scheme do have chevrons on the back, but the ones in the old paint scheme don't. The Athearn model I was talking about had a J logo on the front and chevrons on the back, but it is supposed to be either chevrons on both the front and back or the J ball on front and no chevrons on the back. They are probably trying to represent both schems on one engine. On that model the lead engine is in the old scheme (no chevrons at all) and the second engine is in the new scheme (chevrons on both ends). Nobody has released a HO scale model of the chevron scheme. EJ&E likes its engines to be visable and they usually like to put a overly large amount of refective tape on their engines for high visability at night, and the chevrons are basically big refective taping. Hope that clarifies the SD38-2 paint schemes. Until 2004, EJ&E had the largest fleet of SD38-2s so I wouldn't doubt that BCLW could release some of those in the future. The only railroad that has more is actually, believe it ot not, CN! They own 4 of their own SD38-2s plus all of the DM&IR and B&LE SD38-2s. With EJ&E's SD38-2s joining them next year CN will have a even larger fleet of them, so they really wouldn't be considered oddballs to CN like they used to be, plus they make excellent yard switcher, so it is possible that they could even put a end to the IC SW14s.

why dont you get an athern sd 38 paint over the j ball on the front then use reflective fishing tape for the chevrons? to me that would look cool becuse its shiny. the athern 38 i got is a great runner i was runing a train on a 4x8 layout with 22" radi and the train was a pusher and a puller (at the same time, loop train lol) before any wheel slip ocoured.

[Noah Hofrichter]

The Missabe is a few engine retirements short of being CRITICALLY powershort.

I've been trying to figure the why behind CN's thinking (if there is any thinking going on at all, which is doubtful). They keep retiring DMIR locomotives, yet they haven't brought anything in with straight air to replace them. Dave Schauer posted on the orerail list once that he figured at least 31 DMIR locomotives were needed for all the jobs plus a couple of spares, and they've got to be getting close to that number. Why they keep retiring good locomotives that they need just doesn't make sense. But, I guess it is the CN...

By the time I get up to upper Minnesota again, there won't be any pure Missabe power left. Oh well, I'm just glad I made the one trip I did.

Noah

[trainboyH16-44]

It is CN's official policy to be chronically power short to save money, and there ya have it.

[WCfan]

Some times I just don't get CN. Oh well, we really can't change much sadly. Just get all the stuff before it goes.

Also, WC 1564 got repaired and repainted. Another WC gone. Well kinda gone.

EJE, nice photos. Wish I could get some like that around here, but I can't get the trains easly here. 

[EJE818]

You know that is a good idea to get a Athearn SD38-2s and paint over the J-Ball logo. I would have to renumber it also as the numbers they have are no longer on the system. Maybe 669 could be a possibility. It along with many other straight SD38s were sent to DM&IR some time ago in exchange for the SDMs. It really doesn't surprize me they are power short on the DM&IR. It makes no sense they are retiring entire fleets of engines, first the SD45s, now DM&IR power. The SD40-2s could and probably will be next in line, along with any remaining older GEs from BC Rail and Savage Alberta Railway, if they haven't all be retired already. It isn't like CN is getting hundreds of new engines a year. Compared to UP, BNSF, CP and CSX, they really haven't recieved many new engines. It isn't like the engines CN is retiring don't run well, most of them do run well as the IC, WC, DM&IR and GTW all maintained their engines quite well. You didn't see WC engines failing frequently when WC was running them, as they actually took care of them unlike what CN does now.

[B.Erdmann]

well this is kinda off topic but,

 

last night New London had its first playoff game & i got to be the mascot. ya it seems easy but its hard. idk in the next 2 days i have off of school if ill get any railfanning in likley not. friday i may be headin up to merrill. try to get the s/b & maybe a the n/b in wausau. csx tracer issnt working now so ill have to try another one. anyway heres a picture just for jokes of me in the bulldog outfit. well i do get to wear it again saturday against port washington.

[WCfan]

Well Brent you should be happy. 3010 is on the NB today. Boy she is as faded as can be. The trailing unit is a Repainted GTW SD40-2. So on Friday when ya go you should get them. Also if you have time to get to Wausau you miught get 6005 as she is still here. But she may leave.

BTW: Like the mascot. lol.

[WCL]

Well Brent you should be happy. 3010 is on the NB today. Boy she is as faded as can be. The trailing unit is a Repainted GTW SD40-2. So on Friday when ya go you should get them. Also if you have time to get to Wausau you miught get 6005 as she is still here. But she may leave.

BTW: Like the mascot. lol.

 

WC 3027 is up in Superior....Heres a shot of er

[EJE818]

Well, yesterday was a interesting day! I was listening to the scanner when a BNSF train came over and asked for a warrent from the dispatcher, calling in as BNSF 9433. The dispatcher gave him the warrent, then he called in a NS 9433 and then the EJ&E dispatcher said "wait a second, are you NS 9433 or BNSF 9433?" Then the engineer called in and said NS 9433, then he came on through. Turned into a nice little argument over the radio. Neat to see NS power on the EJ&E! I guess that would be considered run-through power on a run-through train. Also caught EJ&E 654 today, but it was too dark for photos so I got a video. 654 is still in the old paint scheme and is a rare straight SD38. I got new photos of the NS and other stuff to put on rrpicturearchives tonight.