Daily Uploads

[SD80MAC]

Fremont Co-Op by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

The Michigan Shore crew switches the Co-Op with GR #3839 on a pleasant August morning. As of 2022, the Co-Op hasn't shipped anything by rail in several years now. 8/21/2008

Pinecliffe by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

A trio of SD70Ms lead a manifest around the curve at Pinecliffe, CO, viewed from the top of a scenic overlook. 7/19/2010

[GP30M4216]

"Little Red Caboose"

NS local job B23 uses a caboose in their weekday travels from Elkhart east to switch industries in Goshen. Their regular assigned cab is NS 555616, a C31P class cupola variety built in 1969. It's one of two cabooses that are regularly used based in Elkhart, although, unfortunately, this is the more graffitied of the two. They had no outbound cars on this particular September 16, so it's just a caboose hop. The conductor rides the cupola on the shove move down for optimal visibility on this 11+ mile shove move.

[SD80MAC]

"The Shop" by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Former DM&IR SDMs #815 and #814 sit at the Chesapeake & Indiana's main base of operations in La Crosse. The 815 was getting some work done, while the 814 had just brought in a cut of cars from CSX in Wellsboro. 8/27/2020

Cascade by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

A pair of SD40-2s lead Q335 past Cascade Engineering at Fox on an overcast June evening. 6/9/2011

SD50s by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

CSX had always had the largest SD50 fleet in the world, with 63 former Chessie System units and 81 from the Seaboard System. Their fleet grew even larger with acquisition of Conrail, gaining over 60 more. While they had problems, I always liked SD50s. They sounded powerful and looked the part, too. Though many prefer SD40s, I like the sleeker lines of the SD50. Here a pair of them lead Q326 out of Grand Rapids, with the ex Conrail #6757 leading the way. Conrail's units were even cooler, riding on flexicoil trucks that once rode under SD35s and other older EMDs. 5/28/2009

Laporte by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

35J rattles across the South Shore diamonds in LaPorte behind a single C40-9W. The old Conrail tri-lights still protected this crossing then, but not for too much longer. 8/23/2011

[Dan Cluley]

Conrail LAEL southbound at Elm st in Mason.

2-1-1989

[kd_1014]

Rear DPU of Q327 over the Kalamazoo River in New Richmond, Michigan. Nov. 2021

Y297 crossing Fuller Diamond heading south after working Padnos Scrap and Haviland Chemical. Nov. 2021

D705 heading up the Big Dipper in Lake Odessa, Michigan. Nov. 2021

[SD80MAC]

CR 6735 sbd Elm st Mason 2 1 1989.jpg

Conrail LAEL southbound at Elm st in Mason.

2-1-1989

Awesome, Dan!

[SD80MAC]

Pitt Junction by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Southbound coal train C766 rolls over the switch at Pitt Junction with a train of coal for DTE in Monroe. Pitt is where the Great Lakes Central's former Ann Arbor mainline joins the CN's former Grand Trunk Western Holly subdivision for the run through Durand. The AA once had its own mainline through Durand, but it was removed in favor of trackage rights on the trunk in the early 70s. 5/19/2013

Eastbound by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Grand Rapids Eastern #2104 has a dozen cars in tow as it works its way east on the old GTW Grand Rapids sub. 4/10/2020

[AARR]

This picture Rocks!

Fremont Co-Op by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

The Michigan Shore crew switches the Co-Op with GR #3839 on a pleasant August morning. As of 2022, the Co-Op hasn't shipped anything by rail in several years now. 8/21/2008

[J T]

D705 heading up the Big Dipper in Lake Odessa, Michigan. Nov. 2021

Man, coal trains were the best for that dip!

[SD80MAC]

701 by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Huron & Eastern's 701 is northbound back to Bay City with GP40-2W #9712 leading B30-7 #5492 up the hill at Bennington Road. The 9712 is an ex CN unit that was purchased by the Central Michigan in December of 1997. It was, until 2012, the only turbo-charged EMD on the CMGN and subsequent HESR roster. 5/14/2010

Hughart Yard by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

WAMX #4190 and #3531 sit for the weekend at Grand Elk's former Pennsylvania RR Hughart yard in Grand Rapids on a pleasant spring evening. 4/3/2021

[David Collins]

long one by David R. Collins, on Flickr

Two BNSF GEVO's lead a MASSIVE manifest out of Galesburg, Illinois.

No longer trash by David R. Collins, on Flickr

Two now rebuilt NS C40-9W's lead NS 14Q by Toledo, Ohio's amtrak station on National Train Day 2019.

[kd_1014]

Q326 heads up the hill at Vriesland shortly before sunset. July 27, 2021

P371 passes Q327 sitting on track 1 waiting to depart Grand Rapids. May 15, 2021

[SD80MAC]

Up The Hill by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

An ex Conrail SD60 leads Q327 up the hill at Fox on a windy spring afternoon. 4/25/2008

SFS by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Santa Fe Southern GP7u #07 sits with some other forlorn equipment near the BNSF interchange in Lamy, NM. The railroad has since been purchased by a new group of investors, and the #07 is now the first-ever Furry Heritage Unit, being repainted to look like a sexy dragon. 4/12/2018

[David Collins]

Monster by David R. Collins, on Flickr

A trio of BNSF GEVO's leads a MASSIVE grain train through Fort Madison, Iowa.

[kd_1014]

MQT 3389 coasting down the hill towards GR. Oct 2019

D705 across the Thornapple Bridge

[~Z~]

Nice ones KD1014 - I've always liked that MQT shot at 6 mile with the S curve there. Also, I don't often see the Grand Ledge shots on the west side of the bridge. Park at the apartment complex? I took few photos over there, but it's been a while.. like 18 years or so: http://railroadfan.com/gallery/displayimage-7160.html

[GP30M4216]

I'm inspired by KD's fall color photos, here's one of my own. MMRR 2057, which has been assigned to the Marquette, rolls lite power east between Custer and Walhalla on the old Ludington Subdivision main line, with a fall colors locomotive accenting the changing colors on the trees along the roadbed. It was nice to get a little extra horn from the engineer!

[David Collins]

The stuff of dreams by David R. Collins, on Flickr

I have NEVER seen an Illinois Central SD70, and when I heard there was going to be not one, but TWO of them leading E251, I couldn't pass this oppurtunity up. Taken in Pontiac, Michigan on my friends' Canon EOS Rebel M50.

[SD80MAC]

Barn by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

According to my notes, this eastbound led by a C40-8M and an SD75I was the first eastbound through Durand in nearly 10 hours on this day. Good thing I had the model railroad club to keep me occupied! 2/5/2011

Light Power by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

After bringing the Holland pick up to Grand Rapids, Y121 heads back west with GP38-2 #2677 running light power. 12/1/2021

South Through Durand by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

GP35s sandwich a GP38-2 as Great Lakes Central's OSTN rolls through Durand at dusk. A few years later, 385 would do battle with a dump truck near McBain and be rebuilt, losing its nose headlight. It is currently undergoing a complete rebuild into a GP35-3 at GLC's shop in Owosso. 10/14/2011

Kirk Switchers by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

A pair of Illinois Central GP38-2s switch at the west end of CN's former EJ&E Kirk Yard, as seen from Clarke Road. 6/27/2021

[SD80MAC]

Tobyhanna by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

Rumbling 251s fill the damp air as Delaware Lackawanna's PT98 rumbles through Tobyhanna on its way to the NS interchange in Slateford. Like many of the old DL&W depots on this route, the Tobyhanna depot is nicely maintained and serves as a public rest area and restaurant. 10/1/2016

Dolton Junction by Jonathon Leese, on Flickr

A UPY GP15-1 has a single boxcar in tow as it clatters north across the IHB and CSX diamonds in Dolton. Mr. Hall was friends with the guy who owned the truck shop in the NE quadrant of the junction, and had let us up on the roof on this day to watch trains for as long as we wanted! 7/14/2006