Escanaba Wednesday

[peteynmu]

Today, I headed out railfanning in the early afternoon despite mostly cloudy skies. At Gladstone, everything was quiet about 1PM. CN SW1500 #1568 & CN SD50 #5455 were tied-up at the fuel-tracks by the shops. I did notice a tankcar of propane has been delivered to Ferrelgas on the Skelly Spur in Gladstone the past couple days.

Things would pick-up, though. At Wells, I got there just as the roundhouse crew was backing ex-Reserve Mining SD9 #1221 out of stall #1 of the roundhouse. The engine was smoking quite a bit, and must have just been started up. It ended up sitting there idling in front of the roundhouse for an hour and a half, but I wasn't going anywhere.

I believed this is the first time this engine has been run in about a year, as it has been laid up at the roundhouse awaiting repairs. It joins #1223 and #1224 as active ELS SD9's; #1220 and #1222 are still probably in the roundhouse at Wells awaiting repairs. The train today #1221 was on turned out to be a Pembine job.

Some other things happened while I was waiting. The E & LS hi-rail came in on the road, and backed into the machine shop. I didn't know this was used for vehicle storage before. I also noticed all of the doors on the roundhouses and shops at Wells are the old wooden doors on hinges, probably don't see that too often anymore.

The train-crew came on duty. They pulled out the roundhouse lead, ran down the mainline to N. Escanaba, then up the interchange track to the WC Marinette sub. They got a warrant from N. Escanaba to Powers, following #412 south between Algoma Jct. in Escanaba and Powers with radio-blocking. I chased this light-engine move on their run across Escanaba, then let them go at Algoma Jct. on the WC. The SD9 was getting an opportunity to stretch it's legs a bit, as they had her cruising along pretty good on the WC Marinette sub. They had to stop and align the west switch of Algoma Jct. Y for the main, which was fortunate as I was able to get 1 last parting shot at Ski Hill Rd. in Escanaba.

Other action was happening in the meantime. At 1:30PM, SORE 1 north got a warrant from Rock to Little Lake, with WC SD45 #7502 leading. #412 had got their warrant from the 6-Yard in Escanaba to Powers about 1:30PM as well, with WC GP40 #3023, IC SD40-2 #6202, and a CN SD75 for power. They cleared their warrant in Powers Yard soon after the E & LS Pembine job left N. Escanaba, so the E & LS had the track to themselves.

There was also an empty E-rail in the Ore Yard getting ready to go, and I heard the dispatcher mention a loaded E-rail tied-up at Ladysmith Yard.

L-539 south was at Brampton at 3:20PM, and had a warrant to Escanaba. The Gladstone switch got a warrant from Gladstone to the 6-Yard in Escanaba over the Marinette sub at 3:40PM, with CN SW1500 #1567 in the lead. I don't know where this engine came from exactly, maybe it was inside the shops at Gladstone when I went by there. After chasing the E & LS, I tried to intercept this train at Lake Bluff Rd. south of Gladstone, but was too late, so decided to focus on the E-rail instead. The Gladstone switch would be stopping to switch the MTC warehouse and possibly New Page Papers at Larch anyway.

L-539 south had arrived at Escanaba while I wasn't watching, and tied-up on the south-outer track of the 5-Yard by the thaw-shed. CN SD40-2 #6132 is back on this job, and was long-hood first southbound.

The E-rail empties departed the Ore Yard, pulled through Wells Y and the 5-Yard on the north-outer track, then stopped at the 6-Yard to await a track warrant. They had GCFX SD40-2's #6944, 6930, and 6062, and 96 empty DMIR quad orecars. The dispatcher was being bombarded with calls, so it took a while as they waited by the west switch of Algoma Jct. Y.

The Gladstone switch arrived at Algoma Jct. in Escanaba from Larch, but had to wait at the north-end of the Y as the E-rail empty had the east switch blocked.

SORE 3 south got a warrant from Rock to Escanaba. #412 got a warrant from Powers to Oconto. The E & LS Pembine job got 2 warrants, from Powers to Hermansville, then Hermansville to Pembine. Finally it was the E-rails turn. They got one from Escanaba to Powers. After all this waiting, my pictures at Algoma Jct. weren't keepers.

#412's warrant had a "joint with other trains" between Menominee and Marinette. Could this be the E & LS M & M job working over this portion of the Marinette sub mainline on trackage rights?

After the E-rail cleared the Y, the Gladstone switch pulled into the 6-Yard to do some work. I was headed home though, as it was getting cloudier and the sun was headed down. There was one train left to catch, though.

SORE 3 south actually died on hours at MP-123, by my parents house. The new crew came on to take the train to Escanaba, so I got one more picture near MP-122 Ore Sub. WC SD45's #7523 & 7502 led 100 loaded WC orecars of Empire pellets.

At Gladstone about 4:30PM, CN SD50 #5455 was gone, but SW1500 #1568 was still at the fuel-track. This engine wasn't being used on the Gladstone switch today, maybe broke down or something.

http://pete-jensen.fotopic.net/c869742.html
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-Pete, MP-122
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[~Z~]

I appreciate your posts here Pete, glad to hear what's going on in the UP. Nice pics as well! Feel free to post some in our gallery if you care to. http://www.railroadfan.com/gallery/