C&NW 1490 purchased second-hand from Precision National Corp Mt. Vernon, Ill. January 9 1973 and re-powered by EMD using 1,500 horsepower 16-567C engines and GP9 style long hoods.

Power for iron ore trains laying over in the sprawling Escanaba freight terminal. After these Fairbanks Morse engines bit the dust, C&NW resorted to second hand N&W high hood ALCO Centuries.

Train GBANA nears its destination of Quinnesec, Michigan.

During the C&NW's last winter before the Union Pacific takeover train EPESO (Empire Mine-Escanaba-Ore) hauls a unit train of iron ore pellets across frozen Goose Lake enroute to Escanaba, Michigan... (more)

CNW 4242 waits its next assignment

After chasing the GB&W 312 to the yard, I run across this guy kicking cars on the east end of the yard. Between the GB&W C424 throttling up after getting the switch and this yard job kicking cars... (more)

Newly arrived from N&W for ore service, these beauties spelled doom for the six axle FMs.

In C&NWs crazy numbering plan there were only 6 1900s but at least they were all the same builder and model!

We got to ride around all morning in the yard. Very "gassy", these "Junior Trainmasters"

In the earlier and lesser known carbody style (my personal favorite), this old plow horse has been put out to pasture. It may be Escanaba but I'm not really sure.

Location is a best guess. I miss that otherworldly burbling whine of the turbo on these.

The C&NW ore operations were concentrated around Escanaba. I took Route 41 by accident ran across this solid ore train somewhere between Ocnoto and Powers. Trains Magazine used to call these engi... (more)

A loaded taconite ore train passes the the Wig-Wag crossing protection on the north side of Escanaba, Michigan.

C&NW's Escanaba roundhouse. See photo ID 211303 for inside shot.