The Milwaukee Road 261 nears the end of its journey at least mileage wise as it snakes through West Duluth on BNSF terminal trackage. In less than an hour the 261 would suffer a minor derailment.
A trio of relatively good looking MACs work hard up grade and through the curves to get out of the James River Valley.
The cows and calves have learned to ingore the daily parade of coal trains, as a trio of EMDs wheel a coal train through Crystal Springs.
A new BNSF hopper brings up the rear of a coal empties at the east of Peak Siding. Three SD60s power the opposing loads, with the experimentally painted 9297 in the middle position.
For a brief moment it almost looks like the WC lives on. WC 1562 pauses next to the cold 6005 before entering making its way down the P-Line.
Spring appears to be finally taking hold as the ice melts from a pond east of Sanborn. In the distance a string of Railbox boxcars are stored on the branch to Rogers, North Dakota.
With fully applied dynamic brakes and a set on the train line, the engineer is in control of this loaded coal train as it decends into the James River valley.
A loaded coal train skims just feet above the ice covered surface of a lake, just a couple miles east of Clevland.
A trio of Grinsten green SD70MACs pull up a slight grade and through a sweeping curve on the approach to Windsor siding, which will not offer any resistance this evening.
A trio of fairly clean Grinsten green SD70MACs has no trouble moving this empty coal train at track speed through Berea into the slowly setting sun.
A trio of patched Warbonnets leads a loaded DEEX train through a reverse curve, just west of Aitkin, Minnesota.
The Pro Rail engineer brings his SW1000 to life, while a UP switch job patiently waits for them to grab a cut of cars. Behind the SW1000 is a rare 2-axle GE 80-ton switcher and an ex-SP GP40.
DME's daily Chicago to Huron train regains home rails as the train diverges from the UP tracks at right.
DME's daily Chicago to Huron train passes through the sleepy town of Janesville, following the former CNW "Alco Line".
Two SD9s propel an ex-GN snowdozer through BNSF's East End Yard. Barely visible beneath considerable snow is the plow's right wing.
