Struggling GEs in Dense Fog, B40-8Ws and C44ACs, Old MP, CNW, and DRGW Cars!

January 17, 2011

A winter afternoon on the UP Marion/BNSF Beardstown Sub proved to be fruitful with numerous trains needing track over the 15 miles of single track. We chased a few back and forth over the hill pull hard, as the day went on the fog rolled in and made for some neat video!

1:42 - At Eagle Point Bay Rd. just south of Interstate 24 this loaded 135 Car Coal train bound for AEP's COOK Plant near Metropolis, Illinois. The wet rail has the GEs slipping.

1:53 - South of Goreville on an overhead bridge about 2 and half miles from the last location the train has just crested the hill and is now picking up speed..... A nice shot of General Electric exhaust is always nice!

2:06 - 13 Minutes later and 6 and half miles later the train is making good time down the hill at Buncombe, Illinois , nearing CTC Cypress, where BNSF ownership resumes.

UP 6814 AC44CW
UP 6824 AC44CW
UP 6269 AC44CW (DP) Ex SP

2:28 - We drove back north to Nielson Jct. this is the north end of the joint trackage of the BNSF and UP. The Union Pacific's Marion Subdivision continues off to the right while the BNSF's Beardstown Subdivision veers off to the left. This train got a track warrant right behind the last train and the BNSF local is stopped on the BNSF main out of sight. These coal trains are the neatest with a mix of MP, CNW and DRGW cars. At this point the head end is just starting up hill.

2:42 - This train is making better time as it is 30 cars shorter than the last train. We made it to Goreville to catch him screeching around the corner at the top of the hill.

2:51 - 9 Minutes later the train has picked up speed and is rolling at a good clip towards Buncombe. This was filmed at Tall Tree Lake Rd. MP 333 on the Marion Sub.

UP 5738 AC44CWCTE
UP 6783 AC44CW
UP 6251 AC44CW (DP)

3:08 - With the BNSF Local getting a track warrant we drove back through Goreville to Eastman's Orchard where we catch the L-SPR6571-17A with 50 cars of freight and two B40-8Ws dash up the side of the hill with an engineer that knows how to use the RS3L.

3:23 - What would take a loaded coal train 25 minutes the local covered in 15. Here at Buncombe the RS3L echoes off the hills and creates an eerie feeling with the fog.

4:30 - We stopped in Vienna and got a bite to eat while the local sat at Reds at Cypress. The Dispatcher had 4 Union Pacific trains to deal with between Cook and Sill. But at 4:30 the local was pulling down the main at Sill and was releasing its track warrant from CTC Cypress to CTC Sill.

BNSF 537 B40-8W
BNSF 544 B40-8W

4:40 - At a crossing a mile or so north of Sill we catch the empty coal train from Paducah heading towards Cypress. The quality isnt the best here, but I had to film this train with the neat cars!

UP 5799 AC44CWCTE
UP ???? AC44CW Ex. SP
UP 5924 AC44CWCTE (DP)

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• trains
• locomtive
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• Burlington
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• B40-8W
• AC44CW
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• Denver
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• Nielson
• Jct.
• Buncombe
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• Mermet
• Springs
• Illinois
• Beardstown
• Marion
• Subdivision

[Jeffwecker81]

Awesome video!! Loved the UP 5738, and UP 5799 coal trains, those 2 pass thru where I live in Central Kansas quite frequently. One I see a lot, has 90% MP cars in it

[heelblocks]

@Jeffwecker81 Those are my favorite coal trains to see! Its always neat to see a train full of history.

[MrWestdayable]

Nice!  Is the power in run 8 at 1:33?

[Deathcult82]

Fog and such nice trains=Epic! Also a well edited video!Fav!

[stlgevo51]

It looks like you had a great time. Nice job.

[HyperActive7]

Wow!

Nice!

Very nice indeed!

[BNSF2184]

I love your're title. 

[colbytrainman]

Love video and some of those MP cars are old C&EI coal cars.

[TrainiacProductions]

Pure epicness.

[Espee9180]

Nice video, awesome first shot.