It Was Sunset...But FINALLY!

There are a select few individual diesel locomotives in general freight service that I've really wanted to catch leading a train, above all others (UP 1995, for example). Among CP/Soo Line engines, that brass ring was Soo Line 2064, a GP40 in the cleanest orange and black Milwaukee Road "Bandit" paint of any left in those colors.

Myself and my dad have seen it trailing several times, and I had one very frustrating near miss with it leading in October.

Today my dad gave me a ride to and from my job in DeForest, so I could keep my non-ABS, no-traction-control car off the still-slick roads. When he picked me up a little after 4:15 in the afternoon, he said he had just heard a train horn about 5 minutes earlier.

We took off north, taking a long time to be able to make a left turn onto 51 with the heavy traffic, then bumping slowly down the packed snow on County Highway DM into Morrisonville. Even at 10 MPH, the train had beaten us there, so we continued to Arlington and spotted the headlights to the south. I didn't have my camera, but Dad let me use his (and the tripod) to shoot the video.

It wasn't until the train got closer that I could see the power had been turned since Monday, and 2064 was now leading SOO 4451 (a GP38-2). That roof-level Milwaukee Road-style bell sure sounds nice. It also has one of the best sounding Soo Line P3s I've heard, although a MILW-style Prime 920 would have been better. There were twice as many northbound cars today as Monday... :-p

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• train
• railroad
• railway
• railfan
• Soo
• Line
• Canadian
• Pacific
• CP
• Rail
• Milwaukee
• Road
• CMStP&P
• Bandit
• EMD
• GP40
• locomotive

[MattBNSF1991]

awesome! cant get better than that after 30 some years.

I like your math problem at the end of the description. hahah.

[HighIronofWisconsin]

lol

2 cars vs. one. Not much going to Portage from Madison this week, it seems.

[sooline2551]

There are a bunch of CNW caboose around the Milwaukee area. I know of 3 for sure that haven't moved in a while.

[revolution1one]

Very nice catch!

[Trainmasterkreks]

Yup I remebr seeing one about back in 2004 or 05 I saw one it was gp38 in CNW paint but ahd UP POatches on it and yup theys till ahve the Caboose BTW i live there take a look at some of my videos from jefferson

[gumball469]

Nice catch I still need to try catching a bandit

[Starrywarz]

You know there is 2 CNW engines that are still in CNW color scheme...(except #1995) I remeber a couple years ago, about2 i think, seeing one of those engines down at Jefferson Junction...(P.S. there is still a CNW caboose there)

[TrainmanEvan]

Nice catch and vid 5/5

[AllianceB95]

A great vid 5*

[moon47mars]

I miss SOO Line!!!