OK. I will freely
admit that I don't actually remember a lot about these pictures. The
date stamp on the files says October 10th 2003. That was a Friday
according to the internet so that must be right. As per ususal I'd got
off work early and must have decided to try out my then almost new (to
me) Olympus E-20. We'll see what I can recall about the day as we go on.
The Saint
Paul riverfront is a super place to trainspot. Quite busy and very
scenic with the bluffs along the Mississippi there. I seem to think it
was about lunchtime when I arrived and as I got out of the car 2 CP
units were running light westbound. I didn't know where they were off
at the time more on them later. Notice how they are consecutively
numbered 4608 and 4609 a pair of GP40's superb catch. Double points for
that then...
|

|
Shortly after that I
had an eastbound come into my sights A pair of GP 30's in the Maroon
and Gold of the Red River Valley and Western and Twin Cities and
Western. The Railroads are sister lines owned by the same gentleman who
happens to be an ex-alum of the University of Minnesota hence the
Maroon and Gold livery. Just like the U of M sports teams.
|

|
For some reason known
only to me, that is lost in the mists of time I then decided to walk
out to Pigs Eye yard to see what I could see. It must have been a nice
day that's all I can say. Must have been very nice if it was October...
That is a good mile walk out to Pig's Eye. As I walked along the base
of the bluff another CP headed train went by. No. 8570 an AC44 on a
grain train.
|

|
I made it without any
other interruptions and took a perch on the road bridge to see what I
could see and was rewarded with this nice pair of Union Pacific
SD40-2's No's. 3384 and 3457.
|

|
They slid off out of sight
probably to get refuelled or something and then in the distance a pair
of CP AC44's appeared on an auto train. They stopped a while. One of
the crew got out went somewhere (perhaps he needed a pee) returned and
after a while the train headed off.
|

|
I took a stroll
around to see what else I could see hereabouts and I came up with the
find of the year. This old, old SW1 switcher No. 320 that was used to
switch some of the industries on the riverfront. Still looking pretty
good for 50 years old. It's gone now though. I hear that it is now in
Thief River Falls restored and repainted in Soo line livery because,
built in 1939, it was the SOO Lines first diesel locomotive.
|

|
There wasn't too much
other activity going on so I decided to stroll back to the car. Or
perhaps my car had 2 hour parking and I needed to get back. I think
that's it. So back to the car I headed and met a pair of BNSF C44's on
a grain train at the base of the bluffs. Strange to think that this was
the only BNSF train I saw in 2 hours
|

|
I still wasn't done.
As I strolled a bit further the two CP GP 40's that I had seen earlier
reappeared with some autoracks in tow. They had been out to the Ford
Ranger truck plant to pick them up. The Ford plant turn will soon be a
thing of the past. If not already with the forthcoming closure of the
Ford plant in Saint Paul.
|

|
For such a good place
to spot I don't go out to Pigs Eye very often at all. Three times since
2003. This time. Good Friday 2008 when it was snowing and August 1st
2008 when I got blocked off by a long freight train and didn't see
anything. Perhaps I should go more often.
|
|
|
|