Weekend Trainspotting Questions

[Rusty Spike]

I'm just back from a weekend in Iowa - just west of Fort Dodge. I saw more action in the little town of Clare in this one trip than in all previous and too numerous to count previous trips. 3 SD 40-2s on Friday, 2 Dash 9s and two 90 MACs today - all four idled for the holiday I'm guessing.

On Sunday in Barnum I saw a BNSF coal train headed east with 5 dash 9s or AC4400s in the lead and one pushing (I was 1/2 mile away). Boy that looked like a lot of power for a unit coal train - were they perhaps shuttling engines or is that common to have so much horsepower on a coal train?

 

[Fred_M]

Here in southwest Missouri I always see 2 pulling and 1 pushing Bethgons of coal on both the BNSF and UP (on the MNA track). They are always using 4400 ACs, I don't remember seeing anything else. Fred

 

[Rusty Spike]

I was in Iowa again this weekend - I checked the local yard along the BNSF line - there were three dash-9s sitting there and no coal trains in sight. The track is CN and there was motive power present to handle their local freights and the only big BNSF trains that come through are coal. ????

I could waste too much time hanging around there trying to figure out what they're doing but then I wouldn't have time to do that back here at home!

 

[Greg Elems]

The worst day railfanning is better than the best day working.

cheers,
Greg

 

[caboosejumper]

the best spots in iowa are between mechanicsville and dewitt on hwy 30, kate shelly high bridge in boone iowa and and the clinton iowa mississippi river bridge. all heavy traffic UPRR double track. best time is early morning trains every 15 minutes or sooner.

 

[SAL Comet]

Don't think I've ever seen a pusher here in CSX country, usually 3 or 4 loco's, but only 2 are pulling

 

[Iron Goat]

Yeah, "Rusty", I have been seeing pushers on a lot of coal trains, and container trains around the Kansas City/Topeka area, and I have never seen them do that before. I have seen it on both the UP and BNSF.... definately something new around here.

Bob