Fall 2013 Trip - 7

Hi, It was another challenging day on the Iowa Northern. An early call to the dispatcher seeking information was not productive. We spent the early part of the morning carefully checking out the Iowa Northern yard in Manly to make sure that the southbound had already departed. It had. Also, the UP was still tied up with a southbound on the single track in town and a northbound in the passing track south of town.

We followed the Iowa Northern south, however, the only train we encountered between Manly and Waterloo was a UP ethanol train with a patched and badly faded SP unit on the point.

About noon, as we were on our way to UP's Linden Ave Yard in Waterloo to see if any Iowa Northern power was there we fortuitously ran across this light power set.  A minute earlier or later and we would have missed it. 

The power was traversing Iowa Northern trackage from Linden Yard over to the CN mainline.  On a previous trip Stan Short and I photographed the Olwein Turn using this line to deliver cars to the CN.

We chased the set and were able to photograph it running along the edge of Gates Park Golf Course.

Once on the CN (former IC) the power proceeded to the CN yard where

it picked up an empty ethanol train.

Before the ethanol train left a CN train came into the yard from the west.  This CN trackage was sold by the IC to the Chicago Central & Pacific and then bought back by the IC.

We proceeded to chase the ethanol train through Waterloo (above and 2 below).

We caught it again twice in Cedar Falls (above and below)

and south of Shell Rock. 

While it was delivering its cars to the ethanol plant in Shell Rock we got a shot north of town.

We then drove to Cedar Rapids for the night.

While in Cedar Rapids we checked out the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City engine house.  Just after we got there this train pulled to a stop outside the facility.

Thus ended our day.  Two more to go.  Thanks for looking.