Alton & Southern MP15DC and a CP (ex-SOO) GP39-2.
IN A SWITCHER fleet dominated by EMD SW1500s, the East St Louis terminal railroad Alton & Southern (wholly owned by the Union Pacific) rosters just one MP15DC, the ALS 1522, built in November 1980. Pictured here at the massive Gateway Yard in the run down western side of the Illinois city, the locomotive prepares to leave the servicing area and get on with some work. The date was September 21st, 2002.
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Happy days when EE Type 1s ruled on East Anglian RHTTs.
ON A GORGEOUS October 7th, 2006, Direct Rail Services’ Class 20/3 No. 20309 top ‘n’ tails the 1Z61 08.45 Stowmarket to Norwich Trowse Yard railhead treatment train past the steam era infrastructure at Thetford, Norfolk. Much of the Breckland line still keeps its oldie world charm even into 2008, with telegraph poles lining the tracks, manual signalling and even the odd loading gauge!
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Gotthardbahn power, old and new!
HAVING COMPLETED ITS trip over the Gotthard Tunnel route throught the Alps and ditched its banking locomotive, SBB CFF FFS Cargo Re 482 ‘Traxx’ electric No. 482 025-4 awaits the signal to proceed north at Arth-Goldau, Switzerland, with a heavily loaded Intermodal service on October 13th, 2006.
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A former SDP45 turned Helm Leasing SD40M-3.
IN YEARS TO come people will no longer remember Ohio as the state that sealed George W Bush’s victory in the 2004 US Presidential election, they will remember it as the result that first indicated that Barack Obama would win, and win well, on November 4th, 2008. In celebration, here is a shot from Ohio, sadly in miserable weather - a crisp and sunny autumn’s day would have been more appropriate. On April 27th, 2002, Helm Leasing SD40M-3 No. HLCX 6515 (in a former Erie Lackawanna SDP45 carbody), rolls past the engine servicing roads at CSXT’s Willard Yard, Ohio. It was converted by Morrison Knudson at Boise, Idaho.
Swiss tunnel rescue equipment.
OTHER THAN THE brand new Vossloh Am 843 locos, I can count on one hand how many big diesels I saw running about in Switzerland during my 2006 trip. One of these was 620kW (830hp) SBB CFF FFS Bm 4/4 No. 18437, which is pictured here approaching Erstfeld on October 17th with the Gotthard Lösch-und Rettungszug (LRZ or fire fighting and rescue train), which had been out on a quick test trip.
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