Sept 24th and 25th

Saturday was a trip to Sioux City for a change of pace and to see the family. I-29 was opened the evening of the 23rd so it was a straight shot up interstate to ole Sewer City.

Sioux City, IA
UP Port Neal local
UP 827-828

DAIR Hudson, SD local
DAIR 2512-2511

UP power parked in the stockyards
UP 4149-3981

DAIR switcher power
DAIR 7 & 9

CN Sioux City - Ft Dodge local
CN 2673-2546

CN switcher
CN/IC 9619

UP power in yard
UP 7464-5080-2061

UP MCBVP
UP 7163-5955-8183

BNSF MNTNLIN
BNSF 9323-4781-4766

S. Sioux City, NE
BNSF grain extra at Cargill
BNSF 6678-7525 DPU 4373

On trip back to Omaha encountered an empty UP rail train in the stockyards, a empty coaler south of Blencoe, IA and the MKCVP south of Mondamin, IA.

Sunday I started out by taking a drive by the BNSF Gibson yard in S. Omaha, NE before heading over into Iowa to explore.

Omaha, NE
Power on ready tracks
BNSF 4141-5146-556-4523

Power on an unknown train
BNSF 5261-766

Council Bluffs, IA
North CB Bartlett grain elevator
KCS 4582-4039

UP coal load
UP 5647-6309 DPU 6564

UP coal empty
UP 5884-6167

UP MNPEL
UP 6824-8480-8077-5990 DPU 6441

UP Pool Yard switcher
UP 831-1209

IAIS transfer
IAIS 601-650-720

UP empty grain train
UP 4833-6399-5863

UP Engineering special
UP 8688-8698 and about 15 cars

KCS grain train at S Bartlett elevator
TFM 1606-KCS 4578

Honey Creek, IA
ZG3BR
UP 7454-7733-4915 DPU 7348

I also encountered two westbound coal empties between Mo Valley and CB but was not able to get unit numbers. The UP had a 12 hour curfew on the Blair Sub and was routing westbounds through Omaha.

Sept 10th and 11th

Saturday Sept 10th
After reading that the tie train for the new second track between Blair and Kennard had arrived in Blair on Friday I decided to make a trip up to Blair.

Council Bluffs
IAIS
BICB
501-507

BNSF
Local power
BNSF 3201-3111-2309

Missouri Valley
Blair Local
UP 9474-2302

SB Mixed Freight
UP 8166-2337

Blair
Tie train
UP 8036-3949

MVPNP
UP 8223-6079 DPU 7165

Missouri Valley
WB Ethanol Train
UP 6736-6418

EB mixed Freight
UP 7854-9389-2247-CEFX 1038

wb Coal empty
UP 5886-6466

Council Bluffs
MNPBO
UP 6660-5872-3880-5840-SP 199-UP 5775

Sunday September 11th
Sunday was a day to hang out around town. I did start out in Oreapolis, NE and ended up in Council Bluffs via Pacific Jct.

Council Bluffs
Mid America coal empty
UP 6503 DPU UP AC44W

WEPX Coal load
UP 5719-5920 DPU 6719

MNPPR
UP 7896-9341-CNW 8701 DPU 5587

UP Officer Special
UP 7523

There was lots of coal train traffic on the UP Omaha Sub and I missed about 5 trains moving around town. The BNSF Creston sub was also active with me missing 3 trains between Oreapolis and Pacific Jct.

Sept 4th, 2011

Sunday Sept 4^th

I started the day out in North Platte and followed the UP eastward to Gothenburg. Since I wanted to follow the old CBQ/BN/BNSF line from Sterling CO into Holdrege, NE, I headed south to HWY 23 at Gothenburg, NE.  From There I followed the Nebraska Kansas and Colorado into Holdrege and then the BNSF into Hastings, NE. From Hastings I headed back up to I-80 until Lincoln where I got off on Hwy 6 and followed the BNSF into Ashland, NE.

Along Hwy 30 heading east

UP MP 274

WB grain loads

UP 5682-6467 DPU UP 5959

UP MP 268

WB coal empty

UP 5931-6046 DP UP 6273

UP MP 265

WB grain load

UP 7205 DPU FMX 4622-UP 5654

UP MP 262

WB coal empty

UP 5890-7025 DPU UP 6619

UP MP 258

WB freight

UP 2468-8180-4551

UP MP 253

WB coal empty

UP 5710-5664 DPU UP 5579

Loomis, NE

Grain Elevator

DLCX 2000

Holdrege, NE

Nebraska Kansas Colorado

HLCX 5005

DLCX 1202

NKCR 9259

NKCR 7427

Havelock, NE

WB Freight

BNSF 750-4646

Waverly, NE

EB  freight

BNSF 1103-4776

Ashland, NE

MLINLIN

BNSF 549-520

Sept 3rd, 2011

Saturday September 3

Saturday was the start of my trip to North Platte. This was sort of a spur of the moment trip and I really did not have any goals in mind other than to explore and take pictures of depots and switchers at the various grain elevators on the way.

I left Omaha heading west on Hwy 92 with my first stop being at Mead, NE to capture the Frontier CO-OP GP10 and the UP depot that is in the town park.

After that it was back west on Hwy 92 with a detour stop in Brainard, NE. A drive around the grain elevator didn’t reveal any switchers but a shuttlewagon was parked in the elevator parking lot. Back out on 92, I headed west to Hwy 15 and a run up to David City. I was able to capture both the UP and the old Q depots but there were no switchers in town.

From David City it was north to Columbus and a look at the NCRC. About the time I got into Columbus it started to rain which quickly developed in a steady down pour. A drive out on Hwy 81 to the northwest side of town didn’t produce any NCRC units but the MNCCB had just arrived from Norfolk and the crwew was being taken back to the yard office. Power was UP 4418-3904. UP local power parked in the yard was UP 833, UP 505 and UP 2262.

From Columbus I headed west on Hwy 30. Below is a list of what was seen along the way. Not everything is listed as some slipped by me here and there.

Sliver Creek, NE

Platte Valley CO-OP

Ex CNW 4162

EB coal load

UP 5998 DPU UP 7190

Clarks, NE

EB coal load

UP 6617-SP177 DPU UP 7189

Thumbell, NE

Debruce Grain

JWS 76

MP 120

MNPPR

UP 4262-4048

MP 139

EB coal load

UP 5575-7057 DPU 6625

Grand Island, NE

MGINP

UP 2447-1601-1589

Wood River, NE

MNPCBB

UP 8201-6413-6185-6692-6624 DPU 8171

Grain Elevator

BEBX 2054

EB Light Power

UP 6540-7051-7249

Shelton, NE

Cargill Elevator

Unknown # GP7r

Gibbon, NE

ZSKDL

UP 4920-7881-5114

Cargill Elevator

2002, 9349

Elm Creek

Grain Elevator

AGREX 824

MP 180

EB coal load

UP 6854-7014 DPU 6384

Kearney, NE

EB Mixed Freight

UP 3825-4242-4751

EB Perishable

UP 8659-4261-7844

WB Z train

UP 3922-4194-3792-3889-4097

EB coal load

UP 7200-6222 DPU 6709

Local power

UP 826-504

MP 209

EB coal load

UP 7120-6166 DPU 6812

Lexington, NE

Local Power

UP 508-832

UP 505

In transit to Cozad

DBGX 6634 ex AGP

Grain Elevator

I&M Raillink

612

WB Stack train

UP 8686-4736-2409-2456 DPU4581-8687

EB Stack Train

UP 5452-4000 DPU 4220-8449

Cozad, NE

Peavey Grain 1261

This unit is to be replaced by the DBGX 6634 spotted in Cozad.

MP 246

EB coal load

UP 6789-6268 DPU 6329

Gothenburg, NE

WB coal empty

UP 7170-6837 DPU 5724

Grain Elevator

MJRX 1021

EB Empty Auto

UP 8119

MP 255

EB Stack Train

UP 7730-4820-4953 DPU 7693

MP 257

EB Mixed Freight

UP 7392-4231 DPU 6995

MP 265

EB coal load

UP 5872-6881 DPU 6244

MP 272

EB coal load

UP 5658-7104 DPU 6535

MP 275

QSKNP

UP 8650-CSX 5349- CSX 7564

North Platte, NE

MCA 7515

There were too many UP units to record.