November 26th and 27th, 2011

Just a lazy weekend to do some exploring and train watching around the area.

Saturday the 27th
Saturday was a nasty dreary and extremely windy day, but since I had nothing better to do I was out the door around 9am and when to see what was going on.

Council Bluffs
IAIS BICB
507 (one unit today)
This same unit took a 20 car CBBI eastbound later in the afternoon.

KCS grain train south Bartlett elevator
4618-4583

IAIS local switcher
601-650

UP power parked on the Q transfer
5756-5663-8189

KCS grain train north Bartlett elevator
4708-4694

UP MPRCB
8406-7104-5252

UP coal load
5854-6233 DPU 7120

California Jct, IA
UP MVPNP
5976-6750-6178-6929-8114 DPU unknown SD90MAC

The crew of this train called me in and even indicated to the dispatcher that I was a railfan. This didn't stop the road master from taking matter into his own hands by chasing me down out on Hwy 30 and then tailgating me until I did an emergency pull over onto the shoulder. I did file a police report with the Harrison County Sheriff concerning the UPRR's harassment.

UP eb stack train
7646-4807-4444 DPU 7931

Council Bluffs, IA
BNSF Island Park Local
5051-4503

Sunday November 28th
The sun was out but the wind was still blowing.

Bellevue, NE
UP unknown nb freight
4584-3855-4787

UP sb grain train parked next to the freight
Head end units where not view able but the DPU was UP 8227

Council Bluffs, IA
IAIS BICB
511-503

BNSF local
503

Missouri Valley, IA
UP MCHNP
5081-6395

Blair, NE
UP MSSNP
6571-5713 DPU 7236

UP wb stack train
7417-8646 DPU 4709-8668

Fremont, NE
BNSF local power
2751-2392

UP MNPCBB
5781-6609-8081-6625-6226 DPU 88220

Valley, NE
UP wb grain train
5663-5783 DPU 8186

UP local power
2301-2385

Thanksgiving 2011

Having no intention of doing any railfanning during the holiday, I was surprised that I encountered as much activity as I did.

The day started out with me driving up to my parents house in S. Sioux City and once I was in Sioux City a quick drive through the local yards.

I-29 North
I encounter a stopped freight on the old CNW north of Honey Creek, IA. It was too far away to see the units to determine which train it was.

PCI has completed the rebuilding of the section of the CN/IC/CCP main that was washed out south of the Honey Creek I-29 exit. The pulled the old rail back up on the new ROW. No other repair work was observed except for clean up of the debris along the ROW.

The MSXCB was seen parked north of the Boyer River bridge waiting for a clear shot south to Council Bluffs. No other trains where encountered until Sloan, IA.

At Sloan a grain train was sitting at the local elevator. The power for this train wasn't park in Sloan nor Sioux City. At Salix the MCBVP was in the siding waiting for its sb counter part to leave Sioux City.

A Pt. Neal coaler was seen at the SC airport in Sgt Bluff, IA heading for a slow run around the ballon track while it unloads.

Sioux City
As a came into SC a sb BNSF freight was seen crossing the Missouri River and I wasn't able to see the power.

The CN switch job was actively placing empties at the Cargill plant and was using GT 4930 as the power. At the yard office CN 5347 and 5700 were parked.

The UP yard was about half full with a empty Potash train on the track next to the main. Three GP38-2's were resting at the old diesel shop location. Sitting on the main at 28th st was the MVPNP with UP 6473-6888-4368-8065-8077 as the head end power and the DPU (another SD90MAC) was out in Leeds. This train was nearly 2 miles long.

Over on the BNSF side of town was a nb empty grain train with BNSF 4302-5399-4541. Two switch jobs were also working the north and south ends of the yard.

The DAIR is still moving rock trains. 2 GP39-2's, 2 GP50's and DAIR 23 were parked in the yard.

I-29 South
Heading back home I encountered a nb BNSF coaler parked on the Missouri River bridge. The next train was on the UP at Salix. The MKCVP was in the siding waiting for another Pt. Neal bound coaler to run around it. The coaler was seen between Salix and Sloan so the VP didn't have long to wait. The last train for the day was encounter in the narrows in Council Bluffs. A coal load was getting back up to track speed after coming through the north yard are.

November 19th and 20th, 2011

Typical weekend for winter with one day being cloudy and dreary and the other having low filtered sunlight.

Saturday November 19th
Started out the day  with a drive through Council Bluffs and ended up in Missouri Valley, IA.

Council Bluffs, IA
IAIS BICB
500-503

KCS Grain Train at south Bartlett elevator
4127-4599

UP grain train power sitting on the Q connector in the Pool yard
8158-8109-8162

I-29 Honey Creek exit
The washed out CN mainline is now being rebuilt. PCI appears to be the contractor that won the rebuilt contract for the line as they where working on restoring the road bed at this washout spot. The track was cut and pushed to the side of the old roadbed to allow access to the ROW. A couple of dozers had leveled the old roadbed and created a "road" out to the ROW to allow side dump semi's to drive out and dump crushed rock that is being used for the new roadbed. This rock is then being spread out and compacted by a dozer and then a roller.

Missouri Valley, IA
The MPRCB was being held at the Boyer river bridge waiting for a hole in the eastbound parade to make the run to Council Bluffs.

Eastbound Coal load
6520-7073 DPU 6727

Eastbound Coal load
6517-5902 DPU 6536

ZG2SC
8681-4455-4197-4529

After having to deal with a crazed tweaker who was upset that I parked in front of her house on a public street, I had enough of Missouri Valley and headed back toward home.

Council Bluffs, IA
Eastbound Coal load
5903-6831 DPU 5974

Eastbound Coal load
7315-6460 DPU 5966

MCBDM
8153-9397- SD70M

MKCCP
8063-4904-4663

Omaha, NE
I noticed a UP special parked on the spur across from TD Ameritrade and took a short run over to see what was there. UP 7503 was on the point of three passenger cars and a power car.

Sunday November 20th
A typical lazy Sunday day, with me starting out late and only hanging out around the local area.

Council Bluffs, IA
UP MKCCP
7495-4780-5469

UP Eastbound coal load
6784-5753 DPU 5791

UP Eastbound K-line stack train
5054-8441-3928

UP MNPCB
6546-6477

BNSF potash load for the Bayard branch
HLCX 5984- NS 2616

UP Eastbound coal load
5954-7204 DPU 5881

UP Eastbound coal load
7117-6213 DPU 6742

IAIS BICB
507-513

November 5th and 6th, 2011

The first weekend of November and the weekend for the time change back to standard time. Its really hard to believe that the year is almost over.

I started out Saturday with no real plans except to get lost somewhere.The past week had been hell and the cumulative affects of my drawn out 4 year divorce had left me in a pretty foul mood.

Saturday November 5th
Council Bluffs, IA
KCS grain train at south Bartlett Elevator
4692-4016

UP grain train power
6359-6269-7521
Power was laying over on the Q connector after having brought in a grain train for the Bungee facility south of Council Bluffs.

KCS grain train at north Bartlet elevator
4707-3941

UP MOW train
4023-9318
This was a slot train that a excavator was dumping dirt and rock out of along the west side of the UP north yard (old CNW yard)

From Council Bluffs I headed north to Missouri Valley and had turned right on Hwy 30 to head into western Iowa but turned around on the east side of town and headed back west.At Blair I continued west on Hwy 91 until Hwy 275 and then I turned north.

Uehling, NE
BNSF sb empty sand train
BNSF 6238- FMX 4601

Oakland, NE
Central Valley Ag flood loader
BNSF 4674- NS 9487

Continuing north I headed over to Bancroft and Pender, NE to explore the ghosts of the old CStpM&O. At Bancroft the old depot is still standing though its been heavily modified from its original appearance. Heading north along Hwy 16 to Pender the old ROW can be seen in a few places, but is has been pretty much plowed under my the area farmers. The depot at Pender also still stands but is now used by a local concrete company.

On the return trip south, I got off the highway at Uehling and followed the BNSF south to Winslow via the backroads. I was able to explore the new double track project the BNSF has started south of Uehling. Its currently starting out as a new siding but will be expanding over the next couple of years.

Fremont, NE
BNSF nb on the main at Pappa
BNSF 5707 - EMDX 9031

UP power laying over
5653-7491
6713-6059-6273-7111

UP wb freight off the Blair sub
UP 5563 DPU UP 8479

BNSF nb freight
4458-5242

BNSF local power
2309

Valley NE
UP power laying over
6178-6832-6451-4412-6854

Sunday November 6th
The time change had my schedule messed up and after the previous days trip, I just stayed around the local area.

Council Bluffs, IA
IAIS BICB
505-508

KCS grain train for the Cargill elevator
3957-3942

UP MSXCBX
5116-9397-2237-2267

UP eb coal load
UP 5763-6248 DPU 6607

UP MPRCB
5207-9754

UP QNPSK
UP 4844 - CSX 4786 - UP 9355

BNSF Island Park local
4642-4804

BNSF local switcher 3171

Before heading for home, I made one last stop at Oreapolis.

Oreapolis, NE
BNSF eb coal load
BNSF 8821 DPU BNSF 5821

BNSF wb coal empty
BNSF 9152-5830 DPU BNSF 6281