Christmas Weekend

I got a early start on the weekend's railfanning with a couple of hours on Friday afternoon, but really did not engage in much more than some light train watching for the rest of the weekend.

Friday Dec23rd
I headed over to CB to hunt for the CN/IC but had no luck in finding them in town.

Council Bluffs, IA
Locos laying over in the UP Pool yard
UP 3783-FMX 4082-FMX 4049-UP 4950

KCS grain train at north Bartlett elevator
4582-4580

UP MKCVP
8469-7467

UP eb coal load
7218-5846 DPU 7088

BNSF Council Bluffs switcher
503

UP north yard switcher
UP 586-UPY 591

UP eb stack train
7402-4962-3827-5071-4941-8518

UP MCBDM
7475-9110-8181

UP eb empty grain train
5953-5869-6652

UP MNPCBB
5994-6625-6395-5572-6011-5948

Saturday Dec 23rd
For a change of pace I ventured over to Lincoln and returned to Omaha via Louisville, NE.

Havelock, NE
BNSF power laying over
2660-2770

BNSF switcher
BNSF 2273-EMDX 789

Lincoln, NE
wb coal empty
6416-5655

eb coal load
9841-9406 DPU 9363

AGP Mill
AGPX 1644

Waverly, NE
wb coal empty
5803-6279 DPU-5801

Ashland, NE
wb coal empty
8927-9557 DPU 6261

local tied down in the yard
2024-2751

wb coal empty
6344-9321

South Bend, NE
eb coal load
9204-6226

Sunday Dec 25th
Christmas day was a trip home to Sioux City. The BNSF was running trains but was mostly closed while the UP had a couple of trains during the day.

Sioux City, IA
CN/IC
Inbound Ft Dodge local power
BCR 4614-IC 1000

Local switcher
CN 2413

UP MKCVP
5612-8198

BNSF MLINNTN
8226-5321

BNSF Sioux Falls local

2051-2280-2984

BNSF Core Line local
3008-3033

BNSF switcher power sets
2859-3407 and 2802-3429

BNSF MNTNKCK
8168-8115-913

BNSF MKCKNTN
BNSF 7903-BNSF 686-BNSF 4830-CSX 8068-EMDX 9022

DAIR Hudson local
2513-2512

Monday Dec 26th
I made another attempt at finding the CN in Council Bluffs as the embargo was to be lifted on the 26th and the local switch job was to be reestablished. I only ventured out for about an hour and there was no activity to mention.

Council Bluffs, IA
BNSF Potash empty
8960-8940

IAIS BICB
510

KCS grain train at the south Bartlett elevator
4043-4058

December 17th and 18th

A nice mid December weekend for some railfanning.

Saturday Dec 17th
Saturday was a a day to just relax and see what was going on in the local area.

Council Bluffs, IA
KCS grain train
3816-4583

UP MCBDMX
4075-8035

UP MSXCB
2367-2100-502

UP coal load
5658-7131 DPU 6479

A quick run up to the Honey Creek exit on I-29 for a look at the progress the CN has had on the rebuilding showd that the track was back in place and ballast work was being performed. Lots of progress since the last weekend.

There were two grain trains that were either on the BNSF Council Bluffs sub or where getting ready to head out onto the sub so I headed down river to Pacific Jct, IA to catch them before heading for home.

Pacific Jct., IA
BNSF grain train off the Bayard line
7872-7404-7264

BNSF wb coal empty
5700-5948 DPU 6280-9555

Oreapolis, NE
BNSF wb coal empty
6188-5698

Sunday December 18th
A quick look around Council Bluffs and Missouri Valley before calling it a day.

Council Bluffs, IA

BNSF grain train off the Bayard line
4151-5192-4502

UP MKCVP
7671-8193

UP lite power from the north yard
2381-2474

UP eb coal load
5575-6881

Missouri Valley, IA

UP unit in yard
4665

UP eb stack train
8579-7394 DPU 3957-8380

UP eb stack train
UP 7700 - KCS SD70ACe

Dec 10th and 11th

A nice change of pace for this weekend, Saturday was sunny with a nice layer of frost on everything from the over night ice fog.

Saturday Dec 10th
Started the day out in my normal fashion with a trip to Council Bluffs.

Council Bluffs, IA
BNSF CB local
503

KCS grain train at s Bartlett Elevator
KCS 4027-TFM 1622

BNSF Bayard Local was parked in the old Milw yard
549- EMDX 785-556-3020

UP light power from Island Park
6488-7162

After a drive by the old CNW yard it was north to Missouri Valley to check out the progress on the rebuilding of the CN/IC line into Council Bluffs.

Missouri Valley, IA
UP eb coal load
7218-5846 DPU 5629

A broken rail on the Blair sub had westbound trains backed up in Missouri Valley eastward.

UP wb freight
5624-5172

UP nb grain train
5945-5948

UP ZDLSK
7666-4979-5502

This train went into emergency just south of Canal street due to a air hose coming undone.After watching it pull out of town I headed north to Mondamin to catch the MSXCB with a NS unit leading.

Mondamin, IA
UP MSXCB
NS 9913-2100-2181-5923-5065

UP sb loaded grain train
UP 6696-5990-9680 DPU 7194

After this train, it was time to head back to CB and get some lunch.

Council Bluffs, IA
UP QNPSK
UP 3799-CSX 71-UP 9667

UP Blair, NE local
UP 5116-4961

Sunday Dec 11th
Sunday was more like how the Saturdays have been lately. Cloudy with a little bit of low filtered sunlight to tease you with.

A quick run to the post office reveled a stopped empty grain train to start the day out with.

Bellevue, NE
UP grain empty
8196-7256-6258

Council Bluffs, IA
IAIS BICB/CBBI
508-504

UP eb stack train
8608-5536 DPU 8654

UP lite power move
8223-9264-9132-9101-9175-9297-9319-9226-9284-9185-9139

UP MKCVP
5473-4115

Omaha, NE
I missed the head end of a eb UP freight

BNSF wb loaded potash train
NS 8821 was the sole power.

Dec 3rd and 4th

Finally the first significant snow of the season occurred, so it was a weekend of slipping and sliding.

Saturday Dec 3rd.
The morning started out dark and raining but since it was supposed to change over into snow, I headed out for some snow action.

Council Bluffs, IA
KCS grain train at the north Bartlett elevator.
4621-3932

Missouri Valley, IA
UP wb empty coaler
6669-7010


UP eb stack train
5678-4940 DPU 7775


UP wb empty coaler
6619-6272 DPU 5964


Council Bluffs, IA
UP eb coal load
6839-5629 DPU 6487


UP MCBSX
2181-2100-HLCX 1043


Sunday Dec 4th
The weather guessers had predicted sunny skies for Sunday, well they where sorta correct as the sun came out later in the afternoon.


Oreapolis, NE
BNSF wb ETOH train
4855-6182


Plattsmouth, NE
BNSF wb coal empty
5829-9948 DPU 9277-9473


Pacific Jct, IA
BNSF wb coal empty
5859-9497


BNSF wb coal empty
8922-9214


BNSF eb coal load
9211-9213


Lots of scanner traffic and trains where backed up on the Napier sub but I have found that staying in one place too long around the BNSF invites the SA's


Council Bluffs, IA
IAIS BICB
508-504


UP MKCVP
7832-9482-MJRX 711


UP Special
8695


UP MPRCB
4725-9595


UP eb coal load
5954-7204


BNSF Island Park local
4503-5051


BNSF Council Bluffs switcher
503