A couple of cold hours at Ashland, NE

Waking up to a dusting of snow Friday morning and some brilliant post storm sun light gave me an urge to get out and do some train watching. Unfortunately the clouds rolled back in by the time I got motivated and out the door.

First train I encountered was the ZCHCDEN as it rolled down from Gretna, NE toward Ashland on the Omaha Sub. I caught up with it before it got to Ashland but I wanted to get a shot of it further west and settled on a shot of it rolling east of Greenwood, NE. Unfortunutely, since its now stick season and the sky was gloomy a b&w conversion was needed to salvage the shot.

BNSF 7249 leads the ZCHCDEN between Greenwood and Ashland, NE.

BNSF 7249 heads west toward Greenwood, NE.

As I passed thru Ashland toward Greenwood, two coalers were stopped to give the Z train a clear block thru the area. A westbound empty coaler was holding at east wye in Ashland but was given a green on the heels of the Z train. It passed me as I headed back to Ashland and I wasn't able to get a shot of it.

BNSF 5968 heads east on the Creston Sub instead of the anticipated north on the Sioux City Sub.

An eastbound loaded coaler was holding at west Ashland and I thought it was going to head up the Sioux City sub and was caught off guard when it heading toward me instead of taking the hard left for Sioux City.

Soon after the eastbound passed a train was heard blowing for crossings and the chirp of a EOT was heard on the scanner. After a couple of minutes CREX 1312 rolled a westbound empty up to the signal on the Omaha sub. After about 15 mins she got a green and headed west again.

CREX 1312 leads a westbound empty coaler off the Omaha Sub.

Once the CREX lead train passed another empty coaler followed about 20 minutes later.

BNSF 9655 leads an empty coaler at east Asland.

After the BNSF 9655 passed a lull in the action developed. The Sioux City Sub DS was talking to a southbound and soon it was heard blowing for the crossings north of Ashland. One nice thing from the lull is it gave the sun a chance to make an appearance.

BNSF 9262 leads a ballast train off the Sioux City Sub.

Into nearly perfect sunlight BNSF 9262 lead a short ballast train across the Salt Creek bridge and then curved west toward west Ashland and the Creston Sub. Its passing gave me a chance to head for Casey's and some pizza.

BNSF 7335 leads a DEEX empty at west Ashland.

Crossing the bridge over the tracks reveled another westbound empty coaler so I headed over the west Ashland and waited for it to roll west. After a bit the BNSF 7335 and two C44-9W's slowly moved up to the signals. This is the first time since I've moved back to Nebraska where I've seen a coal train without AC units. Too bad it was still  roaches on the front.

BNSF 6243 leads a empty coaler at east wye Ashland.

After grabbing some shots of the units, I headed back over to east Ashland and caught a couple of more empty coalers before hearing the Sioux City Sub DS calling out the BNSF 2778 south. BNSF 2778 was leading the Fremont switch down to the yard in Ashland and soon was head blowing for the crossings north of Ashland. As soon as I was able to see the headlight thru the trees I headed out to get a shot of it curving off the Sioux City sub before calling it a day and heading for home.

BNSF 2778 leads the Fremont switch off the Sioux City Sub.

Weekend in Grand Island, NE

Winter just seems to want to stick around and the weekend of March 23rd and 24th was a good example of that. The girlfriend and I headed over to Grand Island, NE for the state Womens Bowling tournament that she was bowling in and for me to spend a couple of hours or so watching trains.

We left the Omaha area in bright sunshine but a storm was getting its act together out west. The brunt of this early spring snow storm was supposed to impact Kansas with a predicted 2-4 inched in the Grand Island area. Thankfully this never occurred but we did get a chance to drive on some icy roads on Sunday morning.

Saturday March 23rd
I left the girlfriend at the Bowling center around noon and had about 3 hours to get out and explore. The weather was pretty bad at this time with really dark skies with light snow and rain. Not a good scenario or having too much fun but I made the most of it.

The first train I encountered was the ZG2SC as it passed through the yard and headed west. Figuring I would not be able to get ahead of it I detoured over to N Oak and E Front St to see what was going on. Under the BNSF overcrossing the Nebraska Central was doing some work on the west end of the Grand Island yard. NCRC 8118-8123 were switching out a box car that they eventually shoved down into the area of the yard that they park their power at. After watching them do this and taking a look at the signals and hearing no scanner traffic, I made an impulse decision to head west and see how far I could get before having to turn around.

While crossing over the UP mainline on the west side of Grand Island, I noticed that the z train was still in the area and moving west really slow.

UP 7990 and the ZG2SC from Hwy 30.

Not sure why this high priority train was basically crawling along at 45 mph but I figured it was a good opportunity to get some foul weather moody pacing shots. I was able to catch up to it between Alda and Wood River, NE and fired off a couple of shots that I knew would not be perfect but was hoping they would be salvageable. Power for the ZG2SC was UP 7990-7201-4376-4888-4055.

At Gibbon, NE an empty coaler was holding on the Marysville line for the westbound Z train and a loaded coaler was slowly rolling toward the jct. UP 6747-6621 DPU 6608 had the eastbound coal load while UP 5921-7121 DPU 7236 held on the Marysville line with the empties..

UP 6747 leads a coal load west of Gibbon, NE.

Having made some good time to Gibbon, I continued over to Kearney, NE to see if I could catch the ex BRC GP7 at the Peavey elevator. As my luck has been with this unit it was locked up in the elevator load shed. A drive by the UP yard did revel the UP 504-823 that are the local switchers based in Kearney. With just over a hour to get back to the bowling center, I headed back into Grand Island with only one more train seen for the day. The Grand Island to North Platte local was seen at Alda with UP 1645-1641-1593 and about 30 cars in tow. This train has been powered by three SD40-2's and SD40N's for the last 3 years or so and reminds me of the days when I would sit along side the tracks in Wood River watching the UP run trains like street cars.

Sunday March 24th
We woke up to some nice clear skies but a brutal north wind around 30 mph. A quick morning rush to get the gf to the bowling center by 0730 was needed before any train watching could occur and this allowed the sun to get a bit higher in the sky.

I was able to get about 3.5 hours of train watching in before heading back to the Omaha area. Since I was also out taking pictures of the old buildings and signs that are still around, I did miss a few trains during that time.

0740 - Westbound UP stack train
UP 8710-7613 DPU 7431

A drive around the yard to check out the local power and various MOW train power sets.
Switcher set - 518-508
MOW train - 4069-4658
Loaded grain train 6313-6398-7920
MOW train - 5184-9640
MOW train - 8248-5631
Nebraska Central - 8118-8123 and a set of two additional SD40-2's

Nebraska Central SD40-2's 8118-8123

After getting pics of the Nebraska Central units I took off to find some old and obscure items in downtown Grand Island. During this time I missed a BNSF westbound stack train that was followed by a westbound freight. The UP sent a coal empty and an eastbound stack train thru also.

0905 - Eastbound UP stack train
UP 6850-6743-6052-5072 DPU 6713

With the downturn in coal loadings formerly coal train only power is starting to become common on these higher priority trains.

UP 6850 leads a eastbound stacker into Grand Island.

0920 - BNSF Coal empties
BNSF 6340-6054 DPU 5856

BNSF 5856 passes over the UP QNPEL.

0922 - UP QNPEL eastbound
UP 8498-7736

0935 - UP ZSKGR westbound
UP 6451-6470-7097

UP 6451 leads the empty salad shooter out of Grand Island, NE.

0945 - BNSF Coal load
Missed the single headend unit but got the 6221 DPU

1009 - BNSF Coal load
BNSF 9272-5897 DPU 9835

BNSF 9272 leads a coal load south over the UP mainline.

1011 - UP Mid America coal empties
UP 5700-7195 DPU 7279

1019 - UP loaded grain train westbound.
UP 7920-6398-6313

Power had run around the train and departed westbound with the loaded train from earlier. While getting in position to photograph this train the BNSF sent a coal load over the departing train.

UP 7920 departing Grand Island with a loaded grain train as a BNSF coal load passes over head.

1050 -UP  ZG2SE westbound.
UP 8477-7607-7806-8778-8576

1052 - BNSF coal empties
BNSF 9277-9938 DPU 5729

1111 - BNSF eastbound freight
BNSF 4325-4169 DPU 6763

BNSF 4325 leads a southbound freight through Grand Island, NE

After this last train passed through it was time to meet the gf , have some lunch and head back to Omaha.

A look at the BNSF Sioux City Sub

The Sioux City sub is one of those often over looked Midwestern lines when compared to the close by BNSF Creston and Ravenna Subs and the UP's Chicago to North Platte mainline. This is rather unfortunate as this increasingly busier line has some unique character that the busier mainlines seem to lack.

History
Before beginning the exploration of this line some history is in order. The Sioux City sub was a rather late comer in eastern Nebraska. Construction of this line did not occur until 1905 when the Great Northern Railway extended the Sioux City and Western Railway to Ashland, NE from Dakota City, NE. The extension was needed to connect the CB&Q leased Sioux City and Western Railway from Ferry, NE to O'Neil, NE line. Once the line was completed the CB&Q leased what is now the Sioux City sub from the Great Northern. In 1907 the Great Northern began a process of consolidating subsidiary lines into the great Northern and in 1909 the Sioux City & Western was sold to The CB&Q.

The original route of the Sioux City Sub between Ferry, NE and Sioux City, IA was via the Pacific Short Line bridge (later known as the Combination bridge) where access to the Great Northern passenger station and freight houses along 3rd Street in Sioux City was gained.

Pacific Short Line bridge looking toward Iowa sometime in the 1890's.

Today
The BNSF Sioux City sub is a dramatically different line than it was in the early 20th century. Gone are its days of serving as a feeder line for the mainline at Ashland to its important role as a shortcut between the upper midwest and the south. Oil, sand, grain, ethanol and over head freight form the back bone of the traffic from the Dakotas and Minnesota all funneling down this non-signaled single track line. Between 14-20 trains a day play leap frog from siding to siding along this 100+ miles using TWC and creative dispatching. Some changes are in the wings for this busy line as PTC will be cut in sometime during 2013, dispatcher controlled power switches are being put into place and segments of double track are slowly being built.

Exploring the Line
Beginning from Ashland, NE heading north the various areas of the line will be outlined. The map below pinpoints specific locations and items along the line. Clicking a pin will open a pop-up with a narrative of that point of interest.


View BNSF Sioux City Sub in a larger map

Ashland to Fremont NE
Ashland NE is where the Sioux City Sub joins the Creston Sub. A wye at this junction allows for trains to head east or west on the Creston Sub. A unique feature of this junction is the presence of the Omaha Sub's junction with the Creston sub occurring between the two legs of the wye. 

An empty grain train begins its north bound journey up the Sioux City sub in Ashland NE.

Heading north from Ashland the first siding encountered will be the gravel pits owned by Western Sand and Gravel at Able and Big Sandy. These pits were once the property of Nebco and was home of the Omaha Lincoln and Beatrice inter plant railroad. Today the old OL&B line is used to store coal and freight cars.

The first town encountered north of Ashland is Yutan, NE. Yutan hosts a 4168' siding along with the at grade crossing of the UP Lincoln Sub. This crossing is protected by an automatic interlocking protecting the one M-F UP train  from Valley to Valprasio, NE.

7.5 lines north of the UP crossing is the first of the 5 important sidings along this 108 mile sub. The siding  known as Elk  is 7811' long and is used to stage trains across the UP crossing in Fremont along with south bounds meeting north bounds.

Having just meet a north bound at Elk siding this empty coaler heads for Ashland.

From the north siding switch to the UP crossing in Fremont it is 6.2 miles. About midway the sub crosses the Platte river on a plate girder bridge. From the river crossing it is around a mile and a half to the south switch to the old Fremont, NE siding. This siding is no longer used for meets and primarily serves as a storage track and to gain access to the spur into the Hormel plant at the north end of the siding.

Rounding the curve to briefly head west to the UP crossing.

After following a generally straight north alignment the line curves to the west to parallel the UP a block to the south through Fremont. Within this curve a spur heads south along the main to serve the cold storage plant across from the Homel processing plant. Both Hormel and this cold storage plant ship by rail. Refers of pork products and tank cars with tallow are the shipped out.

East of S. Main st in Fremont is the last remaining depot on the Sioux City sub. The MOW department uses the depot as offices and storage. On the west side of S. Main st the old Fremont yard is located. Interchange with the UP is done here. The Fremont to Ashland local and the Fremont to Oakland local cars are swapped on the tracks that remain.

A loaded grain train beats the UP crossing on its way south.

West of S. Main st at the north end of N. Morrell st is the BNSF-UP diamonds. BNSF trains are the lower priority at this crossing and will often wait extended periods of time before being allowed to cross the UP. BNSF crews contact the UP dispatcher for permission to cross. Once given authority they will hustle from S. Fremont or Papa to get across. Any delays typically results in the BNSF trains being "bumped" and there authority removed until the next window opens up.

A northbound loaded cement train holds the siding at Papa.

From the UP crossing it is about 2 miles to the south siding switch at Papa. Like Elk, Papa siding plays an important role in getting trains through the Fremont area, unlike Elk, Papa has industrial spurs to active customers. Five customers receive and originate loads in the area just to the south of Papa siding. Ashland Cement, Farmers Coop, Interstate Chemical, Nutri-Flow and BioEnzyme are served along the spur. At the north end of Papa siding another spur heads to CFI Industries were tank cars are unloaded.

Fremont to Oakland

Heading north out of Fremont the sub follows the Elkhorn River valley crossing it north of Winslow, NE. From this location it follows Logan Creek north through Oakland, NE.

6.9 miles northeast of Papa siding the sub crosses the FEVR's ex-CNW line at grade. This crossing is protected by an automatic interlocking but with the loss of the Diner train it is rare that an FEVR train will be encountered at this crossing.

From the FEVR crossing it is 2.5 miles to Nickerson, NE and then 5.6 miles to Winslow. Winslow used to have a small passing siding but it is now stub ended on the south end before crossing Hwy 77.

The next siding north from Winslow is a new siding that was built late 2011 south of Uehling, NE. This siding was to be the start of a segment of double tracking on the sub. It will eventually tie into the Oakland, NE siding. The distance between the two sidings is approximately 9 miles.and would give the BNSF some more room to hold trains while waiting for authority to cross the UP in Fremont. The siding at Oakland is 7420' feet but does have a crossing that can not be blocked when used.

A BN Lincoln to Sioux City train is crossing the flat farm land south of Oakland NE  during the summer of 1984.

Oakland to Winnebago
After leaving Oakland a grain shuttle loader is encountered about 1 mile from the north switch Oakland siding. This loader is setup to allow access from the north and south, but will not allow a loaded train to reverse its movement without the power running around the train. The shuttle loader is also the only customer along the sub until Dakota City, NE. This is a rather dramatic change from the 80's when every town would ship and receive cars.

An empty grain train is waiting for a fresh crew to load at the Oakland shuttle loader..

Lyons is the next town encountered from Oakland. At Lyons the sub takes a slight jog to the northwest to stay in the Logan creek flood plain which it follows until Rosalie, NE. At Rosalie the sub climbs out of the Logan Creek flood plain to the South Omaha Creek flood plain. This is a short climb of around 0.5%.

The sub follows the creek down into Walthill where an old passing siding was located.The siding is now stub ended and used for MOW storage. Just north of this siding is a hi-wide detector that protects the Gordon Drive Viaduct in Sioux City from any shifted loads or loads higher than 19'2". This high restriction prevents double stack and M3E auto racks from using the Sioux City Sub.

A southbound local running at track speed.

The next siding is at Winnebago, NE at 7590' it is the second longest siding on the sub.The Winnebago siding provides a staging spot for trains coming into the Sioux City terminal. Inbound crews will call into the Sioux City yard master asking for "landing" instructions and are typically told to call back when crossing the Missouri River bridge.

Winnebago to Sioux City
It is 27 miles from Winnebago to the terminal in Sioux City. These 27 miles can tend to be the busiest of the sub. 6.3 miles north of Winnebago is the town of Homer, NE. The old siding is still in place but has been stub ended on the south end. There does not appear to be any active shippers on this spur anymore.

It is 7.3 miles to Dakota City from Homer. In these 7.3 miles the sub crosses the Missouri River flood plain and its many old channels. There are numerous soft spots that have been shored up by driving pilings into the row on both side of the track structure. These soft spots are more pronounced during wet years as the tracks tend to sink back into the gumbo.

At Dakota City the first customer since Oakland is encountered. Elementis LTP receives inbound tank cars of chemicals that are trans loaded into tankers. A block north of them is the division point between the Twin Cities and Nebraska Divisions.The sign announcing this is a nice backdrop when out photographing.

A southbound BN grain train passes from the Minnesota Diviosion at Dakota City NE during the mid-80's.

A southbound grain train passes from the Twin Cities to the Nebraska Division.

After crossing into the Twin Cities division the sub passes through the large Tyson beef slaughter and processing plant in Dakota City. On the north side of the Tyson complex is the wye that connects the former Nebraska Northeastern/BN/CB&Q/SCWR O'niel line to the Sioux City Sub. On December 1, 2012 the BNSF completed its repurchase of this line and its new subdivision name is not known at this time.

Passing through the old Ferry yard a northbound empty grain train passes the CNW Dakota City local.

Just to the north of the this wye is the old BN/CB&Q Ferry yard and engine terminal. In 1981 the BN replaced the original 1880's bridge over the Missouri River. Prior to this trains coming north would exchange the road power with a set of GP7's or GP9's to drag the train over to the Sioux City yard. The opposite would occur for southbound trains from Sioux City.

A SC-LIN train heads south through Ferry.

Soon after the opening of the new bridge the old engine terminal and yard was reconfigured with the engine terminal removed and the yard ladder tracks off the main removed with only two tracks surviving as storage tracks.

MWILKCK passes through Ferry NE.

From Ferry to Floyd the CNW and BN shared the trackage. The line was originally owned my the CNW and was The CStPM&O mainline until the line south of Pender NE was washed out in the 1930's. After that the line was a secondary line to Emerson and Norfolk NE. The line and bridge was sold to the BN in 1975 with the CNW retaining trackage rights and ownership of the sidings in South Sioux City, NE. The UP still retains these rights today.

An empty BN coaler heads through S. Sioux City on a frozen  morning.

To cross the Missouri River the sub encounters a short grade up to the level of the bridge. On the NE side this is an incline that starts at G st in South Sioux City and at Leech Ave in Sioux City. Once a northbound train starts the climb for the bridge they call the Sioux City yardmaster for instructions. If everything is going well they get to proceed into the yard.

Coming off the bridge at G st in S. Sioux City, IA..

Starting the climb to the Missouri River bridge in S. Sioux City, Ne.

For those trains that don't have space in the yard they are held at Leech Ave. Trains are also held at Leech Ave for new crews if they are to head up into South Dakota.

Holding on the hill at Leech Ave this loaded coaler is waiting for a spot to open in the yard.

Just to the north of Leech Ave is Floyd. This jct is where the UP accesses the Sioux City for the run to Ferry and the UP Dakota City Industrial lead. Floyd also is where trains from the South Dakota lines access the Sioux City Sub. Heading north from Floyd the sub curves around the old Milwaukee Road downtown yard on a track that was built in 1956. This new track allowed GN and CB&Q trains to interchange in the GN yard on Hwy 75 instead of the original GN yard in the stock  yard district.

An empty coaler heading south out of Sioux City.

Rolling out of the Sioux City yard past the MOW staging area.

At 6th st the cross-over for the yard is located. This cross-over allows for trains to use the new pass which is a by-pass track that was build along the west side of the yard in the mid 80's to allow coal and grain trains to roll through.

Doubling over its inbound train the Sioux Falls local passes the grain elevators just south of the Sioux City yard.

The BNSF yard is located on the west side of old Hwy 75 between 18th St and 31st St. The city opened a new under pass about 2 miles north of 31st St and since then the BNSF has been blocking this crossing for extending periods of time. The yard office and MOW departments share the old GN freight house located off of 18th St.This is a busy area and is BNSF property. One should not venture into the yard office area without an expectation of being confronted.

Railfaning the Sioux City Sub.
Though Hwy 77 parallels the line from Fremont to Sioux City the sub is often away from the road. The highway is the best to use when getting from one point to the next in a fairly quick time. To explore the line in depth the many country roads (paved and gravel) are the best way to railfan the sub. A word of caution, if you are not used to driving on gravel roads you should be cautious. Loose gravel is like ice for those that are not familiar with driving on it.For those that like to get off the pavement GPS and a Delorme map are your best friend.

The sub is controlled by TWC and due to this trains are given TWC from one of the 5 sidings to the next and told how many they will meet. AAR channel 75 (161.235) is used by tthe BNSF Dispatcher to communicate with the trains. The BNSF Sioux City yard is 160.680 and UP DS 20 is 160.740. The UP DS is called by when permission is need to cross the UP in Fremont.

Known trains along the line:

• MKCKWIL/MKCKWIL - Kansas City to Wilmar, MN/Wilmar, MN to Kansas City
• MLINWIL/MWILLIN - Lincoln, NE to Wilmar, MN/Wilmar, MN to Lincoln, NE
• MLINSCX/MSCX/LIN - Lincoln, NE to Sioux City, IA/ Sioux City, IA to Lincoln, NE
• MKCKDIL/MDILKCK - Kansas City to Dilworth/Dilworth to Kansas City

Along with these trains there are unit grain,ethanol,coal, cement, potash, and oil trains to keep the line busy.

An 844 Sunday

The decision to go out and catch the 844 on Sunday was just one of those spur of the moment wild hair type of decisions. After a lazy Sunday morning I was checking out the various railfan sources and stumbled on the realization that the 844 was heading back to Council Bluffs that afternoon. She was scheduled to have a servicing stop at Dunlap, IA at 1515, so the girlfriend and I made the decision to try and head out there to meet up and follow her back to CB.

Getting out the door around 1415, I thought it would be cutting it close to run the 50+ miles from my house in Bellevue to Dunlap but my concern wasn't needed. A check of the UP Steam twitter feed and the UP GPS tracking map showed that she was pretty far behind schedule and was still east of Carroll, IA when I arrived in Missouri Valley, IA. So with that knowledge (smart phones are nice for this type of tracking) I set out to find some spots to get a shot or two.

The back roads west of Woodbine, IA were scouted but I soon rejected the area as the main gravel road was pretty loose and wouldn't have been good to use as a chase road. The road condition and the spotting of BNSFrailfan - aka Allen Love, Jr. trespassing on the CN bridge over the UP convinced me to head further east with the Arion Ia area as a potential spot to setup. I wasn't in the mood for a UP popo encounter.

Checking the UP GPS tracking map showed that 844 was stopped near Carroll IA so I continued to head east until Denison, IA. I was thinking of going even further east but decided to stop and setup near the old CNW depot. After about 20-30 minutes of waiting, 844's whistle could be heard approaching from the east but ominously so could a air horn coming from the west. When I setup I was concerned about getting stuck on the wrong side if an eastbound came through and this thought kept getting louder as the steam whistle and the air horn keep getting closer to me. Well luck was on my side as 844 came into view before the eastbound did.

I packed up and headed west out of Denison to eventually catch up with the 844 as she made the servicing stop in Dunlap. By Arion I had caught the pace crowd who had Hwy 30 all gummed up while they paced the steamer. I absolutely hate these people especially on 2 lane roads that have impatient local drivers and foamers all mixed together. Its only a sneeze away from a big chain reaction wreck.

I was able to pass the line east of Dow City and get ahead of the chasers to setup at the Boyer River crossing west of Dunlap. I was the second person there and setup on the north side of the tracks to hopefully prevent getting blocked by another eastbound. In the 20 or so minutes I was waiting a couple of others showed up including a woman who was determined to stand on or near the tracks with her back pointed toward eastbound traffic. I was convinced she would be the next Darwin award winner as no matter what, she was going to get that shot where she wanted to stand.

844 got the highball at 1730 and the track and time was released allowing eastbounds to proceed which meant there was a good possibility of a meet at the bridge. Unfortunately this did occur and blocked a couple of people who had setup on the south side of the tracks.

After the stack train passed, I packed up and headed west to see if I could get one more setup for the day. The bridge construction on Hwy 30 east of Woodbine put an end to that though as all westbound traffic has to hold for a green signal to cross the single lane bridge. We were able to follow her into Missouri Valley and  was stopped at the Loveland IA crossing by the train before heading for home.

All in all a nice way to spend an Sunday afternoon.

Blair Sub Changes

This past Saturday, I spent some time along the Blair Sub to document the changes that are occurring as the second track is going in. For the a quick reference I have included a map (Blair Sub Changes) of the sub and the changes that have been observed.

Missouri Valley, IA
The current alignments where the Omaha Sub joins the Boone Sub and Blair sub will be dramatically changed.The Omaha to Boone sub transition will occur on the east side of Missouri Valley with the east side of the wye being extended eastward on a new track to a point around where the grain elevator is currently. Signal boxes and signal bases were observed being moved for this new alignment.

On the west side of the wye where the Omaha and Blair subs join the change will not be so dramatic. The ROW appears to being prepared for the track to be repositioned slightly further to the west and the connecting switch to be closer to the bridges over the creek on the west side of downtown Missouri Valley.

Allen Creek to California Jct., IA.
Late last year the sub grade was completed for both the new second track and the third track. With winter now occurring, track work was stopped in mid November. But some work has been occurring for signaling and onsite switch building.

On the ROW for track 2 the cross-over switch has been laid out just east of Italy Ave. While on the north side the concrete ties have been positioned for the switch to the third main.

One change that was noted was the closing of Grover Ave about a mile east of California Jct. This road is also now marked as a private road on the south side of the ROW.

On the east side of California Jct, signal crews were noted working on signal cables and junction boxes.A cross over switch on the new main is also being constructed on the ROW.

California Jct, IA to Corning Ave.
The news here is grading has started from Fremont Ave to east of Corning Ave.The face of California Jct has been changed now but will result in more active once this is completed.








East of Austin Ave., heavy excavating machinery was parked and being serviced for next weeks work.

West of Austin Ave, the grading of the new ROW has started but is not as far along as the section between Fremont and Austin Aves.

It does not appear that the grading has progressed up to the slough. On the west side of the slough up to Corning Ave, new survey stakes were noted but no active grading was seen.

Corning Ave to Hwy 92 Blair, NE
No activity was noted between these two points. The beginning of the new double track is just south west of the Hwy 92 crossing.

Hwy 92 Blair to Kennard, NE
The old CTC signals are now gone. A couple of weeks ago they were still in place but the heads had been turned toward the mains.

East Kennard Siding to West Kennard Siding
The old Kennard siding has been disassembled and is in the process of being rebuilt from the grown up and will be shifted closer to Hwy 30 (based on the survey flags).

Along the hill that old Co Rd 32 runs on there are survey flags from the guard rail that blocks the old crossing down to were Co Rd 25 joins Co Rd 32. This appears to indicate that the side of the hill will be excavated to allow for the new track to be shifted south buy about 6-10 feet. This also may be the end of this old road.

The first creek crossing south of Co Rd 25 is being reworked with a fill and culvert are being built. This maybe a new bridge or a temp crossing of the creek to allow excavating equipment access to the area. Further down to the west end of the old Kennard siding, the other creek bridge area is also being worked. It is unknown if these two bridges will be replaced of if the work is to allow excavators access.





West Kennard to Co Rd 21
Trees and vegetation has been removed on the south side of the ROW between these two points. Additionally culvert work was seen for the drainage under the ROW west of the Hwy 30 over crossing.

The new ROW has been staked out between these two points but no active grading was observed.


CO Rd 21 to Co Rd 19

There is a major change in the works for the curve to the west of the Co Rd 21 crossing. Excavators were busy contouring the side of the hill and dumping this dirt on the side of the hill next to Co rd 21. Its unknown if this dirt will be reused later in the project of if the farmer who owns this land will be getting a bonus of new farm land.

Co Rd 19 to Co Rd P34
This area is is away from the road and a bit harder to observe. At the Co Rd 19 crossing the ROW west is staked out and there was a truck mounted drill and pipes observed on the south side of the crossing.








Co Rd P34 to Co Rd 15
Arlington Hill will definitely be change by this construction. The area just southwest of the P34 crossing is almost unrecognizable now and the excavating has not even started.

The trees and vegetation on the south side of the ROW have been removed and the area is being prepped for excavation work.



View from the P34 grade crossing showing how much of the hill will be trimmed back.

Looking east from the crossing this curve will see some changes also.

Co Rd 15 area
This area will also experience a dramatic change. From the way the survey flags are laid out the line should cut across the existing track and straighten out the s-curve to the west of the crossing. It should be interesting to see how this will all occur as the line has some housing close to the ROW.








Looking west from the crossing the prep work for the elimination of the s-curves has already started.

No other work was observed toward Arlington with the except of tree and vegetation removal.