There is a group of several. A few are in local service, as the below image from last month shows, and the rest are in pairs, shuffling the deck at Gavin Yard.
I'd be perfectly fine if BNSF just used this paint scheme on everything from now on-simple, clean and not all cluttered with gaudy stickers/stripes and all.
It is a good scheme, kind of a nod to the Milwaukee, orange and black. The added stripes would be appropriate due to FRA regs for reflective paint now. So, yeah, it is a a nice looking paint job.
And here in the punkin patch a canook or two shows up now and then. Here's a couple, wish they weren't vandalized, Punkins! The remains of vandalism, And a BN heritage car, More Punkin Patch adventures to come....
Wow, that BN logo used to be green, really fading out badly! Those Saskatchewan cars were so pretty when they were new!
That green hopper would be a lot prettier! Hot today, no idea how hot, but it is still 102 in the shade outside my office. Caught a train or two, then watched the track inspector head east on the main. There was a westbound rock train and the Beach local, and eastbound oil can and another westbound H or M train in just about an hour. Then that inspector headed east. Somehow these flats just look 'toylike' to me, but they do make sense with the heavy oilfield pipe they are used for. The Beach local returning with loaded grain, and the 1930 is missing it's rear number boards! Our eastbound empty oil can, with only one unit online. The other two were dead and no DPU. I wonder how Beaver Hill will hinder this train... And the last trains power, Did someone ask where the video is? Yesterdays coal train, And today's activity,
They do look a little like toys, those vertical supports look way too thick (child-proof?). But as you mentioned, for the heavy stuff, one needs heavy support. Still, it looks like it was made by Tyco in the 1970s... I did note that the reporting marks on it are DWC - Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific! The other used is DWP. But if ones sees DWCX - that's someone else. Cool!
Was that oil train empties or loads? Maybe someone up the 'ladder' has decided to try pinching a few fuel pennies?
A clean U.P. was the leading loco on this train yesterday! I would guess that the empty coal gons are on their way to either Forsyth, to be powered up and start getting coal to a plant before winter, or to Transco in Miles City for service.
And another blast from the past, out at Hodges east of town on the long climb up Beaver Hill, from back in 2019 with a fellow foamer, Then the coal load gets to start back up the hill. Back in my day, the oil can would have sat at Yates to wait for the coal train, so they didn't have to start up that grade from a dead stop. Times change....
