MILW Confirmed Bandit sighting!

Tonight a strange locomotive was reported working in eastern Minot, ND; its orange paint, SOO lettering and numbers confuses modern Canadian Pacific railfans. The oddball was spotted just out of downtown, with a long string of heavy grain loads from the Dakota Missouri Valley Western (including an ancient dead-in-tow DMVW Geep) in south-central ND. The lone GP40 variant was working hard, with the hogger skillfully working the throttle and sanders on the icy rails to ascend the short grade to a small yard on the outskirts of town. With the old faithful locomotive on its knees, the engineer worked the train out of the downtown bowl at a snail's pace, in notches 6-8. The reliable 645's stack talk was impressive in the still, frigid air. With light nearly completely gone, a handheld time-exposure of the engine at rest and a couple video clips of the loco on its knees in the teeth of the grade, a hardcore railfan braved the below-freezing temps and recorded the scene for posterity.

Pics/video when I get back to Great Falls! or shall I say Falls Yard?
Maybe North Dakota ain't so bad after all?

 

That's almost how "weathered" #2622 (?) is. You can amost make out the old MILW lettering.

 

I don't have the Soo Line numberings at hand. Milw GP40 would be in the 20__ series.

Boxcab E50

 

MILW/SOO 2026.
Pics/vid to come!

 

Thanks, Darren & RRfan!

I loved watching that, esecially since that old girl was on her knees on that grade. I hope you all enjoy it. The photos were taken after sunset, and handheld. The sun sets about 5:00PM there this time of year. Surprisingly sharp for my shakiy hands!



This MILW hopper (with placard) was also in Minot:

 

Every time I see one of these, I want to take a stuff brush, and go scrub those three awful letters from the unit. :tb-shocked:

Boxcab E50

 

I see them sometimes, but the placards are rare. They are usually removed.