INSANE Catches On The Mainline Of Mid-America!

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Merch, anyone? okieprint.com/SPR/shop/home

[@midwest1448]

DANG

[@petesawatzky4014]

Great video thanks for sharing its always nice seeing railroading in different places

[@bz3020]

You were about a quarter mile from a working semaphore signal on the Norfolk southern track into Urbana

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Bruh. I wish I would have known! I totally would have gone to see it. Where is the signal in relation to Urbana?

[@FreihEitner]

Some excellent catches! Thank you for sharing. I always enjoy seeing a caboose still in use.

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

You're very welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed! Me too, they're so cool!

[@thatcallisto]

If you’re a fan of eastern IL and ever are inclined to head north, Homewood is a great stop some days - CN’s Markham Yard has a rainbow of old locos in residence: Illinois Central, GT, Citirail, I swear I once even saw a Santa Fe (not BNSF) Warbonnet, a Bessemer & Lake Erie, and an IC black in the same consist. Not even mentioning the Amtrak and the Metra, which are an added plus.

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Oh wow, that’s a lot of diversity!

[@justinmalachinski1]

@@Southern_Plains_Railfanyou should check out the BRC clearing yard from either Palaski Bridge or Cicero Bridge it’s an awesome sight

[@ellisjackson3355]

You'll also see the old orange EMD EJ&E engines and maybe an EJ&E heritage unit too. Consider yourself lucky if you see that dark purple/ burgundy DM&IR locomotive too

[@CheeseMiser]

I love the p42.

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Same, it’ll be sad when the last one falls.

[@Bstuchlik]

That old caboose was a pretty sweet catch!! Illinois Central Gulf vintage built in 1969.

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

That's what I'm saying! Dang, I didn't know it was that old, lots of the cabooses on class 1's these days (from what I've seen at least) usually date from the 70's and 80's.

[@Silver_Turtle]

To answer your question as to 2703: Was built in 2004, some time after the CN/IC merger. More than likely given IC reporting marks as CN has a block of C44-9W's that overlap numbers. The diamond at Champaign is with the NS -- a little-used [2 trains/week] branch that goes to an asphalt plant and a plastics factory in Urbana. DISCLAIMER -- Long-time resident of the Champaign-Urbana area, and a railfan.

[@tolucaheights]

Do any trains from Normal pass through? I load cars on autoracks theere

[@Silver_Turtle]

@@tolucaheights Highly unlikely; there's no direct access from Bloomington/Normal lines to the former IC. I could be wrong, though.

[@bz3020]

Behind OSF hospital west of Goodwin ave

[@tigerdumdua]

CN keeps those fallen flags flying. Long live the Death Stars. I am enjoying your content from Illinois, and I hope you someday make it to Southern Illinois and Carbondale for our Amtrak trains and FAST CN freights. Lot of rail heritage still left in the region, even after IC got rid of the double-tracked mainline. Oh, and I know City of New Orleans as a Steve Goodman song, cuz he wrote it, and then Arlo Guthrie recorded it and it was a hit. I dig Willie's version though. Saw him perform it live ages ago at the Du Quoin State Fair here in Southern Illinois. And oh yeah, UP made its entry across the Mississippi with the merger of Missouri Pacific.

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

For sure! Huh, I'll have to consider taking a trip there someday, I didn't know Southern Illinois had all that to offer. Interesting, I've only ever known the Willie Nelson version, I didn't know Arlo Guthrie sang it too. Thanks for the info about UP, I didn't know that.

[@RFRyan]

Tricky part is waiting for the action to show up. Unless if you have a Northbound right after Amtrak leaves, you’re probably not going to see anything for a while.

[@Lordbillystrains]

I love those ic sd70s as a ic and gtw foamer

[@micahtempleton9427]

I believe the reason for those IC marks on the dash 9 is bc the IC ordered them just before the buyout so when they were delivered they were painted in CN scheme but since the IC purchased them they got IC reporting marks. I may be wrong though but I think that’s what it is

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Ah, ok. Thank you!

[@DRrailfanning3115]

Yes I think that too

[@b.crailfan2591]

That’s exactly what happened

[@b.crailfan2591]

The same story is told for the blue Devils

[@kens.3729]

Never get tired of seeing Grand Trunk or a Caboose. Thanks for the video. 👍🙏

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Same! You’re welcome.

[@ellisjackson3355]

I used to love seeing those old telephone poles next to the IC tracks

[@davidmorrison3697]

I think that locomotive at the end. I saw one a while ago in CNR YARDS in Saskatoon Saskatchewan Canada.

[@1992cdwilliams]

There's some old telephone poles in Valdosta ga by the tracks and there's 1 old telephone pole in quitman ga I miss seeing those old telephone poles standing by the tracks

[@josephheuer4540]

I live near a CN yard up in Wisconsin. Ton of activity there, including some, just a bit up the road at an industrial area. Although the majority of the action is after midnight, at least that's when I've encounter it.

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Cool! That's interesting that most activity is at night. What's the reason for it?

[@josephheuer4540]

@Southern Plains Railfan I'm not sure. The best guess is it's to avoid some of the traffic in town. Plus, the industrial park is right off the main track line.

[@williamschubert3929]

I grew up in a railroad family my grandfather was a "dick" short for railroad cop on GT, my father worked for Conrail @ central station in Detroit in the bridge and building department across from tiger stadium. My dad took me as a kid and met a engineer who let me take a single locomotive down the track with his observation the roundhouse and turn it around. Every summer we would take a Amtrak to Ann Arbor which at the time was owned by Conrail. Took the cheesie steam engine train ride to kelloggs factory in battle creek. Have it on 8mm reel projector tape. The original songwriter and musician for the city of New Orleans was Arlo Guthrie. The guy in the caboose also had a salt gun to deter any wrong doing on the tracks. But unfortunately with technology the caboose came to an end one less car to pull and the railroad didn't have to pay the 50-55,000 dollar salary. Per employee cause that is where the conductor was stationed. Leaving the cockpit of the for the engineer,fireman and I believe it was the operator of the caboose with the windows protruding was to observe overheating brake ahead and would apply brakes on the tail end which be the brakeman.

[@BNSFTrains10]

10:36 I might know this unit as I caught CN 2703 Reversing by itself heading for a train or whatever back in the Winter of 2023. As for this Unit Illinois Central would purchase these Dash 9s but CN would Repaint them to CN Colors but gave it a IC Patch on it which were the 2700 Series Units included some ex LMSX Units know as the Blue Devils. As of now CN's Dash 9s are being now being rebuilt into the AC44C6M just what NS did to their Dash 9s. So to many the answer is IC was purchasing these Engines but had CN Repaint them and give it the IC Patch. Unfortunately some of CN/IC's Blue Devil Units were Retired by 2021 and unfortunately with be meeting the Scrappers Torch.

[@jeremycross8598]

When I used to work for NS out of Elkhart IN, we used a caboose as a shoving platform on a few of our locals. So I spent a lot of time riding around in a caboose!

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

That's super cool!

[@michiganrailfanproductions6073]

CN bought IC before their dash 9’s could be delivered so that’s why they say IC

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Ah, ok. Thanks for the info!

[@blakemullin1023]

then it was repainted into the website painting

[@BrightsTrainsNTrucks2023]

The CN engine with IC reporting marks is probably a group of engines IC was buying from GE but I guess IC got bought by CN before all of those C44-9Ws could get delivered. I dont know though, just a guess.

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Interesting

[@easternrailproductions]

Amazing catches!

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Thank you!

[@dallasspotting]

4:02 SC44 double header, thats a good catch

[@UnionPacificTrainMan1988]

Mechanical bell railroad crossing were on every single crossing on my childhood railroad the Fremont & Elkhorn Valley Railroad which ran on the ex Chicago and northwest cowboy line. unfortunately the railroad was abandoned in 2016 and the track was ripped up soon to be a trail.

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Dang, that sucks that the line was abandoned and removed. At least the ROW is still being used for something, though.

[@UnionPacificTrainMan1988]

@@Southern_Plains_Railfan yup I also have some videos of the FEVR on my channel as well as some ho scale videos of the model of the train

[@Illinoisrailfan-zg2pb]

10:31 Illinois central ordered a few dash 9s but then CN took over and the respected the IC heritage

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Ah, ok. Thank you.

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

SPECTACULAR video to enjoy. Awesome catches, Commentary and have a wonderful rest of your Friday.(Steve)

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Thank you so much, you do the same!

[@RELATEABLE100]

That old switcher... After your video was shot, if it has been two weeks...was moved about two weeks ago by a trackmobile closer to the elevator that runs parallel to the UP line that crossed the diamonds. I think it was a leased unit, then again, the elevator (ADM) could have owned it?

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Interesting, I wouldn't be surprised if its a leaser unit, since lots of elevator switchers are.

[@AlikStansberry]

Sweet to see an old caboose in use and that SD70 duo!

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

That's what I'm saying!

[@railfanningCNrail]

I am a person in the Canadian National subdivision from the south, maybe EX blue devil, maybe Illinois Central probably wanted new power before going out of service and being turned into a fallen flag. Other than that great video.

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Interesting, thank you!

[@CheeseMiser]

Poor IC

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Yeah, at least there fallen flags are still going strong.

[@ellisjackson3355]

They just don't clean them up too much

[@rachelandwade3607]

The SD70 is being rebuilt in to SD70ACC’s

[@waynemiller7382]

I think the IC reporting marks assigned to the CN loco has to do with counting assets and therefore tax, but I'm sure someone else has a better answer.

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Interesting, thanks for the info.

[@retr0bits545]

The chargers look absolutely hideous, why on earth would you make something look.. so… ugly? I have heard so many say the same thing.

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Railroads usually go for function over form. Somewhere in the future, however, there will be brand new cool-looking locomotive models again.

[@retr0bits545]

@@Southern_Plains_Railfan Nothing will outdo the EMD E/F Units, ALCo PA/ FA and all the standard cab diesels and odd Diesel locomotives of the past. That is unless EMD under Caterpillar and Wabtek (spelling?) makes completely new EMD and ALCos from days long gone (One thing I would like to see is Rock Island Rail purchasing a pair of F Units (maybe from the defunct Carrizo Gorge Railroad) and do regular freight trains with them from point A to point B as the only F unit that was doing freight in the US was Escabana and Lake Superior’s F unit which has been out of service for a good amount of time now.

[@cxmx3295]

Great video i’ve seen a caboose, in the middle of a train but it was a rusty old thing and I didn’t have a phone to take a picture and just wondering will your merch store be done before July?

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Thank you! That's interesting, I've never seen a caboose in the middle of a train, they've always been on the end. It should be ready by then, the guy who's making the shop for me already has a crude website set up, and three of the five t-shirt designs have been finalized.

[@blakemullin1023]

it used to be an ic blue devil

[@Metra167Productions]

I think CN 2703 has ic reporting marks because it runs on a ex ic line 😐that is what i think

[@miIwaukeeroad]

Really nice catches! Also I have question if you don’t mind me asking, do you get permission? Or how else do you get good photos and such, I’m not accusing you of trespassing or anything I’m just impressed with your great photos.

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

Thank you! No, I don’t get permission to be at the places I go, because there usually isn’t anyone around for me to ask for permission. That being said, I use google maps and such to find public places like parking lots, parks, or just good places by the side of the road to do my railfanning. As for all my photos from the loco. shops at Galesburg, there’s a service road that parallels almost the entire yard. That’s how I got the photos at the end of this video, there is a service road that parallels nearly the whole yard.

[@miIwaukeeroad]

@@Southern_Plains_Railfan Ahh, I see what you’re talking about at Galesburg yeah. Alright thanks for telling appreciate your information!

[@Southern_Plains_Railfan]

@@miIwaukeeroad No problem!

[@csxnspittsburghdivision8580]

I think there was Bought by Union Pacific railroad for east tracks