Following a meet with its westbound counterpart at Cotter, CP freight #475, moving tonnage between Kansas City and St. Paul-Pigs Eye, rolls east into Fredonia, IA above the confluence of the Iowa and Cedar Rivers atop rails of their lightly-trafficked Ottumwa Subdivision. Upcoming work at the small yard in Muscatine is the last obstacle this train must face before continuing on toward Nahant in Davenport to swap crews for points north. Doing the honors is Tuscan red, gray and gold painted EMD SD70ACu #7017 which looks spectacular soaked in early morning sunlight. Before the familiar Candy Apple Red and white colors associated with most modern Canadian Pacific power, this paint scheme is what the railroad originally chose to emblazon their diesel locomotive fleet in back nearly 60 years ago. Today, a handful of CP’s former SD90MACs, once seemingly destined for the scrappers torch, continue to roll on in revenue freight service proudly displaying the company’s former heritage, serving as a reminder of the railroad’s both past and present significance.
