The CNW ran a ton of grain trains to the ADM plant in Clinton out of Iowa. Many "CL"-bound grain trains could be found along the double-track mainline. For example, here, a load of grai... (more)

D40s and steel hoppers, an old-school coal train in the early 90s. An eastbound load passes by the iconic elevator structure at Clarence. The train is about 46 miles from the next crew change poin... (more)

As I scan a lot of my early stuff, I see I went to a lot of places you wouldn't be caught dead in nowadays. It seems like in the 90s no one cared what you did; we were just a boy and his mom takin... (more)

The "Zito Yellow" was first introduced on the CNW 5500s in 1981. Due to the poor paint in Pantone 102C yellow, a lot of units faded or changed colors. The first two orders of C40s came i... (more)

A westbound hopper train approaches Nevada on the CNW double main line through Iowa. The train is less than 25 miles from the next crew change point at Boone, Iowa. The Zito yellow Dash 8 trailing... (more)

A loaded coal train just left the mainline at Nevada and now is a few miles into the travels up the Spineline. The train will pass under the mainline right behind me as they work to Mason City and... (more)

A pair of CNW Dash 8s rolls coal east for Chicago. The train is about 60 miles west of Clinton as they approach Mechanicsville. Note the westbound main still has stick rail in it. The CNW bought t... (more)

I got a few photos of this K-line stacker in the afternoon across Iowa in the early 90s. This must have been somewhat of a normal train in the CNW days. Here the stacker cuts the yard in half as t... (more)

Spent many days as a young man down at Beverly watching the CNW. The days of left-hand running and running like hell are long gone. Back in 1991, the sun came out for a couple of westbounds. Here ... (more)

Back in 1993, the Cedar River flooded out the CNW mainline around Cedar Rapids. Mainline trains ended up making the slow 8.6-mile trek through downtown Cedar Rapids for a few days on the once orig... (more)

Back in 1993, the Cedar River flooded out the CNW mainline around Cedar Rapids. Mainline trains ended up making the slow 8.6-mile trek through downtown Cedar Rapids for a few days on the once orig... (more)

How high is the water, Momma? Everybody fought high water in 1993. Crazy detours and disruptions were the name of the game in late spring. Here the Cedar River is up to the bridge as a westbou... (more)