I haven't been to the MRL since 2000. I was surprised how much work they did to add double track thru the Austin area. Now trains can meet/pass on a 21,000 foot siding/double track section. The ol... (more)

It was crazy to see how much the MRL has put back into the railroad to make it run alot smoother. One example is here near Avon. Avon was once a smaller siding located on the MRL 3rd Sub. The sidi... (more)

The MRL crosses over Austin Creek on this steel trestle near Skyline on Mullan Pass. The trestle is 494 feet long, 94 feet high, and built in 1896 by the Northern Pacific. Here we have a loaded co... (more)

It is pretty crazy to see how much westbound trains gain in elevation in a short distance climbing Mullan Pass. Here a coal train crawls along with 4 MRL manned helpers pushing mid-train. If you l... (more)

Dynamics howl as the engineer on 338 tries to keep the heavy tonnage at speed as they cross the Wapsipinicon River in Independence. Down hill fast, up hill slow, is the name of the game on the Dub... (more)

Another Friday chase of the evening local out of Cedar Rapids. The 567 again got enough traffic over the week to warrant the 5459 for a 2nd motor. Traffic has stayed steady in this area unlike som... (more)

CN hadn't run anything on the Cedar Rapids Branch since 12/23. After a couple days of heavy wind and some snow from the last storm, the branch was drifted in pretty good in spots. An extra crew wa... (more)

CN hadn't run anything on the Cedar Rapids Branch since 12/23. After a couple days of heavy wind and some snow from the last storm, the branch was drifted in pretty good in spots. An extra crew wa... (more)

Lots of times the CN in Iowa needs a 3rd unit, sometimes called a kicker, to get the tonnage over the grades east of Waterloo. Most days the consist is sent out as a 3-unit set, but sometimes a SD... (more)

From Tuesday thru Saturday the locals on the Omaha Sub work and usually meet at Denison. The jobs normal run with a single SD60 that faces forward since they wye power at both ends. With the Omaha... (more)

Salina once played host to 4 different railroads. The Union Pacific, Santa Fe, Missouri Pacific, and Rock all came into Salina. All 4 railroads had trackage just east of the depot, but only the ex... (more)

With a fresh crew on board, this hotshot UP Z-train heads for the G4 terminal near Joliet. The train skirts the Mississippi River as they head for the drawbridge that will cross them from Iowa int... (more)

A loaded syrup train out of Rock Island, IL, rolls easy thru Fort Madison and along the Mississippi River. The train has just crossed into Iowa and will change subdivision here in a mile from the ... (more)

With an actual air temp of -7 degrees and a wind chill well below that, a late 337 makes the very cold final miles towards Waterloo at sunrise. With over 6600 feet of traffic bound for Iowa, this... (more)

Unfortunately the CP business train was the hottest thing around midday in Ottumwa, so the BNSF held trains and delayed Amtrak even further on their trek east. Here the California Zephyr gets goin... (more)