You’re absolutely right. Railroads in general experienced a renaissance during that period. And it’s a good thing they did. Things weren’t heading in the right direction during the 1970s. All’s well that ends well. Thank you for watching and commenting.
@ 53:35... listening to those 3 ancient geeps at full throttle, NICE!!!!!... i hired on with the CNW back in 1993... the first locos i ever worked on as a new hire switchman were those old GP7s (the CNW 4131 was THE VERY FIRST unit i ever rode on)... ever since then i've been partial to the GP7/9s
GP7s and GP9s sound pretty incredible, in our opinion. And if you listen closely, you can hear a distinct difference in sound between the 7 and 9 series. 567B vs 567C. Gotta love those classic EMDs… Thank you for the comment.
Thank you for watching, MJ! We’re glad to hear that you found these railroads interesting. Fascinating motive power was abundant across the Midwest back in this era.
I lived in Rochester Minnesota from 1981 to 1995 and it was interesting to watch the DM&E grow from the ground up with hand me down locomotives that were eventually painted DM&E blue and yellow. In the early 1990’s there was a derailment east of Rochester immediately west of the RR bridge where highway 14 does an S turn crossing under the tracks. I took a day off from my lawn service to watch the cleanup. The crew didn’t like being watched.
Thanks for sharing that, Boyd. We’ve seen a few derailments on the DM&E as well. Thankfully, they were all in the middle of nowhere and didn’t involve the locomotives. We appreciate the comment.
I'm from Green Bay Wi, sure miss the Alcos. Surprised to see ex Milwaukee Road units still working after the Soo got them, the Milwaukee ran them hard and had minimal upkeep.
We miss the Alcos too. The GB&W was such a neat operation. As for the former Milwaukee Road units, it is surprising how long they lasted on shortlines and regionals after ending their careers on the MILW/SOO.
The Milwaukee Geep 38s and 40s continued in service on the CP up until just recently. The Milwaukee Road Restructuring Act provided funds for the trustee to have the best of the fleet - some 350+ units, rebuilt at Milwaukee Shops. When the CP took over in 1985, the CMO kept the geeps, ran the SD40s for a few years, and returned everything else (including all the GEs) to the lessor. 10 years later, the CP reversed course, and ordered the first batch of AC44s, and the rest is history.
@TexasRailfan21-RailfanRyan the GBW loaned a couple of them to the FRVR, and when Itel sold both carriers to Wisconsin Central in 1993, one was sent to IRM and the rest were scrapped. So the last year that engine operated in revenue freight service was 30 years ago. Not sure why the IRM hasn't repaired it, as Wabtec/GE still provides parts for the electrical systems, and FMD still manufactures the 251 diesel engine right up the road in Beloit.
One thing I know is that when the GB&W was on it's way out they gave the alligator RSD15 to short lived Fox River Valley Railroad to run for a while. That former C&NW Manitowoc line had some interesting old Geeps(dirty as hell) and the alligator RSD15. Now that line only goes to Denmark Wi, about 20 miles from Green Bay. The rest of the track was taken out that went to Manitowoc and then down to Milwaukee.
I forget which Railroad bought out the Chicago central and pacific railroad What I love about it is it bright red paint scheme and their logo is their own version of the Illinois central green diamond talk about staying true to the heritage of the line it operates on but I do not know what class one Railroad bought out this regional short line if anyone knows comment down below
I figured the Illinois Central reacquired the line now it’s Canadian National as a 1998 or 1999 when the Illinois central was bought out by Canadian national
Is there any footage from the IC, CMN, WSOR on the former Madison Branch of the IC between Freeport and Madison, WI? Before anyone interjects, I know it’s not on this video, but does it exist at all? Thanks
Yes, he did! That westbound leaving Waseca was really rocking and rolling! The DM&E was notorious for their bad track, and it really showed in a few of these scenes. The railroad did what they could to maintain it, but what the CNW left them wasn’t very good. Thank you for the comment, P.J.
@@CVisionProductions1 back then when Seaboard came you never know what kind of on horn you was going to hear. Seaboard had the banshee whistle on some of their locomotives. You always heard different sounding horns when they came. But now all those old horns have been replaced. Nowadays all the horns kind of sound the same
