Northern Recon Trip

Carl and I took a little jaunt up north to see what we could see.  Generally we get around to this about once a year.  Every year there is less to see and we've seen even less.  We actually caught something moving at Brownville Jct. which is the biggest find in several years.  We somehow missed a southbound out of Millinocket despite knowing about it, so that was a disappointment.

Waterville

This pair were sitting at Waterville on the way up.  I usually photograph what I find since it is never the same thing each time.  For a while long ago, it was usually a pair of first generation Geeps.  Now they are newer Geeps.  The GP15-1 really catches my eye because of the "tunnel motor" style radiator and lower horsepower.  The GP40 380 is common around these parts but still a former NS high hood.  The nose bell gives it a rugged look. 


Up the road a piece we saw only the distant lights of a Pan Am unit in NMJ.  That place is getting grim despite the new interchange with CMQ.  Derby was even grimmer.  We headed out north for Brownville Jct. where we saw little at first but soon heard switching on the scanner.  Over at the crossing on the CMQ main on the southwest corner of the yard we caught up with this GP35R and SD40-2.  A very colorful set.  At first the units and crew approached the crossing and they returned down one of the yard tracks. 

Brownville Jct.

Carl and I looked around for an few minutes.  I shot this sign at the crossing and took some detail shots of the yard tracks.   Then we began to hear the units returning with some cars. Quite a variety of tank cars trailed out of the yard and then returned down another track.  Later at home I noticed that nearly all of the GP35's have had the "Santa Fe" painted out on the long hood, unlike this one. 

  

 The units and their cars soon disappeared and we'd shot enough photos.  The scanner came alive with the dispatcher.  We heard him say a southbound was leaving Millinocket at that time (1500 hrs).  We dashed to intercept.  When we were far enough away the train we saw got orders to go south.  We got as far as Seboois and caught this empty track. 

After an hour of waiting at the crossing, we moved on, certain we'd heard a ghost.  The crossing was dirty enough that it couldn't have seen a train.  No sound or scanner activity.  We moved on at 1700hrs.  

Seboois

The yard at Millinocket was as empty as we expected.  We didn't hear a FRED or see a train in getting there.  Apparently we heard wrong or simply missed it in the trees.  I think I saw an NM train photo posted later that night that showed we might have missed it in transit. 

Millinocket

The last bits are from Mattawamkeag.  Someone had posted earlier that the yard was full of cars loaded with ties and that the ties were piling up.  That's pretty much what we found.  We weren't getting home until late so we pretty much went straight south for Auburn.  First along Rt.2 and I-95. 

Mattawamkeag

We didn't get much this year, but Brownville Jct. seems to show the only promise these days.   The units we caught made the trip worthwhile.  Scanner activity as we moved about seemed to center on the vicinity of Brownville Jct. and the various points where the MN/ME/NBSR meet the CMQ.  The newish MN to ME connector seemed prominent in one scanner conversation. 

Oh well.  Enough for this year.
 
BC  8/15/15