Yesterday was probably one of the most busiest days I have seen at University Ave in a long time. Heres what I saw during a three hour time frame (not in any order):
*A CP westbound freight with two UP locomotives, a SD70M and a ES44AC.
*CP train 198 with a single CEFX AC4400CW
*CN transfer with a CN SD40-2W, a IC SD40-2, and a GCFX leasing SD40-3 (This train had to back all the up to New Brighton because the Northtown yard was full, only to come back on the "highline".)
*BNSF train H-CSXPAS with a BNSF C44-9W and a BNSF SD40-2
*Another CP train with 2 AC4400s
*A BNSF snow jet passed by on Pioneer 4 (thats the name of the track the NSP coal trains park on)
*Another CP train with a single SOO SD60 pulling empty molten sulfur tank cars.
*BNSF train M-NTWWIL with 8 engines, with the most interesting ones being a BNSF SD70MAC, a NS unit, a NREX gray SD40-2 w/o dynamic brakes, and SD60 still in CNW paint with NREX reporting marks
*BNSF train M-NTWMEM with a BNSF SD40-2 and a NS C40-9W
*An unknown BNSF train with a BNSF C44-9W, an old UP SD60 or 50 with NREX reporting marks, and an unpatched SP AC4400
*BNSF train U-SEMBIR with a BNSF C44-9W and a BNSF SD40-2 on the front and a BNSF C44-9W on the back
*BNSF train U-BIRSEM with 3 BNSF C44-9Ws
*4 light BNSF engines (1 SD60M, 1 SD75M, and 2 SD70MACs). These engines ran to Union yard to pick up 25 empty NSP cars, and came back later to make up a unit train of NSP cars from the Grove yard.
*Another NSP train was at Union Yard, with 1 SD70MAC and 2 SD75Ms. I think this train came from the King power plant at Bayport.
*And finally, a CP train with 2 SOO SD60s that had at least a dozen or so WSOR boxcars on it, with one of them showing something about Kellogs cereal.
There was also a UP transfer, a BNSF baretable train, and BNSF train Q-TACKCM that I didn't see aswell. So in the end, it was a great way to end the year
Steve