Spring
That season that brings life back to the earth, and color to the background! The spring was a bit slow, but it had it's moments.
We'll start on April 2nd, as CP 640 rolls into Milwaukee with loaded cans for out east.
Later on that day, CN A446 rambled south into Slinger, WI behind a trio of CSXT units, the leader being a YN2 SD40-2!
A few days later on the 5th of April, CP 281 brought it's daily train full of automobiles west through Nashotah, WI; towards St. Paul behind a trio of Blue and Yellows +1 GEVO. Strange to think DME 6097 is gone now, as it was scrapped after being involved in a washout/derailment.
Fast forward a few weeks to the wee hours of April 20th, and we find CN M341 stopped for a meet at the Duplainville siding behind a pair of clean ponies! I like to play at night...
Now, in the last light of the same day, a CN northbound snuck through Colgate, WI with a very shiny SD60 on point!
A week later on the 26th, at Theresa, Wisconsin, I found CN M347 heading north with a nice SD60F on point and an ex-CNW C40-8 trailing.
One day later, I had heard about a westbound coke empty while on break at work. I finished my shift and headed east towards the train, trying to outpace a cloudband. My gamble paid off as CP 801 bombed through Wauwatosa behind a pair of CSXT SD50s!
After a quick chase west of the CSX power, I got distracted by a "Blue Turd" led northbound, who I quickly bagged in the last light of the day at Duplainville.
Another day later, the 28th brought some BC Cowl-age to CN A446 as it stumbles through Waukesha.
April 30th brought about my 20th year on this earth, and a weird leader on CP. Though the CN lies less than 20 miles to the west, they have no trackage in Milwaukee itself, so when empty grain shuttle CP 391 came west through town with a clean SD70M-2, I just couldn't resist the skyline shot.
We find the next good catch three days into May, with a pair of C40-8Ms waiting in the middle of the night for a train to pull on the set-out track at Duplainville.
On the 5th of May, the earth had come to life, and CN L510 made a rare run further south than usual, so after picking up some cars off a spur, they returned north for more work, providing a nice sunny shot in downtown Waukesha.
A sunny day dawned on the 7th, and not far behind the sunrise was CN M345 with a pair of "Barns" on the climb out of Sussex, Wisconsin.
Soon thereafter, WSOR Train #4 made it's run onto CN, seen here just after getting on at Slinger, WI.
Then it was time for a big adventure! North I did go with three good friends, up to the Iron Range of Minnesota!
After driving all night, and heading straight onto da' Range, the morning of May 10th brought our first train, a BNSF Ore Empty with a ticked off engineer.
Then over to the CN, where a short manifest rolls south towards Proctor behind a clean SD70M-2.
Before the 10th was over, and after hours of driving to find it, we got our target of the day! BLE 904 and two other SDs do their best to hold back a loaded train on the steep grade to Two Harbors, MN.
May 11th was a weird day, with snow, hail, and a steam locomotive. MILW 261 ambles north over the Kettle River at Sandstone, MN on the BNSF Hinckley Subdivision.
After 261's arrival in Superior, my friends and I went to the CN looking for action, and oh did we get it! SD60 #5411 and 3 SD40-2Ws were pulling limestone loads up the hill from Duluth to Proctor when the sun came out on Spirit Mountain, allowing for what would become my first shot to be published in Trains Magazine! I got a page and a half spread, and was beyond thrilled.
May the 13th was a Sunday, and was by far my favorite day on da' Range! Beginning with DMIR 402 bringing a steaming train of Taconite Pellets east towards Two Harbors.
A little later, a "T-Bird" train made it's way from the mine to the plant at Fairlane behind sweet C40-8 #2112.
A wonderful thing about the T-Bird trains, is that they are totally captive and run on a fairly consistent schedule with awesome power!
After the T-Bird action, a southbound load left Fairlane headed to Proctor with a trio of SD40 types.
Before heading south to check out MILW 261 again, we caught the IC 6256 south again. This has to be one of my favorite shots, just for its historical value, as the train flies past the old, forlorn Saginaw, MN depot on the former DM&IR. To think of the trains and locomotives that pounded past or stopped at this depot blows my mind.
After fooling around with Milwaukee 261, we made our way back to the range, where the same limestone train from the day prior had gotten more cars and was finally headed north up the Missabe Subdivision.
And before the sun set on the 12th, we'd find one last train to catch, as CN R92182 shuffles around Duluth behind an SD40u and an awesome crew!
Back in the greater Milwaukee Area, I didn't have to wait long for my next encounter with good power, as a quartet of SD40-2s hum downhill into Elm Grove with loaded ethanol train #642 on the 15th.
The 20th of May brought the Big Indy MACs back to Wisconsin as they lead daily train #281 up the grade out of Milwaukee at Brookfield.
One short day later, CN A446 sported a nice ACe, and even though it was high sun, I knew I wanted this guy. Turned out to be one of my most popular photos!
Keeping with the ACe trend, 10 days later, on the 30th of May, UP threw a bone my way with a loaded sand train. Seen here near North Lake, Wisconsin.
That night, I'd encounter WSOR Train #3 stopped for some CN traffic at Duplainville. I soon figured out I knew the crew, and some choreography was involved in this shot
Jump to June 18th, after a small hiatus from shootin', I got back into it with CP 281 leaving Milwaukee. Fittingly the train is led by a former MILW SD40-2!
Two days later on the 20th, I found myself downtown Milwaukee out of boredom where CP job GM34 was headed to the Port of Milwaukee with a lone SOO Geep. Within weeks this job was abolished.
June 23rd brought another bone thrown from Uncle Pete! The one intermodal train that runs on the UP through Wisconsin, which happens to be a Triple Crown RoadRailer that runs around between East Minneapolis and the NS in Chicago, almost always sports NS GEs and gets through before dawn. Today, the train limped into Butler Yard behind a pair of dying ponies, and after a bit of messing around, trusty ol' snoot SD40-2 #3450 was slapped on point and was in charge of the train for the trip to Illinois.
The final day of the month brought two nice northbounds at Sussex to round out this post. First up is CN L510 heading back towards Fond du Lac with some classic power!
Not far behind was CN A447, with a pair of matched "Zebra Stripe" SD60Fs! Oh what a sound both trains made as they climbed out of town!
, also is that a fallen foamer I see in the shot with the BNSF ore train? 
