Photo of the Month
 

October  2007

  CNW 4556, a somewhat rare GP9 even when the CNW existed, can still be found pulling freight for the Hartwell Railroad of Georgia.  The unit is kept in Bowerville, GA just off of I85.

August   2007

  The two CNW C44-9Ws are together again, minus the "Heritage Unit" on an Eagle Grove to Proviso manfiest train.  Location is Grand Jct, Iowa on the Tara Sub.

May  2007

  CNW 8646 is westbound with MCBPR in tow at Logan, IA over 11 years after the CNW merger under overcast skies.

 

March  2007

  The CNW Heritage Unit leads CNW 8701 westbound across the small creek at Beaver, IA...

February  2007

  A classic SD40-2, still wearing Chicago & North Western "old yellow" paint, leads Proviso- Eagle Grove manifest 3028 North just east of Vincent, IA over a dry fill in February 2007.

November 2006

  CNW "Heritage Unit" UP 1995 is westbound pacing traffic along US Highway 30 in November 2006.  CNW 8701 and CNW 8646 trail along with train MPRCB. 

October 2006

  Another twilight shot this month, but from October 2006, which finds CNW 8646 and CNW 8701 together at Council Bluffs under a full moon at the engine ramp.   When will Canon release its pole filter?? 

September 2006

  Twilight on the CNW.   Tuesdays and Thursdays in college were "homework nights,"  when I'd take my books and head to 'the hard road' at Boone.  Here, CNW 8821 pulls up to change out while the sun sets behind in the west.

August 2006

  Paired up with a UP (former CNW) Dash 8, and former CNW 8577 still wearing yellow and green, UP 1995 led once again westbound on the Overland Route near Logan, IA. 

July 2006

  Brand new "CNW Heritage" unit on its first run out of Chicago detours over the IAIS into Council Bluffs in July 2006.   It is paired up with the CNW 8646 and CNW 8701.

June 2006

  CNW 8052 cuts away from a string of hopper cars in the full autumn sun of 2002.  This would be one of the final runs of the last active CNW SD60.   This particular unit can still be found in Zito yellow paint, typically on the BNSF, as an HLCX unit.

October/November

  A ten year anniversary salute to the CNW was made up and run out of Proviso with all the remaining CNW locomotives on it.  Here the "foamer special" is southbound at Cambridge, IA
on October 30, 2005

June  2005

  In June, 2005, One of only six remaining CNW locomotives leads a Madelia grain train towards the Hwy 210 overpass in Cambridge, IA.  This is the only remaining CNW AC4400CW, CNW 8828.

May 2005
 

  From the archives, this dusty photo from a not so long ago time when standard cab CNW units could be found in pairs.  CNW 6811 leads the 6847 on the west end of Nevada.

April  2005

  At Missouri Valley, IA, CNW 8701 leads the CNW 8681 and CNW 8646 under the Highway 30 bridge with the KAPOA 14. Labeled the "Foamer Special" by UPRR, this particular train had three of the remaining seven CNW units in tow.

March 2005
 

  The CNW 8575 leads CNW 8646 through Kennard NE.  This is the second time the duo would leave Proviso west, but would be split up later in the week.  Feb 2005 photo.

February 2005

  In Janesville, WI,  Traditional Yellow still graces the CNW 4160 on the west end of the yard.  On a very icy, foggy night in January, I caught the engine resting with the lights of the diesel ramp in the background. 

January 2005
 

  Pieces of the CNW can still be found in parts of South Dakota.  In Deadwood, Bob Brock photographed this old CNW depot that has been restored and decorated nicely for Christmas.  Also note the CNW logo on the roof to honor the station's heritage.  Photo by Robert Brock II

December  2004

  To the left, CNW 4400 and 4710 sandwich a UP GP15-1, while the CNW 4706 and 4705 idle on the west end of Boone.  To the left, CNW 4707 and CNW 1314 are also present.  Six CNW units in one shot... used to be the norm for power at Boone.

November 2004

  CNW 4542, one of the rare GP9s on the CNW in the 1990s, now has a new home as the critter at Albert City, IA.  Its part of the 'GP7/9 special' addition in this month's update.... also found were GP7 4153 at Fremont and CNW 4190 at Templeton....
  CNW 8603 idles under the Des Moines night sky waiting for its next assignment.

June 2004

  A rare southbound intermodal train passes under the overpass at Cambridge, IA in May, 2004.  The lead unit is CNW 8729, one of only about ten units remaining.


May 2004

  CNW 8729 leads the MNLDM past the soccer fields south of Short Line Yard in May of 2004.  Only about ten CNW's are left on UP's roster at this late date.

April 2004

  A Nevada loaded grain train awaits a recrew at East Ames yard on a beautiful April morning in 2004.  This is only one of two AC4400s in full CNW paint to this day. 

March 2004

Some interesting early spring clouds hover over the CNW 6847 as carmen finish up an air test on an outbound MDMPR at Short Line Yard.

November 2003

By October 2003, just five CNW C40-8's remained on the UP system.  They included the 8564, 8567, 8571, 8572, and 8575.  On October 25, the 8575 could be found leading MITKC southbound out of South St. Paul.  Downtown looms behind the mighty Mississippi in the background.

October 2003

A fresh crew is about to board CNW 8832 right at the station sign for Clinton, IA.  This CNW AC4400 is leading an empty company hopper train.  Jerry Krug photo

September 2003

CNW 6845 leads a colorful consist with PRITA through Hines, WI during the summer of 1988. Photo by Robert C. Anderson

August 2003

Mike Guss photographed an antique CNW EMD SD18 leading a yard transfer out of the BN-dispatched "Dayton's Bluff" at St. Paul, MN.   1991 photo.

July 2003

West of Boone, IA, a coal train passes by at sunset with CNW 8804 leading.  October, 2002 photo by Paul Chleboun

June 2003

In February 2000, CNW 8833 and 8831 were idling in the Park Yard at South St. Paul waiting for their next coal train assignments. Photo submitted by Dan Grossel.

May 2003

On what will most likely be its final trip as a CNW engine, NorthWestern 6871 leads LTB85 northbound on the Spine Line in South St. Paul/Inver Grove in April 2003.  On its way to Proviso, the main generator would fail, and the unit was shipped to North Little Rock.
April  2003

At the familiar Cedar River bridge on the east-west main, Steve Holms photographed a CNW executive business train.  This is a preview of an article on CNW's F units coming soon.March March 2003
 

George VanDurme  photographed two-thirds of the CNW SD40-2 fleet in this shot at Elmhurst, IL.  MDMPR is notorious for providing such lashups.

 Paul Chleboun photographed CNW 1385 at North Freedom, WI in this classic scene complete with black and white film, an old watertower, and of course, the finest R1 to ever grace the rails.  Paul will just be happy that I spelled his name right... 

Nicely placed CNW 8821 and 8820 haul a unit coal train westbound at Devil's Hollow on the late date of December 29th, 2002.   Its hard to believe that, with over 90% of the 1995 CNW fleet gone, that numerical lashups like this are still possible.

One of the last executive units left in CNW paint near Warsaw, IL in November, 2002.  The story behind "CNW 40" is quite interesting.  The CNW actually retired this unit long before the UP merger, but left the engine on the property.  Meanwhile, a "new" CNW 400 took its place on the executive fleet, which remained on the roster into 1995.  The UP would later sell the unit to Pioneer Railroad Corp.  But, in the same time frame, they also sold the second CNW 400 to the Wisconsin Great Northern.  Since both units would be en route on the UP system at the same time, the older of the two would simply be renumbered to CNW 40.  CNW 40 is slated to be repainted in Gettysburgh Railroad paint, where it will join the ex-CNW 403 already in service.