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There can be a variety of locomotives on sand trains running west of Wisconsin Rapids. Usually I would expect a CN on a CN train, and BNSF on a BN train, UP on a UP train, and sometimes BNSF distributed power on a CN train. But some days they are all mixed up. |
| There's a lot of locomotives waiting in the Rapids yard, but don't count the blue GT local yard engine that is ahead of the bunch. |
| BNSF is on the tail end of that line up. |
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And a few days later, this one is real interesing, a CN and 2 BNSF and 2 CN and 2 more BNSF come down into the Rapids yard to set out cars and then head back to their train of empty sand hoppers parked on the main north of town. |
| They are putting the train back together, and since they didn't set out any power by the Rapids yard office, I presume this all went to the Taylor Subdivision with the empties. And it won't be long before it will be split into loaded trains with 2 or 3 units. |
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And there's more going on than just trains in the area. Green bean harvesters are working in August. Which reminds me, I haven't seen or heard a lot of switching moves going to the Del Monte cannery on the east side of Plover. Maybe their big warehouse expansion 4 years ago has lessened the need to move beans in a hurry to other storage? |
And the eclipse on Aug 21 was interesting, there was 80% coverage in the center of Wisconsin.
It was easy to see by eye using a welding helmet, but it was hard to photograph that way. And I didn't use a peep hole sheet to make a photograph like I did in 1979. The position of the moon covering the sun is actually best shown in the wedge of a lens reflection halo on the left side of this bright blob of sun.
The blue sky between clouds was darkening by about a third.
In 1979 I didn't realize I could have drove a state away to Minnesota to be in the path.
And this year there was a lot of work scheduled, otherwise I would have driven to Illinois and hoped the weather was good.
I ain't getting any younger to see one, the next close one is 2024
People say there's nothing like experiencing it. It happens so fast and the sky nearby is supposed to be so interesting. I would leave the pictures to the professionals, there were plenty of them on TV coverage this year. And just sit back and enjoy it.
This page was photographed and wrote in August, 2017.
