Cattails and Towers

They are headed to Junction City, and then I think east to Fond du lac. I am surprised, I would expect BNSF and other 'foreign' power on sand trains, but this is a mixed freight.

Work continues at milepost 51 just north of Rapids. A 30-foot tower is going up by the new signals, is that for PTC Positive Train Control?

And Mike pointed out that many improvements are being made between Rapids and Junction City. The next set of signals is at mile 52.7. And a highway crossing signal is in place at Reddin Road, which is suprising for this little town road. I don't know, but if this was my 'model railroad', I would put a siding here between mile 51 and 52.7, just long enough to pass 10,000-ton sand trains. The only other places with easy sidings to meet sand trains are Hiawatha by Junction City (and its full of cars anyway) and Waterbury by Dexterville. Every parking space for sand trains in Rapids is single-ended, needing a back-up maneuver to get a train off the main.

And two miles behind that train, here's comes the next one. This is sand from the Taylor Subdivision, at about 9am.

Sand is moving over the diamond. There was no DPU on this one.

And another sand train is idling on the main of the Rapids yard. If that is an empty, they can just pull around the wye and head west.