Trains at Pleasantville

May 27, June 23 and June 25

Thursday, May 27

School was out at Simpson and I'd stayed at the acreage to work while Susan went to her teaching job in Des Moines. I set up the scanner so I could keep track of things on the railroads. I heard an eastbound leave Des Moines on the BNSF/NS and after a while could hear the train working up the hill from the river to the Pleasantville siding. I drove into town and caught them in the early morning haze at the 40th street crossing at 8:25. The train turned out to be a grain load with three GE's on the point, BNSF 4188, 5475 and 4691.

Wednesday, June 23

Byron came over and he and I worked through the morning on erecting a grade crossing signal at the acreage. Naturally, we had our scanners going and had learned that a westbound was on the Albia to Des Moines track. We heard them working their way up the branch line and went into Pleasantville around 10:30 to wait for them to come through town.

At 11:00 the train appeared, a grain empty with three units, two still in their pre-merger warbonnets. The leader, BNSF 741, slowed for 40th Street, where there was a recently-damaged grade crossing. Trailing BNSF 741 were 902 and 776.

Friday, June 25

After spending the morning and early afternoon chasing the UP Challenger and returning Susan to the acreage, I was headed back to Indianola when I heard a foreman clearing up for an eastbound on the BNSF's Des Moines line. I went into town and waited until the train, the M-DMOWQM, came into town at 3:00. Four units powered the Quincy-bound train today, BNSF 6739, BNSF 7055, BN 8068 and BNSF 2428.

That's It!