Railfanning Janesville 1/22/2021 - WSOR SD40-2s & UP Local

A busy day at the rail yards in Janesville, Wisconsin five years ago OTD. First, a Wisconsin & Southern power move consisting of six SD40-2s is waiting to head into the yard (At first thought this was the T004, as it's not unheard of for them to end up with few or no cars by the time they reach the yard between the multiple set-outs they make from Milton to Anderson, but that turned out not to be the case this time).

They had to wait for a yard job with the GP39-2 WAMX 3947 and a GP38-2 to make a few switching moves before pulling in and spinning on the wye. A whole lot of interesting power was outside the roundhouse including two Helm lease units and the recently painted/released 40th Anniversary unit WAMX 4170.

Meanwhile, the Union Pacific local was coming up from their yard with a single GP60 to work the Evonik chemical plant on a stub of the ex-C&NW Afton/Beloit line. The crossing on Rockport Road still has a pair of gateless signals with Griswold 8" incandescent lights and a mechanical bell. It took them about an hour and 20 minutes of shuffling the tank cars to set out two and pull one (the CALX 1011 closest to the power was the same coming and going).

Moments after the UP headed out, the actual WSOR T004 came around the wye with WAMX 4174 leading. They had somehow come into town and picked up the 4170 without me hearing them. I gave chase and got one more runby at Delavan Drive.

Meanwhile the T003 crew had cut off the 4171 and 4183 from the earlier group of six units and started assembling their train, but with darkness rapidly setting in I headed home.