The 3 GE's on this Charles City loaded ethanol train have their hands full to get the 102 loads up this 1.4% grade. Here the screeching of wheel slip breaks the morning silence of cows grazing. Ov... (more)
Out in northeast Iowa is a mountain of a grade on the Mason City Sub. The Calmar Hill is a 1.4% grade that runs for about 4 miles between Fort Atkinson and Calmar. The area is mostly inaccessible,... (more)
A loaded Lawler ethanol train is down to crawl as these 2 AC's try to get the 82 loads up the 1.4% grade at Calmar. It has taken 14 minutes for this power to crawl from the crossing back where the... (more)
Snow in Iowa has become somewhat a rare event in past 2 winters. Here 470's crew wheel slips thru the snow as they try to pull this tonnage up the 1.4% grade west of Calmar. The engineer has back ... (more)
Westbound Kansas City, MO to Mason City, IA extra freight train starts down the 1.4% grade of Calmar Hill. The units are in heavy dynamics as the 113 cars train begins to shove the train down this... (more)