<end Yahoo addy>

Well, I had been working on this for a few days before, but the recent
events in the U.S. delayed posting it to the MWR website.  As I would guess
all of us would feel, I send my sympathies to everyone affected by this
national tragedy.

A gentleman from Argentina found my website and after a few days of
correspondence he sent me some images of three former D&RGW GP40s which I
have uploaded to my website.  What makes these units so unique now, other
than being in Argentina after being in the Rockies, is they now have
66-inch gauge 3-axle trucks!

I found the following information about these units on Don Strack's D&RGW
information page at:
http://www.xmission.com/~dstrack/drgw/rg-index.htm  This information is
copied here with permission.

Each one of these units was rebuilt by Conrail's Juniata Shops in Altoona,
PA and shipped without trucks to Argentina.  There, they were equipped with
66-inch gauge A-1-A trucks.

D&RGW 3070 eventually became Minera La Alumbrera 9303

D&RGW 3073 eventually became Minera La Alumbrera 9304

D&RGW 3074 eventually became Minera La Alumbrera 9302

  From the images, it appears that these units are used to haul ore of some
kind.  You'll find them at the link below.

Paul

<End of potential Yahoo advertising>

No specific webpage to review, but since you signed up for the update list,
here's a few recent images around Wyoming and barely into Montana to
peruse.  The photos are pretty self explanatory with all the titles.  I've
been taking more night photos lately and there are a few in there.  The
first is now on the main page for MWR.

http://www.mtnwestrail.com/wyoming/081701-1emdph.jpg
http://www.mtnwestrail.com/montana/081701-3emdabd.jpg

http://www.mtnwestrail.com/wyoming/082501-gscrk.jpg

http://www.mtnwestrail.com/wyoming/082501-shrmoon.jpg

http://www.mtnwestrail.com/montana/090101-sgnl230.jpg

Enjoy,
Paul

<end YahooGroups addy?>

Yes, a measly two images is all that is new on MWR at this time.  They are
both located on the main page.  The first is of a Boardman coal train with
all UP power including a "Wing" unit.  What is strange about this one is it
is right in the middle of BNSF territory on run-through service.

The second shot is from the same day (August 5th) of a westbound loaded
coal train with three EMD SD60s for power.

Have a good weekend,
Paul

Well, only two more shots to the recently added CP gallery and both are
from Field, BC including a night shot of the depot.

Enjoy,
Paul

Howdy from Big Wyoming! ;-P

I uploaded a few images of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Mountains
that I took while at the Spirals Conference in Field, BC in early
June.  There are only 5 right now, but represent a nice cross section in
Alberta and eastern British Columbia.

Have a good weekend.
Paul

Hey, finally something new.  I added some new links, a couple more events,
and a new banner image replacing the first one that has been there for a
while.  Nothing major, but at least a little something.  Some photos from
the CP in early June should be online in the next day or two.

Happy virtual railfanning,
Paul

Hi,

I uploaded two new MPEG movies by Matt Hutson to the movies page of
MWR.  Both of the movies feature Durango & Silverton 478.  The first is a
run-by and the second is of the running gear alone.

Enjoy,
Paul

Hi,

Sorry, but this isn't an update for the website.  Maybe I'll have one of
those in a few days.

Some of you may have been experiencing problems receiving e-mail from
YahooGroups lists.  Here is the response I received from them this
afternoon.  Hopefully the situation will alleviate itself in the next day
or so.

Thanks,
Paul Birkholz
paul@...

>Thank you for writing to Yahoo! Customer Care.
>
>As you have noticed, Yahoo! Groups messages are being delayed longer
>than usual.  We are currently resolving the problem and delays should
>gradually be reduced over the next 12-24 hours.  Please note that some
>ISP's have recently been unable to deliver mail we have tried to send.
>Please check with your ISP if you feel this is the case.  You can view a
>history of bounced messages by going to:
>
>    http://groups.yahoo.com/myprefs
>
>and clicking on "Bounce History" on the right side of the page.
>
>-- AOL Members:
>
>We have found that AOL receives email from Yahoo! Groups, however it
>seems to have a tendency to "lose" those messages before they are
>delivered to their intended recipients. It appears that a majority of
>messages were not delivered to AOL members over the last 3 days. AOL
>does not return a bounced (error) message to Yahoo! Groups, so we have
>no way of knowing which members or messages are effected. We recommend
>that you contact AOL for further answers or assistance in this matter.
>
>You can contact AOL by visiting their "Contact Us" form at:
>
>    http://www.corp.aol.com/contact.html?
>
>
>Please let us know if you have further questions.
>
>Regards,
>
>Customer Care

Here's a helpful little FYI - plan your e-mail time accordingly. :-)

>The Yahoo Groups site will be down Wednesday June 27th,
>from 8:00pm - 10:00pm Pacific Daylight Time (-0700 GMT).
>
>During this time, the web site will be unavailable, and mail will not be
>delivered.  Mail sent during this time will be queued, and delivered when the
>site is back up.


LateRR,
Paul Birkholz - your friendly moderator


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------------
Paul Birkholz  --> paul@...
Mountain West Rail --> http://www.mtnwestrail.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------------

I have uploaded two new images to the website and they are both featured on
the main page at http://www.mtnwestrail.com .  The first is of the engine
terminal in Missoula, MT a bit after sunset and the second is of a
westbound Canadian Pacific train near Exshaw, Alberta, Canada.  Both shots
were taken about a week ago.

Enjoy,
Paul

Hi,

Not a lot going on with the website, but it's becoming summer and I'm
spending more time outside.  Also, it will be a busy coming month with a
trip to Canada for the Spirals Conference and then I'm getting married in
mid-June.  So, don't expect a lot of updates in the next month or so.  And
not like there has been a lot the last few months, but that is the way it
goes. :-)

I did add a few items under the events page and also added the new link to
BNSF engineer Al Krug's "KrugTales" website.  He had to move it, but it is
all back online now and a lot of fun to read.  So, if you are looking for
something interesting about railroads take a look at his site.  You'll find
the link on, where else, the links page.

Hope you have a good start to the summer.

Paul

<end possible addy>

Howdy,

I haven't had a chance recently to update the website or add any new pages
recently, but I still have been taking pictures. ;-)

Here are a few for your enjoyment...

Night shot in Sheridan, WY:
http://www.mtnwestrail.com/wyoming/042401-9265a.jpg

Empty coal west of Sheridan, WY:
http://www.mtnwestrail.com/wyoming/042801-kleenburn.jpg

Empty grain train climbing Parkman Hill, WY:
http://www.mtnwestrail.com/wyoming/050401-xsf01.jpg

MRL's ML last Saturday near Bozeman, MT:
http://www.mtnwestrail.com/montana/050501-ml02.jpg

Have a good weekend,
Paul

<end possible Yahoo addy>

Hi,

I have another northern lights image online on the main page of MWR.  I
haven't had a chance to scan any more or put them together in a page yet
though.  You'll find this very colorful one at http://www.mtnwestrail.com
.  Now, if it could have just been a little more in focus... :-)

Paul

Saw the reddish glow a little before 11pm and headed out of town around
11:30pm. Went east of Sheridan, WY about 9 miles to Dutch Center where I
could use a couple railroad signals as fore ground. It was getting so
bright I didn't even need a flashlight on this moonless night for the short
walk down to the signals!

Color grew from a red to pale green and finally white as midnight
approached. By this time the glow extend to about 45 degrees above the
horizon. Almost on cue at midnight, rays and pulses started to shoot to a
point straight up in the sky. The pulses were mostly up and down and slowly
moved across the sky from east to west in the next 30 to 35 minutes.

Got lucky and had a train pass while this was happening.  It was an
eastbound detour train related to the current flooding in the upper
midwest: S-SEACHC1-15.

The slides turned out okay considering the amount of light available and
the film speed I was using (Fuji Sensia II - 100).  I am in the process of
scanning a few of the slides for future display on the MWR website.  For
now, you can find a single image on the main page.

Have a good weekend,
Paul

<end Yahoo addy>

Good afternoon,

Anyone see the northern lights on Friday night?  It was snowing here in
Wyoming which made view them rather difficult. :-)

At any rate, I have added eight images by photographer Paul Ziemba and his
modern view of the former DRGW main line located on the Front Range of the
Colorado Rockies.

You'll find the new images at http://www.mtnwestrail.com/gallery/ziemba-td.htm

LateRR,
Paul

<<<end BahooGroups addy>>>

Monday night I uploaded a few images sent to me by Scott Borchardt of
Washington.  He was up on Stevens Pass in October of 2000 and took some
spectacular shots right as the trees were changing.

Paul

<end Yahoo addy>

Per requests, I have created a page with links to all the MPEG movies on
the Mountain West Rail website.  You'll find it at
http://www.mtnwestrail.com/movies.htm .

So, if you have the bandwidth and/or time, download some movies and run up
my bandwidth. :-)

Paul

Geez, I don't even know if this counts as an update, but I have added some
new links to the, surprise, Links page.  They include one to the fairly new
Portland & Western site and also one to a nice selection of photos from the
Powder River Basin of Wyoming.

Paul

Two years ago on this date, March 9, 1999, the last revenue train traveled
over the former DRGW Tennessee Pass line.  I was lucky enough to be up
there in the cold of Leadville, CO to see the train depart Malta and start
its trip back towards Pueblo.

I have reposted a slightly revised version of the webpage and images that
were put online the next day, but had since been removed.  This was one of
the first railfan webpages I ever posted and could probably be considered
the start of Mountain West Rail.  Luckily, the image quality has improved
since then!  You'll find a direct link to the 'Last' Malta Turn at
http://www.mtnwestrail.com .

Enjoy,
Paul

I spent more of the evening that I might have liked adding five new banner
shots and a new image to the main page of my website.  You can load it all
up at http://www.mtnwestrail.com and see all the new images by just letting
the banner roll through all twelve images.

Have a good weekend,
Paul

<end Yay-hoo addy>

I have added a new gallery of my own images this time from an all Rio
Grande led manifest in western Colorado.  There are also a couple new
banners and a couple more on the way.  To view the new galleries, follow
the link below.

LateRR,
Paul

Hi,

I added another set of shots from Rod Carbone.  This time instead of
people, it is the machine's those people run.  Direct access is
http://www.mtnwestrail.com/gallery/carbone-t.htm .

Enjoy,
Paul

<end addy>

Happy Valentine's Day... ? ! ? ! ?

I have added a new section to MWR called a "View from the Rails".  This
section will feature the photos and stories from people who work the on the
railroad.  The first addition to this section is a series of pictures of by
Engineer Rod Carbone who hired out with the Rio Grande at Grand Junction,
CO in 1974.  I think you will really enjoy this section and especially
these photos.

The direct link is http://www.mtnwestrail.com/gallery/carbone-p.htm .

Paul

<end addy>

Welcome to YahooGroups, for whatever that is worth.  I hope all of you made
the "transition" without many problems.

On Tuesday evening, I uploaded three new galleries to my MWR website
featuring the work of Frank Keller.  All the images in these three
galleries were taken during one trip and feature "MRL in Montana", "Oregon,
Washington & Idaho", and "Utah".  There are some great shots in these three
galleries which you will find listed in, surprise!, the Photo Gallery
section on MWR via the link below.

Happy virtual railfanning,
Paul

Well, I'm not screaming "Yahoo" like the logo on Black Star beer, but Yahoo
finally made the switch from eGroups.  I am guessing that the switch took
place over night because none of the filters on my e-mail account worked
this morning.

If you receive the regular e-mails for the MWR group or any eGroup, they
should continue to arrive as usual, but with a slightly different address:
mwr@yahoogroups.com.  So, if you use filters, I'd recommend making the
change to the new address.  Those of you who access the MWR group (or any
other e-Group) via the web have probably already figured out there has been
a change and solved the problem.

With this switch, a few changes have taken place and each user of the
former eGroups will need to do a few administrative tasks to access their
eGroups account.  You will find the more info about these changes at:

   http://www.egroups.com   which will lead you to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/local/news.html

To access your account, you will need to select a Yahoo ID and
password.  There is also an easy link to convert your eGroups account to
the Yahoo one.  If anyone runs into trouble and needs help, please e-mail
me and I'll do what I can do.

I'm not very thrilled with this change either, but the small amount of time
it will take to make the conversion, answer the very minimum of questions,
and keep enjoying the exchange and friendships of the eGroups is worth it
in my opinion.

Good luck and I'll see you one the other side.

Paul

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Paul Birkholz
E-mail: paul@...
Mountain West Rail --> http://www.mtnwestrail.com
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

<end advertising>

<begin MWR advertising ;-) >

Not much in this update because I have spent the last week or so rebuilding
my computer from a crash.  Not sure it is there yet, but I plan to fight it
anyway.  I love and hate these machines at the same time.

Anyway, I have added a few new links to the, surprise, links page.  Most
are in the historical and museum section.  So, if you are looking for
something to do some time or something to do other than what you should,
check them out.

Hopefully I'll have some new images this weekend if I don't go to Montana.

Have a good week,
Paul

<end addy>

Hello from Wyoming!

I have uploaded a few photos that I took on Sept. 23rd during CTC Board's
Day in North America.  I guess this is what I might have sent in had I not
forgot or maybe it was procrastinated.  You'll find the new images at:

http://www.mtnwestrail.com/gallery/dina2000.htm

Hope you all had a good holiday.

Paul

<end addy>

Just wanted to take a minute to wish you and yours a great holiday
season!  I have made the move north to Wyoming with no problems and hope to
start unpacking after Christmas.  So, no new stuff until after the new year.

Now, quit checking e-mail and go do something else for the holiday season. :-)

Happy Holidays!
Paul (now in Sheridan)

<end advertising>

Hi,

I spent the past weekend in Utah chasing the remaining Rio Grande SD40T-2s
among other interesting trains.  The slides came back today, but right now
I don't have time to put a few webpages together of the trips.  So, here is
a little teaser of what will eventually be on Mountain West Rail in the new
year.  Consider this my mass Christmas card to all the people on the MWR
list.  This is the MRODV from this past Sunday led by DRGW 5356 and 5385.

http://www.mtnwestrail.com/utah/121700rodv.jpg

Happy Holidays to you and yours,
Paul

<end addy>

One more thing tonight, an excellent letter by BNSF employee Tom Holley
about what railroads experience in a grade crossing accident.  This is the
perspective that you don't read about in the papers.  You'll find the
letter from the link below.

Have a good day and keep warm. :-)

Paul