Deep dives - a photo on Flickriver

Deep dives

I was digging through a lot of early 2000s slides recently, BNSF wasn't the subject of the search but it was a pretty interesting time on the RR. The old 7300 rebuilds are among the pre-ETTS power that kept popping up. I began to wonder if I had any shots of one that has since achieved a certain level of notoriety. The E&LS has a pretty dedicated cadre of fans these days who record nearly every move the shortline makes. ELS 503 still wears BNSF colors and gets a lot of attention. I looked up its first number on BNSF, 7303, and watched for that number amongst the slides. I was happy to find a shot of 7303 on the point of a train headed down the St. Croix Sub in 2004.

It turns out I like this shot enough that I've already posted it to my Photostream here, 14 years ago to this day! I normally don't repost the same shot but this rabbit hole proved too irresistible so here is a new (better) scan of BNSF 7303 approaching East Winona, WI. Back when I first posted this it hadn't gone to the E&LS yet (via Independent Locomotive Service), the shot itself was 7 years old at that time. It's baffling how the years accelerate with age but I guess that's why I take pictures. In time it would be renumbered out of the way of newer power to 6964 on BNSF. By the end of 2011 it would leave the roster.

ILS renumbered this unit to 1338 and it ran for quite a while on E&LS with the leaser marks until E&LS purchased it:
www.flickr.com/photos/view2share/32681966120

Finally, after E&LS purchased it, it was renumbered into their SD40-2 number series as ELS 503:
www.flickr.com/photos/view2share/51637319780

With the steady contraction of the E&LS in 2025 it almost exclusively works the route between Channing, MI and Green Bay, WI.
April 28, 2004.

Taken on: April 28, 2004

Tags:

SD40

SD40-2

ELS 503

history

EMD

Electro-Motive Division

engine

Burlington Northern

April 28 2004

April 2004

April

2004

BNSF

BNSF Railway

St. Croix Sub

Midway

bluff

bluffs

WIsconsin

East Winona

double track

BNSF 7303

eastbound

mainline

manifest

mixed freight

H-1

heritage 1

Dean Sauvola

Railway

railroading

RAIL

railroads

rails

railroaders

rring

rural

Railroad

trains

track

train

Transportation

transport

tracks

trackage

trees

Tree

freight

freight train

shipping

shipment

ship

Spring

Springtime

Mississippi River

Mississippi River Valley

Upper Mississippi River Valley

Buffalo County

MRL

Montana Rail Link « less

Sets appears in: • Shortlines • Burlington Northern more » • BNSF • Railroads « less

Groups appears in: • Railroads • Wisconsin Rails more » • Midwest Railroads • E&LS, Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad • Trains On Film • Train. • High headlight locomotives « less

Camera: Canon EOS REBEL T3i, f/9.0, 1/200 sec, 55mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS REBEL T3i
Lens:	EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II
Aperture:	f/9.0
Exposure Time:	0.005 sec (1/200)
Focal Length:	55mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop 26.0 (Windows)
Show full info

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