With its work complete at there southern most customer, UP local LSB54 20, and a more than enthusiastic conductor, waste no time returning back the way they came seen here rolling north beneath the large grain bins of the M&M Service Company complex in Irving, IL on an overcast mid-May morning. A paltry nine car consist is all that makes up today's train on their homeward bound trip up the Pana Sub back to Villa Grove including an empty centerbeam from Hixson Lumber in Hillsboro, two empty grain hoppers pulled from the elevators at Cadwell and six loaded tie gondolas that will be soon be left behind at Findlay. On-duty before most are out of bed, 0500, this job works six days a week out of Villa Grove covering industries along three different subdivisions, running as far south as Shelbyville (Salem) and/or Hillsboro (Pana) on Mon-Wed-Fri and making northbound runs as far as Grant Park (Villa Grove) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, saving Sunday for whatever is needed. Product of June 1991, 29-year old Southern Pacific veteran #1066, one of only four EMD GP60s still left wearing the Scarlett red and black colors of its former fallen flag, has then been paired at the hip with repainted ex-SP roster mate #1431 on this "Local 54" for over two months serving eastern Illinois on part of the St. Louis Service Unit. With a temporary shutdown of the railroad's Jenks Shops in North Little Rock due to COVID-19 economical decline, this unit has, in a way, received its "stay of execution" order since not many locomotives are currently being painted.
