FL9

Yesterday afternoon on the way home I found an intermodal train cooling its heels with a red board at the west end of UP’s Centennial Yard, and while I could hear some switching moves on the Baird Sub channel, I could not see anything moving.  Thinking there might be some activity at either the Bomber or Benbrook spur tracks, I headed on west myself.

The surprise came next in that two CP Rail SD40-2’s in work train service were putting some loaded ballast cars away in the Benbrook spur, and then getting in the clear themselves on the west end.  Unfortunately the sun at this time of year was already on the north side of mainline where there was no legal access to safely stand, so I had to settle for the backlighting on the street side.  The Benbrook spur is now overgrown with sunflowers,  so today I tried to work them into the picture.

Moving a little further west on the shoulder of the road gave me a better lit head on view, and I tried to work the jungle in to add some interest to the picture as the westbound intermodal accelerated past on its way to Sweetwater.

The dispatcher told the light engines they had permission to come out behind the westbound intermodal and run east into Centennial Yard, so I hastily relocated to the cut in Boaz Park as being the only nearby well lit spot to get a decent going away shot of them.  I just made it into position before they came by having quickly accelerated to the 50 mph track speed.

They were moving fast enough away from me that I did not know if I had truly gotten them until I could check the review screen, and luckily I did as I could not have caught up to them again for another shot before they entered the yard.  I’m partial to red locomotives (i.e. the old Katy) so I went home happy for this ending to a long Wednesday.