Today we will jump back sixteen years to December 4th in 1990 when Scott Speed, Troy Minnick and myself chased a good looking #588 intermodal train out of Dallas down the Dublin Sub. He had three warbonnet GP60M’s for power and we caught him multiple times along Highway 377 until the tracks headed south towards Ricker on the Lampassas Sub. We drove west on through Brownwood to beat him to the spot where the tracks curved in next to Highway 84 on their way to Coleman. This area about two miles west of town is called Boysen Cut on the topo maps. I looked but did not see any boysenberry vines. Did you know that Knott’s Berry Farm in California became famous on account of the boysenberry? Well anyway, before long the three elephant-style warbonnets came by in Run 8 as they attacked the grade.
We let him go on west and started looking for a better view of the whole cut and the “S” curve it contained. After awhile we found it looking north from a hillside above County Road 180. We were soon gratified when the counterpart of our #588 morning train showed up in the form of an eastbound #885 train to Dallas. The first sighting of the train with its two SD40-2’s and one SD45 was accompanied by the whine of dynamic brakes, and in short order he traced out the shape of the curve for us as he came downhill into Brownwood.
Just beyond where the rear of the train goes out of sight at the upper left is the spot where I was standing for the first picture earlier in the day. Next we will see what the weekend brings in the way of new or old pictures!
2 Comments
It doesnt take much to make me me happy. Those three 3 GP60Ms have done it!
And of course that great looking second shot cant be had now days because of the scrub bushes grown up. Rats!!! I doubt if there’s much of a shot there at all now. Looks like you got them at a great time with a lot of different colors in the scene.