FL9

Saturday afternoon I dropped off an item at a friend’s house in Arlington, and on the way back to Fort Worth I started paying attention to the radio.  Both Amtraks were at the tower and two BNSF trains were asking to go south.  As I came around the overpass from I30 West to I35 South, I could see a BNSF train with a new logo GEVO on the point starting to pull towards the Tower.  I headed on down to the Magnolia Avenue crossing and caught what turned out to be the 7752 South with a loaded grain train.

As the grain train was passing by, Amtrak #21 called that he was ready to leave the station.  I drove on south to the Hemphill Street crossing to get a shot I had been thinking about for awhile. The sun was going in and out behind the clouds, and it was partially obscured when #21 with Amtrak 20 leading came over the crossing and was greeted with a yellow board at the north end of Birds right behind me.

While this was unfolding, the BNSF 7727 South at Tower 55 got a warrant on the UP Midlothian Sub.  I was closer to the south end of Ney Yard to intercept him, but I remembered it is overgrown with weeds at present.  Driving back to Magnolia Avenue seemed to be the best solution, and I got there in plenty of time for this picture of the BNSF 7727 with a manifest train bound for Teague.

The rush after Amtrak was not over, as now the BNSF 7905 asked for permission to pass through Tower 55.  I decided to try the shot at Hemphill Street again, and after arrived back there I was greeted by a green board at the north end of Birds along with this classic Operation Lifesaver scene.  If you have not checked out their website at http://www.oli.org/ , you should take a few minutes and do so.

The train was not in sight yet, so I took the shot and called out to the man to try to warn him of his possible demise from the rear.  He did not seem to hear me, and I was not sure if there was a crew on the northbound train now visible in the siding.  I was about to call the emergency number when he veered off into the residential area on the right.  With the problem resolved, I turned my attention back to the now approaching train, and this time around was graced with full sun.

The BNSF 7905 South turned out to be a short vehicle train, and after its passage the northbound train showed no signs of life.  I gave up and drove on down for this shot of what was an empty rock train in the Birds siding.

DS22 started a conversation with the BNSF 4837 North, and it became clear he was bound for the Madill Sub via the Trinity Railway Express.  Hunger kicked in now, so it was time to put up the camera.