FL9

I left off yesterday chasing an empty BNSF coal train with two new GE ES44AC’s less than a month old on the point, and a third as yet unseen by me working as the DPU.  After catching him at the Hicks Field crossing, I heard from the track warrants over the radio he would be meeting a loaded coal train at Avondale.  As the train he was meeting had a older SD70MAC leading, I decided to jump on ahead to Rhome and look for a better shot of the new power.  I found it just east of the main street crossing on the outside of the big curve through town with a lot of greenery, and I waited for this shot in full sun as he rolled on west.

He was not making the normal 65 mph allowed for an empty, so I was able to beat him to the next big set of “S” curves between Rhome and Herman.  I got him first at full zoom coming out of one curve and into the next one.

After snapping that picture, I zoomed back for a closeup of him rounding the curve to the right.  I was not as fortunate and had diffused light for these two shots thanks to one small cloud.

I got ready to shoot the DPU going away, and this is when I found out it was the consecutively numbered 6087.  Unfortunately the nose door was standing open as it filled my viewfinder at minimum zoom, so I lowered the camera thinking a decent shot was going to elude me.  However physics took over as the engine tracked into the curve, and the forces at work caused the door to suddenly slam shut.  I quickly raised the camera back up and zoomed out all the way for this last moment shot before he disappeared around the curve.

He would be meeting another eastbound just up the line at Herman, and two more westbounds were following in his wake.  I decided to stay put here at the curves and let them all come to me, which I will share with you tomorrow.

After shooting the two SP units at Centennial on Sunday afternoon, I heard the BNSF 6089 leading an empty coal train approaching Saginaw.  I drove straight on up to the diamonds, and got there just in time for this shot of the recrewed train about to cross on his way to the Wichita Falls Sub.

He was going slow enough I was able to get a roster shot of the 6089,

and then the 6088 right behind.  These units were released from GE earlier this same month, so this is one of their first trips to Texas.

Since he had to go around the connection to access the Wichita Falls Sub, I was able to get ahead of him to the crossing at Hicks Field where he was rolling at track speed.

I’ll save part two of this chase for tomorrow.

Sunday afternoon after work I stopped by Centennial Yard, and found two related locomotives worth capturing digitally with the help of the 100-400mm zoom to stay outside the posted limits.  First off is one of the few six-axle survivors I have seen in a while, Southern Pacific SD40M-3 8673, which started life as CNW SD45 904.

A little further to the east was the UP 2724, patched from another SD40M-3, the SP 8648.  I have shots of the SP 8648 already in the SP Photo Album from last fall on a southbound train arriving in Fort Worth.

This unit began its career as CNW SD45 967.  The comparison between these two units shows how important it is to photograph the remaining unpatched SP units when you find them. 

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.