Thanks to MIke Gitlin’s advance notice, I wanted to catch today’s second section of the ZNSLC train, as he had all NS power (a not too rare occurance) which consisted of four four-axle units (a very rare occurance). He was due in around 4:30pm, so I stationed myself on the Bryant-Irvin overpass when I heard him on the radio entering the Santa Fe bypass. Before he came into view, the ILAMN train arrived from the west and headed toward the new south bypass tracks.
The radio informed me the CSX 7909 on the right was to be added on the point of the ZNSLC as the inbound crew reported the toilet on the NS 3523 was overflowing and rendering the unit virtually uninhabitable. Shortly the B32-8 and three GP60’s swept around the curve and came to a stop.
After getting my down-on roster shot, I drove on west to Iona for this colorful shot of the now heavily-powered but better smelling train’s westward journey. You can just make out the Fort Worth skyline in the distance above the engineer’s windshield.
On the way back home as the sun sank lower towards the horizon, I caught the MFWOD starting its own westward journey in the wake of the “Z” train.
Having been fortunate enough to win the 2005 Trains / Canon photo contest, tomorrow my wife and I claim the grand prize as we will be boarding The Texas Eagle to travel to Chicago and switch to the Empire Builder to take us on to the Isaak Walton Inn at Essex, Montana. After four days of railroad photography and beautiful scenery, we will follow the same course in reverse back home again. A scheduling snafu between Trains Magazine and the Inn means we will be in Essex the weekend after the AltaMont Railfan Weekend, but we are going to have a great time regardless on what will be our longest Amtrak trip to date and our first visit to Montana.
So far since the remodeling of this website earlier this year, I have managed to make a blog entry for each day. I thought about letting it lapse over this two week vacation, but I have decided to scan enough slides tonight to be able to preload one new picture and a simple caption for each day we will be on the road. If and when I can get to the Internet during the trip, I’ll add a comment and maybe a picture or two to the appropriate daily blog. See y’all down the road!
