FL9

As we approached the town of Little River just south of Temple on the UP Waco Sub, the UP dispatcher was issuing track warrants for the BNSF 6882 South to take the siding at Little River for the UP 9495 North.  This was my first ever visit to Little River, but the south switch of the siding was immediately visible to the left as we crossed the tracks.  The street sign next to where we parked indicated the proper heritage of this mainline.

We could look north and see the BNSF train pulling into the siding, and before long the UP 9495 North arrived at our location.  The light was poor for northbounds, so I tried to do something interesting with the speed sign.  Amtrak’s Texas Eagle runs through here daily, so the 60mph on the top of the sign for passenger trains is completely valid.

In this view you can now see both trains as the UP 9495 North holds the main to proceed towards Temple and then Waco.

As soon as the northbound UP had cleared up he released his track warrant and the southbound BNSF moved from the siding back to the main through the spring switch.

Behind the two leading SD40-2’s rode my second SD45-2 B-Unit within an hour’s time, the also freshly renumbered 6523.  The trailing unit was an SD45-2 A-Unit.

We followed the BNSF empty rock train on south from Little River, and caught him one more time in this open area in “downtown” Holland, TX as he passed the local grain elevator.

The sun was sinking closer to the horizon, so we left him behind at this point and made out own way south towards Flatonia by way of Taylor.