FL9

Back in the 1980’s and early 1990’s the Santa Fe operated long-distance locals between Wellington and Waynoka and Amarillo and Waynoka that did some switching and delivered cars to the short-distance locals.  Here in May of 1990 we see the Amarillo to Waynoka local led by two GP30’s passing the siding at Gerlach, OK on the west side of Woodward.

An extended vision caboose brings up the rear in these views from the now-gone wooden bridge at this location.

Most of the cars in between are tank cars that the Waynoka Switcher will bring back tomorrow to the Terra Industries nitrogen and methanol manufacturing plant behind where I am standing.

Before gaining shorter access to the Transcon via Amarillo after the BN merger and to Sweetwater over the UP Baird Sub, Santa Fe trains heading west out of Fort Worth took the long way around.  They headed southwest on the Dublin Sub to Brownwood and then northwest on the Lamapassas Sub to Sweetwater.  As an example here we see a westbound Santa Fe train leaving the Fort Worth Sub at Birds and dropping down the one mile long connection to the Dublin Sub.

The two clean C40-8W’s are using the dynamic brakes to help ease their train around the sharp curve off the mainline and down the 2% grade to the beginning of the Dublin Sub in October of 1992.

In today’s post I thought I would share an excellent website that was brought to my attention recently.  Greg Harrison’s vision is to display abandoned railroad right-of-way’s an equipment, and he is doing a great job.  He asked for permission to use this photo for his section on the now gone Bomber Spur in west Fort Worth that connected the Baird Sub to Carswell Air Force Base, and I easily said yes.

The AT&SF 500 West is the HALBA train running on trackage rights to Sweetwater on July 4th in 1993.  For the full story of the history of the Bomber spur and more, check out http://www.abandonedrails.com at the first opportunity!

It had been a long week at work, so after leaving the office Judy and I decided to eat at our favorite steak house, the Mesquite Pit out in Weatherford.  After a great supper, the radio indicated there was some action on the Baird Sub, so we drove down by the depot.  In only a few minutes the UP 9544 West showed up, moving slowly with a manifest train in tow.

(Read on …)