FL9

Roddy and I drove north from Tower 60 back through Saginaw and on up to Avondale.  We hoped the BNSF 9375 East would be coming on into town for our cameras, but it was not to be as the dispatcher told the crew there was no room for them at Saginaw for some time to come.  Where the SD70ACe sat at the south end of the Avondale siding was not readily accessible or well lit, so we drove on over to Alliance Yard so Roddy could see the layout.  At the same time we were done checking out the perimeter, an intermodal train announced it was ready to depart for the Wichita Falls Sub.  We set up at the grade crossing south of the yard where we noticed work was well under way to add a second track from the yard down to South Haslet.  The sun did not cooperate, but I still took the shot as the BNSF 4397 South snaked its way around the “S” curve towards out location.

With nothing else close by and the day rapidly winding down, we drove back west to Avondale and then south through a brief downpour towards Saginaw.  The sun came out as we approached Hicks, so we stopped at the crossing to wait for what was now the BNSF 4397 West after making a nearly 180 degree turn at Saginaw onto the Wichita Falls Sub.  What we lacked in sunlight the first time we shot this train 40 minutes earlier was now made up for by this view with a billowing cloud overhead.

The last shot of the day turned out to be the best in my opinion!