FL9

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.

Thanks to the low speed I was able to frame up this shot with a line side pole that has lost the battle with a vine.

Apparently this train had engine trouble leaving Fort Worth as its slow speed was to enable a mechanic to step off at the crossing behind us and hop into a waiting crew van.  The 9544 accelerated into the siding, and so I anticipated the next train would be an eastbound.  The radio proved me wrong as a westbound BNSF train pulled up and stopped under the Business I20 overpass a few blocks away.  I watched my low light dwindle away to nothing as the sun now set in the northwest over the trees.

The switch stayed lined for the siding, and in a few minutes when the UP 9544 West had gotten far enough ahead, the BNSF train got a signal into the siding and whistled off.  With no direct light left, I moved to the other side of the tracks to include the rising moon over the BNSF 4036 West.

This train powered by a C44-9 and an SD40-2 was comprised of autoracks and double stacks.

Apparently the dispatcher had originally intended to stage a meet here with an eastbound  the first UP westbound, but now the honor fell to the BNSF train to pull in and wait.  Judy and I were both too tired to consider any night shots, so we headed on home.