Return of the Pipe Trains

After a gap of more than a year, a unit pipe train bound for the Dublin Sub was delivered by the UP to the FWWR to be unloaded at the pipe yard halfway up the grade between Granbury and Tolar.  The FWWR switched the train at Hodge Yard and added idler cars to the front and rear of the 47 loads of pipe.  I chose to photograph the occasion at Eighth Avenue where I could get open shots of as much of the train at one time as possible from ground level.  At 2:38pm  FWWR SD40’s #2015 and #2016 and UP SD70M #4931 crested the grade up from the Trinity River and approached my location.

The units had idled down by the time they passed me before entering the first sharp curve at the west end of Eighth Avenue Yard.

This appears to be smaller diameter pipe compared to the loads delivered last year.

Due to the overcast and high weeds futher west, I let the train go at this point and headed on to deliver a few items to friend Danny Sisson.