On Sunday August 1st I needed to transfer some items to Troy Minnick, so we agreed to meet in Saginaw after noon at the diamonds. I arrived in town just in time to catch the southbound Heartland Flyer at the crossing just north of the BSNF yard office. Today was a special treat as the lead unit was P42 class engine number one, marking the first time I have ever caught this unit.
I met up with Troy and we visited in the oppressive heat for a few minutes and then went our separate ways after determining no other trains were close by. While taking Loop 820 back around to highway 377 I heard Davidson Yard talking to the ZAILC about changing crews at the west end of the yard. Since Aledo is now more or less on the way home I headed that way and set up under a shade tree in the park behind city hall. I only had to wait less than ten minutes before I captured this all NS lashup on the point with the 7673 leading.
Even the single DPU this day was a Norfolk Southern unit.
I took care of some work at the house, and late in the afternoon as the sun started to come down in the west I decided to make a loop to Crowley then down to Cleburne to photograph the FWWR’s new industrial park and then back home via Cresson. Heading east on FM 1187 I managed to arrive in Crowley just as a northbound BNSF empty grain with a Ferromex GE in the lashup was pulling into the siding.
The empty grain train met a loaded coal train with two aging SD70MAC’s up front.
I followed the loaded coal train down to Joshua where another northbound train was waiting in the siding. I set up at the first crossing north of downtown Joshua for this shot of the BNSF 5099 North.
As I drove on south to Cleburne it sounded like the next northbound was still south of the Brazos River, so I headed northwest on highway 171 toward the FWWR’s new industrial park on the outskirts of town.
