By KenFL9 | Published:
January 6, 2012
Before I share my last photos of 2011 and first of 2012, A reminder the Amtrak 40th Anniversary Train is in Fort Worth and the exhibit cars will be open to the public at the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center this Saturday and Sunday January 7th and 8th from 9am to 4pm for free tours. The train was parked south of the ITC yesterday afternoon so I put on my PPE and took a few photos of it. The train consists of P40DC #822; F40PH #406; Amtrak Sleeper #10020 “Pacific Bend”; Exhibit Cars #10093; #10094; #10095; and 40th Anniversary Store #85999.
While I was there things were backed up at Tower 55 with two southbound BNSF trains waiting in the queue.
The photos and reviews I have seen indicate the exhibits on the 40th Anniversary Train are worth going to see! The next stop is Oklahoma City January 14th and 15th and then back to San Antonio on January 21st and 22nd before moving on to New Orleans. More information can be found on the website: http://www.amtrak40th.com/
By KenFL9 | Published:
December 31, 2011
I drove to the south side of the Marine Creek bridge south of the Stockyards, and before long the BNSF passenger train operated by an FWWR crew pulled out of the Stockyards to make a few switching moves with the cars before taking the train back to the BNSF at Saginaw.
The FWWR 103 Job was switching the industries around the Stockyards wye at the same time, and I had a sudden realization about posing both sets of power together with only minimal delay to their respective work assignments. At the right time in their mutual ballet of switching moves, I got on the radio and asked the FWWR 103 job to stop on the Stockyards leg of the wye just clear of the switch, and then I asked the BNSF power to pull up on the Eighth Avenue leg of the wye so I could get them together as illustrated below. Next we pulled the BSNF power up close to the FWWR units for a nose to nose shot. Less than 10 minutes total elapsed time and I thanked everyone as they went back to work.
Before long the passenger train had completed its switching and departed around the wye to enter the BNSF Fort Worth Sub at Tower 60 via the connector track from the FWWR.
I jumped on ahead and was set up on the Meacham Boulevard overpass for these views of the train with Fort Worth in the background and then of the whole train coming and going.
The train pulled into Saginaw Yard and stopped in front of the yard office where the FWWR crew turned it back over to the BNSF so it could leave for an overnight trip to Arizona and another set of trips for a differerent special event. I took one final shot just before sunset and then headed home to process photos for printing and delivery.
2011 was a good year, and I will see you in 2012 in the next post!
By KenFL9 | Published:
December 30, 2011
When we arrived at Cleburne via the FWWR on the afternoon of October 19th, 2011, the passenger train stopped between the new railroad industrial park along highway 171 and the FWWR “Windmill” station sign. FWWR GP50 2010 and GP38-3 2003 were waiting there and coupled on to the rear of the train to pull us back to Cresson while the two BNSF ES44C4’s on the head end were taken off line. I opened the trap on the Glacier View and went to ground to get a few shots of this rare event of FWWR locomotives pulling BNSF passenger equipment.
The train was ready to head west by the time I took the third photo, so after I got back on board the Glacier View and closed the trap I radioed the 2010 that we were good to go. Here are two views of the new four track yard that has been constructed here next to highway 171 to serve the new rail industrial park. This is the destination for the new unit sand trains from Minnesota that I illustrated a while back.
Back in one of the lounge cars two people I owe a lot to in my railroad photography work were visiting; FWWR COO Richard Green on the left and BNSF Texas Division General Manager Ron Jackson on the right.
We arrived back in Cresson, and as passengers in one of the domes watched the 2010 and 2003 were uncoupled from the train and the two BNSF units were put on line to take us back to the Stockyards.
Later on as we passed Eighth Avenue yard, a FWWR switch job was in the clear for us.
The afternoon view of Fort Worth was very good from one of the dome cars as we passed over the North Fork of the Trinity.
A few minutes later we were back in the Stockyards and the satisfied passengers were assisted by BNSF and FWWR personnel in getting off safely.
I retrieved my vehicle with the intention of following the train as it would now be taken by the FWWR crew to be handed back to the BNSF at Saginaw Yard.
By KenFL9 | Published:
December 29, 2011
After making two round trips to Cresson as the photographer aboard the joint BNSF and FWWR passenger train on October 16th in 2011, on the afternoon of Wednesday the 19th I was back at the Stockyards to ride the last of the series of special trips for this fall season. This trip was for employees of the BNSF and the FWWR along with invited local government officials and railroad customers, and would be running through Cresson to Cleburne. Departure time was scheduled for 1:30pm, and earlier I walked across the street from the Stockyards to the small park next to marine Creek where BNSF ES44C4’s 6625 and 6730 were waiting until it was time to couple up.
The passenger train stretched through the shed from the crossing at the north end all the way to the crossing on the south end.
Later on after taking many group and individual photos, here is the view out of the BNSF Glacier View as we are running between Cresson and Cleburne. Note the GPS map dislayed above. Seems familiar after seeing Abo Canyon from here just two months earlier in August.
On the left in this photo noted local rail celebrity and editor of the Cowcatcher Magazine Tim Blackwell was along for the ride today with another invited guest.
When we arrived in Cleburne two FWWR units were waiting to couple up to the rear end of the train and pull us back to Cresson.
