FL9

After catching the Austin Western’s westbound rock train, I drove back by the Capital Metro light rail maintenance base just north of Highway 183, and got this side view across a vacant lot of the 104 parked next to the mainline.  A modern RDC, the 104 is one of six cars built by a Swiss firm, Stadler Rail, and is powered by two 400 horsepower diesel engines.  The car can accomodate 108 passengers sitting and 92 standing and will work the 32-mile MetroRail line between downtown Austin and Leander starting this fall.

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On Saturday May 4th it was perfectly clear when I left the motel room in Austin.  The light rail shop for Austin Metro was only a few blocks away, so I drove by there to see if I could see any signs of testing.  To my surprise when I crossed the tracks just north of the facility a headlight was visible coming my way.  I pulled over quickly, and it turned out to be an Austin Western rock train moving about 20 mph.  Note the not-yet-in-service signals turned away on the left.

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Friday night on May 2nd I was on the way back to our motel room in north Austin when I decided to swing my McNeil to see the new Captal Metro light rail overpass I had heard about.  Even though it was dark, a Capital Metro security guard was present along with two local railfans in front of the landmark post office, so I joined the group for conversation.  The new overpass just south of the diamond certainly changes the character of the scene, but should make for some interesting shots.  I was tired and thinking about leaving when the signals changed shortly after 9:00pm and the radio spoke of the approach of a late Amtrak 21.  At first I thought I would just watch the train go by, but the lights of the Austin White Lime Company stirred my interest, so I got out the 5D and cranked my ASA up to 1600.  Propping myself on my SUV’s passenger side mirror, I squeezed off this shot an instant before the glow of the headlight on the left turned into a blindiing beam as the leading P42 crested the small hill heading down to the diamond.

Satisfied with my train picture without a train in physical view, I bid my farewells and headed off to the motel and welcome sleep.

Friday May 2nd found my wife and I in Austin for a few days to help out a family member.  While out picking up supplies I heard a northbound train hit the detector at the south end of town, so I headed for one of my favorite local spots.  The light was perfect as I positioned myself on the 35th Street overpass over the Mopac Freeway.  It was not long before a yellow mass much larger than any of the surrounding cars appeared to be swimming upstream with the rest of the salmon.  18,000 horsepower in the form of three UP AC6000W’s were pulling a loaded rock train of between 70 and 80 cars up the steep grade at a steady 15 mph.

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