return to west Texas

Thursday, November 13. I had spent the previous night in Slaton, and woke up to clear skies and a nice sunrise. I'd spend the morning between Slaton and Post on the BNSF Slaton Sub, and then head down to the UP Toyah Sub west of Sweetwater in the afternoon...

Sunrise at Slaton. A westbound coal empty is ready to depart, as a westbound freight enters the yard in the distance.

I had wanted to catch an eastbound heading down through the cuts along the edge of the Caprock at Buenos...

... but all I got were two westbounds.

The second westbound: BNSF 7396 at Buenos.

I headed to Colorado City to start the afternoon on the UP Toyah Sub. This Z-train was the second of six westbounds I'd see that day.

Westbound Z-train leaving Colorado City.

I raced the Z to the overpass near Coahoma for another shot... I was lucky the highway department had the outside lane of westbound I-20 blocked off!

Back at Colorado City, I set up for another westbound.

Westbound stacks approaching Roscoe.

I burned the last hour of daylight getting a few shots of the TXOR (Texas & Oklahoma) SD9s, tied down on the line to Maryneal south of Sweetwater. The BNSF 1733 looks like it's seen better days. But I wonder how it SOUNDS! Maybe someday I'll catch them running...

BNSF 1733 on the TXOR south of Sweetwater.

Coming next: finishing out the month of November, and a quick December re-cap...

WSC

np: Stevie Ray Vaughan - "Voo Doo Child"