Back to the tracks

I haven't been getting out to shoot trains a whole lot lately -- just once or twice a month. Here are some highlights from the past few months.

BNSF empty coal at Herman, TX - BNSF Wichita Falls Sub

Gensets on the 110 job - Saginaw, TX - July 2009

Brookville Genset in Roanoke, TX - July 2009

UP westbound at Judd (between Weatherford and Ranger, one of my favorite spots on the UP Baird Sub.) August 2009.

Sunset meet - Judd, TX. August 2009.

The "Pig Dance": KCS and BNSF trains exchange UPS trailers. Metro, TX. August 2009.

Out after dark: Ferromex 4662 at 17th Street in Fort Worth.

Behind the power... still flickin' freights. SP auto parts boxcar in Fort Worth.

Benching the storage tracks in Roanoke... M flicks a Whistle Blower.

That's all for now... stay tuned for photos from Anime Fest in Dallas.

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np: Baboon - "You and I"

hither and yon

Go back to school

The kids went back to school last week, so I had a chance to get out and take a few pictures. I chased a BNSF genset from Alliance to Saginaw on Tuesday, and went over to Carrollton on Wednesday to track down a pair of Gensets on the Dallas Garland & Northeastern.

M's first day of First Grade

BNSF Genset 1228 leads a southbound yard transfer out of Alliance on August 28, 2007

BNSF 2196 on a yard transfer at Saginaw on August 28.

Roadrailers and Schneider truck near Alliance Airport

Gensets on the Dallas Garland & Northeastern at Carrollton, TX. August 29, 2007.

Switching boxcars on the DGNO at Carrollton. August 29.

L's school starts at 0745 this year! That means we have to leave the house by about 0725, about an hour earlier than we were leaving last year. After I get home from work each night at 2300, I have just enough time to watch "King of the Hill" before I have to go sleep. After the kids went to school on Monday, I was so tired that I laid back down and took a nap! Come to think of it, I did that on Thursday as well.

K's sisters arrived in town on Friday to celebrate the Labor Day weekend and K's mom's birthday. We decided to spend most of Saturday at Six Flags... (M's second time this summer and L's fourth). I managed to get a few rides in before I had to leave for work.

L enjoys the swings during another visit to Six Flags

front-seat view on the Judge Roy Scream


M enjoys a ride at Six Flags

Football season is upon us

Aaah yes, it's time to start spending Saturday mornings laying in bed as long as I can get away with, watching College GameDay and waiting for the early games to start. There's not much at the professional level of sports that can capture the excitement and energy of a crowd of college students, alumni, and other football fans hamming it up for ESPN's tv cameras, eagerly awaiting the kickoff of a big game. Top it off with witty banter from the likes of Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, and you've got some quality Saturday morning entertainment. I don't get to watch many of the games (due to my work schedule), but at least I've got that.

I somehow doubt that College GameDay will be coming to the SMU campus anytime soon, but that's where K and I will be on Monday as we root for the Mustangs in their season opener against Texas Tech. And if things don't work out for the Mustangs, at least I'll have the Cowboys opener to look forward to on September 9 against the Giants.

By the way, did you see what happened to Michigan on Saturday, losing to I-AA Appalachian State? You gotta like your national championship hopes being over with by the first of September -- OUCH! I've never cared much for Michigan; Mom and Dad both attended Ohio State, so I'm kind of locked in to being a Buckeye fan, insofar as Big Ten athletics are concerened. September 1st would have been my dad's 68th birthday (he passed away in 2003). It's hard to think of a birthday present he would have enjoyed more than seeing Michigan lose to a I-AA school! If the sports bars in Heaven were carrying the game on their big screens, he was probably there, buying a round of Wild Turkey shots for all the Ohio State alums. Happy birthday, Dad.

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np: SportsCenter

nr: Ayn Rand - the Fountainhead

While the wife's away...

... Whiskey will play!

K and the kids were out of town for a few days earlier in the week, allowing me something that has become a rare luxury -- railfanning with few or no boundaries! No one to tell me where I can or can't go, when I have to be back home, or what I have to do when I get home... So on both of my rest days, I was out chasing trains most of the day. I had considered an overnight out-of-town trip (Rich Mountain on the KCS seemed appealing) but in the end I decided to stay closer to home. Here are some of the highlights...



I began my day on Sunday by chasing a trio of Ferromex GE's east on the UP Baird Sub (the former Texas & Pacific west of Ft Worth). What a catch! They're shown here approaching Santo. July 15, 2007.



On Sunday afternoon, I caught a pair of UP gensets switching the Del Monte / Saddle Creek warehouse in Saginaw.

I finally got some sunny shots of the BNSF Gensets -- BNSF 1228 at Saginaw.

A switch crew takes a break at Saginaw. BNSF 1228 and 2351 provide an illustration of motive power transition in the background.


Sunset at Herman on the BNSF Wichita Falls Sub (former Ft Worth & Denver northwest of Ft. Worth) .


On Monday, I was back out on the UP Baird Sub in time to catch UP 7625 (my first catch of a 7600) leading eastbound stacks west of Cisco near Dothan.

My camera setup for the previous photo...

Cryo-Trans reefer "Big Beaver" rolls through Roanoke on Monday afternoon...

End of the day on Monday... BNSF SD70ACe 9395 leads a coal train through Saginaw.

That's all for now; stay tuned for my next entry as I review Monday's Hank Williams III show.

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np: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder - "Get up John"

Still bloggin'

Still riding

Last Sunday, I embarked on a 100-kilometer (64 mile) bike ride through Keller, Roanoke, Argyle, Justin, Rhome and Avondale. I came home not knowing if I'd be anywhere near ready to undertake the 100-mile ride at this year's Hotter'n Hell Hundred, or if I'd even want to. I felt fine for the first 40 or 45 miles, but it was those last 15 that really hurt. It didn't help that I was riding into the wind for most of them. I flatted near Hicks Airport and ended up having to change my tire in the rain. But it was probably good that it happened when it did, because it forced me to take a break that I probably should have taken several miles earlier. I might never have made it home if it hadn't been for that flat. But Sunday's ride definitely told me something -- I'm either going to have to really step up my training to be ready for the hundred miles, or I'll settle for the 100-k again this year (if I go at all).

I joined a group of other riders for a few miles between Argyle and Justin...

On Monday, I finally made it back to the Trinity River trails (first time in over a year) for a bike ride. Consider it a "recovery ride" after Sunday's long excursion. I had almost forgotten how much I enjoy riding down there. The route closely follows the river so there aren't really any hills; some of the levees provide a degree of protection from the wind; and best of all, there's no car traffic to contend with. It's possible to ride 30 or 40 miles without entering or crossing a single street. And in certain areas, the trails continue on city streets as designated bike pathways. What's more, the trails provide a number of vantage points to observe local rail operations, which is always cool. I'll probably be riding down there a few more times this summer, and might make a weekly trip down there after school starts in the fall.

on the Trinity River trails... Monday, June 25

I met plenty of other bikes... but no cars

Still raining

Every day, the weather radar looks pretty much the same.... lots of green and yellow swirling above Texas and Oklahoma. Our typical summertime high pressure system hasn't developed this year, so nothing has blocked the gulf moisture from flowing inland and unleashing large quantities of rain. I feel bad for everyone who has been affected by the flooding, but in all honesty, I wouldn't complain if it kept raining all summer long. It has been keeping the temperatures down (highs only in the 80s late in the month of June are almost unheard of, and we definitely haven't seen triple digits yet), and is helping to keep our water and electric bills a bit lower than usual. Call me a weenie, but I'm just not cut out for those Texas summers the way I used to be.

Clouds like this build up just about every afternoon...

a rainy drive to work...

Dark clouds looming over downtown Ft. Worth

Still shooting

The rain and clouds haven't stopped me from taking a few photos here and there... I managed to get a few cloudy shots of BNSF's new Genset switchers working in Saginaw earlier this week. And last Saturday morning, a trio of UP Gensets were tied down at Roanoke.

BNSF Genset switcher # 1233 at Saginaw. Tuesday, June 26

UPY 2654 at Roanoke. June 23, 2007.

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np: Lucinda Williams - "Car wheels on a gravel road"