The Road to Rochelle

By early afternoon, we were trackside on the BNSF Aurora Subdivision, part of my current dispatching territory (I work 2nd shift on the C&I desk). I always enjoy getting a first-hand look at rail ops on lines I have dispatched. Within an hour, a westbound Z-train showed up...

Running hot for Portland, the Z CHCPTL races through Big Rock

We took our time driving to Rochelle, stopping for photo ops at towns along the way.

Looking west at Hinckley.

Ghost signs at Shabbona. Dig that Schlitz logo!

We're not in Texas anymore...

Steward, Illinois is Old Style country.

Steward depot

Rochelle, IL: "a hub city"

The city of Rochelle features a busy railroad crossing where BNSF's Aurora Sub (former CB&Q between Chicago and the Twin Cities) intersects with Union Pacific's east-west main (former C&NW) running west from Chicago. There's also some local industry and warehousing, along with UP's recently constructed "Global 3" intermodal facility.


Westbound UP freight crosses the Rochelle diamonds. UP traffic outnumbered BNSF moves by a sizeable margin during our visit.

"No clearance" sign near an old industry spur in Rochelle.

Stay tuned for more, coming soon...

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Spring Break breakdown - 4.2

Ghost sign pay-dirt

Continuing with Day Four (March 18) of our Spring Break trip... in Socorro, we located some ghost signs which had been on my "must shoot" list. In the city's downtown area, the K of P (Knights of Pythias) building features Owl Cigar ads on both its east- and west-facing walls (the best surviving example of which I've seen), and also a Bull Durham ad on its east wall.

Bull Durham tobacco ad - Socorro, NM

Owl Cigar ad - east wall of the K of P Hall. Socorro, NM

The building now houses an optometrist's office. Socorroans seem to take a certain level of pride in the signs; one passerby even recommended a nearby spot for me to obtain a more favorable photo angle (she said she had featured the signs on her Flickr page.) At any rate, they're worth checking out if you're in the area.

Owl Cigar ad, west wall, K of P Hall. Socorro, NM.

Continuing on, we stopped briefly to check out the caboose and rail cars on the Grefco spur (BNSF's rail line to Dicaperl, a perlite loading facility)...


Grefco Spur Milepost Zero. Caboose is used as a "shove platform" so brakemen won't have to ride the sides of the cars during the long shove up to Dicaperl.

As you can see, it's not in the best of shape.

Miss C waits patiently...

C checks out the railcar inventory.

Next, we continued on toward Belen and Albuquerque. Check back soon for the report & photos.

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np: Hank Thomspon - "Wake up, Irene"

No time for the blog... (7)

... just more photos. I'm almost current again.

"Billiards and Pool" ghost sign / Coca Cola ad - a non-railroad photo I snapped in Wichita Falls, TX during a railroad-themed photo shoot.

Dr. Pepper sign / storefront - Venus, TX

Chris Berman helps us make sense of the Cowboys' final game. He left out the phrase "Jerry Jones is a &$#%-ing retard", but we were all thinking it...

The Gourds at Dan's Silverleaf (Denton) on Jan 15. Highlights included a cover of Neil Young's "For the Turnstiles" --> segue into --> "Clear Night"...

... another highlight was the "Lowrider" instrumental during "High Highs & Low Lows". Viva Dem Gourds!

Check back soon for more...

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np: Corb Lund Band - "5 dollar bill"

return from west Texas

Still working through the November backlog... today I have 5 more shots from November 13, as I worked my way back to Fort Worth from Slaton...

Santa Fe depot at Snyder

Santa Fe circle-cross emblem at Snyder

Bodine Bros Drive-In Dairy near Colorado City

7-up fading ad near downtown Colorado City

BNSF 1733 on the Texas & Oklahoma Railroad in Sweetwater

On November 17, M joined me for another short trip to Argyle to try my luck at another silhouette shot at sunset. (See January 4 entry) A southbound arrived at just the right time...

Fourth time's the charm, as well... UP southbound near Argyle at sunset on November 17.

Check back in a day or two for more...

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np: Led Zeppelin - "Bring it on home"

endings... and beginnings

More from November: Finishing up a project that ended up being more long-term than I intended... and starting another trip...

Twice in late October, I attempted to get a silhouette shot of a train on the Choctaw Sub near Argyle at dusk.... but got skunked both times due to lack of traffic. The day after we got back from New Mexico, I finally logged a "mission accomplished"...

3rd time's the charm... southbound grain on the Choctaw Sub near Argyle on November 9.

I decided to take a short out-of-town trip back to west Texas on November 12/13 to attempt a few shots I'd been wanting to do for a while. As with most of my trips, the results were mixed... here are a few highlights.

On the UP Baird Sub between Ranger and Weatherford on Nov. 12. I hiked in about a mile east from the east switch at Tiffin...

I found some nice scenery, some fall color, and plenty of curves... but no trains...

... except for this eastbound, heading the wrong way for the photo I wanted. Maybe next time...

First United Pentecostal Church sign on crumbling wall - Ranger

Coming next: a morning between Slaton and Post, and an afternoon around Colorado City.

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np: Jesus & Mary Chain - "Just like honey"

RailRunners & Santa Fe relics

Ever since passing through the Albuquerque area during the last week of October about 8 years ago, I had wanted to get back and re-experience the fall color along the Rio Grande in that area. What better trains to photograph than the Albuquerque RailRunners, whose colors complement the cottonwoods, and which run on predictable schedules?

A southbound passes a colorful cottonwood near Isleta on November 4.

Mingling with BNSF traffic during a station stop at Belen

Departing Los Lunas, heading north in "push" mode...

A Southbound kicks up leaves as it approaches Isleta

Southbound in the late afternoon near Isleta.

Between RailRunner shots, we found time to discover a few Santa Fe relics around Albuquerque, including...

I thought I had found a nice GP30, until I came around to the engineer's side and discovered it had been hit by taggers. I'd love to see one of these repainted in BNSF "Heritage" colors (or even a fresh coat of blue and yellow) but its days on the BNSF roster are probably numbered.

SD40-2 # 6958 was in better condition...

Derelict Albuquerque shops building

Santa Fe logo at Albuquerque shops.

Coming next - more from Albuquerque, including ghost signs, fine dining, more fall color, and a flat tire. Check back in a few days... and Happy Thanksgiving.

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np: Robert Nighthawk - "You call yourself a Cadillac" (from Mississippi Delta Blues Vol. 1)

Hard Amarillo highway

"I ain't got no blood in my veins, I just got them four lanes of hard Amarillo highway" - Terry Allen

US Highway 60 - between Canyon and Hereford

Cowboy Motel - on old Route 66 in Amarillo

Zoot Suits / Tuxedo Rentals - Amarillo

irony in Bovina

Someone should tell her to stay off the tracks... ;-)

Stay tuned for more. Coming next... a gallery of grain elevators.

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np: ESPN College GameDay - Texas Tech vs Oklahoma preview

Road trip 1: day one

A few photos from my recent trip to New Mexico with Miss C...

Gas prices before and after the trip. We couldn't afford NOT to go! Who could have predicted they'd be even lower when we got back?

Day One: Cleburne to Amarillo (Sunday, November 2)


We didn't have to go far to find some fall color. BNSF 9943 passes colorful foliage near Alvord.

Heard's Hardware & Furniture - Bowie, TX. Ghost sign reads: "Matthew Heard & Cady. Implements - Buggies - Wagons - Stoves - Harness - Saddlery"

Hardware & Appliances

Matthew Heard storefront in Bowie

Kit's This and That / Perry Bros ghost sign

Ft Worth & Denver railway overpass west of Bowie

FW&D lettering and Burlington Route logo

We made it to Amarillo in time for a late dinner at the Big Texan Steak Ranch. If you've ever driven I-40 across New Mexico, Oklahoma, or the Texas Panhandle -- or most other highways that lead to Amarillo -- you've undoubtedly seen their billboards, promising a free 72-oz steak dinner to anyone who can finish it off in less than 60 minutes. It's a mandatory stop for anyone who enjoys: A) tacky road trip kitsch, B) a celebration of Texas "excess", and C) fine steaks. And Miss C. had never been...

We were in luck: when we arrived, a contestant was on stage, attempting to conquer the legendary "72". The steak was bigger than his stomach, however, and it ultimately conquered him, to the tune of a $72 price tag.

Coming next: Day Two - from Amarillo to Albuquerque. Stay tuned...

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np: Mazzy Star - "She's my baby"