Two of the many ES44C4 locomotives built by General Electric for BNSF leading a double stack container train into the night east of Gallup, NM. The shadows have reached the bottom of the valley already but the sun still gives the clouds some colored texture. A long day of train watching along the „BNSF Transcon“ on New Mexico comes to an end.
One never knows what the next day will bring and the the Bolack Electromechanical Museum in Farmington NM is definitely a pleasant surprise on this tour- especially for a dedicated engineer like me. The museum is located at the B-Square Ranch, a private wildlife refuge, working farm and home of two museums established by Tom and Tommy Bolack. The collection occupies three large halls as well as considerable outdoor space. Besides of the (most likely) largest collection of pintype glass insulators in…
Today we go back in time a little bit. On one hand side this is a picture taken earlier on my tour in Kansas City, MO on July 19th 2016. On the other hand we have two SD 40-2s, still in Santa Fe dress, pulling a local through famous Santa Fe junction. These 35 years old units prove that they’re still able to contribute to operations of BNSF. Thanks a lot to John Rus, a local rail-fan I met down…
PLEASE OPEN THIS POST FOR A SOUND SAMPLE! After riding the Cumbers & Toltec Scenic Railroad the day before it was time to follow the train on its way up to Cumbers pass. The slow speed as well as close proximity of rails and highway 17 make chasing the train a fun trip. Once reaching Los Pinos with the significant water tank the road and track separate. Meanwhile the daily, monsoon season, storm rolled in and it is time to head…
Rail fans and families enjoy a ride in the open car on a train of the Cumbers & Toltec Scenic Railroad. On its 64 miles ( approx. 103 km) journey from Chama, NM to Antonito, CO the train climbs steep mountain passes, clings to canyon walls and travels across the high desert. On a slow but steady pace, it takes the „classic“ D&RGW K36 narrow gauge steam engine #489 about 6 1/2 hrs (2 hr. lunch stop included) to get the consist across the line….
A San Luis and Rio Grande train catches the last sun rays of the day outside Alamosa, CO. The little regional line is known for its multifarious collection of rolling stock. Earlier in the day I met Amtrak train #5, the westbound California Zephyr, while battling the grade up to Moffat tunnel. The line from Denver up the Front Range is a scenic gem but unfortunately, especially since the general decline in coal shipments, traffic is on a record low- in particular on…
Nowadays it is not an every day event to see an operating steam locomotive. Therefore, today I was extremely lucky to witness not just one but two engines pulling trains under their own power. For that reason this post features two pictures of the day. The header for this post shows UP844, one of the largest steam engines operating these days. It had the UP „Rio Grande“ heritage unit 1989 as well as the beautiful UP excursion consist in tow. I watched the…
This is an eastbound near Rock River, WY. It’s still some 90 miles and over Sherman Hill to Cheyenne.
The North East Corridor always draw attention to me. This line from Washington DC to Boston is different in many ways. It is mostly passenger traffic- long distance and commuter. The NEC is operated at pretty high speed over more than 100 year old infrastructure. The line features four tracks from Philadelphia to New Haven and is electrified all the way! In a nutshell- heavy electrics pulling high speed passenger trains in an urban and costal setting – a must see! Getting…
This city has pretty much everything a tourist can ask for- quite some history, a good share of the look and feel of the „old world“ and the driving spirit of a Union that never stops to reinvent itself. By chance, (or careful planning) I happened to come to Boston for the 4th of July. The whole city is dressed up for Independence Day and the fire works is an experience of it’s own. Walking the cradle of Liberty I got…