A Railfanning Trip to TEXAS,
June, 2011
(click on each image to see a larger version -- approx 1024X768)
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 Galveston | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 |
First stop was the Mississippi River at Vicksburg where I planned to spend my morning watching Eastbounds coming off this bridge. The problem was that for some reason no train was running (anywhere) that morning! Vicksburg, Mississippi |
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Wandering West just before Monroe, Louisiana, my ATCS board lit up with Eastbound signals. Oh, great -- it's mid-day and the Sun is almost directly overhead! |
| How do you like that no trespassing sign for some color! |  |
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Another Eastbound was not far on the heels of the first so I waited at the same spot. This was a manifest freight with all KCS power and a Southern Belle leader! ...And, it had a DPU! First time I think I've ever seen a DPU on a manifest freight. 2:15pm |
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A third train was lined not far behind but I decided to try for variety without going far. This is still the same bridge over the Ouachita, just a few blocks farther East. 2:33pm |
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| 4:15pm After Monroe I headed toward Shreveport, following the KCS line on US-80 and keeping my ears on the radio. At highway speeds you can lose an opportunity fast but I managed to intercept this Eastbound stone train just West of Grambling, LA. Yea, the lighting really sucks but I'm not complaining -- I'll keep this spot in mind if I return home this way.. |
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I got a late start and headed out to a little park where the KCS Shreveport Sub-division crosses Caddo Lake. 11:39am |
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North of the park I heard another Northbound train and tried to catch him. I found this great spot but was just too slow getting out on the bridge at Black Bayou Lake. 1:01pm Rodessa, Louisiana |
That Northbound actually stopped to meet a Southbound and while trying to maneuver around to his head end I was surprised by the other train. 1:31pm |
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Once the Southbound was in the siding, the train I earlier tried to catch pulled on by for me to shoot. 1:43pm |
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Back at the Caddo Lake park I moved to the West side of the bridge for this Southbound grain train. 2:35pm |
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The next train due was Northbound which meant the only good angle on him was back-lit. I walked out on the old highway lift-bridge for the shot anyway. 3:17pm |
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| Not too bad really! |  |
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The last train I caught was this Northbound lead by a pair of KCS de Mexico units. Not a bad shot at all, but I think I'm wearing out this spot -- time to look for something else... 4:23pm |
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A Westbound comes over the Big Cypress Creek bridge and past the antique shops in town.The morning had been stormy, leaving backdrops of dark clouds to the East. 1:15pm |
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This Westbound coal train with all UP power is headed for the power plant at Welsh. I caught him at a place called Sarbanes with those nifty clouds. Southeast of Lassater, Texas 2:51pm |
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| 3:08pm The siding ahead at Lassater held a short Eastbound; he was along soon after the coal train cleared. |
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| 3:43pm Yep, that same coal train at Hughes Springs, Texas. |
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The last train I caught for the day was another loaded coal, this one heading to the plant near Thermo. East of Sulphur Springs, Texas |
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The day started out looking bad for me -- it seemed that again nothing was running where I happened to be, like this Southbound BNSF grain train. I found a spot where he would come over a bit of a rise and into a curve, but he beat me there and I settled for this hurried snapshot. :( North of Justin, Texas |
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Most of my day I seemed to be in just the wrong place, but before giving up I was caught by a flurry of activity on the BNSF in the Texas Hill Country. North of Blum, Texas 6:07pm |
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I was actually looking for a spot to catch an expected Southbound but then the dispatcher decided to hold that for a couple of Northbounds -- the KCS grain train above and this coal train with a pair of DPUs. Yea, the lighting is wrong and the DPU shot is cluttered, but I like it anyway! 6:20pm |
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6:50pm Two trains is enough for one spot so I moved a little deeper into the "hills" and happened on this cut just in time for the Southbound. |
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| That's the Brazos River near Kopperl, Texas. I'd heard that this year's drought has the river at near record low level so I figured some pictures were in order. | |
While looking at the river I heard a horn and soon this Northbound grain train appeared. I would've preferred a Southbound coming at me over the bridge, but I'll take what I'm given. ;) 7:37pm |
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Today I only shot this one photo, but sometimes it works out that way. North of Moody, Texas 3:22pm |
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| At the Beach with family in Galveston... | |
Another One-Shot Day! |
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OK, so yet another ONE-SHOT DAY!!! McGregor, Texas 12:39pm |
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Back on the KCS' Greenville Sub-division in North (East) Texas... At a place called Leesburg (Texas) |
| ...for some semi-foreign (TFM) power 3:15pm |
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Yep, that's a headlight in the distance... |
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...and a pair of pretty-nifty units! 3:28pm |
I paced three trains almost all the way to Shreveport, LA, the two I shot above, and this one that I almost caught at a signal called East Fox... Karnack, Texas |
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A bright Sunny morning but again it seemed like everything was coming at me out of that Sun! Gibsland, Louisiana 8:49am |
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I tried to intercept an Eastbound train I had seen leave Shreveport, but MOW activity destroyed that idea. Oh, well, I guess I'll just shoot the interesting MOW equipment! Just West of Grambling, Louisiana 9:12am |
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East of the Mississippi the skies quickly darkened. My only shot before real storms was again coming out of the Sun but this time it really didn't matter. Near Bovina, Mississippi |
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