These are various railroad photos taken
at various places, a lot being on Sunday mornings at Union Station in
Little Rock, Arkansas. Each
date will have its' own separate link...just click on a particular date
below. For
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PAGE LAST UPDATED May 6, 2008. Latest photos at bottom of page (to jump to the bottom of page, just press
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2001
OCTOBER 14, 2001(Union Station Little Rock. UP 9659, 6211, 9252, 1539, 9418)
OCTOBER 21, 2001(Union Station Little Rock. UP 4465, 1540, 4542, 8182(?) *** BNSF
4713 in bright red Santa Fe Warbonnet colors)
DECEMBER 9, 2001
(Union Station - 11 trains between 7:30 and noon, 9 photographed,
including UP 4699, 9795, 9536, 3782 *** others)
OLYMPIC TORCH
RELAY TRAIN PHOTOS IN ARKANSAS, DECEMBER 13, 2001 - Small
digital photos and a one-minute 1.4mb MPEG movie taken of the Union
Pacific Olympic Torch Train, Thursday, December 13, 2001. The shots
were taken at Gurdon, Arkadelphia and Donaldson, Arkansas.
DECEMBER 24, 2001(Union Station just before UP freights stopped running
for Christmas)
DECEMBER 28, 2001
- December 28, 2001 was the last day Union Pacific owned this bridge
across the Arkansas River between Little Rock and North Little Rock
(the Junction Bridge). This was a former Missouri Pacific line. Now UP
only has the Baring Cross bridge to operate on, although they haven't
had but one or two trains a month crossing the Junction Bridge in
recent months. UP gave the bridge to the City of Little Rock after the
STB approved the abandonment of it. The City takes it over officially
December 29, according to latest estimates. It is to be made into a
pedestrian bridge with an elevator in the middle to get over the span
lift, which will remain permanently open due to barge traffic. You can
see parts of the track going to the bridge taken from the River Market
in Little Rock as well as the Alltel Arena across the river in North
Little Rock. One scene has a kiddie train ride in the foreground. Also
on this page are a couple of photos of trains passing Union Station in
Little Rock, one having a CNW Operation Lifesaver unit as the third
unit. All photos taken December 28, 2001
DECEMBER 30, 2001
- December 30, 2001 at Union Station, Little Rock. There were many
different roadnames on locomotives today, including Union Pacific,
Cotton Belt, CNW, NS, CSX, BNSF, D&RG and Conrail. It was cold with
water frozen in small ponds again, and clouds increased during the
morning. Photos were taken between 908 a.m. and 1055 a.m. with a total
of six trains. The BNSF trackage rights train was unusually long
(didn't count the cars, but must have been over a mile and a quarter
long).
* * * * * * * * * *
2002
JANUARY 13, 2002
- Trainwatching, Union Station, Little Rock. Incliuded today is a
bright red F-Unit of the Idaho Northern between two black NS units,
northbound.
LITTLE ROCK &
WESTERN PHOTOS - Below are two days worth of photographing the
Little Rock & Western Railroad, January 9 and January 14, 2002.
This line runs from a junction with Union Pacific in Little Rock
westward to Perry, Arkansas (it's headquarters) then continues west to
Danville, Arkansas, the home of Wayne Farms, with it supplies much of
the grain used to feed chickens. The line is the old Rock Island
Choctaw route that ran from Memphis to Tucumcari, New Mexico through
Little Rock and Oklahoma City. The Little Rock & Western (LRWN)
took over operations of the line from Little Rock to Danville, Arkansas
in the mid 1980s. The old Rock west of Danville was taken up in 1985 or
so.
OUACHITA RAILROAD
PHOTOS - The following were taken Tuesday, January 22, 2002 by
Ken Ziegenbein. They show a working freight on the Ouachita Railroad
(OUCH) between El Dorado, Arkansas and Lillie, Louisiana. The
OUCH runs on the former Rock Island between these two cities. According
to Mike Robbins, President of OUCH, the line owns the following:
Locomotives: OUCH 1151 (GMD1) on loan to CQPA; OUCH 1159
(GMD1); and OUCH 63 (SW7, former EACH); Rolling Stock: 75 OUCH single
door boxcars; 50 DR Centerbeams for use at Georgia Pacific at Anthony
Forest. They run on a line (former Rock Island) 25 miles long between
El Dorado, Arkansas and Lillie, Louisiana.
Customers: Davison Petroleum (El Dorado); Anthony Forest
(El Dorado - lumber); Georgia Pacific (Catesville - lumber); Great
Lakes Chemical (Catesville - chemicals); and Willamette Industries
(Lillie, Louisiana - particle board)
JANUARY 24, 2002
- January 24, 2002 at Union Station. Little Rock, showing one freight
in the cold rain. I always thought railroads signify all-weather
transportation and scenes like this "prove" it.
The photos were taken about 3 p.m. CST by Ken Ziegenbein.
FEBRUARY 3, 2002
- Sunday, February 3, 2002 at Union Station in Little Rock . There were
lots of trains today. Some had to stop to let the yard area in North
Little Rock clear out. An engineer told us that there were 11
northbound trains stacked up behind him as of 1030 a.m. (I guess the
recession is over). As information, Amtrak President Warrington
announced yesterday, February 2, that Amtrak would discontinue all
long-distance passenger service October 1, 2002 unless Congress gave it
$1.2 billion.
FEBRUARY 6, 2002
- SNOW DAY, Wednesday, February 6, 2002 at Little Rock's Union
Station. It was 32 degrees with a dark sky and light freezing mist, but
the streets were ok so I ventured out. There were nine trains between
1130 am and 130 pm. It was a dark day with backlight problems, so I've
enhanced some of the photos so you can see the trains better. There's
also a shot taken inside the Little Rock Amtrak station, which has some
of the original benches taken from Memphis Central Station back in the
1980s or early 90s. Also shown is a switch heater (fire) under the
heavily used switch between the two main tracks just before going
across the Baring Cross bridge.
FEBRUARY 10, 2002
- SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2002 - Once again at Little Rock's Union
Station. Of special interest today is the photo of UP SD-70
#4724 with the new pollution control (Tier One). Robin Thomas, who was
also taking pictures, said it was probably a 2002 model.
FEBRUARY 16 and
17 2002 - These were taken Saturday, February 16
and Sunday, February 17, 2002 at Union Station in Little Rock. Sunny
skies. On Saturday, Februrary 16, there were fifteen trains between
1141 am and 421 pm with a half hour missed due to lunch. Robin Thomas
was there from 730 am till 1 pm and he had 18 trains during that time.
Total number of trains, not counting the overlapping counts between me
and Robin, was 27 from 730 am to 421 pm.
On the February 17 outing, there was a unit ballast/rock
"dump" train with the drawbar connections. Also I got a rare red Katy
gondola on which you can barely see the MKT white writing.
FEBRUARY 19, 2002
- FEBRUARY 19, 2002 at Union Station in Little Rock, showing a
LRWN freight waiting on a UP coal train and the southbound UP train
with an SP unit in the lead. It was a stormy day.
FEBRUARY 21, 2002
- Here are a few photos taken at Ashdown, Arkansas of the KCS and
Kiamichi Feb 21, 2002.
OLD "DROVER"
CAR
IN ASHDOWN, ARKANSAS - Clayton Castleman, 110 Little River 68,
Ashdown AR 71822 wants to know the origins of this 9-window "drover"
car near Ashdown, Arkansas. He nas moved this caboose (in the summer of
2003) and movee it next to the refurbished GN&A (aka. Memphis,
Paris and Gulf) depot in downtown Ashdown soon. (The KCS now owns the
former GNA line). For an updated photo of this caboose as of December
11, 2003, see HERE.
As you can see, the caboose,coach,baggage car was red at
one time... is it a former Cotton Belt caboose. He said it was built
between 1890 and 1920. It is wooden and has been at this location near
Ashdown for 35 years, the last 15 years being vacant. It was a bait
shop until 1987 or so.
FEBRUARY 28, 2002
- FEBRUARY 28, 2002. Taken at Union Station, Little Rock. One shot has
four locomotive roadnames. Also shows signs on the Amtrak station door,
the first day the Amtrak ticket offiice was closed due to the major
cutbacks in staffing...from 6 down to 1. It will only be open 11 p.m.
till 8 a.m. or so each day.
MARCH 3, 2002- MARCH 3, 2002. Today Robin Thomas, John Jones and myself went on
a 12-hour train photographing trip, starting from Little Rock, east to
Brinkley, up the UP's (ne. Cotton Belt) Jonesboro Sub, west from
Jonesboro on the BNSF (ne. Frisco) to Hoxie, then south from
Hoxie on UP's (ne. Missouri Pacific) Hoxie Sub. Included are scenes of
the being-remodelled Brinkley Rock Island/Cotton Belt depot and a good
shot of two UP trains going over the Little Red River bridge near
Judsonia, plus several towns in between. Also shown are photos of UP's
new Remote Control unit 100 at Searcy.
It was one of, if not THE coldest day of the winter with
temperatures starting out in the middle teens and staying in the 20s
all day with a strong northerly wind of 15 to 25 mph with higher gusts.
My fingers kept getting numb. It was clear, though. These are all the
usual small-size photos taken by my Sony Cyber-Shot. I have much higher
resolution photos of most of the scenes if you'd ever want one.
MARCH 10, 2002
- SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 2002. Scenes today show trackwork and a
couple of cars still turned over when a few cars of a northbound (I
believe) UP freight derailed predawn last Friday morning, March
8, at the north switch in front of Union Station in Little Rock.
Apparently, the gondolas were carrying sand. The Amtrak switch to
Amtrak's siding was damaged and removed and hadn't been replaced as of
Sunday morning. I was waiting on the CSX 769 SD70 MAC unit, but traffic
was so backed up that it was still in Texas after dark Sunday after
leaving Arlington, Texas at 3 Sunday morning. It finally went through
Little Rock about 10 Monday morning, but I was working and missed it.
MARCH 19, 2002
- I made a quick trip to Mineola, Texas via the Texas Eagle on Tuesday,
March 19, 2002 and here are a few scenes. The highlight of the
trip was the school tour of 84 Amish/Mennonite kids and their teachers.
They rode from Texarkana to Longview and had a ball. Dark clouds came
over Mineola late in the day and I got some interesting photos.
APRIL 3, 2002
- Went to the Amtrak station shortly after 11 p.m. at Little Rock,
Wednesday, April 3, 2002 and saw THREE BNSF units lined up side by side
at Union Station, one apparently on the Little Rock & Western line,
having backed onto that track. Before I could get my car stopped, the
one on the right (on the LRWN line) began to move, as can be seen in
the photo of the two units (note streak to right of engines). These
photos were taken using a handheld CyberShot camera with two second
exposure, so the shot of the two units plus the departing freight
is blurry. I managed to get one flash picture of the two standing units
just before they departed.
APRIL 13, 2002
- Here are a couple of train photos taken in College Station, Cat
Spring and Sealy, Texas Saturday, April 13, 2002 plus a photo of a BNSF
train in Brenham and a UP train in Hearne, April 14 and some shots of
the Winsboro, Texas KCS restored depot. Included are a few shots of
bluebonnets. I had wanted to get a shot of a UP train through my
hometown of New Ulm, but by the time I heard the train come through, it
was too late and I had to chase it to Cat Spring, about 11 miles away.
I barely made it in time.
APRIL 20, 2002
- Here are some photos of the Branson Scenic Railway at the old
Missouri Pacific depot in Branson, Missouri, Saturday, April 20,. 2002.
The F-Unit is BSR #98, the other unit is BSR #99. The lone car is
RSRX8503 "Silver Chief." Note the photo of the F-Unit with the
horse-drawn buggy in the background. They were not operating. Does
anybody know if they will this year?
APRIL 27, 2002
- APRIL 27, 2002. The Arkansas Railroad Club had an excursion on the
Ouachita Railroad (OUCH) from El Dorado, Arkansas to Lillie, Louisiana
(about 25 miles) and return on Saturday, April 27, 2002 (on the former
Rock Island). The President of OUCH, Michael Robbins and OUCH employee
Bobby Jones ran the train for both our club and as a working freight
that Saturday. We had a caboose and a flatcar with chairs firmly seated
to ride on. There were over 30 club members who rode this rare-mileage
excursion. Going to the Weyerhauser plant in Lilllie, we pulled 9
boxcars and coming back we hauled 10 mostly loaded cars behind us.
Speed was about 10 mph on the average, less on upgrades with one engine.
The scenery in the Arkansas and Louisiana springtime was
gorgeous with lush greenery and swampy land both in south Arkansas and
northern Louisiana. We stopped at Junction City, on the state line
between Arkansas and Louisiana for lunch at a barbecue place. We left
El Dorado at 10 a.m. and returned by about 4 p.m. All had a great
time.
At the bottom of the page are a few scenes I took the day
before of the beautifully restored Rock Island depot at Bernice,
Louisiana, about 7 miles south of Lillie, where the old Rock Island
tracks had been taken up years ago. However, it is rumored (good rumor)
that this former abandoned Rock Island right of way will once again
have tracks laid down later this year between Lillie and Bernice
because of demand of businesses there. Let's hope this occurs and that
one day we may be able to ride all the way to Bernice.
APRIL 28, 2002
- APRIL 28, 2002 - Union Station, Little Rock photos. What was
unusual today was a 4-unit laship of Cotton Belt locomotives on one of
the trains.
MAY 5, 2002-
MAY 5, 2002 at Conway, Arkansas' huge Toad Suck "Daze". Over 100,000
people were estimated at this downtown Conway festival each day and
Union Pacific's Arkansas Subdivision runs right through the middle of
town. Here are a few photos of 3 trains coming through on Sunday, May
5. Operation Lifesaver manned all the crossings with uniformed people
that stopped anyone from crossing the tracks ahead of the trains, even
though all the crossings have crossing gates and bells.
The craft festival, with vendors from as far away as
Indiana and New Mexico, is famous for its toad (frog) racing events
each day.
MAY 10, 2002
- MAY 9 & MAY 10, 2002 - Taken at Union Station, Little Rock.
What's sort of exciting to me is UP Flatcar #262002 with a load was on
one of the trains on May 10. That is the car we rode on back on April
27 when the Arkansas Railroad Club ran the excursion on the Ouachita
Railroad from El Dorado, Arkansas to Lillie, Louisiana and back over
the old Rock Island. I kept tracing the car just in case it would come
through someplace where I could catch a photo and today was the day.
See photos of this trip at: http://www.trainweather.com/apr27.html
This car went from the OUCH on UP down to Alexandria,
Louisiana on May 7 where apparently it picked up a load of some sort.
From Alexandria it was scheduled to go to the CSXT interchange in
Valjct, Illinois via UP with the interchange forecast to take place on
May 11. I kept checking the trace and about noon on May 10, it had left
McGehee, Arkansas at 1047 a.m. I knew then that it would be coming
through Little Rock and Union Station sometimes during the day. At 1240
p.m. it was at Grady, Arkansas and left Pine Bluff at 1:12 p.m. That's
when I headed to Union Station in Little Rock (I figured it would take
about 2 hours or so from Pine Bluff to Little Rock baring any stops).
I settled down for what I though might be a few hours,
since it had to go through Biddle Yard before coming past Union Station
and no telling what else the train had to pick up on the way. Well, at
304 p.m. I noticed the green light on the north main and knew another
northbound train was coming. UP3251 was on the lead and I noticed it
was a mixed train, but I thought it would be wild luck that a
train could make it from Pine Bluff to Union Station in less than 2
hours, but looking down the train, I noticed two bulkhead flat cars
about the middle of the train. Sure enought, the second flat was
UP262002.
I know this doesn't mean that much to most people, but
it's really fun to know that a car you've been associated with miles
away is coming through on a train. I guess I'll keep tracing this car.
Oh, by the way, the car's destination is Westfield, Massachusetts!
Don't think we could have ridden it that far!
JUNE 9, 2002
- Here are a few shots taken at Union Station, Little Rock, Sunday June
9, 2002. I was the only one there today.
JUNE 21, 2002
- These photos were taken the week of June 19-21, 2002. I'll start with
the Brinkley, Arkansas photos of three trains in only 30 minutes. A few
others were taken in Alabama and Georgia.
JUNE 23, 2002
- JUNE 23, 2002 at Union Station in Little Rock. Roadnames today
include Rio Grande, Norfolk Southern, SP, BNSF and UP.
JUNE 29, 2002
(Plus other days. Includes LRWN plus Baseline Rd in Little
Rock and Union Station, plus a UP special June 30 and a rainbow)
JULY 4, 2002
(Some taken of the Baring Cross Bridge, plus red, white and blue unit
DWP5908 on July 11)
JULY 14, 2002
(Three UP flagged/winged units passing Union Station plus
red CP9012)
JULY 21, 2002
(Brenham, Texas and Union Station in Little Rock with rainbow and
sunset)
CLASSIC RAIL
PHOTOS(These are photos I made in the 70s and 80s, including
lots of fallen flags, like the Katy)
RAIL
PHOTOS
IN THE MIDWEST, PLAINS AND MONTANA 2002 (Includes
DM&E,
Montana Rail Link, UP shops in Cheyenne, South Kansas and Oklahoma,
Amtrak's
Empire Builder through Montana. These will take a few minutes to
download
-I separated the pages with another link one time)
SEPTEMBER 9,
2002 (Some were taken in Newton, Kansas September 5, others
at Union Station in Little Rock September 9)
SEPTEMBER 22
& 29, 2002 (Union Station in Little Rock...various
locomotives plus a Delaware & Hudson boxcar)
OCTOBER 6, 2002
(Union Station, my first BNSF trackage-rights coal train, Chessie
hopper, colorized UP sequence)
OCTOBER 14,
2002 (Reader Railroad in Reader, Arkansas after the town became
unincorporated, plus a few Union Station photos)
OCTOBER 24,
2002 (Seven KATY gondolas on one train past Union Station in
Little Rock, 6 red and 1 green)
NOVEMBER 10,
18 & 24, 2002 (Some Union Station, Little Rock, some
Russellville, Arkansas. Includes a BNSF train on Amtrak siding)
DECEMBER 1,
2 &
3, 2002 (Some Union Station, including a bright red, unfaded
BNSF
warbonnet, a Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Illinois locomotive near
Palestine, Texas, the Texas State Railroad, the Hearne, Texas depot,
plus finally a UP train going through New Ulm, Texas on Dec 3)
NORTH ZULCH,
TEXAS - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2002 - NORTH ZULCH, TEXAS - A
dark, cold, rainy day in North Zulch, Texas - where the Rock
Island/Burlington Rockets used to zip through, if I remember correctly.
I rode one of these trains in the early 1960s. Now it's still a very
active BNSF line, but I didn't see any trains the half hour I was
there. I did get to photograph the railroad overpass across Highway 190
- it still says "Rock Island Lines - Burlington Lines."
DECEMBER 15,
2002 (Union Station, Little Rock. Also some scenes of an
abandoned Rock Island weed-covered signal near the station on the old
Rock Sunbelt Line.
DECEMBER 21&29, 2002 (Some
taken Branson, Missouri from a lodge next to the Missouri &
Northern Arkansas tracks in downtown Branson. Others taken
at Union Station in Little Rock December 29, 2002)
*
* * * * * * * * * * *
2003
JANUARY 12, 2003 (Snow at Union
Station in Little Rock in the afternoon)
JANUARY 19,
2003 (Union Station including Wisconsin Central #6604 and a
Detroit & Mackinac boxcar on a BNSF freight)
JANUARY 26,
2003 (Union Station, including a warbonnet in original Santa Fe
lettering)
FEBRUARY 4,
2003 (Atlanta, Texas, plus CN unit passing Union Station)
APRIL 29, 2003
(Sunset, BNSF, UP at Union Station Little Rock with Florida visitor Bob
Pickering.
MAY 3, 2003
- Conway, Arkansas annual Toad Suck Festival with 4 train passing
through the center of action.
MAY 5, 2003
- Included are two GE 's, a B30-7A and a B23-7M, on a southbound train.
MAY 10, 2003
- The South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad along with the Heart of the
Heartlands group ran a special roundtrip on Saturday May 10, 2003
between Winfield and Fredonia, Kansas. I was on board and heard
that there were 150 passengers and about 20 volunteer crew on board.
The train left Winfield on time at 9 a.m., arriving in Fredonia 30
minutes early at 1230 p.m. It left Fredonia at 2 p.m., returning to
Winfield 5 minutes early at 555 p.m. - good old Santa Fe
running! There were many 'old' Santa Fe hands on board.
The line used was the former Santa Fe line between the two
cities (the Fourth District of the Eastern Division). The train went
though the towns of New Salem, Cambridge, over Grand Summit (the
highest point in Kansas), Grenola, Moline, Elk Falls, Longton and
Fredonia. These were typical of small towns across America....with a
lot of abandoned buildings and railyards just outside the towns.
Fredonia and Winfield, though, appeared to be prospering. The
trip was 96 miles one way and we had some speed restrictions, highest
speed being 30-35 mph.
The ticket prices were only $30, which included a 'picnic
lunch' at a high school gym in Fredonia. This 'picnic lunch' turned out
to be a major barbecue buffet! And it all was included in the $30
ticket price! The Chamber of Commerce of Fredonia and others had
actually barbecued a hog the night before for the occasion, so we were
told.
Power/consist for the trip was FURX 1167, WAMX 8506, SEKR
non-powered RDC 9210 "Kaleigh Ann," SEKR non-powered RDC 9202 "Afton
Leigh,"and SEKR non-powered RDC 9203 "Fallyne Marie."- Consist was
reversed on the return trip with the engines running around the train
north of Fredonia.
For more information about the Heart of the Heartlands
group, go to their website:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/8458
MAY 18, 2003
- Little Rock Streetcar construction/Rock Island Choctaw Passenger
station in Clinton Library complex construction/CN untes at
Union Station.
MAY 25, 2003
- Cat at Union Station/SP units/Work caboose on a mixed train! (by
Brian Smith)/May 24 NS units in new paintscheme (by Robin
Thomas)/few more recent shots by Brian Smith including MoPac red
caboose and UP's E-9's in NLR..
MAY 31,
JUNE 1,
2003 - The usual variety of motive power at Union Station, plus
visitors
from Pennsylvania and Tennessee (Bart Jennings)
JUNE 8, 2003
- Most unique today was SOO 6055. All at Union Station.
JUNE 12-14,
2003 - BNSF in Brenham, Texas; KCS in Jefferson, Texas; UP in
Texas; Amtrak in Jefferson, others
JUNE 15, 2003
- Union Station, some spring flowers with the trains, man and boy.
JUNE 22, 2003
- Amtrak 21, two hours late, plus some scenes taken from the north side
of the tracks.
JUNE 27-28,
2003 - UP NLR to Bald Knob, AR;UP Kingsville, Robstown, Texas
FEBRUARY
1969 - One of the last Missouri Pacific Texas Eagles to arrive
in Fort Worth at the T&P station.
UP WRECK NEW ULM, TEXAS JULY 22, 2003
- From New Ulm Enterprise newspaper. UP wreck east of New Ulm, Texas
Tuesday, July 22, 2003. This photo was also in the New Ulm Enterprise -
this one was in the Brenham Banner Press July 24. Another B&W photo
in the New Ulm Enterprise is also included.
AUGUST
2, 2003 - Kansas & Oklahoma RR, McPherson, Kansas
AUGUST
3,
2003 - GREEN RIVER, WYOMING views on Sunday, August 3, 2003.
AUGUST
4, 2003 - These were all taken Monday, August 4, 2004 at an
abandoned rest stop off Interstate 80, right before you cross the
Wyoming-Utah state line. I had almost given up waitng for a train, but
then I spotted an eastbound UP coal train on the upper, high
line. Just after I had taken that photo, I got back in the car to leave
when I saw an eastbound UP mixed freight in my side mirror on the lower
line. What resulted was a meeting of two UP trains in
mountaineous terrain. Talk about luck. The time was about 930 a.m.
AUGUST 6, 2003 - Here are four
photos of part of the Idaho Northern & Pacific rare-mileage trip
we'll be taking August 8. These were taken August 6, 2003 from Highway
55 on my way to McCall for the night. All scenes were north of
Horseshoe Bend. Included is a shot of the shortest railroad tunnel in
the world, which we'll be going through.
AUGUST 31, 2003
- SATURDAY, AUGUST 30 AND SUNDAY, AUGUST 31, 2003 at Union Station in
Little Rock..
SEPTEMBER 6,
2003 - On Saturday, September 6, 2003, the Arkansas Railroad
Club had its annual picnic outing at member Peter Smykla, Jr's Paperton
Junction Southern Railway in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Following are
some scenes of this outing and information on the railroad's rolling
stock. It was a beautiful, dry and clear day. There were no train
rides, just a get-together and picnic. To see other current and past
railroad photos, go to http://www.trainweather.com/sunday.html.
SEPTEMBER 7,
2003 - Union Station, Little Rock including engine OSS101.
SEPTEMBER 14,
2003 - Union Station, Little Rock. Includes BNSF SF Warbonnet
and
unique grafetti car.
SEPTEMBER
28,
2003 - Union Station in Little Rock with CSX in new paint
scheme,
old SP logo, Montana Rail Link, BNSF, new ties.
OCTOBER 3-5,
2003 - Kansas & Oklahoma RR in Haven, Kansas, BNSF speeding
through Burrton, Kansas, both at sunset.
OCTOBER
28, 2003 - Lucky shot of Sunset Limited crossing Heights Blvd
in Houston, Texas plus Houston Union Station/Light Rail
NOVEMBER 2,
2003 - Southern 4610 in the famous Southern green paint scheme,
Genesee & Wyoming 147, Sperry Rail 124, at Union Station, Little
Rock.
NOVEMBER
9, 2003 - More photos of Little Rock Streetcar construction.
NOVEMBER 16,
2003 - Three pure SSWand SP locomotives on trains passing
Little Rock Union Station.
DECEMBER 6, 2003 - Eastbound UP
coal train at Sallisaw, Oklahoma, Saturday December 6, 2003 at 415 pm.
First train photo with new camera. Also one photo of the depot. The
original photos were 5 megapixels, but I always reduce them to 630
pixels wide on the webpage otherwise it would take months to download
:).
DECEMBER 11, 2003 - KCS Coal
train southbound through Ashdown, Arkansas at 441 pm Thursday, December
11, 2003. KCS #2008 was in the lead. Plus a shot of the recently
moved (last summer) former SSW caboose/'Drover' car to the GNA depot in
Ashdown.
DECEMBER 11,
2003 - KCS Santa Train night photos, Ashdown, Arkansas.
DECEMBER 21,
2003 - Union Station, Little Rock. Centerbeam flat with load,
CNW unit.
DECEMBER
25, 2003 - A Christmas Texas Eagle at Little Rock No. 22, on
time at 1159 pm.
DECEMBER 27,
2003 - TFM, NS and SP units today passing Union Station.
DECEMBER
29, 2003 - Texas Eagle No. 21, 430 a.m., Little Rock. On time.
*
* * * * * * * * * * *
2004
JANUARY 1,
2004 - Empty coal train on this first day of 2004.
JANUARY 3,
2004 - An unaltered SP unit and an empty coal train past One
Track Mind Hobby shop.
JANUARY 9,
2004 - Sunset Limited on bridge in Bay Saint Louis, MS plus
night shots of Bay St Louis depot.
JANUARY
11, 2004 - DELTA SOUTHERN #104 a couple of miles north of
Translyvania, Louisiana, January 11, 2004. It was idle. One of the
grain cars was leaning to the right, but still on the rails. This
line was once the route of the Missouri Pacific "Delta Eagle" back in
the 1940s. It is my understanding that the line still runs from
Tallulah, Louisiana to McGehee, Arkansas. Is this correct?
JANUARY 13,
2004 - Little Rock Western plus two SP units passing Union
Station Little Rock.
JANUARY 18,
2004 - Union Station, including NS, IC, SP plus a digital movie
(MEPG)
JANUARY 22, 2004 - The UP
Challenger, No. 3985, ran from St Louis to Bernie, Missouri today.
While it was supposed to be at Bernie at 3 p.m., it arrived about 6
p.m. due to trackwork and a lot of trains on the division. At one
point, it was held on a siding at Avert, Missouir, about 8 miles north
of Dexter for two hours, but it couldn't be helped. As far as I know,
nothing was wrong with the 3985 itself. Many thanks to Ed Mertes of St
Louis who called me from the train.
I was waiting for it at Dexter, Missouri for over 3 hours,
as was many others. There were hundreds lined up to see it coming
through Dexter at 540 p.m., but it was mostly dark by then. I made a
sound digital movie of it coming through Dexter since I couldn't take
an unblurry photo of it anyway. However, I had the movie setting on my
Sony camera set to VGA (640) mode, so the file is 33 mb in size. Except
for viewing on my own computer, that's way to large to send over the
internet unless you have a broadband connection. Even then, 33mb is
quite a lot. So I won't put that on here at this time. Basically you
could see the lights and hear the great steam whistle of the 3985, but
not much else.
Here are some time-exposure photos I took at Bernie, MO
after the train arrived. There were hundreds here too, and driving the
8 miles south from Dexter to Bernie took 30 minutes or so as traffic
was crawling at 15 mph.
JANUARY 23, 2004 - Today I
chased and photographed the special UP Challenger steam train from
Bernie, Missouri to Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It was full sun,
excellent photography weather.
JANUARY 24, 2004 - Today I got
photos of the Challenger from Pine Bluff to Texarkana, Arkansas and it
contains the first shot of the train in Texas. Unlike the perfect sunny
day yesterday, today it was raining, sometimes heavily, all day.
JANUARY
25-26, 2004 - Five photos of trains in Little Rock/N
Little Rock, one on Crystal Hill Road.
UP 3985 STEAM
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 - UP Challenger 3985 photos on part of
its trip from Dexter, Missouri to Texarkana, Arkansas, then from
Conroe, Texas to North Little Rock to Van Buren. Included are night
shots, the Conway tunnel, Ozark, Arkansas, plus a lot of cities and
towns in between.
FEBRUARY 3, 2004 - Today I
followed the steam special from Conroe, Texas to Longview and got shots
at Conroe, Trinity, Crockett, Overton and Longview.
FEBRUARY 4, 2004 - Today I
followed the train from Atlanta, Texas to North Little Rock, Arkansas.
It arrived at the UP Jenks Shops about 420 p.m. and will be open for
public display Thursday. Today I have scenes taken in Atlanta,
Texarkana, a low bridge near the Red River, Hope, and Little Rock and
North Little Rock. It was cold, but above freezing, with light sleet
from Texarkana to Little Rock and as I write this at 10 pm Wednesday
night, we're having thunder and lightning along with rain and sleet
mixed, temperatures 34 degrees.
FEBRUARY 5, 2004 - Today the
Challenger and its cars were on display to the public in North Little
Rock behind the UP offices on 4th Street. Jenks Shops can be seen in
the background. Noteworthy to me were the groups of school children
that were bussed to the area so they could see and touch the mighty
steam machine. Old and young alike came out by the thousands in the
cold and rain to view the 3985. Some were making memories that will
last a lifetime - others were having memories of past, simpler times
when steam ruled the railroads and trains were as popular as
automobiles are today. I think these pictures convey both generations.
FEBRUARY 5, 2004 NIGHT - Night
shots of the 3985 in North Little Rock plus our night out at Grampa's
Catfish House with most of the Steam Crew, Thursday, February 5, 2004.
FEBRUARY 6, 2004 - The
Challenger left North Little Rock at about 845 a.m., heading west to
spend the night in Van Buren. Included are scenes at Burns Park in
North Little Rock, the tunnel just west of Conway, Russellville, and
the bridge at Ozark, which has a view of the Arkansas River to the
south and town of Ozark to the north.
BURTON, TEXAS RENOVATED SP DEPOT, FEBRUARY
1, 2004 - FEBRUARY 1, 2004 in Burton, Texas showing the
renovated Houston & Texas Central Railroad depot (later SP). This
depot was made a Texas Historic Landmark in 1991 and is a beautiful
example of good renovation work.
Burton began as a terminal on the H&TC in 1870. A
depot built that year burned in 1898 and was replaced by the current
structure built according to standard plans of the Southern Pacific
Rairoad, which absorbed the H&TC. It exhibits elements of the Queen
Anne and Italianate styles. Outstanding features include wide
overhanging eaves and "Sunburst" gable windows, typical in Southern
Pacific structures. (This information from the plaque attached to the
building).
FEBRUARY 22, 2004
- Union Station, includng a 5 1/2hour late Eagle, NS, BNSF and both
colors of CSX.
FEBRUARY 27,
2004 - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2004 on the KCS in Heavener and
Page, Oklahoma and Rich Mountain and Mena, Arkansas.
FEBRUARY
28, 2004 - KCS action and Railspot members at Page, Oklahoma
and elsewhere.
FEBRUARY 29,
2004 - Union Station, including UP, CR, CSX, TFM, BNSF, SSW.
DALLAS, TX
MARCH 26, 2004 - In Dallas for the annual TX Association of RR
Passengers/NARP meeting. View of Dallas Union Station and trains from
hotel room on 8th floor, plus Dallas, Garland & Northeastern
passing the station as well as TRE and DART and Amtrak 22.
APRIL 4, 2004 -
LaGRANGE, TEXAS - Wednesday, April 7, 2004 at La Grange,
Texas showing one UP empty rock train plus scenes of the neat little
former-Katy depot there.
APRIL 10, 2004 - SUNDAY, APRIL
11, 2004 at Union Station, Little Rock. Was there about an hour and a
half and saw UP, CN, BNSF, SP, all northbound. All photos by Ken
Ziegenbein.
MAY 2, 2004
- Union Station with CN, KCS, SP, NS and UP. Several were there from
out of town to attend the UP open house later.
UNION
PACIFIC OPEN HOUSE AT JENKS SHOPS NORTH LITTLE ROCK MAY 2, 2004 - May
2, 2004 open house at Union Pacific's North Little Rock's Jenks Shops
and North Little Rock's yards. Fifty of the 52 photos here were reduced
in size to 320 pixels wide, so they shouldn't take too long to load. I
put all the photos I made on this site to have a permanent record of
the event.
Hundreds of people, many with small children, attended the
Union Pacific Jenks Shops open house Sunday afternoon, May 2, 2004, in
North Little Rock, Arkansas. Along with UP tour guides inside the Jenks
Shop locomotive repair facility ready to answer any questions, there
were free hot dogs and soft drinks - even a bunch of portable toilets
set up. They also chartered about a half dozen North Little Rock school
buses for personally guided tours of the Hump Yards and other parts of
the large UP yard facilities. The lines for the buses were long.
My indoor photos were without flash with the ISO set to
800. A few of the statistics about the yard given by the 30-year UP
employee onboard my bus was as follows:
1) UP averages 68 trains a day through Arkansas.
2) The North Little Rock yards handle an average of 62,000 cars a month
(this March they handled 66,000).
3) The NLR yards are the largest capacity-wise on the UP system
according to our guide.
4) UP uses 5 million gallons of diesel fuel a month in North Little
Rock.
5) Besides repairing locomoitives, UP also repairs freight cars at
North Little Rock, averaging 75 cars a month.
6) UP is the number one employer in the city with 1,900 employees with
a payroll of $160 million a year.
7) The yard complex is five miles long with dozens of tracks. If all
the tracks were laid end to end as one railroad, it would go 225
miles.
MAY 9, 2004
- Union Station with various coal trains and mixed locomotive
consists.
MAY 16, 2004
- Union Station including a Tropicana Refrigerator car and a
Ferromex locomotive, among several other non-UP units.
UP 3985 AT
LODGEPOLE, NEBRASKA - Union Pacific's Challenger steam
locomotive, the 3985, started a several week journey to Houston, Texas
from its home in Cheyenne, Wyoming on Saturday, May 22, 2004. Here is
the train's first service stop on this epic journey, at Lodgepole,
Nebraska about 1130 a.m. that day. My wife and I were on our way
to Montana for another special train ride and worked it out so that we
could be in Lodgepole on May 22. There is also a shot of it
speeding eastbound through Chappell, Nebraska, about 9 miles east of
Lodgepole.
UP
CHALLENGER JUNE 17, 2004 - The UP Challenger is shown heading
for Arkansas through Jefferson, Texas and then at its service stop in
Texarkana, Texas/Arkansas.
JUNE 27, 2004
- Union Station in Little Rock. Included today: Unknown 7097, UP 4180,
UP 3480, UP 2511, LMS 7922, UP4841, FURX 3009, CSX 480, NS 9542.
JULY 2, 2004
- Including two trains passing between Sinton and Odem, Texas (one with
a BNSF unit and the other a NS unit) and one train in the hole at
Woodsboro (with KCS/TFM power). Also some shots of the newly restored
Kingsville, Texas MoPac depot, complete with a high black iron fence
protecting the track.
JULY 3, 2004
- At Kingsville, Texas. Included today is a UP freight running
northbound by the restored Kingsville depot at 530 p.m., just as the
new bandstand dedication was beginning across the tracks. Plus BNSF
4371 pulled into Kingsville from the south and did some switching
maneuvers with perfect last afternoon lighting about 7 p.m.
JULY 18, 2004
- Union Station in Little Rock. Today we saw some rather rare cars,
including a Cotton Belt Scale Test Car built in June 1926, SSW #99203.
The same train, a Pine Bluff loccal, had an unpatached SP unit on the
front (SP #8576) and a Missouri Pacific work car in the middle of the
train. The scale test car was the second car from the rear. Also today,
a CSX lead unit in the new CSX
color scheme, an old UP faded unit #202, a UP and BNSF combination on
the
head end of a southbound coal train, plus NS, CEFX.
JULY 25, 2004
- Included today: HLCX 6225, several NS units, several UP units,
one
Conrail and several CSX units. Also today, a relatively rare train used
the
Amtrak siding. UNION
STATION
BUILDING, JULY 25, 2004 - Photos of Union Station itself July
25,
2004 and previous dates. AUGUST 15,
2004
- Little Rock's Union Station. Of special interest today was
Wisconsin
Central 6611, CSX 7532, SP patched 483, Rio Grande patched 9850, NS
8949,
a bright yellow tank car, LLPX 2306 leading a weed-spraying train,
ASPLUNDH
car, and various UP locomotives. A total of 23 pictures.
AUGUST 22, 2004 - A couple of
faded SP units passing Union Station in Little Rock on August 22, 2004.
SOUND MPEG
MOVIE
AMTRAK 22, AUGUST 28, 2004 - This was a request I had to record
the
horn of Amtrak engine #84 for a blind middle-school boy in Illinois.
The
Eagle was 2 hours and 25 minutes late, arriving at 2:25 a.m.
STREETCAR
TRACKS/WIRES
AUGUST 29, 2004 - Views of overhead wires and completed track
for
the new Little Rock/North Little Rock streetcars. They did a test run
August
27.
SEPTEMBER 4-5, 2004 - Includes
PJS Alco 303 in Pine Bluff and passing coal trains at Union Station.
SEPTEMBER 12, 2004 - Special
airline parts two-car train; Trona locomotive 6242; BNSF coal train,
all at Union Station.
PERSISTENTLY EARLY TEXAS EAGLE 21 September
23, 2004 - I took Amtrak 21, the southbound Texas Eagle,
from Little Rock to Austin, Texas on Thursday, September 23, 2004. The
train was close to on time or early at every stop. Here's the story and
photos.
OCTOBER 10, 2004 - Little Rock
Union Station in the rain. Includes a UP work equipment train.
TROLLEY RIDE FOR CLUB MEMBERS OCTOBER 20,
2004 - This was a last-minute chance for us as Arkansas
Railroad Club members to get a ride over River Rail Streetcar's entire
2.5 mile route through North Little Rock and Little Rock. I called and
emailed as many as I could to notify of this event after getting a call
from John C Jones saying he had arranged for the special
once-in-a-lifetime event. It was dark and cloudy at 6 p.m.
OCTOBER 24, 2004 - Union Station
in Little Rock. Bright, sunny, mild day - temperatures in the 70s.
Includes many non-UP power, including Santa Fe 146 in warbonnet colors.
FALL COLORS UP BRANCH NLR, AR -
These were taken along the UP branch line to Camp Robinson in North
Little Rock, Arkansas on November 19. 2004.
AMTRAK'S TOYOTA 'TUNDRA' LOCOMOITVE
- Taken at Union Station in Little Rock at midnight, November 25, 2004.
These were painted to two locomotives and were to be used through
December 2004.
AMTRAK TEXAS EAGLE LITTLE ROCK DEC 29, 2004
- This train was 9 and a half hours late due to a late start in Chicago
the night before, so it arrived at 1:35 p.m. instead of
4:30 a.m. Two private cars were on the end.
* * *
* * * * * * * * * *
2005
JANUARY 1, 2005 - A foggy day at
Union Station in Little Rock. Rather 'moody' photos.
JANUARY 9, 2005 - A Kasgro
16-axle heavy duty 450-ton depressed deck flat car. Plus there was one
unaltered Cotton Belt and one two unaltered SP units today passing
Union Station in Little Rock.
JANUARY 16, 2005 - Unusual today
were two
back to back BNSF trackage-rights trains, the second being a BNSF
intermodal, something we had not seen going northbound through Little
Rock before.
JANUARY 30, 2005 - Of special
interest today is Conrail 6783, BNSF 8923, BN green coal hoppers, and
DWP 2905. It was cloudy and cool, in the 40s.
FEBRUARY 6, 2005 - Special
interest
today: UP work crew in SW Little Rock, Feb 5; SP 8352, UP 1337, GATX
7367, two passing northbounds.
FEBRUARY 26, 27, 2005 - I
went to Rich Moutain, Arkansas and Page, Oklahoma this weekend
(February 26, 27, 2005) to get some KCS action, but failed to capture
even one KCS train while there. However, on my way back to Little Rock,
I stopped at Union Station and got several trains in an hours period,
INCLUDING KCS #2049 as the second unit in a UP train. So I finally got
my KCS locomotive, even though I wouldn't have had to leave home to do
it! Also today, Feb 27, I saw UP, SF blue/yellow, NS, BNSF, and a
Cryo-Trans car. Also, two MoPac cabooses on display in Crystal Springs,
Arknasas, about 15 miles west of Hot Springs, on Feb 27.
CHOCTAW/ROCK ISLAND DEPOT AT CLINTON LIBRARY
- I decided to go to the Clinton Library in Little Rock just to take a
few photos of the refurbished Choctaw (Rock Island) passenger station
the library made into a school. Plus some photos of the Rock Island
bridge, which the library is supposed to make into a walking path by
the end of 2005. As some of you know, the 100-year old Choctaw Freight
House, which sat across from the passenger station, was demolished for
the library in November 2001, but at least they did a good job of
refurbishing the Choctaw passenger station.
I parked in North Little Rock, rode the trolley across the
Arkansas River to the River Market in Little Rock, then walked about a
half mile to the Clinton Library. Security personnel are all over, and
if you go inside the library, you will be searched like at an airport.
Nobody said anything about my taking photos, though. In fact, former
U.S. Senator David Pryor, who is the dean of the Clinton School
(located inside the Choctaw Passenger Station), told me it was no
problem taking the pictures.
So far, whether or not one likes or dislikes President
Clinton, the library has been a real boon to Little Rock's River Market
area for tourists, including riders of the streetcars. Almost every day
I ride the trolleys, someone boards who came to town to see the
library. Personally, I have not yet been inside it myself.
MARCH 2005 STREETCAR CROWDS LIT/NLR, AR
- March 2005 views of the increasingly busy Central Arkansas River Rail
streetcar system. These photos were all made in March 2005 in various
kinds of weather. On March 30, there was a group from Norway onboard,
plus visitors from at least six states. On March 29, ridership on just
one of the streetcars totaled over 600 in just a few hours.
Spring break was in full swing as well so there were a good deal of
children. Made me feel like I was in a flashback to the 1930s and
1940s! (Ken Ziegenbein)
APRIL 3, 2005 - Seven various
UP/CSX/CNW units at Union Station in Little Rock.
APRIL 6, 2005 - Near Somerville,
Texas. This was on the BNSF at the Texas FM 1948 road crossing a couple
of miles south of Somerville, Texas where FM 1948 hits Texas Hwy 36.
There's a shell station there and I was standing in the covered picnic
shelter at that intersection. I missed the dpu's however. Time was 8:50
a.m. April 6, 2005.
APRIL 18, 2005 MOVIE - LARGE - A
1 minute 52 second sound mpeg movie of Amtrak's Texas Eagle northbound
No. 22 leaving Little Rock. It's almost 3 mb in size so dialup will
take a few minutes. But I thought since its so rare for such long
trains (this one had 16 Superliner cars due to the combining of the
previous day's train in Dallas because of a minor derailment the day
before. It was a Sunday night), I'd preserve it in cyberspace. They had
trouble loading the second engine. It finally left at 1:52 a.m. (Note I
had said it was April 17, but since the train got to LRK after
midnight, it was actually Monday, April 18, 2005)
APRIL 24, 2005- Sunday,
April 24, 2005 at the station in Little Rock, Arkansas. It was
a bright, sunny day. Included are locomotives: UP (5056, 1540, 9525,
4788, 4504, 4408, 4190, 3989, 3848, 3753); NS (8893, 9824); SSW 9699;
SanfaFeBlueYellow 6760; CSX 768; BNSF 4597. Also one bright red Canada
car. Later in the day, I got a couple of artsy sunset scenes across the
tracks.
APRIL 30, 2005 - At Union
Station in Little Rock. Locomotives included today are: UP (3819, 4519, 4261, 3991, 4430); NS (9118, 6603, 8300, 6637, 9620); HLCX 3814, blue-red. Plus a
dove paid me a visit.
NIGHT PHOTOS RIVER MARKET LITTLE ROCK
- I decided, since it was my birthday April 30, 2005, to celebrate by
taking some night photos of the Little Rock/North Little Rock trolleys,
using my Sony DV1 digital and time exposures. I walked all over the
very busy River Market District and downtown area of Little Rock on
this Saturday night with my camera and tripod. There were hordes of
cars and people (several times I was asked to take people's pictures).
I walked all the way from the Museum of Discovery to Robinson Center,
then over to Second Street and back to the River Market, all toll a
couple of miles. Bands were playing, nightclubs were full, there
was a party atmosphere on the streets.
I noticed that the streetcars had very slow going on
Markham/Clinton Avenue due to cars backed up 2-3 blocks and people
walking on the tracks. However, there was standing room only on
some streetcars too. I'm putting this on the web for those of you who
no longer want to go out late at night to party or to see streetcars
(me neither, most of the time - I wouldn't have been here either if it
were not for the streetcars!) (Taken by Ken Ziegenbein)
BOONE & SCENIC VALLEY RAILROAD
- May 21, 2005, in Boone, Iowa. They fired up and ran the Chinese steam
locomoitve, JS8419 for the first time on this day.
RIVERFEST - LITTLE ROCK-TROLLEYS
- May 28, 2005 - Riverfest 2005 at Little Rock and
North Little Rock, Arkansas, May 27-28, 2005. For the first time, the
River Rail Streetcars were running and I went along for the ride. There
was standing room only on the two sreetcars that ran the entire North
Little Rock-Little Rock loop. In fact, several times they had to tell
people to wait for the next trolley after reaching the max number of
riders per car (80). This website will have photos of these full
trolleys as well as the areas surrounding the festival. I even got a
shot of the Bush Baked Beans dog!!
Since so many had to be turned away because of full trolleys, at
times tempers flared in the line waiting to get on. I recall one lady
trying to call police because the lady behind her was pushing her
little girl out of the way. Thank goodness it wasn't that hot
outside (temps only around 80 and dry - I remember years when it was at
least 90 and humid). The fare box was stuffed with dollar bills
and quarters with the motorman having to frequently dump the money into
the 'safe box' below. All in all, at least from what I saw today,
the trolleys
were a tremendous hit. It was also helpful that people from Central
Arkansas Transit stood at many stops with change for riders.
FIREWORKS AT
RIVERFEST MAY 29, 2005 - Annual Riverfest fireworks,
Sunday,
May 29, 2005 taken from the Park Hill area in North Little Rock,
Arkansas.
THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE, BRANSON, MO JUNE 3,
2005 - "Day Out with Thomas" in Branson,
Missouri June 3, 2005, starring Thomas the Tank Engine. Huge
crowds. It was also held June 4, 5, 10, 11,12. Neat sight to see.
It was run using the Branson Scenic Railway's regular equipment.
JUNE 5, 2005 INCLUDING 'TEMPO' GROUP AT
UNION STATION - Sunday, June 5, 2005 at Union Station,
Little Rock. Includes some Sony 'Nightshot' photos at 4 a.m. of passing
trains and a group of Texas Eagle Marketing and Performance
Organization (T.E.M.P.O.) passengers who were catching Amtrak's Texas
Eagle, No. 21, heading back to Texas. Also included are some colorful
sunrise/train photos. Locomotives today: UP-(4086, 3453, 9141, 9371,
8318, 8503); BNSF 5091; CSX 8318. Plus two red MKT gondolas.
JUNE 19, 2005 - June 19, 2005 at
Union Station in
Little Rock plus some scenes of cars on the former Rock Island (now
Little Rock & Western) near Murray Lock and Dam.
DEPOTS - A 'LIVING' SITE -
Started June 18, 2005, this will be an ongoing site of current standing
depots in the mid-south region of the country. The depots may be
abandoned or used.
JUNE 25, 2005
- Saturday, June 25, 2005 at Union
Station in Little Rock. We were in an 'Ozone Action Day' alert and you
could see the haze before I Paint-Shop-Pro'd it to clear it up. Also
today, the second to last photo on this page will be for those who have
a widescreen computer monitor - 1280 pixels wide. Let me know if you
would like more of these higher-resolution photos. Locomotives today
include: UP 4237, 5577, 8023, 4107, 4227; CSX 4693, 4682; CN 6142.
LITTLE ROCK TROLLEYS JUNE 25, 2005
- A few
River Rail streetcar scenes in the busy River Market in Little Rock on
Saturday, June 25, 2005. There was a motorcycle gathering of some
sort (Thunder at the Rock) plus a busy Farmers Market. Plus
the Clinton Presidential Center had its 329,000th visitor since opening
in November 2004 (the trolleys have already carried 125,000 passenger
during that same time period).
TEXAS EAGLE JUNE 24, 2005 - I
went to the Amtrak station (Union
Station) in Little Rock to meet a returning group of Rotary Club
passengers who had been in Chicago in the wee hours of Friday, June 24,
2005. The train (Amtrak 21 Texas Eagle) was on time at 4:30 a.m. and
the station was really busling with activity while the rest of the
world slept. I thought the night owl background was appropriate.
JUNE 26, 2005 - June 26, 2005 -
Another somewhat hazy day at Union Station watching the
parade of locomotives and cars that pass by each day. Included
today are: UP 5225, 9402, 9112, 1336, 8755, 6431, 4713; CSX 2755; RLCX
8571; NS 9409. Plus a Klemme Iowa Coop Grain car.
JULY 3, 2005 - Sunday, July 3,
2005 at Union Station
in Little Rock. Only 8 photos today, one of a southbound loaded coal
train with UP and BNSF warbonnet power. Locomotives today: UP: 6797,
5908, 9411, 9123; BNSF 713. The
background today is a photo I made of trees at my hometown in Texas.
I'm just plahying around and won't use these backgrounds routinely
since it's almost impossible to get a font that you can read without
putting the text in separate tables. AMTRAK
EAGLE 22 JULY 3, 2005 - Amtrak 22, the northbound Texas
Eagle,
on July 3, 2005 arrived 14 minutes early at 11:45 p.m. Here's a
few photos. It has a twinkling star background.
JULY 24, 2005
- July 24, 2005 at Union Station in Little Rock, plus part of
Jermain Taylor (World Middleweight Champion boxer) parade in Little
Rock's River District on July 22. You can see the trolley tracks where
the parade was held - the streetcars didn't start running until 1 p.m.
because of this parade. Plus I have some streetcar scenes of July 21
and 22. Locomotives and fallen flag cars today: UP: 4215,
8337, 3245, 166, 9642, 4391, 2507; NS: 9405, 9682.
Fallen Flags/other freight cars: Rio Grande hoppers, Government
of Canada hoppers, Illinois Central grey boxcar,
Canadian Pacific hopper, Pillsbury blue hopper, Larinburg
& Southern boxcar, Rock Island painted-over gondola.
JUNCTION
BRIDGE LITTLE ROCK JULY 25, 2005 - On Monday, July 25,
2005, I thought I'd get a few pictures of the abandoned old Missouri
Pacific Junction Bridge that crosses the Arkansas River between Little
Rock and North Little Rock. This bridge was given to the city by Union
Pacific on December 28, 2001 for use as a pedestrian bridge. Of course,
UP also didn't have to worry about demolition or insurance anymore
either. You can still see some of the tracks in the pavement, but
most of the line that went to the west and connected with the UP main
line at Union Station has been taken up and paved over for a biking
path.
JULY 31, 2005
- Today (July 31, 2005) I saw a rare
green MKT boxcar with the faded MKT emblem on the upper left of the car
passing Union Station in Little Rock. Also seen were brand new,
bright and shiny white refrigerator cars (ADMN) - 5 in a row - they
looked like ghosts under a full moon (ha). Plus seen today were some
new black gondolas with the reflective stripes, a bright blue CSX
Hi-Cube boxcar, a Columbus & Greenville boxcar, a VeraSun Energy
car, a torn A&M decal on a boxcar, Cryo-Trans refrigerator car and
a yellow tank car. We had two train meets in front of the station
today. Locomotives: SP: 2657, 8683, 105-unpatched and 356-unpatched.
UP: 8386, 4285, 2484, 4160, 4316, 5984, 9521, 4521, 229, 1890, 9169,
2252 and 4370. CSX: 8705. FURX: 8093. There are
30 photos, all 650 pixels wide for faster downloading.
UNION PACIFIC
HERITAGE PUBLICITY PHOTOS JULY 30, 2005 - Union Pacific
issued a press release on July 30, 2005 regarding painting some of
their locomotives in the colors of some of the railroads they merged
with over the years. They started out with Missouri Pacific and
Western Pacific and the photos below were taken from their press
release (I converted their PDF format to JPG for the web, which is of a
lower quality but which has to be used in web pages). They will paint
others in MKT, SP, DRG, and other colors in the next few months. UP's
press release follows the photos. (Ken Ziegenbein - This webpage put
online with the permission of Union Pacific)
AUGUST 7, 2005
- Sunday, August 7, 2005 photos at Union Station in Little
Rock. Units today: GCFX 3096 * UP: 6861, 6597, 3530, 9513, 9192,
4939, 7245, 2277, 5519 * NS: 2528 * SP-Patched 7833 * GATX 7359 * CSX
8856 * HLCX 7233 * Conrail 8320. Fallen Flag freight cars:
Southern Boxcar, DM&E hoppers not fallen flags, but a little rare
here), three D&RGW hoppers No. 15569, 15501 and 15502. Also today,
a MoPac buzzsaw on the end of a bulkhead flatcar.
NIGHT
SHOTS RIVER MARKET AUGUST 12, 2005 - The River Market in
Little Rock Friday night, August 12, 2005. This was the first time the
street was closed to cars after 9 p.m. to make it safer for people
walking between restaurants and bars. The River Rail Trolleys ran as
usual and seemed to have more riders than usual who rode to the River
Market. I used my Sony Digital's 'Nightshot' mode, which gives a
greenish tint to the black and white images. I did not enhance any of
the photos. The starry background represents the most populous
part of the galaxy.
AUGUST 14, 2005 - Saturday and
Sunday, August 13 and 14,
2005. Trains passing Union Station in Little Rock. (Thought I'd
brighten your day with this one-time-only burnt orange background!!
Next time I'll use Aggie colors!!). WARNING - There are 48 photos
today, over 3 mb worth, so expect a rather long opening of this webpage
unless you have broadband. It took 18 seconds to view all the
photos with my cable broadband. Lots of different locomotives and
rolling stock today. LOCOMOTIVES: *** FURX-3050 *** IC-6016 ***
LTEX-9912, 7437 ***
GECX-SP-8497 *** HLCX-6313 *** GSCX-7357 *** CSX-8880 *** CONRAIL-3046,
5430 *** CNW-8701-I believe one of the last pure CNW yellow/green
units-great heritage color idea *** UP-582, 2431, 9520, 2201, 2858,
9416, 3802, 4530, 4674, 4264, 5082, 9519, 6364, 8357 (NEW SD-70ACE up
close on the Amtrak siding!), 9471, 9482, 2830. ROLLING STOCK: CNW
yellow boxcar *** ICG orange Hi-Cube box ***
Railcare Tank car *** ATW bright red new boxcars *** CSX patchy-colored
Hi-Cube *** D&H hoppers (3 in a row in the classic colors)
*** flat loaded with I believe bridge supports? *** three Rock
Island hoppers *** New UP reddish hopper *** D&H Gondolas *** A
smiling UP engineer from the cab of his stopped train in front of Union
Station.
UP/MOPAC HERITAGE LOCOMOTIVE 1982 AUGUST
18, 2005 - Thursday, August 18, 2005: Union
Pacific's new Heritage MoPac locomotive Number 1982 made a trip through
eastern Arkansas on the Cotton Belt to Pine Bluff, then eventually to
Louisiana. I caught it at Wabbeseka and Altheimer, Arkansas, running
exactly as advertised the day before. It was the first time (I believe)
that the new unit was used on a regular freight, the ZYCHOB out of
Chicago. It was HOT, 100 degrees with heat index of 110. The shade
trees were a necessity.
UP/MOPAC HERITAGE 1982 PASSING UNION
STATION AUGUST 20, 2005 - UP 1982 MoPac Heritage locomotive
passing Little Rock's Union Station, 5:18 p.m. Saturday, August
20, 2005. I was looking into the sun but I managed to adjust the
exposure. Special thanks to John C. Jones, Mark Silverberg and
David Hawkins for keeping me informed as to its whereabouts. Joe Roddy
has some photos on this webpage too, taken from the other side of the
tracks. There were 10 people at the station earlier in the afternoon,
but had dwindled to only 3 by the time the train came (Mike Condren and
a group were here from Memphis but left to catch the train at another
location). I was the only one to photograph from the Amtrak platform.
(Ken Ziegenbein)
AUGUST
20, 21, 2005 - Saturday, August 20 and Sunday, August
21, 2005 trains at Union Station in Little Rock. Included during these
two days: UP: 9833,
1982, 9420, 4897, 2765 (with fresh UP paint - you could actually smell
the new paint as it went by - a future UP Heritage unit celebrating
UP?), 9389, 4402 (first of TEN locomotives on this train), 9533, 3831.
*** 9031, 4737,
4785, 8587, 7707. *** NS:
3534, 9399. *** LTEX:
6900. *** CEFX:
2100. *** MKT Green hopper, one load of logs. It was again
hot as the blazes, about 98 with heat index 106.
UP/MOPAC HERITAGE 1982 WITH LRWN AUGUST 25,
2005 - Thursday, August 25, 2005. UP 1982
(MoPac Heritage) passing Union Station in Little Rock, northbound. At
the same time, Little Rock & Western came around the curve and I
got a photo of them together briefly. I called this photo "LRWN Kissing
UP1982." The train came through at 11:26 a.m.
UP/KATY HERITAGE LOCOMOTIVE 1988 IN
ARKANSAS AUGUST 27, 2005 - Union
Pacific's Heritage locomotive 1988, in Katy red colors, going south for
the first time through Arkansas on Saturday, August 27, 2005. It was a
stormy, dark day, but that seemed to make the color saturation a little
better in some cases and the photos turned out nice in most cases. I
started out in Brinkley, Arkansas, early in the day, but the 1988 kept
getting delayed. It finally zipped through Brinkley at track speed
at 12:27 p.m. during a thunderstorm, and my first photo of 1988
was taken through the bay windows of the restored 90+ year old Cotton
Belt/Rock Island depot in Brinkley. Kinda artsy, but I thought kinda
neat as well. The depot is now a museum that has railroad items in it
plus a Louisiana Purchase exhibit. The secretary for the museum and
historical building, Terri, was nice enough to let me wait around there
for about 3 hours for the train. Her picture and that of the
outside of the depot are the first two photos. (All photos and sound
MPEG movie by Ken Ziegenbein)
BRINKLEY,
ARKANSAS DEPOT VARIOUS SEPTEMBER 2005 - For a little change
of scenery
regarding rail photography, here's some photos I took at Brinkley Union
Station Museum in Brinkley, Arkansas from August 27 through September
10, 2005. I'm now a volunteer worker/host at the depot/museum on
Saturdays. The UP main directional-south line (ne. Cotton Belt) runs
right past this restored depot and the trains run at track speed (55-60
mph) past the station. Plus UP's line to Memphis (ne. Rock Island)
meets the Cotton Belt line at the depot, so at times you can see train
lights in the distance both from the north and from the east. At other
times, it's quiet train-wise for a couple of hours (they seem to run in
rapid succession, almost all southbound).
Come visit the museum if you're ever driving by Brinkley
on Interstate 40 (between Little Rock and Memphis on the old Rock
Island and Cotton Belt (UP). It's located where US 70 crosses the UP
tracks in downtown Brinkley. The depot is officially called the Central
Delta Depot Museum, 100 West Cypress St, Brinkley AR 72121-2809. The
depot is the original 1912 Rock Island/Cotton Belt depot which was
almost torn down in the early 1990s. Head of the museum is Bill Sayger,
billsayger@cddm.org, www.cddm.org. You may also
contact me, Ken Ziegenbein, at the email link at the top of this page -
this link will take you to a comments form. Some of the nicest people
I've ever met work at or volunteer at this museum.
SEPTEMBER 13, 2005 SUNSET AT UNION STATION
- Decided to do a little 'artsy' sunset
photography at Union Station in Little Rock, Arkansas on Tuesday,
September 13, 2005. Trains involved were two UP trains and the daily
BNSF local that was backing/switching along the Little Rock &
Western (Rock Island) toward Pulaski.
SEPTEMBER 17, 2005 - Brinkley,
Arkansas Saturday September
17, 2005. Only 7 photos, but one is of some sort of covered container
and what apparently is a heating mixer for cement or blacktop
(according to Frank Weed and others on Railspot). The
train was southbound from Memphis, having just went around the sharp
curve at the Brinkley depot.
SEPTEMBER
22, 2005 - UP/MKT 1988 passing Union Station in
Little Rock on Thursday, September 22, 2005. Also on this page: HLCX
6298 *** UP 3353, 1539, 9492 *** CN 6295 *** CEFX 7087 *** LRWN
101 and 102 *** HLCX 6062 *** GATX 7372 *** NS 6792. Thanks
to Mark Silverberg of One Track Mind Hobbies for calling me to give me
the heads up on the 1988.
OCTOBER 1, 2,
2005 - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2005 in Little Rock and
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1 in Brinkley, Arkansas. Motive power on October 2
includes: UP 9478, 9579, 5109, 4983, 6604 *** CSX 4794 *** Santa Fe
6848 *** BNSF 634, 155. Fallen flag rolling stock: Rock Island hopper,
MKT red gondola #16165 with colorful scrap, Ashley, Drew &
Northern boxcar, an old Santa Fe fereight car, probably an old woodchip
car.
TRAINS IN
NEW ULM, TEXAS - Saturday, October 8, 2005 in New Ulm,
Texas showing a train parked after the crew ran out of time. Plus
an old Santa Fe boxcar used for storage with 'Santa Fe all the way'
still visible. Plus on Sunday morning, another train was parked
on the siding to the west of Highway 109. It was parked there all
Saturday night and I could hear a low-grade rumbling sound all night
long as the engine idled.
DEPOTS
ON ABANDONED ROCK ISLAND EAST ARKANSASFor
larger photos, either click on the individual photos to make them
larger OR to view this same page formatted for broadband with all the
pictures larger, click on: http://www.trainweather.com/abandonedrockislandaroct182005-broadband.html
Tuesday, October 18, and Saturday, October 22, 2005 I drove
along US Highway 70 between Brinkley and North Little Rock, Arkansas,
stopping to photograph the remnants of the Rock Island Railroad that
used to go though this area (the Rock's 'Sunbelt Line'). This has views
of remaining Rock Island
depots at Hazen, Carlisle, Hazen and Lonoke. All photos by
Ken Ziegenbein.
OCTOBER 23,
2005 - Sunday October 23, 2005 at Union
Station in Little Rock. It was a windy and cold day, temperature about
51. Locomotives/cars today include: UP 4087, 9646, 3313; CN 5627; CEFX
7087; a UP old yellow hi-cube boxcar with the map on the side; two
green Katy gondolas.
NOVEMBER 6, 2005
- Sunday, November 6, at Union Statoin in Little Rock. Of
special interest today is the fact that the Little Rock and Western ran
a very long string of cars to the station, but had to back up past the
Rebsemen Road crossing agian since UP didn't have room for them. It's
unusual that LRWN runs on Sunday, but we figured that the wooden
trestle near Bigelow was just repaired and they had to move a lot of
cars. That trestle had sunk two feet a few weeks ago and had to be
redone. It's on the former Rock Island Sunbelt line. I also made
two sound MPEG digital movies of the famous LRWN Alcos 101 and
102 as they accelerated, a unique Alco sound.
Also today are: UP 4395 on the Amtrak siding (also
somewhat unusual), UP 3148, 9759, 4310, 9531, 2056 and 2931. Also NS
2633, 9282 and LLPX 2230.
NOVEMBER 13, 2005 - Sunday,
November 13, 2005 at Little Rock, Bald Knob, Worden, Fair Oaks and
Brinkley, Arkansas. A 'true' chase today with BNSF 925 with Santa Fe
lettering in the warbonnet scheme passing Little Rock's Union Station
at 9:58 a.m., Bald Knob at 11:55 a.m., Worden at 12:12 p.m. and finally
Fair Oaks (where the line to Memphis crosses the old SP north-south
line) at 12:57 p.m. It was a cloudy and sometimes rainy day.
Other locomotives today are: UP 5002, 8317, 4860, 4129,
3404; CSX 8394; CN 5683. The Arkansas Railroad Club had its meeting at
the Bald Knob MoPac renovated depot, now home of Arkansas Traveler
Hobbies. There was a good turnout even with the dark skies. I
also was at the Brinkley Union Depot Museum later in the day to help
with their Christmas Open House and got a few trains passing there.
NOVEMBER 19,
20, 2005 - Saturday, November 19 and Sunday,
November 20, 2005 at Brinkley and Little Rock, Arkansas. Included: CSX
9014, 7837, 8599 *** UP 8022, 5043, 5524, 3001, 4102, 4182 *** NS
9029
*** CR 6764 *** HLCX 9028 *** SF 6465, 6464. Also on Sunday we saw a
colorful car painted with crayons parked at the station in Little Rock.
BRINKLEY, ARKANSAS DECEMBER 3, 2005
- SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2005 at Brinkley
Union Depot in Brinkley, Arkansas. Included today: CSX 7721, BNSF 5187,
HLCX 7187, CSX 8021, NS 9774, UP
4835.
DECEMBER 18, 2005 LITTLE ROCK AND BRINKLEY
- Sunday, December 18, 2005 viewing a
few trains passing the station in Little Rock, Arkansas. There was a
rare meet of a northbound and southbound. Locomotives today include: SP
7325, 7310 *** UP 4310, 9463, 5152, 1337, 1336, 4682, 4360 *** FURX
3051 *** CSX 7912.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS STREETCARS DEC 27, 2005 -
JAN 1, 2006 - Streetcars
in Little Rock/North Little Rock during the Christmas/New Year season
2005/2006. Quite a busy week (December 27-January 1). The streetcars
ran on New Years Day as usual.
JANUARY 1, 2006 - Saturday,
December 31, 2005 and
Sunday, January 1, 2006 trains at Brinkley and Little Rock, Arkansas.
Included are: UP-3893, 9759, 4658, 1855, 9369 *** NS 8672 *** SP 8664,
8683 *** CN 6939, 2508.
BRINKLEY, AR
JANUARY 21, 2006 - It was a busy day at Brinkley, Arkansas
today, Saturday January 21, 2006. After some maintenance equipment
passing in the morning, there were 16 trains between 11:17 a.m. and
4:01 p.m. with another approaching as I was leaving at 4:10 p.m.
Included today were the following locomotives:
UP - 9541, 7908, 5228, 4847, 9556, 9555, 5016, 9809, 1853, 9517 *** NS
- 6605 *** HLCX - 7191 *** CN - 6253 *** Wisconcin Central - 7495 ***
SP - 8359 *** CSX -9039 *** Unknown blue locomotive 8466. I also
stopped off the shoulder of Interstate 40 early Saturday morning just
past the Protho Junction exit to get a hazy picture of a Frisco caboose
near some plant. I assume it's been there for years, but the Frisco
emblem looks quite good. I've also included photos from inside the
Brinkley Depot Museum.
SNOWY DAY IN BRINKLEY, AR FEB 10, 2006
- A snowy day in Brinkley, Arkansas,
Friday February 10, 2006. I saw two trains pass each other about 3
p.m., one being a northbound, one southbound from Memphis. Heavy snow
was falling with visibility about a half mile to one mile. Also have
included a few photos of the Brinkley Union Depot Museum in the
snow. (Photos by Ken Ziegenbein)
LITTLE ROCK STREETCAR IN SNOW FEB 10, 2006
- This is a webpage with a link to a LARGE (8 MB) digital sound MPEG
movie of one of the Little Rock streetcars in heavy snow running on
East Markham
Street (Clinton Avenue) through the River Market District on Friday,
February 10, 2006. This 640 pixel-wide movie is the same resolution as
a regular TV screen.
AMTRAK No. 21 TURNED TO BECOME No. 22
LITTLE ROCK IN DAYLIGHT FEB 16, 2006 - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY
16, 2006 - Amtrak's
southbound Texas Eagle, Number 21, was terminated at Little Rock in the
predawn hours, then turned to become the northbound Eagle Number 22,
scheduled to leave Little Rock at midnight. Apparently, UP had a
freight mishap in Texas. Passengers to Texas were bused from Little
Rock and later the passengers from Texas to Chicago were bused to
Little Rock to catch Number 22 at midnight. Shown is the train, which
sat at Union Station in Little Rock all day Thursday, Feb 16.
Photos by Ken Ziegenbein.
Of note, temperatures were in the lower 70s today, but by
the time the train left at midnight, it was down to 39 degrees. An ice
storm was also likely the coming weekend of February 18 and 19.
FEBRUARY 26, 2006 - At Union
Staion in Little Rock. Sunday, February 26, 2006 at Union Station in
Little Rock, Arkansas. Locomotives today: CN 2421 *** UP 3338,
9519, 3772, 4526, 8385 *** CR 6574 *** CSX 7589, 271. All photos by Ken
Ziegenbein.
MARCH 4, 2006 - At Brinkley,
Arkansas. Included today: SF Warbonnet 517, Bluebonnet 6759 ***
UP 4100 *** CSX 8106 *** CN 5428 *** And an old Missouri Pacific
baggage or work car. Plus a February 25 shot of a green Ashley, Drew
& Northern boxcar. Photos by Ken Ziegenbein.
MARCH 26, 2006 - Sunday, March
26, 2006 at the Amtrak
station in Little Rock. Nice, sunny day. Locomotive power today: CSX
8824, UP 7034, SP 8312, UP 3237, UP 3996, NS 8900, UP 3000, MKT
red
gondola.
NEW ULM, TEXAS APRIL 1, 2006 -
New Ulm, Texas, Saturday April 1,
2006. One train, trying out my new camera with ISO set to 3200 and
flash, just after sunset.
APRIL 8, 2006 - BRINKLEY, ARKANSAS
- Saturday, April 8, 2006 at Brinkley,
Arkansas, all taken by Ken Ziegenbein. Locomotives today: UP 4102,
4661, 4828, 5011 *** CN 5331 *** SP 8492 (GECX) *** HLCX 5993 *** CSX
7848 *** NS 9396, 2657 *** Conrail 7394.
APRIL 9, 2006 - Sunday, April 9,
2006 at Union Station in Little Rock. Included today are UP Heritage
1988, the KATY unit (1988 photos by Joe Roddy -all other photos by Ken
Ziegenbein). Also today: UP 4859, 4673, 3167,
7910, 1815 *** NS 8901, 2546 *** HLCX 3848 *** CN
2675 *** SP 9794 (didn't see any patches). Plus a faded
Rock Island hopper.
LITTLE
ROCK/NORTH LITTLE ROCK NEW STREETCAR APRIL 6, 2006 - Central
Arkansas
Transit (http://www.cat.org) received a new streetcar April 6, 2006
from Gomaco in Ida Grove, Iowa, the fourth in its roster. Here are some
photos of it (No. 411) arriving in North Little Rock, Arkansas via
special flatbed truck and in the trolley barn on Arpil 6.
ENTIRE STREETCAR ROUTE AND NEW TRACK
CONSTRUCTION APRIL 9, 2006 - On Sunday, April 9, 2006, I
walked along the
route of the newly laid extension of the streetcar tracks all the way
to the Clinton Presidential Center and Park and Heifer International.
This will add 3/4 mile to the entire system and is supposed to open in
the Fall of this year (2006). Most of those new tracks are now in place
and I understand that they are waiting on a special crossover to
connect to the current system at Commerce and Second Streets. No
overhead wires are in place yet either. Plus I rode and photographed
the entire 2 1/2 mile loop, also on Sunday.
AMTRAK TEXAS EAGLE NIGHT PHOTOS APRIL 18,
2006 - Monday night/Tuesday morning, April 17-18,
2006, at the Amtrak Station in Little Rock trying out my
high-sensitivity setting (ISO 3200) with and without flash as the Texas
Eagle No. 22 came in. Using such a high ISO reading means some
grain and noise in the photos, especially if you zoom in. However, I
enjoy the possibilities of this type of night photography. I'm using a
new Sony Cyber-Shot R1 DSLR.
NIGHT TRAIN
PHOTOS APRIL 22, 2006 - Experimenting with my Sony R1
digital camera's high-sensitivity settings, I went to Union Staion in
Little Rock Saturday night, April 22, 2006 and took the following
photos. ISO was set to 3200 and the flash setting was brightened. Since
the sensitivity was set so high, some scenes are almost too bright and
of course, they are noisey and grainy, especially if you zoom in. Also,
the splotches on some photos apparently are common occurrences of night
flash shots taken with digital cameras of dark backgrounds. I also read
some sites that say they are actual 'orbs' or ghosts that the camera's
high sensitivity is seeing. If so, then the really bright 'orb'
in front of the SP locomotive must be the ghost of a very important
engineer of the past!! Anyway, they are probably just the result of
refraction in the lens (which is perfectly clean). Also, the splotches
don't show up in the same place twice.
APRIL 23, 2006 LITTLE ROCK -
Sunday, April 23, 2006 at the Amtrak Union Station in Little Rock. Of
interest today was the scary site of an unknown person with a green
bucket walking down one of the two UP main lines in front of the
station. He put his bucket down and proceeded to sit on it in the
middle of the track. He was acting very eratic and wouldn't
listen to us telling him to move, so we called the UP Special Agent
(via the UP 888 emergency number - 1-888-UPRRCOP (877-7267). The
trespasser finally got up and walked down the track toward the Baring
Cross bridge. As he did so, a northbound train approached on the same
track, but fortunately had to stop for a red board. I told them
about the eratic movements of the individual, which could still be seen
down the track. At this time, the Special Agent showed up and drove
down to the Baring Cross bridge, and the trespasser moved off the track.
Also today: UP 4828, 5380,4665, upy 691, 1881, 4322, 5072,
6454, 7263, 3000 *** CSX 8590 *** CR 7358 *** CN 5259. Also freight
cars: North Western boxcar, Rock Island hopper, Wisconsin Central
container car, Southern Pacific boxcar looking like a fresh coat of
paint, Rio Grande hoppers, Atlantic and Western boxcar, 'Big Blue' CSX
boxcar, SSI boxcar, Larinburg and Southern boxcar, Family Lines hopper,
Cyro-Trains car, LambWeston car, large Seaboard System boxcar, Duluth,
Winnipeg & Pacific boxcar. (All photos by Ken Ziegenbein)
APRIL 29, 2006 - BRINKLEY, ARKANSAS
- Saturday, April 29, 2006 parade of
trains at Brinkley, Arkansas. It was a rainy, very windy day with wind
gusts over 40 mph at times at the nearby Stuttgart, Arkansas airport.
All photos were taken from inside the Central Delta Depot Museum's
(former Rock Island/Cotton Belt depot) old ticket office, where I
volunteer on some, but not all, Saturdays. These trains usually
go at track speed past the depot and by the time I hear them blowing
for the crossing, they're right on me, so I have to hurry to the
window.
Motive power today includes: UP 7552, 5536, 3255, 4700,
2961, 6790, 5364 *** Rio Grande 8599-patched *** SP 161-unpatched, I
think *** NS 2358 *** CSX 7792. Also, some John Deere tractors on a
flatcar. (All photos by Ken
Ziegenbein using a Sony
Cyber-Shot R1 digital camera, 10.3 megapixels). APRIL 30, 2006
LITTLE ROCK - Sunday, April 30, 2006 at the station
in Little Rock plus at the
Little Rock National
Airport for a couple of airplane shots. Included today: UP 4391, 5202,
8135, 7263, 2838, 4572, 5016. Plus a pipe load and truck frames. Also a
shot of a C-130 and DC-3 at an airshow I went to in the middle of my
train watching.
UP HERITAGE 1988 (KATY) NORTH LITTLE ROCK
MAY 3, 2006 - UP Heritage Locomotive No. 1988 (KATY)
at UP's North Little Rock, Arkansas yard (Ramp No. 2) Wednesday
morning, May 3, 2006. The number 3 traction motor was changed
(according to John C. Jones who took me to the site). It was
unclear
when it will be released for service. (Ken Ziegenbein photos)
UP YARDS NORTH LITTLE ROCK MAY 3, 2006
- U.P.'s extensive yards in North Little
Rock, Arkansas are off-limits to the general public, but John C. Jones
of the Arkansas Railroad Club has permission to photograph and be on
the property (his photos have been published in UP's newsletters and
flyers), so when he called me on May 3, 2006 telling me about the UP
Heritage KATY unit No. 1988 being in a great position to photograph in
the yard, I took him up on it. He then took me on a quick tour of the
yard area. Below are some photos I did during this excursion. (All photos below were taken by me, Ken
Ziegenbein)
MAY 14, 2006 LITTLE ROCK -
Couldn't make it to Union Station in
Little Rock this morning (Sunday, May 14, 2006) but did manage to get
there in the late afternoon and got a couple of trains. I also put in
two trains I photoghraphed on Saturday, May 13, at Brinkley.
Included on both Saturday and Sunday: UP: 3865, 5495, 4118, 5296,
1865 *** GATX 7321 *** CSX 7373, 8542 *** MKT red gondola 16334 ***
gray IC boxcar with graffiti *** a line of new hoppers.
MAY 23, 2006 - UP 844 MARSHALL, TEXAS
- UP 844 steam locomotive arrived in Marshall, Texas at 12:59 p.m.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006. Here's a few photos. (You may download and
print pictures for personal use, but do not sell or place on another
website without asking me. Thanks.)
MILLER
LITE BEER 'TASTE EXPRESS' MARSALL, TX MAY 23, 2006 - Miller
Lite's "Save The Taste" special cars were on the rear of Amtrak 22, the
Texas Eagle, at Marshall, Texas Tuesday night, May 23, 2006 at 10:20
p.m. I used my high-speed (3200 ISO) setting, so they are grainy.
MAY
23, 24, 25 2006 - UP 844 MARHSALL, TEXAS TO LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
-
On Tuesday, May 23, 2006, UP 844 arrived in Marshall, Texas and on
Wednesday, May 24, 2006, we followed the 844 from Marshall, Texas to
Little Rock, Arkansas. Here are some pictures and comments. (Ken
Ziegenbein photos - you may download or print any photo for personal
use but do not put on another website or sell without asking
permission. Thanks.) UP 844 NORTH
LITTLE ROCK TO RUSSELLVILLE, ARKANSAS MAY 26, 2006 - UP
844's day in Arkansas between North Little Rock and Russellville,
including its exit from the north portal of the Conway Tunnel. There is
also a large-format MPEG movie of the tunnel exit. All
photos by Ken Ziegenbein. You may download and
print pictures for personal use, but do not sell or place on another
website without asking me. Thanks.
UP 844
CROSSING TRESTLE WITH FISHING BOAT MAY 26, 2006 - I came
across this scene by accident as 844 traveled past Palarm Creek
off Highway 365 on its way from North Little Rock to Conway,
Arkansas on Friday, May 26, 2006. The time was 9:12 a.m. I caught a
fishing boat in that lily-pad covered lake and the short trestle and
knowing 844 was just behind me, I pulled off, took my light readings,
focused and the train zipped by. Couldn't have planned it better. (Ken
Ziegenbein photo) (You may download and
print pictures for personal use, but do not sell or place on another
website without asking me. Thanks..)
ROCKDALE
TEXAS DEPOT CELEBRATION JUNE 10, 2006 - On Friday, June 10,
2006, the city of
Rockdale, Texas celebrated the 100th anniversary of the IGN depot
there, along with school reunions. Below are some photos of the
event including the restored Rockdale depot inside and out, a caboose
and a former Missouri Pacific dining car with many fixtures and the
kitchen still as they were when the MoPac ceased running it in the
1960s. According to the newspaper article posted in the Rockdale
Reporter, this dining car was brought to Rockdale in June 2005 from the
Callahan Ranch near Laredo, Texas where it was used in the 1970s to fix
meals for truck drivers and deer hunters.
The dining car was delivered to the Missouri Pacific in
1946 and it ran mostly on the Colorado Eagle until 1966 when the train
was discontinued. However, it may have run on other MoPac trains back
then as well (maybe even the Valley Eagle, which I remember riding in
the early 1960s). The MoPac Buzzsaw is still visible on the side
with Number 230 under it. Some of the faded blue paint is also visible.
A number board on the left side reads either 36 or 86, I'm not sure. No
restoration work was done on this car as of this writing but they plan
to restore it to original condition.
On my way out of town on Hwy 79, I spotted an old freight
house now being used as a salon on Texas Street. Mr. Vester L.
Crocker of Crocker's Reclamation and Maintenance was there and showed
me some pictures (also on this webpage) of the depot and grounds in the
1800s when it was the S.A. & A.P. Railway (San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railway),
which used to run from Rockdale northward.
There's also a couple of UP train shots on this site, one
passing the Rockdale depot. (All
photos by Ken Ziegenbein - if you use these anywhere else, let me know
by emailing me)
NEW ULM, TEXAS UP ROCK TRAINS JUNE 11, 2006
- Rock trains through New Ulm, Texas
June 11, 2006 plus a night train photo June 12 and a train through
Jacksonville, Texas June 13.
JUNE 18, 2006 LITTLE ROCK/BRINKLEY
- Saturday, June 17 at Brinkley,
Arkansas and Sunday, June 18, 2006 at Union Station in Little
Rock, Arkansas. Of special interest are two TFM locomotives (1411
and 1418) in tandum on one train and UP 1982 (MoPac Heritage) on the
head end of another train, both passing the Little Rock station on June
18. It was drizzly in Little Rock, but pouring rain at times in
Brinkley.
Locomotive today include: BNSF 6876, 2299, 2299 *** UP
4720, 1839, 5397, 1982, 3465, 6036, 4489, 5025 *** EMDX 6272 *** SP
6272 *** NS 9504 *** CSX 8328 ***TMF 1411, 1418. JUNE 19, 2006
- John Reagon of Camden Arkansas sent me this photo of SP 7666
(lettered 'SOUTH PACIFIC') and said I could post it on Trainorders and
Railspot. Mr. Reagon took the photo June 19, 2006 in the UP Camden, AR
Yard. It's been on the Camden Local for two weeks, according to Mr.
Reagon. (Ken Ziegenbein)
UP 1982 BRINKLEY, ARKANSAS JUNE 21, 2006
- UP 1982 southbound passing Brinkley, Arknasas Wednesdeay, June 21,
2006 at 12:50 p.m cdt. Many thanks to Zach Pumphery of Missouri, who
emailed me that it had passed Malden, Missouri at 9 a.m. I then drove
to Brinkley to get it passisng the Central Delta Depot Museum, former
Cotton Belt/Rock Island depot, that the UP donated to the city of
Brinkley in 2001. (Ken Ziegenbein photo-copyright June 2006 - do
not put on any other website without my permission)
FLOWERS-TRAINS-BRINKLEY, ARKANSAS JUNE 24,
2006
- Flowers and trains at Brinkley, Arkansas Saturday, June 24, 2006.
Some pictures were taken from inside looking out the windows of the old
Rock Island baggage room (now a conference center in the restored
depot). Locomotives today: BNSF 713 *** NS 9939, 8959, 6068 (Operation
Lifesaver) *** UP 4014, 5090, 3259 *** CEFX 3146 *** Wisconsin Central
6002 *** CN 6140 *** CSX 8052, 8357, 8030. Yellow UP locomotives - 3,
non-yellow leased, owned or trackage rights locomotives - 10 (at least
of those I photographed today).
JUNE 25, 2006 LITTLE ROCK -
SUNDAY, JUNE 25, 2006 at Union Station in Little Rock. It was raining
heavily about 11 a.m. when I got a crew change at the station. Included
today are a couple of shots of the station, one showing a train passing
through the arches, plus these locomotives: UP2304, 5384, 8923, 1889
*** GECALSTHOM 6065 *** BCRAIL car with wood *** Former SP 7905 ***
Conrail 8321 *** Faded MoPac buzzsaw on hopper 722473.
JULY 2, 2006 - July 2, 2006 at
Union Station in Little Rock, plus a couple of photos from Brinkley on
July 1. Included today: UP 1982 (MoPac Heritage), UP: 5358, 1865, 9622,
1982, 4217, 5067, 4613 *** BNSF 4333 *** NS 9854 *** SP 8777 *** TFM
1409, 1422 *** HLCX 6313 *** WP Hi-Cube boxcar 86073. HAPPY FOURTH!!!
Thought I'd put a few fireworks on the site.
JULY 9, 2006 - RARE SW1200 MOP SWITCHER
TAKEN BY JOHN C. JONES - The following photos were taken by
Arkansas Railroad Club member John C. Jones, who has permission to be
on UP property. It shows HA 1256, clearly a former Missouri Pacific
switcher. (Norm Metcalf said that Jones' picture of HA 1256, nee MP
1256 is an SW1200 which was sold to Tri-State Concrete,
Shreveport LA on 17 Jul 1985...per Don Strack's roster at
http://utahrails.net ) Randy Keller gives more details:
s/n: 31229 b/d: Feb66 o/n: 4492-4
MP SW1200 1256, retired Jun85.
Tri-States Concrete Co. (MP 1256), Shreveport, LA, acquired 17Jul85,
remained in full MP paint and lettering.
Gifford-Hill & Co. (MP 1256), Bossier City, LA, acquired Jan88,
remained in full MP paint and lettering.
Gifford-Hill & Co. (MP 1256), Delight, AR, transferred 1990,
remained in full MP paint and lettering. Plant closed Jan01.
Gifford-Hill was owned by Hanson, so the "HA" probably
stands for Hanson Aggregates. My notes for G-H Bossier City, LA
call it Cart
Yard, so it looks like it is heading "back home." (Randy Keller)
The photos were taken in North Little Rock, Arkansas on
July 7, 2006. It was scheduled to be in Pine Bluff July 9 and arrive in
Lufkin, Texas July 10 around 11:48 a.m. on MPBSR. Final destination
Cart, Louisiana on July 13. It originated in Boughton, Arkansas July 5.
All photos by John C. Jones, who gave me permission to put on this site.
JULY 8-16, 2006 - Photos from
July 8, 9, 15 and 16, 2006 of various trains in Brinkley and Little
Rock, Arkansas. Of special interest is unpatched SP 9755, MMA (Montreal
Maine & Atlantic) boxcar and a Montana Rail Link boxcar. Included
are photos of: UP: 9557, 4898, UPY 1431 (former SP?), 1855, 6724, 5972,
3341, 1930, 4512, 6836, 8238, 4604, 5969, 6746, 5547, 9389, 1825, 1851,
6605, 9494, 3762 **** GCFX 3054 **** HLCX 6086 **** LLPX GP40-2 DEMO
4405 **** CN 6110 **** CONRAIL 6734 **** CSX 4734, 8094 **** N&W
OPERATION LIFESAVER 6707 **** NS 8863, 9023 **** SP UNPATCHED 9755,
6359, 6410, 2665 **** BNSF 5336.
ROLLING STOCK: D&H gondola?, long string of new STOX hoppers
passing Brinkely July 15, GOLDEN WEST SERVICE boxcars, hoppers
and gondolas, CP gondola, MoPac Buzzsaw boxcars, Montana Rail Link
boxcar, Rock Island hoppers, MMA boxcar (Montreal Maine &
Atlantic). Also a photo of a lone stalk of corn growing along UP's main
line at UInion Station in Little Rock. (All photos by Ken Ziegenbein)
NEW STREETCAR NO. 412 ARRIVES LITTLE ROCK
JULY 18, 2006 - Central Arkansas Transit's fifth
streetcar was delivered Tuesday, July 18, 2006 to the carbarn at 7th
and Main in North Little Rock. It came from Gomaco in Ida Grove,
Iowa. After they delivered the 412, Number 410 was taken to the
bus barn for storage until it's needed later in 2006 once the line to
the Clinton Library and Heifer International is ready. They don't have
enough closed space at the streetcar barn for 5 streetcars.
These are all rather large photos, reduced to either 700 or 1000 pixels
wide, so it might take a little while to view, especially if you have
dialup (my original photos are 3,888
pixels wide - 10.3 megapixels). Although I usually create two
webpages per subject, one with thumbnail images that you can click on
to enlarge and the other for broadband users that show all photos in a
larger format (like this one), having 66 photos would have taken me too
long to do both. Some of the pictures are for archive purposes, such as
showing the
streetcar being rolled off the truck-trailer to the tracks step by
step. As a result, there are 66 photos. (All photos taken by Ken Ziegenbein)
JULY 30, 2006 - A few shots
(only 7) taken at the
Amtrak station in Little Rock Sunday, July 30, 2006. Of special
interest: Rare KATY red emblem on an old gondola. I haven't seen any of
these in person for at least 15 years although I knew they are
scattered about. Also a bright yellow UP locomotive with "We Will
Deliver" on the side. It looks almost freshly painted. Specifics:
UP4683, 8135, 1855, 3282 and 3401 ('We will deliver' lettering).
Gondola BKTY 121496 with the KATY Emblem. A slow day.
AUGUST 5,
2006 - Saturday, August 5, 2006 at the
Brinkley Depot Museum in Brinkley, Arkansas. Trains today included: CSX
8435, 8761 *** BNSF 4736, 5940, 5824, 8862 *** UP 4312, 5109, 1889,
1836, 3098 *** CN 6103 *** SP 8310 *** CEFX 2789.
10-HOUR
LATE AMTRAK TEXAS EAGLE NO. 22 AUGUST 12, 2006 - Amtrak's
Texas Eagle (No. 22) was 10 hours late into Little Rock Saturday,
August 12, 2006. It was supposed to arrive at midnight the night
before, but didn't get to Little Rock until 9:47 a.m.. There was still
a good crowd of people getting on. No. 22 is the northbound Eagle from
San Antonio-Austin-Dallas heading to Chicago. I think this was one of
the days the Eagle connected with the Sunset Limited in San Antonio, so
the last two cars were from Los Angeles. Here is the consist I got from
zooming in to my photos, so some numbers may not be correct: Locomotive
74, Transition Sleeper 39039, Diner(?) 38066(?), Lounge 33003, Coach
31041, Coach (can't read number), Coach 340??, Sleeper 32005.
I've also included some photos of Union Station in Little
Rock, the renovated former Missouri Pacific station. It now rents out
to various businesses and I understand most of the offices are
occupied. The Amtrak waiting room is at track level. Also Saturday
afternoon, Amtrak Sleeper 32040 was on a freight train passing Union
Station, being carried to shops for fixing up after it sideswiped a
freight outside Dallas a few days ago.
