Various trains and various locations December 14, 15 and 16, 2007 in Arkansas (Brinkley, North Little Rock, Lonoke and ye' ole standby Union Station in Little Rock using some different angles and locations around the station, including photos of the Baring Cross bridge and scenes taken from the Cantrell Road overpass. Saturday, December 15 was cold and rainy (38-40 degrees), Sunday December 16 was sunny, cold and very windy (25-30 mph with temperature also 25-30).  Included:UP/SP 2741 *** UP 8588, 9777, 4338, 9456, 8576, 4809, 3273, 4645 *** CSX 8767 *** CEFX 3128 *** UP display caboose and boxcar in Lonoke, Arkansas (on abandoned site of Rock Island) decorated for Christmas *** Track supports on the curve at Brinkley, Arkansas *** Car crossing just a few seconds ahead of a train in Brinkley.



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LEFT-December 14 at Union Station at 11:40 a.m. with UP-SP 2741. This train scared a flock of pigeons off the tracks, who were eating corn. RIGHT-On my way to Brinkley, Arkansas on US Highway 70 through Lonoke, about 7:30 a.m. Saturday December 15, 2007. They had the UP caboose and boxcar lite up with Christmas lights. These are sitting on the tracks which were moved to where the Rock Island tracks used to be just to display these two cars. The Rock Island Sunbelt line through here was taken up in the early 1980s.


RIGHT-The Lonoke former Rock Island depot in the rain. The semaphore is set!


LEFT-At Brinkley, Ark with a train approaching on the Memphis sub at 10:06 a.m. December 15 (Brinkley is in eastern Arkansas, halfway between Little Rock and Memphis on I-40 and US 70). Note the track supports on the left rail. What are these called? They weren't here two weeks ago, the last time I was here.  RIGHT-Cropped closeup of the track supports.


CSX 8767 heads the auto-train at 10:06 a.m.


LEFT-Old and new CSX paint schemes. RIGHT-Brinkley Depot Museum Director Bill Sayger in the old ticket office of the restored Brinkley depot. I take a lot of pictures from these trackside windows.  That's my long-lost cousin peeking through the left window.




10:36 a.m., another train from the east. 
A car zooms across the crossing. There are no crossing signals or gates at this crossing, but on the Jonesboro sub, which runs left to right just in front of me, there's crossings gates at both the street to my left and the Highway 70 crossing to my right. (Actually, the zoomed-in photo makes it look closer to the car than it was. There was about 8-10 seconds before the engine reached the crossing since the trains go slowly because of the approaching curve).


UP 8588 heads an intermodal, probably from Marion, Arkansas.


LEFT-On East McCain Blvd, North Little Rock, at 2:07 p.m. December 15, UP 9777 leads a mixed freight northbound out of the UP NLR Yards.  RIGHT-Sunday, December 16,2007 at Union Station in Little Rock. CEFX 3128 leads at 10:04 a.m. It was cold and windy, temperature 28 degrees with wind chill in the teens. I left right after this photo to attend our church's Christmas choir-fest at 11. I don't think I could have stayed any longer anyway because of the cold.


LEFT-It's now 1:32 p.m. on Sunday and I'm on the other side of the tracks that go in front of Union Station. UP 4338 leads 8 other locomotives in a light engine move to Biddle Yard, south of here. They are just coming off the Baring Cross bridge from North Little Rock. It was up to 39 degrees now. RIGHT-Passing the station. UP 9456 trails.


LEFT-This photo could be titled "Train Tracks Through Trees" It was taken from the Highway 10 (Cantrell Road) bridge over the tracks. I'm looking west-south. RIGHT-FAR LEFT TRACK-Amtrak siding. The track used to extend all the way to the River Market in downtown Little Rock and on past the airport, continuing to south Arkansas. It was taken up several years ago. SECOND FROM LEFT-UP Main #2. THIRD FROM LEFT-UP Main #1. FAR RIGHT-Little Rock & Western track, which extends westward all the way to Danville, Arkansas on the former Rock Island. It connects with Main #1 so LRWN can leave and pick up cars in UP's North Little Rock yard.




An intermodal at 1:45 p.m. heading east-north on Main #1.


LEFT-Another intermodal on Main #2 at 1:57 p.m. RIGHT-UP 8576 about to go under the bridge at 1:58 p.m.


On the other side of the bridge now, looking north into the Baring Cross bridge. A rock train is about to cross heading south at 2:02 p.m. The river is the Arkansas River, which begins in Colorado near Leadville and empties into the Mississippi River in eastern Arkansas. The river is 1,469 miles long, the 6th longest in the U.S. and 45th longest in the world. It is navigable all the way to Tulsa and this bridge has to be raised and lowered several times each day for river barge traffic. The UP dispatchers are the ones who raise and lower it (I assume - or some other authority informs them before it's raised.) UP 4809 leads the loaded rock-crushed stone train (Herzog).


Snow was seen in all the cars. They could have picked it up in northern Arkansas the night before.


LEFT-Transients sometimes walk on this bridge.


LEFT-Zoomed in shot of UP's Jenks Shop in North Little Rock. RIGHT-2:15 p.m.


LEFT-UP 3273, 2:15 p.m. Sorry for the overexposure, which I corrected somewhat. RIGHT-UP 4645, 2:25 p.m.