GE Built in Pennslvania AC6000CW

When GE decided to compete in the 6,000 horsepower AC drive market it had to develop a new diesel. Together with Deutz-MWM of Germany GE came up with the 7HDL version of a European engine used for naval and stationary power. It soon was apparent to both GE and EMD that North American railroads weren't interested in such high horsepower as it often resulted in trains that were overpowered for their load. 170 units were built from 1995 to 2000. They were all purchased by UP and CSX. The larger main radiator is easy to spot with its considerable overhang over the rear. The unit is about 6 feet longer than the Dash 8 and 3 feet longer than the Dash 9. It also has twin square exhaust stacks. I photographed UP #7525 at Flatonia, Texas in 2007.

Classy Conference Rooms

Next to the visitor's parking at BNSF Railway corporate headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas sits this former dining car "Canadian River", converted for conferences and meetings. BNSF shows a great deal of respect for its corporate history at their headquarters. The building interiors are filled with Western art and other memorabilia. The buildings themselves are designed in a style which recalls the great trainsheds of the past.

In addition to "Canadian River", built by Pullman in 1947 there are four more retired cars used for the same purpose: the 1912 "James J. Hill", formerly Burlington Northern's business car "Meramec River"; the 1918 "Cyrus K. Holliday", formerly Santa Fe business car #45; the 1955 BN business car "Yellowstone River"; and the 1948 "Prairie View" formerly CB&Q #376/BN #376/Amtrak's "Silver Penthouse" a former Vista Dome/Buffet Lounge/Sleeper car that was built for the California Zephyr.

Texas Lumberjack

Here is a Baldwin 1911 2-8-0 Consolidation located at the Texas Transportation Museum in San Antonio. Owned by the C.W. Carter & Brothers Lumber Company in East Texas, there is a clear family relationship with another Texas lumberjack in Teague. TTM's #6 has made steam during the time it has been in San Antonio (1984) but I am unsure of its condition right now.

Below is a photo of a Baldwin Mikado class locomotive that's at the B-RI Museum in Teague, Texas. , which was owned by W.T. Carter & Brother Lumber Company. I enthusiastically recommend you visit both these quality museums, both volunteer operated and cared for. Texas Transportation is located right next to San Antonio International Airport. Teague is located right off Interstate 45

Another Great Texas Spot

At the northern edge of San Antonio International Airport is the Texas Transportation Museum. A volunteer-operated organization also hosts the outdoor G-scale layout of the San Antonio Garden Railway Society and the HO layout of the Alamo Model Railroad Engineers. The hosts at TTM were simply great. They wanted to let me in free because I am a volunteer at another railroad museum. Knowing how tough it is to finance operations like this I insisted on paying like any other visitor. I had a private ride on the Texas & Longhorn RR and a wonderful time looking at everything on exhibit, including a lot of non-railroad powered equipment from lawn tractors to fire engines. Here's a photograph of mine from April, 2005 showing Santa Fe business car 404. TTM also has another heavyweight; Pullman 12-1 sleeper "McKeever". The TTM website has a lot of good pictures, inside and out, of these heavyweight treasures. Note: TTM has no rail connection to the outside, so you can understand what a big job it is to bring large artifacts like Pullmans onto the site.

Gone But Not Forgotten

Two BNSF locomotives still in their Santa Fe Warpaint. No. 932 a C41-8W at Grand Junction, Colorado in April 2006. Number 826 a C40-8W near El Paso, Texas in March 2006. I congratulate BNSF for retaining the SF Warbonnet scheme in their new locomotives. BNSF is one of the Big Four that seems to best understand public relations.

A Texas Welcome

(reposted from 2008) At one of my favorite places, the Texas Transportation Museum in San Antonio, this 1913 depot from Converse, Texas serves as the welcome center and ticket booth for visitors coming to see the goings-on of the Longhorn & Western Railroad, the museum's road vehicle collection, the layouts of the San Antonio Garden Railroad Society and the Alamo Model Railroad Engineers, attend a meeting of the Longhorn Chapter of NRHS, or just stroll the grounds. TTM is in a very accessible location at the Northern edge of San Antonio International Airport. The volunteers who keep this fine museum operating will make your visit very worthwhile. Y'all come.

San Antonio Set Outs

reposted from 2007 - note: in 2009 Amtrak is discussing increased service in Texas.

One of my childhood memories involves travel in Pullman "set-out" sleepers. Set-outs were cars to or from a location that had late night connections with a long distance train. You would board a sleeping car "set out" at the depot at maybe 10 PM, retire and be coupled onto your through train at maybe 2 or 3 AM. Conversely your set-out might be decoupled from the through train at 3 AM and you would stay on board until 7 AM.

Fast forward to October, 2007 at Sunset Station San Antonio. The photo shows Amtrak Superliner sleeper and coach sitting in the station around noon Monday, connected to platform power. Amtrak's schedules for the Sunset Limited (Los Angeles - New Orleans) and the Texas Eagle (Chicago - San Antonio) do not mention set-out service but my guess is that it has something to do with the Sunset Limited's scheduled service on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday in San Antonio while the Texas Eagle is a daily train. The schedules indicate that through service to or from Chicago connect with the Sunset at San Antonio. Anyone know the real situation?

I have been shooting train pictures with a Nikon D70 since the middle of 2005. Before that I used a Nikon E885 digital for 3 years and before that a series of 35mm SLR's. I try to shoot landscape type pictures using Aperture Priority of f18 for deep depth of field and action shots with Shutter Priority of 1/500th second to freeze the subject. I'll use the camera's Automatic capability when I have to act quickly. If it's an action shot I'll try to pan with the subject to try and freeze it. Sometimes it works, sometime not. A little bit of blurring on a speeding locomotive like the Acella actually improves the impression of speed. I usually shoot with the D70 Nikkor 18-70 mm f3.5-4.5 zoom lens. I use a Quantaray 70-300 mm f4-5.6 zoom for long shots and for shots where absolutely maximum clarity is needed I use the Nikkor 50 mm f1.8 lens.

Flatonia, Texas Photo Pavilion

Reposted from October 23, 2007. About 90 miles East of San Antonio on UP's Sunset Route the little town of Flatonia built a photo pavilion at the crossing of UP's Glidden (Sunset Route) and Cuero subdivisions. Southern Pacific's Tower #3 has been relocated to a small park in the town itself along with an SP caboose. Like a lot of the Sunset Route (Los Angeles - New Orleans), this area is single-tracked.; a good example of the huge capital investments facing railroads trying to cope with traffic increases. I watched an eastbound UP rock train holding at Flatonia (MP 120) for a southbound Kansas City Southern merchandise freight to clear the curve from Eastbound Sunset Route to the southbound Cuero subdivision bound for company tracks and the Mexican border.

Speeders Never Die

This little Fairmont M19 track car is displayed at the Texas Transportation Museum in San Antonio. Check out their website for more in-depth information on these small important rail cars. TTM is a prime example of the well-run railfan volunteer operated museum. Pay them a visit at 11731 Wetmore Road right next to San Antonio International Airport.

B-RI Museum, Teague, Texas

Visited October 6, 2007 and re-visited on October 11, 2007. This little museum is a real jewel. The old depot in Teague has been preserved along with much of the station and office equipment. Teague, today, is on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe at the start of the Gulf Division. In addition to Railroad Memorabilia there are rooms in the 2-story building for Schools, Veterans memorabilia, doctors, genealogy, Boy Scouts, businesses, and more.
See details on the museum, the town, and their 1925 Baldwin Mikado, "Big Mike" at their website.

Buda, Texas

Buda, pronounced BEEOOdah, lies along the old I&GN (UP) railroad about 30 miles South of Austin. The town has a charming Main Street with open businesses and a quaint Old Texas look. Buda is also home to the Jardine food packing plant, home of mouth-watering salsas, sauces, and related foods. There is also a Cabelas store along I-35, about equal in size to the town center itself. October, 2007.

City Employees FCU Saves Historic Station

San Antonio, Texas, October 22, 2007. Abandoned in 1970 when Missouri Pacific discontinued passenger service to San Antonio, and again later when Amtrak consolidated its operations at Sunset Station, The International & Great Northern station on Medina Street was restored in the 1980's by the San Antonio Employees Federal Credit Union. Noted for its Moorish design, copper dome and stained glass windows, this fine example of early 20th century station architecture lives on for us to see today. The NRHS Gulf Chapter has a PDF document online from their 2005 tour of the area.

Kansas City Southern on UP Tracks

In Flatonia, Texas two historic rail lines cross. Running East-West the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway became the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroad in 1870 and eventually the Southern Pacific's Sunset route and is now Union Pacific. The North-South line started out as the San Antonio and Aransas Pass and is now UP's Cuero subdivision.
In my photo Kansas City Southern #4021 EMD SD70ACe and a trailing twin are coming off the UP Glidden subdivision and curving south onto the Cuero subdivision headed for their own tracks at Victoria. I photographed from the outstanding Flatonia Rail Pavilion.

Foreign Power in Texas

Northbound in Buda (Bee You Da), Texas, CSX 5436 GE ES44DC looks a bit out of place on the Union Pacific. Actually, so-called "foreign" locomotives are becoming more common all over the country as railroads find it advantageous to do a short-term lease on power that finds itself at the right place at the right time. This is the old International - Great Northern / Missouri Pacific line from Dallas down to the Mexican border at Laredo.

As often happens, the photographer is on the wrong side of the tracks sunwise. If I had been at this location for the purpose of rail photography I would have been on the other side of the line. I was in town to visit D. L. Jardine's, a food plant that is heaven to salsa lovers. But, when you see something you want in a hurry you shoot and worry about the shadows and glare later. Sometimes your subject is more important than your setup.