September 20th, 2024, Today I had the good fortune of catching a three way meet between a Union Pacific Freight, a BNSF freight and a BNSF rock train at the Summit of Cajon Pass in southern California and the BNSF Cajon Subdivision as Hwy 138 and the tracks head into stormy weather. According to Wikipedia: Cajon Pass is a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the San Gabriel Mountains to the west in Southern California. Created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault, it has an elevation of 3,777 ft (1,151 m). Located in the Mojave Desert, the pass is an important link from the Greater San Bernardino Area to the Victor Valley, and northeast to Las Vegas. The Cajon Pass area is on the Pacific Crest Trail. Cajon Pass is at the head of Horsethief Canyon, traversed by California State Route 138 (SR 138) and railroad tracks owned by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. Improvements in 1972 reduced the railroad's maximum elevation from about 3,829 to 3,777 feet while reducing curvature. Interstate 15 does not traverse Cajon Pass, but rather the nearby Cajon Summit. The entire area, Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit, is often referred to as Cajon Pass, but a distinction is made between Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit. The California Southern Railroad, a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, was the first railroad through Cajon Pass. The line through the pass was built in the early 1880s to connect the present-day cities of Barstow and San Diego. Today the Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway (the successor to the Santa Fe) use the pass to reach Los Angeles and San Bernardino as part of the Southern Transcon. Due to the many trains, scenery and easy access, it is a popular location for railfans, and many photographs of trains on Cajon Pass appear in books and magazines. The Union Pacific Railroad owns one track through the pass, on the previous Southern Pacific Railroad Palmdale cutoff, opened in 1967. The BNSF Railway owns two tracks and began to operate a third main track in the summer of 2008. The railroads share track rights through the pass ever since the Union Pacific gained track rights on the Santa Fe portion negotiated under the original Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 100. #railroad #railroads #train, #trains #railway #railway #steamtrains #railtransport #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailways #besttrainphotograph #bestphoto #photographyoftrains #bestsoldpicture #JimPearsonPhotography #trainsfromtheair #trainsfromadrone #CajonPass

September 20th, 2024, Today I had the good fortune of catching a three way meet at the Summit of Cajon Pass, CA

September 20th, 2024, Today I had the good fortune of catching a three way meet between a Union Pacific Freight, a BNSF freight and a BNSF rock train at the Summit of Cajon Pass in southern California and the BNSF Cajon Subdivision as Hwy 138 and the tracks head into stormy weather.

According to Wikipedia: Cajon Pass is a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the San Gabriel Mountains to the west in Southern California. Created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault, it has an elevation of 3,777 ft (1,151 m). Located in the Mojave Desert, the pass is an important link from the Greater San Bernardino Area to the Victor Valley, and northeast to Las Vegas. The Cajon Pass area is on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Cajon Pass is at the head of Horsethief Canyon, traversed by California State Route 138 (SR 138) and railroad tracks owned by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. Improvements in 1972 reduced the railroad’s maximum elevation from about 3,829 to 3,777 feet while reducing curvature. Interstate 15 does not traverse Cajon Pass, but rather the nearby Cajon Summit. The entire area, Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit, is often referred to as Cajon Pass, but a distinction is made between Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit.

The California Southern Railroad, a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, was the first railroad through Cajon Pass. The line through the pass was built in the early 1880s to connect the present-day cities of Barstow and San Diego. Today the Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway (the successor to the Santa Fe) use the pass to reach Los Angeles and San Bernardino as part of the Southern Transcon. Due to the many trains, scenery and easy access, it is a popular location for railfans, and many photographs of trains on Cajon Pass appear in books and magazines.

The Union Pacific Railroad owns one track through the pass, on the previous Southern Pacific Railroad Palmdale cutoff, opened in 1967. The BNSF Railway owns two tracks and began to operate a third main track in the summer of 2008. The railroads share track rights through the pass ever since the Union Pacific gained track rights on the Santa Fe portion negotiated under the original Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 100.

September 18th, 2024, BNSF 8057, NS 8068 and BNSF 5177 lead an eastbound train through the famous Tehachapi Loop on the Union Pacific Mojave Subdivision at Keene, California. I’m thankful that I had and brought my drone on this trip as access to trackside at the loop has been cut off! I was last here 7 years ago and then you could get to where you could shoot trackside, but now there’s viewing platform about ¾ mile away. Being able to fly the drone allowed me many spectacular views that I’ve never been able to get in the past. According to their website: The Tehachapi Loop is a 3,779-foot-long (0.72 mi; 1.15 km) spiral, or helix, on the Union Pacific Railroad Mojave Subdivision through Tehachapi Pass, of the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, south-central California. The line connects Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley to Mojave in the Mojave Desert. Rising at a steady two-percent grade, the track gains 77 feet (23 m) in elevation and makes a 1,210-foot-diameter (370 m) circle. Any train that is more than 3,800 feet (1,200 m) long—about 56 boxcars—passes over itself going around the loop. At the bottom of the loop, the track passes through Tunnel 9, the ninth tunnel built as the railroad was extended from Bakersfield. The line averages about 36 freight trains each day. Passenger trains such as Amtrak's San Joaquin are banned from the loop, although the Coast Starlight can use it as a detour. ts frequent trains and scenic setting make the Tehachapi Loop popular with railfans. In 1998, it was named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It is also designated as California Historical Landmark #508. One of the engineering feats of its day, the Loop was built by Southern Pacific Railroad to ease the grade over Tehachapi Pass. Construction began in 1874, and the line opened in 1876. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 100. #railroad #railroads #train, #trains #railway #railway #steamtrains #railtransport #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailways #besttrainphotograph #bestphoto #photographyoftrains #bestsoldpicture #JimPearsonPhotography #trainsfromtheair #trainsfromadrone #TehachapiLoop

September 18th, 2024, BNSF 8057, NS 8068 and BNSF 5177 lead an eastbound train through Tehachapi Loop…

September 18th, 2024, BNSF 8057, NS 8068 and BNSF 5177 lead an eastbound train through the famous Tehachapi Loop on the Union Pacific Mojave Subdivision at Keene, California.

I’m thankful that I had and brought my drone on this trip as access to trackside at the loop has been cut off! I was last here 7 years ago and then you could get to where you could shoot trackside, but now there’s viewing platform about ¾ mile away. Being able to fly the drone allowed me many spectacular views that I’ve never been able to get in the past.

According to Wikipedia: The Tehachapi Loop is a 3,779-foot-long (0.72 mi; 1.15 km) spiral, or helix, on the Union Pacific Railroad Mojave Subdivision through Tehachapi Pass, of the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, south-central California. The line connects Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley to Mojave in the Mojave Desert.
Rising at a steady two-percent grade, the track gains 77 feet (23 m) in elevation and makes a 1,210-foot-diameter (370 m) circle. Any train that is more than 3,800 feet (1,200 m) long—about 56 boxcars—passes over itself going around the loop. At the bottom of the loop, the track passes through Tunnel 9, the ninth tunnel built as the railroad was extended from Bakersfield.

The line averages about 36 freight trains each day. Passenger trains such as Amtrak’s San Joaquin are banned from the loop, although the Coast Starlight can use it as a detour. ts frequent trains and scenic setting make the Tehachapi Loop popular with railfans. In 1998, it was named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It is also designated as California Historical Landmark #508.

One of the engineering feats of its day, the Loop was built by Southern Pacific Railroad to ease the grade over Tehachapi Pass. Construction began in 1874, and the line opened in 1876.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 100.

BNSF 6387 and 3947 lead CSX S577 as the crew backs a loaded military train onto the Ft. Campbell lead at Hopkinsville, Ky, from the CSX Henderson Subdivision on July 9th, 2024, under threatening skies during a Tornado Warning spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Alberto. Fellow railfan Brian Caswell and I sat for a couple hours hoping that Ft. Campbell would show up to carry the equipment onto the base, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. Despite the warnings here very little rain fell and most of the tornados spawned in our area were more to the northeast up in Indiana. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 210. #railroad #railroads #train #trains #bestphoto #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailway #bestphotograph #photographyoftrains #trainphotography #JimPearsonPhotography #trendingphoto #militarytrains #stormyweather

BNSF 6387 and 3947 lead CSX S577 as the crew backs a loaded military train onto the Ft. Campbell…

BNSF 6387 and 3947 lead CSX S577 as the crew backs a loaded military train onto the Ft. Campbell lead at Hopkinsville, Ky, from the CSX Henderson Subdivision on July 9th, 2024, under threatening skies during a Tornado Warning spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Alberto. Fellow railfan Brian Caswell and I sat for a couple hours hoping that Ft. Campbell would show up to carry the equipment onto the base, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. Despite the warnings here very little rain fell and most of the tornados spawned in our area were more to the northeast up in Indiana.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 210.

May 5th, 2004 - Blast from The Past – A conductor performs a roll-by inspection at the siding at Freeze, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri on the BNSF River Subdivision. From what I find online the subdivision runs between St. Louis, MO and Memphis, TN and is an ex-Frisco line that hugs the west bank of the Mississippi River for about 100 miles or so. This image from a trip I did over 20 years ago with a group of good friends from the Western Kentucky Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and for one reason or another this, along with many other images from the trip were never processed. So, expect to see other images from this trip in the weeks to come on Saturdays! Thankfully the D100 had an option for doing voice recordings tied to the images where I gave locations and other information. Otherwise, the captions would have a lot less information. Tech Info: Nikon D100, Nikon 24mm, f/13, 1/500, ISO 500. #trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #jimpearsonphotography #BNSF #missouritrains

May 5th, 2004 – Blast from The Past – A conductor performs a roll-by inspection at Cape Girardeau, Missouri

May 5th, 2004 – Blast from The Past – A conductor performs a roll-by inspection at the siding at Freeze, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri on the BNSF River Subdivision.

From what I find online the subdivision runs between St. Louis, MO and Memphis, TN and is an ex-Frisco line that hugs the west bank of the Mississippi River for about 100 miles or so.

This image from a trip I did over 20 years ago with a group of good friends from the Western Kentucky Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and for one reason or another this, along with many other images from the trip were never processed. So, expect to see other images from this trip in the weeks to come on Saturdays! Thankfully the D100 had an option for doing voice recordings tied to the images where I gave locations and other information. Otherwise, the captions would have a lot less information.

Tech Info: Nikon D100, Nikon 24mm, f/13, 1/500, ISO 500.

BNSF 6387 and 3947 lead CSX S577 as the crew backs a loaded military train onto the Ft. Campbell lead at from Casky yard at Hopkinsville, Ky, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on July 9th, 2024. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 160. #railroad #railroads #train #trains #bestphoto #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailway #bestphotograph #photographyoftrains #trainphotography #JimPearsonPhotography #trendingphoto #militarytrains #stormyweather

BNSF 6387 and 3947 lead CSX S577 at Hopkinsville, Kentucky

BNSF 6387 and 3947 lead CSX S577 as the crew backs a loaded military train onto the Ft. Campbell lead at from Casky yard at Hopkinsville, Ky, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on July 9th, 2024.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 160.

May 1, 2005 - Blast From The Past - BNSF 2819 heads past the old interlocking tower at Shattuc, Illinois on BNSF's Beardstown Subdivision as it crosses over the Illinois Subdivision. From what I gather from the web, CSX closed the Illinois Subdivision through here at one point and used it for car storage, but then I find references to the line being used now by The Prairie Line, a shortline out of O'Fallon, IL (I'm now told the shortline hasn't materialized yet). BNSF still owns and uses the Bardstown Sub. I'm also told that the diamond was removed in 2019, at least temporarily. In the past this tower controlled the movements of trains on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad along with the B&O Railroad. It was closed sometime in the 1980's and from what I can find on the web it was torn down in late 2014. I've also found reports where it was bought by a collector and moved. Whichever is correct, this picture isn't to be replicated again today since the tower is now gone. If you'd like to read a great piece on the tower, check out this article on The Trackside Photographer by Tom Gatermann, who visited the tower the same year as me. http://thetracksidephotographer.com/tag/shattuc-tower/ Photograph the towers when and where you can as they continue to disappear from the railroad landscape. Tech Info: Nikon D100, Sigma 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/8, 1/800, ISO 400. #railroad #railroads #train #trains #bestphoto #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailway #bestphotograph #photographyoftrains #trainphotography #JimPearsonPhotography #trendingphoto

May 1, 2005 – Blast From The Past – BNSF 2819 heads past the old interlocking tower at Shattuc, Illinois

May 1, 2005 – Blast From The Past – BNSF 2819 heads past the old interlocking tower at Shattuc, Illinois on BNSF’s Beardstown Subdivision as it crosses over the Illinois Subdivision.

From what I gather from the web, CSX closed the Illinois Subdivision through here at one point and used it for car storage, but then I find references to the line being used now by The Prairie Line, a shortline out of O’Fallon, IL (I’m now told the shortline hasn’t materialized yet). BNSF still owns and uses the Bardstown Sub. I’m also told that the diamond was removed in 2019, at least temporarily.

In the past this tower controlled the movements of trains on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad along with the B&O Railroad. It was closed sometime in the 1980’s and from what I can find on the web it was torn down in late 2014. I’ve also found reports where it was bought by a collector and moved. Whichever is correct, this picture isn’t to be replicated again today since the tower is now gone.

If you’d like to read a great piece on the tower, check out this article on The Trackside Photographer by Tom Gatermann, who visited the tower the same year as me.

http://thetracksidephotographer.com/tag/shattuc-tower/

Photograph the towers when and where you can as they continue to disappear from the railroad landscape.

Tech Info: Nikon D100, Sigma 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/8, 1/800, ISO 400.

BNSF 6387 and 3947 lead CSX S577 as the crew backs a loaded military train onto the Ft. Campbell lead at Hopkinsville, Ky, from the CSX Henderson Subdivision on July 9th, 2024, under threatening skies during a Tornado Warning spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Alberto. Fellow railfan Brian Caswell and I sat for a couple hours hoping that Ft. Campbell would show up to carry the equipment onto the base, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. Despite the warnings here very little rain fell and most of the tornados spawned in our area were more to the northeast up in Indiana. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 200. #railroad #railroads #train #trains #bestphoto #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailway #bestphotograph #photographyoftrains #trainphotography #JimPearsonPhotography #trendingphoto #militarytrains #stormyweather

BNSF 6387 and 3947 lead CSX S577 a loaded military train on the Ft. Campbell lead at Hopkinsville, Ky

BNSF 6387 and 3947 lead CSX S577 as the crew backs a loaded military train onto the Ft. Campbell lead at Hopkinsville, Ky, from the CSX Henderson Subdivision on July 9th, 2024, under threatening skies during a Tornado Warning spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Alberto. Fellow railfan Brian Caswell and I sat for a couple hours hoping that Ft. Campbell would show up to carry the equipment onto the base, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. Despite the warnings here very little rain fell and most of the tornados spawned in our area were more to the northeast up in Indiana.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 200.

July 13th, 2024 – Episode 80 – Saturday Edited Video from Jim Pearson Photography

This week we catch CSX action between Kelly and Slaughters, Kentucky, including the CSX Operation Lifesaver engine and a southbound military train move with BNSF power, bound for Ft. Campbell, Ky, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision! Sit back, turn up the sound, expand to full screen and enjoy the trains!! Please like, share, subscribe and thanks for watching!

BNSF 6387 and 3947 lead CSX S577 as the crew backs a loaded military train onto the Ft. Campbell lead at Hopkinsville, Ky, from the CSX Henderson Subdivision on July 9th, 2024, under threatening skies during a Tornado Warning spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Alberto. Fellow railfan Brian Caswell and I sat for a couple hours hoping that Ft. Campbell would show up to carry the equipment onto the base, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. Despite the warnings here very little rain fell and most of the tornados spawned in our area were more to the northeast up in Indiana. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 170. #railroad #railroads #train #trains #bestphoto #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailway #bestphotograph #photographyoftrains #trainphotography #JimPearsonPhotography #trendingphoto #militarytrains #stormyweather

CSX S577 backs a loaded military train onto the Ft. Campbell lead at Hopkinsville, Ky

BNSF 6387 and 3947 lead CSX S577 as the crew backs a loaded military train onto the Ft. Campbell lead at Hopkinsville, Ky, from the CSX Henderson Subdivision on July 9th, 2024, under threatening skies during a Tornado Warning spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Alberto. Fellow railfan Brian Caswell and I sat for a couple hours hoping that Ft. Campbell would show up to carry the equipment onto the base, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. Despite the warnings here very little rain fell and most of the tornados spawned in our area were more to the northeast up in Indiana.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 170.

Santa Fe 5404 leads 8 locomotives as they climb upgrade through the Tehachapi Pass in central California in during early 1995 passing a caboose parked in a house track. Unfortunately I can't remember off the top of my head where this spot is at or what it's called. Anyone know? According to Wikipedia: Tehachapi Pass (Kawaiisu: Tihachipia, meaning "hard climb") is a mountain pass crossing the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, California. Traditionally, the pass marks the northeast end of the Tehachapi’s and the south end of the Sierra Nevada range. The route is a principal connector between the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert. The Native American Kitanemuk people used the pass as a trade route before the American settlement of the region in the 19th century. The main line of the former Southern Pacific Railroad opened though the pass in 1876;[4] the tracks are now owned by the Union Pacific Railroad and shared with BNSF Railway as the Mojave Subdivision. U.S. Route 466 was built in the 1930s, and the road is now State Route 58. The Pass is also the route of the planned California High-Speed Rail line. Tech Notes: Nikon F3 Film Camera, Nikon 300mm, f/stop and shutter speed not recorded #railroad #railroads #train #trains #bestphoto #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailway #bestphotograph #photographyoftrains #trainphotography #JimPearsonPhotography

Santa Fe 5404 leads 8 locomotives as they climb upgrade through the Tehachapi Pass

Santa Fe 5404 leads 8 locomotives as they climb upgrade through the Tehachapi Pass in central California with their train in during early 1995 passing a caboose parked in a house track. Unfortunately I can’t remember off the top of my head where this spot is at or what it’s called. Anyone know? – Edit: Several folks have said that this is at Caliente, CA.

According to Wikipedia: Tehachapi Pass (Kawaiisu: Tihachipia, meaning “hard climb”) is a mountain pass crossing the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, California. Traditionally, the pass marks the northeast end of the Tehachapi’s and the south end of the Sierra Nevada range.

The route is a principal connector between the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert. The Native American Kitanemuk people used the pass as a trade route before the American settlement of the region in the 19th century. The main line of the former Southern Pacific Railroad opened though the pass in 1876;[4] the tracks are now owned by the Union Pacific Railroad and shared with BNSF Railway as the Mojave Subdivision. U.S. Route 466 was built in the 1930s, and the road is now State Route 58. The Pass is also the route of the planned California High-Speed Rail line.

Tech Notes: Nikon F3 Film Camera, Nikon 300mm, f/stop and shutter speed not recorded

Santa Fe 947 leads the way as it climbs upgrade through the Tehachapi Pass in northern California in August of 1995. According to Wikipedia: Tehachapi Pass (Kawaiisu: Tihachipia, meaning "hard climb") is a mountain pass crossing the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, California. Traditionally, the pass marks the northeast end of the Tehachapi’s and the south end of the Sierra Nevada range. The route is a principal connector between the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert. The Native American Kitanemuk people used the pass as a trade route before the American settlement of the region in the 19th century. The main line of the former Southern Pacific Railroad opened though the pass in 1876;[4] the tracks are now owned by the Union Pacific Railroad and shared with BNSF Railway as the Mojave Subdivision. U.S. Route 466 was built in the 1930s, and the road is now State Route 58. The Pass is also the route of the planned California High-Speed Rail line. Tech Notes: Nikon F3 Film Camera, Nikon 300mm, f/stop and shutter speed not recorded #railroad #railroads #train #trains #bestphoto #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailway #bestphotograph #photographyoftrains #trainphotography #JimPearsonPhotography

Santa Fe 947 leads the way as it climbs upgrade through the Tehachapi Pass

Santa Fe 947 leads the way as it climbs upgrade through the Tehachapi Pass in northern California in August of 1995.

According to Wikipedia: Tehachapi Pass (Kawaiisu: Tihachipia, meaning “hard climb”) is a mountain pass crossing the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, California. Traditionally, the pass marks the northeast end of the Tehachapi’s and the south end of the Sierra Nevada range.

The route is a principal connector between the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert. The Native American Kitanemuk people used the pass as a trade route before the American settlement of the region in the 19th century. The main line of the former Southern Pacific Railroad opened though the pass in 1876;[4] the tracks are now owned by the Union Pacific Railroad and shared with BNSF Railway as the Mojave Subdivision. U.S. Route 466 was built in the 1930s, and the road is now State Route 58. The Pass is also the route of the planned California High-Speed Rail line.

Tech Notes: Nikon F3 Film Camera, Nikon 300mm, f/stop and shutter speed not recorded

In this week’s Saturday Infrared photo, we catch BNSF 97117 bringing up the rear as DPU on a loaded coal train working its way through the loop at the TVA power plant at Kingston, Tennessee, on April 28th, 2024. DPU. Stands for Distributed Power Unit, a locomotive set capable of remote-control operation in conjunction with locomotive unites at the train's head end. DPUs are placed in the middle or at the rear of heavy trains (such as coal, or grain) to help climb steep grades. Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 10-24mm @ 14mm, f/5.6, 1/950, ISO 400. #trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #jimpearsonphotography #infraredtrainphotography #infraredphotography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #infaredtrainphotography #bnsf #coaltrain #trending

In this week’s Saturday Infrared photo, we catch BNSF 97117 bringing up the rear as DPU…

In this week’s Saturday Infrared photo, we catch BNSF 97117 bringing up the rear as DPU on a loaded coal train working its way through the loop at the TVA power plant at Kingston, Tennessee, on April 28th, 2024.

DPU. Stands for Distributed Power Unit, a locomotive set capable of remote-control operation in conjunction with locomotive unites at the train’s head end. DPUs are placed in the middle or at the rear of heavy trains (such as coal, or grain) to help climb steep grades.

Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 10-24mm @ 14mm, f/5.6, 1/950, ISO 400.

BNSF 976 leads a intermodal across the bridge at Diablo Canyon, Arizona as they head east on the BNSF Seligman Subdivision, through the Navajo Reservation in north central Arizona. From what I recall this slide was shot in the mid-1990s. According to Wikipedia: Canyon Diablo is a ghost town in Coconino County, Arizona, United States on the edge of the arroyo Canyon Diablo. The community was settled in 1880 and died out in the early 20th century. The ramshackle camp of railroad workers originated in 1880, due to the construction of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad bridge over a large canyon named Canyon Diablo. The temporary community assumed the name of the canyon that stood in the way of the railroad construction - Canyon Diablo. The bridge construction took six months, during which many regular railroad construction workers were encamped and waiting to recommence their work once the canyon had been spanned. After the bridge was completed, construction resumed and the camp was largely abandoned. When the railroad bridge was completed, the town quickly died. The original railroad bridge was replaced in 1900 with a new bridge to carry heavier locomotives and cars. By 1903, the only thing remaining in the town was a Navajo trading post. A new double track railroad bridge was completed across the Canyon in 1947. What remains today at Canyon Diablo are a few building foundations, the grave marker and grave of Herman Wolfe, the ruins of the trading post, a railroad siding and a double track railroad bridge. Tech Notes: Nikon F3 Film Camera, Nikon 70-300mm lens at 200mm, f/stop and shutter speed not recorded #railroad #railroads #train #trains #bestphoto #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailway #bestphotograph #photographyoftrains #trainphotography #JimPearsonPhotography

BNSF 976 leads a intermodal across the bridge at Diablo Canyon, Arizona

BNSF 976 leads a intermodal across the bridge at Diablo Canyon, Arizona as they head east on the BNSF Seligman Subdivision, through the Navajo Reservation in north central Arizona. From what I recall this slide was shot in the mid-1990s.

According to Wikipedia: Canyon Diablo is a ghost town in Coconino County, Arizona, United States on the edge of the arroyo Canyon Diablo. The community was settled in 1880 and died out in the early 20th century.

The ramshackle camp of railroad workers originated in 1880, due to the construction of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad bridge over a large canyon named Canyon Diablo. The temporary community assumed the name of the canyon that stood in the way of the railroad construction – Canyon Diablo. The bridge construction took six months, during which many regular railroad construction workers were encamped and waiting to recommence their work once the canyon had been spanned. After the bridge was completed, construction resumed and the camp was largely abandoned.

When the railroad bridge was completed, the town quickly died. The original railroad bridge was replaced in 1900 with a new bridge to carry heavier locomotives and cars. By 1903, the only thing remaining in the town was a Navajo trading post. A new double track railroad bridge was completed across the Canyon in 1947. What remains today at Canyon Diablo are a few building foundations, the grave marker and grave of Herman Wolfe, the ruins of the trading post, a railroad siding and a double track railroad bridge.

Tech Notes: Nikon F3 Film Camera, Nikon 70-300mm lens at 200mm, f/stop and shutter speed not recorded

Santa Fe Railway 142 leads four war bonnets as they pull east through Tehachapi Loop with a “Piggyback” trailer train sometime in the late 1980’s, as they head for Tehachapi, California, and points east on the UP Mojave Subdivision, through the Tehachapi Pass. When I lived in southern California between 1981-1995, not counting a break where I lived in the Philippines for about 1.5 years, I spent a lot of time in these mountains and Cajon Pass, around the San Bernardino mountains! Over the coming year I’ll be scanning images from these and other locations and sharing them on Saturday evenings. According to Wikipedia: The Tehachapi Loop is a 3,779-foot-long (0.72 mi; 1.15 km) spiral,[1] or helix, on the Union Pacific Railroad Mojave Subdivision through Tehachapi Pass, of the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, south-central California. The line connects Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley to Mojave in the Mojave Desert. Rising at a steady two-percent grade, the track gains 77 feet (23 m) in elevation and makes a 1,210-foot-diameter (370 m) circle.[1][2] Any train that is more than 3,800 feet (1,200 m) long—about 56 boxcars—passes over itself going around the loop Fuji 6x17, Fuji 105mm lens, other exposure information wasn’t recorded back then. #trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #jimpearsonphotography #panphotography #6x17photography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #TehachapiLoop #SantaFe

Santa Fe Railway 142 leads four war bonnets as they pull east through Tehachapi Loop

Santa Fe Railway 142 leads four war bonnets as they pull east through Tehachapi Loop with a “Piggyback” trailer train sometime in the early to mid 1990’s, as they head for Tehachapi, California, and points east on the UP Mojave Subdivision, through the Tehachapi Pass.

When I lived in southern California between 1981-1995, not counting a break where I lived in the Philippines for about 1.5 years, I spent a lot of time in these mountains and Cajon Pass, around the San Bernardino mountains! Over the coming year I’ll be scanning images from these and other locations and sharing them on Saturday evenings.

According to Wikipedia: The Tehachapi Loop is a 3,779-foot-long (0.72 mi; 1.15 km) spiral,[1] or helix, on the Union Pacific Railroad Mojave Subdivision through Tehachapi Pass, of the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, south-central California. The line connects Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley to Mojave in the Mojave Desert.

Rising at a steady two-percent grade, the track gains 77 feet (23 m) in elevation and makes a 1,210-foot-diameter (370 m) circle.[1][2] Any train that is more than 3,800 feet (1,200 m) long—about 56 boxcars—passes over itself going around the loop

Fuji 6×17, Fuji 105mm lens, other exposure information wasn’t recorded back then.