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.

May 1, 2005 - Blast From The Past - The conductor on a Union Pacific freight walks past the American Flag on his engine in the yard at Salem, Illinois. According to the Union Pacific Website: When we added the flag to our locomotives more than a decade ago – at the suggestion of an employee after 9/11 – we followed the tradition of having the Union (the blue field of stars) lead the way, such that on the right-hand side of the vehicle ("passenger side"), the flag would appear reversed. Further, the flag was painted to convey the motion of forward movement as if it were billowing with the speed of the locomotive. Having the Union forward on both sides is the overwhelming choice anytime the flag is portrayed on a transport vehicle, from NASA space shuttles to Air Force One. Tech Info: Nikon D100, Nikon 70-300mm @ 80mm, f/14, 1/400, ISO 400. #railroad #railroads #train #trains #bestphoto #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailway #bestphotograph #photographyoftrains #trainphotography #JimPearsonPhotography #trendingphoto

May 1, 2005 – Blast From The Past – The conductor on a Union Pacific freight walks past the American Flag…

May 1, 2005 – Blast From The Past – The conductor on a Union Pacific freight walks past the American Flag on his engine in the yard at Salem, Illinois.

According to the Union Pacific Website: When we added the flag to our locomotives more than a decade ago – at the suggestion of an employee after 9/11 – we followed the tradition of having the Union (the blue field of stars) lead the way, such that on the right-hand side of the vehicle (“passenger side”), the flag would appear reversed.

Further, the flag was painted to convey the motion of forward movement as if it were billowing with the speed of the locomotive. Having the Union forward on both sides is the overwhelming choice anytime the flag is portrayed on a transport vehicle, from NASA space shuttles to Air Force One.

Tech Info: Nikon D100, Nikon 70-300mm @ 80mm, f/14, 1/400, ISO 400.

 

Union Pacific 5760 and 9788 lead Norfolk Southern 224 through the location known as Revilo, at Sterns, Ky, through a light rain as they head northbound on the CNO&TP 2nd District. According to American-rails.com, It used to be called the Rathole Division when it was the Southern Railway and is often remembered as a road with relatively flat and tangent main lines due to the region in which it operated. However, the system did feature its share of steep, circuitous main lines such as Saluda Grade in western North Carolina and its famed “Rathole Division” through Kentucky and Tennessee that reached as far north as Cincinnati. Technically, this stretch of the Southern main line was known as the 2nd District of subsidiary Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific (CNO&TP), which was plagued for years by numerous tunnels resulting in its famous nickname by the crews which operated over it. Over the years the Southern worked to daylight or bypass these obstacles as the route saw significant freight tonnage, a task finally completed during the 1960s. Today, the Rathole remains an important artery in Norfolk Southern’s vast network. Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @ 95mm, f/5, 1/400, ISO 64. #trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #jimpearsonphotography #NikonD810 #NorfolkSouthern #UnionPacific

Union Pacific 5760 and 9788 lead Norfolk Southern 224 through the location known as Revilo, at Sterns, Ky

Union Pacific 5760 and 9788 lead Norfolk Southern 224 through the location known as Revilo, at Sterns, Ky, through a light rain as they head northbound on the CNO&TP 2nd District.

According to American-rails.com, It used to be called the Rathole Division when it was the Southern Railway and is often remembered as a road with relatively flat and tangent main lines due to the region in which it operated. However, the system did feature its share of steep, circuitous main lines such as Saluda Grade in western North Carolina and its famed “Rathole Division” through Kentucky and Tennessee that reached as far north as Cincinnati.

Technically, this stretch of the Southern main line was known as the 2nd District of subsidiary Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific (CNO&TP), which was plagued for years by numerous tunnels resulting in its famous nickname by the crews which operated over it.

Over the years the Southern worked to daylight or bypass these obstacles as the route saw significant freight tonnage, a task finally completed during the 1960s. Today, the Rathole remains an important artery in Norfolk Southern’s vast network.

Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @ 95mm, f/5, 1/400, ISO 64.

May 5, 1989 - The crew from a eastbound Santa Fe freight prepare to do a roll-by inspection on a passenger train being led by Union X8444 at Blue Cut in southern California's Cajon Pass on their way west to the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Los Angeles Union Station, with E-unit 951 trailing. This was the first Southern California appearance of a Union Pacific steam locomotive since 1956. Tech Info: Nikon F3, Nikon 80-200mm, Kodachrome Slide, other data not recorded. #railroad #railroads #train #trains #bestphoto #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailway #bestphotograph #photographyoftrains #trainphotography #JimPearsonPhotography #trendingphoto

Union Pacific X8444 at Blue Cut in southern California’s Cajon Pass

May 5, 1989 – The crew from a eastbound Santa Fe freight prepare to do a roll-by inspection on a passenger train being led by Union Pacific X8444 at Blue Cut in southern California’s Cajon Pass on their way west to the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Los Angeles Union Station, with E-unit 951 trailing. This was the first Southern California appearance of a Union Pacific steam locomotive since 1956.

Tech Info: Nikon F3, Nikon 80-200mm, Kodachrome Slide, other data not recorded.

Union Pacific 4014, the Big Boy heads north on UP’s Hoxie Subdivision at Jacksonville, Arkansas as part of its 2021-month long tour around the United States on August 27th, 2021! Here engineer Ed Dickens keeps an eye on the tracks ahead as it approaches the N JP Wright Loop Road crossing, perhaps scanning for the legendary the Loop Road Monster (Bigfoot) which has been sighted in this rural area in the past, but there wasn’t any sight of him during the big boys run through the area! I guess bigfoot doesn’t like steam trains nearly as much as the throngs of railfans that chased it! UP 4014 is an articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive that was manufactured by the American Locomotive Company. There were a total 25 of these giants built and of the eight remaining locomotives this is the only operational one. The Big Boy was on a month-long tour around the Midwest through, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming before arriving home in Cheyenne, Wyoming on September 7th, 2021. Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 210mm, f/5.3, 1/1600, ISO 280. #trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #jimpearsonphotography

Union Pacific 4014, the Big Boy heads north on UP’s Hoxie Subdivision at Jacksonville, Arkansas

Union Pacific 4014, the Big Boy heads north on UP’s Hoxie Subdivision at Jacksonville, Arkansas as part of its 2021-month long tour around the United States on August 27th, 2021!

Here engineer Ed Dickens keeps an eye on the tracks ahead as it approaches the N JP Wright Loop Road crossing, perhaps scanning for the legendary the Loop Road Monster (Bigfoot) which has been sighted in this rural area in the past, but there wasn’t any sight of him during the big boys run through the area! I guess bigfoot doesn’t like steam trains nearly as much as the throngs of railfans that chased it!

UP 4014 is an articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive that was manufactured by the American Locomotive Company. There were a total 25 of these giants built and of the eight remaining locomotives this is the only operational one.

The Big Boy was on a month-long tour around the Midwest through, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming before arriving home in Cheyenne, Wyoming on September 7th, 2021.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 210mm, f/5.3, 1/1600, ISO 280.

Engineer Ed Dickens, left, conductor and others on the right on Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 crew keep an eye on the tracks ahead as they round the curve after crossing the Kaskaskia River bridge on the UP Chester Subdivision at Brewerville, Illinois, as they make the way to St. Louis, MO, the last stop on this leg of their journey on August 28th, 2021 Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 195mm, f/5.3, 1/1600, ISO 160. #railroad #railroads #train #trains #bestphoto #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailway #bestphotograph #photographyoftrains #trainphotography #JimPearsonPhotography #trendingphoto

Engineer Ed Dickens, left, conductor and others on the right on Union Pacific Big Boy 4014…

Engineer Ed Dickens, left, conductor and others on the right on Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 crew keep an eye on the tracks ahead as they round the curve after crossing the Kaskaskia River bridge on the UP Chester Subdivision at Brewerville, Illinois, as they make the way to St. Louis, MO, the last stop on this leg of their journey on August 28th, 2021

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 195mm, f/5.3, 1/1600, ISO 160.

Union Pacific 5760 and 9788 lead Norfolk Southern 224 through the location known as Revilo, at Sterns, Ky, through a light rain as they head northbound on the CNO&TP 2nd District. According to American-rails.com, It used to be called the Rathole Division when it was the Southern Railway and is often remembered as a road with relatively flat and tangent main lines due to the region in which it operated. However, the system did feature its share of steep, circuitous main lines such as Saluda Grade in western North Carolina and its famed “Rathole Division” through Kentucky and Tennessee that reached as far north as Cincinnati. Technically, this stretch of the Southern main line was known as the 2nd District of subsidiary Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific (CNO&TP), which was plagued for years by numerous tunnels resulting in its famous nickname by the crews which operated over it. Over the years the Southern worked to daylight or bypass these obstacles as the route saw significant freight tonnage, a task finally completed during the 1960s. Today, the Rathole remains an important artery in Norfolk Southern’s vast network. Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 70mm, f/5, 1/400, ISO 80. #trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #jimpearsonphotography #NikonD810 #NorfolkSouthern #UnionPacific

Union Pacific 5760 and 9788 lead Norfolk Southern 224 through the location known as Revilo, at Sterns, Ky

Union Pacific 5760 and 9788 lead Norfolk Southern 224 through the location known as Revilo, at Sterns, Ky, through a light rain as they head northbound on the CNO&TP 2nd District.

According to American-rails.com, It used to be called the Rathole Division when it was the Southern Railway and is often remembered as a road with relatively flat and tangent main lines due to the region in which it operated. However, the system did feature its share of steep, circuitous main lines such as Saluda Grade in western North Carolina and its famed “Rathole Division” through Kentucky and Tennessee that reached as far north as Cincinnati.

Technically, this stretch of the Southern main line was known as the 2nd District of subsidiary Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific (CNO&TP), which was plagued for years by numerous tunnels resulting in its famous nickname by the crews which operated over it.

Over the years the Southern worked to daylight or bypass these obstacles as the route saw significant freight tonnage, a task finally completed during the 1960s. Today, the Rathole remains an important artery in Norfolk Southern’s vast network.

Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 70mm, f/5, 1/400, ISO 80.

Union Pacific 5954, sporting their new paint scheme, leads a southbound Norfolk Southern Intermodal across the Tennbridge, over the Tennessee River at sunset, on the CNO&TP Third District, at East Chattanooga, TN. According to Wikipedia: Tenbridge is a vertical-lift railroad bridge over the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It has a main span of 310 feet (94 m). The original span was a swing span with a center pivot that was originally built in ca. 1879/1880. It was replaced by a vertical lift span in 1917, but the lift towers and machinery were not installed until 1920. It remains a very busy crossing on the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway, a major subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Railway. The bridge carries two mainline tracks across the river. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 330.

Union Pacific 5954 leads a southbound Norfolk Southern Intermodal across the Tennbridge at East Chattanooga, TN

Union Pacific 5954, sporting their new paint scheme, leads a southbound Norfolk Southern Intermodal across the Tennbridge, over the Tennessee River at sunset, on the CNO&TP Third District, at East Chattanooga, TN.

According to Wikipedia: Tenbridge is a vertical-lift railroad bridge over the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It has a main span of 310 feet (94 m).

The original span was a swing span with a center pivot that was originally built in ca. 1879/1880. It was replaced by a vertical lift span in 1917, but the lift towers and machinery were not installed until 1920. It remains a very busy crossing on the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway, a major subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Railway. The bridge carries two mainline tracks across the river.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 330.

During our run to Seattle, Washington my sister and I traveled along the Columbia River Gorge on our recent trip and the only Union Pacific Equipment I caught on this day was this Maintenance of Way Equipment at The Dalles in Oregon. It was busy picking up ties on the Portland Subdivision,down from The Dalles Dam, on June 20th, 2023, with UP 958200 leading. At the far end of the equipment, you can see where they are picking up ties along the right-of-way and I’ll be posting another shot showing that end tomorrow morning. An unusual and cool looking piece of equipment for sure! From what I can find online Union Pacific took delivery of the RELCO built MofW work train set #958200 in July 2019. The set is made up of special flats/gons and a rebuilt SD-40-2 locomotive (former number unknown). The trailing unit was numbered UP 958201. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/3200, ISO 180 #trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #jimpearsonphotography #trains #mavic3classic #drones #trainsfromtheair #trainsfromadrone #UnionPacific #MOWtrainset #oregontrains

During our run to Seattle, Washington my sister and I traveled along the Columbia River Gorge…

During our run to Seattle, Washington my sister and I traveled along the Columbia River Gorge on our recent trip and the only Union Pacific Equipment I caught on this day was this Maintenance of Way Equipment at The Dalles in Oregon. It was busy picking up ties on the Portland Subdivision, down from The Dalles Dam, on June 20th, 2023, with UP 958200 leading.

At the far end of the equipment, you can see where they are picking up ties along the right-of-way and I’ll be posting another shot showing that end tomorrow morning. An unusual and cool looking piece of equipment for sure!

From what I can find online Union Pacific took delivery of the RELCO built MOW work train set #958200 in July 2019. The set is made up of special flats/gons and a rebuilt SD-40-2 locomotive (former number unknown). The trailing unit was numbered UP 958201.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/3200, ISO 180

Union Pacific 5340 and UP 5673 pass each other as the pair of trains meet in Echo Canyon, Utah, as they head east and west along the Evanston Subdivision, on June 19th, 2023. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 160. #trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #jimpearsonphotography #trains #unionpacific #mavic3classic #drones #trainsfromtheair #trainsfromadrone #UtahTrains

UP train meet in Echo Canyon, Utah

Union Pacific 5340 and UP 5673 pass each other as the pair of trains meet in Echo Canyon, Utah, as they head east and west along the Evanston Subdivision, on June 19th, 2023.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 160.

During my recent cross-country trip to Washington state, I stopped off at the Golden Spike Tower, in North Platte, Nebraska on Jun 17th, 2023, and caught this Union Pacific freight heading through the yard as it passed a minor derailment in the Bailey yard there from the top of the tower. The tower makes for a great shooting platform with the right lenses. According to Wikipedia: Bailey Yard is the world's largest railroad classification yard. Employees sort, service and repair locomotives and cars headed across North America. Owned and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad (UP), Bailey Yard is in North Platte, Nebraska. The yard is named after former Union Pacific president Edd H. Bailey. Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 70-300mm @135mm, f/5.6, 1/1250, ISO 900. #trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #jimpearsonphotography #UPtrains #NikonD800 #UnionPacific #WyomingTrains #UnionPacific #UP

Minor UP Derailment by the Golden Spike Tower, in North Platte, Nebraska

During my recent cross-country trip to Washington state, I stopped off at the Golden Spike Tower, in North Platte, Nebraska on Jun 17th, 2023, and caught this Union Pacific freight heading through the yard as it passed a minor derailment in the Bailey yard there from the top of the tower. The tower makes for a great shooting platform with the right lenses.

According to Wikipedia: Bailey Yard is the world’s largest railroad classification yard. Employees sort, service and repair locomotives and cars headed across North America. Owned and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad (UP), Bailey Yard is in North Platte, Nebraska. The yard is named after former Union Pacific president Edd H. Bailey.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 70-300mm @135mm, f/5.6, 1/1250, ISO 900.

Digital Photo Art - Union Pacific 8794 leads a westbound mixed freight heads out of Echo Canyon heading into Uintah, Utah, on June 19th, 2023, on the Evanston Subdivision. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 340. #trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #jimpearsonphotography #trains #unionpacific #mavic3classic #drones #trainsfromtheair #trainsfromadrone #UtahTrains

Digital Photo Art – Union Pacific 8794 at Uintah, Utah

Digital Photo Art – Union Pacific 8794 leads a westbound mixed freight heads out of Echo Canyon heading into Uintah, Utah, on June 19th, 2023, on the Evanston Subdivision.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 340.

A clean, shinny Union Pacific 6902 leads a loaded rail train as it heads west on the Norfolk Southern West District at Mt. Carmel, Illinois on July 8th, 2023. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 150. #trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #jimpearsonphotography #TennesseeTrains #csx #csxrailway #AdamsTN #mavic3classic #drones #trainsfromtheair #trainsfromadrone #nssouthernwestdistrict #norfolksouthern #unionpacific #railtrain

A loaded Union Pacific Rail Train westbound at Mt. Carmel, IL

A clean, shinny Union Pacific 6902 in UP’s brand new paint scheme, leads a loaded rail train as it heads west on the Norfolk Southern West District at Mt. Carmel, Illinois on July 8th, 2023.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 150.

Kansas City Southern 4121 (Now CPKC) leads a Union Pacific train westbound out of the yard at Cheyenne, Wyoming on the Laramie Subdivision passing under the overpass for the Front Range Subdivision on March 18th, 2023 as it heads west. Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @70mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 320. #trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #jimpearsonphotography #UPtrains #NikonD800 #UnionPacific #WyomingTrains #KCS #CPKC

CPKC 4121 leads a westbound freight out of Cheyenne, Wy

Kansas City Southern 4121 (Now CPKC) leads a Union Pacific train westbound out of the yard at Cheyenne, Wyoming on the Laramie Subdivision passing under the overpass for the Front Range Subdivision on March 18th, 2023 as it heads west.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @70mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 320.