by Aaron Hockley on July 13, 2007
Yesterday morning I was sitting at work and got an instant message from Steve saying that he heard the SP&S 700 on the radio going past an approach signal at MP 769. Since that’s about five blocks from my office, I decided it was a good time for a break and headed that way in a brisk walk. The locomotive was onto the OPR, and unfortunately unless I was going to trespass my photo angle would be aiming southeast into the sun. I believe the term “craptastic” applies, but hey, it’s a steam train, so I’m going to post it.
Technorati Tags: sp&s 700, opr, trains, railroad, pictures, steam, steamtrains
by Steve Eshom on June 1, 2007
Vancouver has a modest (very modest?) engine service facility just south of 39th St. Power is serviced here as required with a preference given to fueling at Hauser, ID if there’s enough gas in the tank. While waiting at the 39th St. crossing a few weeks ago I captured the Z train power getting the once over.
A BNSF crew fuels and checks a set of power before its next assignment.
Technorati Tags: vancouverwashington, vancouver, bnsf, trains, railroad, railfan, photos, fuel, Hauser
by Aaron Hockley on May 21, 2007
Last weekend, the UP 844 headed west from The Dalles, Oregon to Portland, where the SP 4449 joined the excursion to head north to Tacoma. I shot the train at several locations; here are a few photos.
UP 844 broadside at Rowena
844 with a yellow train and yellow scotch broom just east of Cascade Locks
UP 844 and a bunch of steam at Dodson
Leaving Vancouver, the train passes under Fruit Valley Road
Through the S curve at Steilacoom
At Mosier. No further explanation needed
Technorati Tags: up844, 844, sp4449, 4449, steamtrains, steam, trains, railfanning, railroad
by Aaron Hockley on May 17, 2007
Like every other railfan in the northwest, I was out chasing the 844/4449 steam special last weekend. I haven’t posted steam photos because I’ve been busy with GorgeRail preparations (you’re going to be there, aren’t you?) but I wanted to share this photo I took of an eastbound UP train while waiting for the steam special. When I setup at this spot at Rowena, the lighting was great. However I was waiting on the UP, and they can’t run a passenger train on time even when it’s their own train on their own rails… so by the time the steam train got there, the lighting had gone all crappy. This was taken when the lighting was only partially crappy:
Technorati Tags: up, unionpacific, rowena, oregon, 844, railfanning, photography, trains, railroad
by Aaron Hockley on March 11, 2007
Yesterday was a fairly typical March day in the Pacific Northwest… gray, a bit chilly, with the threat of rain (that materialized in the afternoon). Nonetheless I headed east with a few railfan friends for some Columbia River Gorge railroad action. Gotta brush up on my local railfan skills before GorgeRail, ya know?
Here are a few shots from the day… even though the weather wasn’t cooperative, we had some nice power to work with on the trains we saw:
Pick some power; you’ll likely find it on the Z-PTLCHC at North Dalles
Look, Amtrak isn’t the slowest, most broke-down thing in the photo!
The locomotive on Empire Builder #27 passes an old truck at Hood.
I got sick of the Grinstein Green units in coal country but they’re a nice change of pace in the Gorge.
Stay tuned for some of Steve’s photos…
Technorati Tags: trains, railfanning, bnsf, columbiarivergorge, columbiagorge, railroads, pictures
