Trip Report: October 26-29, 2000

I had planned on taking a vacation 2 weeks earlier, to St. Louis and Chicago, but my wife's scheduling conflict with her employer necessitated a rather hasty change of plans.

The first four days of my trip were spent with family in Ruidoso, NM waiting for the sun to come out. The Weather Channel showed a big green blob (representing a moisture-laden front which blew in from the Pacific coast) covering most of the states of New Mexico and Arizona. Parts of Arizona were receiving record rainfall and were experiencing flood conditions. I think I saw the sun about 3 times during the first 3 days. The fourth day, it began to clear up, and we spent the day taking our 4-year old daughter to White Sands National Monument near Alamogordo to play on the sand dunes.

Thursday, Oct 26 -

Left Ruidoso before sunrise...wanted to get to Snowflake, AZ by the time the Apache RR crew went on duty at 1000. Fortunately, Arizona's refusal to comply with daylight savings time gave me an extra hour to get there, as AZ was technically on the same time as the Pacific Time Zone before daylight savings time ended on the 29th. Heading out of Socorro, NM, I took note that the Grefco spur (to the Dicaperl perlite mining area) which branches off the BNSF El Paso Sub main line east of I-25 in Socorro and heads west toward Black Mountain), has some really good scenic potential. The San Antonio local (LNMX0041) works this spur at least two or three times a week. I'll have to get back out there and shoot 'em some time. I headed west on US 60 and was able to spot the remnants of Santa Fe's long-abandoned branch from Socorro to Magdelena...some of the track bed and portions of some of the bridge structures were still in place...and the scenery in that area was SPECTACULAR!

About halfway between the towns of Magdelena and Datil is the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array project, which consists of 27 enormous radio satellite dishes arranged in a huge "Y" formation encompassing 22 square miles. What threw me for a loop was that as I approached the north leg of the "Y", I saw a track bed and said to myself, "What the hell railroad is this?" Then I remembered reading in an historical guide to New Mexico's railroads about the VLA project...the NRAO uses a large rail-borne crane to move the satellites around to different locations, the dishes are so large that they must move on TWO sets of parallel railroad tracks. So, essentially, there are three stretches of double-track railroad emanating outward from a central location south of US 60, each reaching a dead-end within five miles or so! It's a very interesting setup, and definitely the most unusual and unique application of railroad tracks in the "Land of Enchantment." As far as I know, the VLA does not own or operate any locomotives, but some were used during the construction phases of the line. According to the VLA's website (http://info.aoc.nrao.edu/vla/html/VLAhome.shtml), the satellite configuration is changed roughly every four months. These would be the times to witness the tracks "in action". There are no outside rail connections to the VLA.

After taking a few photos of the VLA tracks where they cross US 60, I continued to Snowflake, AZ, arriving right on schedule at 10:00 am, just as the Apache crew was going on duty. I inquired at the office as to what time the train might depart. Interestingly, the two persons I talked with were both 20-something young women (a clerk and a dispatcher) who indicated that the crew had several hours worth of switching and would probably not depart Snowflake for Holbrook until after 1400. This gave me time to scout out some photo locations, but first I snapped a few photos around the yard. I had heard that the Apache was very unreceptive to requests for photography around the headquarters area, but the young women I spoke with said it would be ok to shoot from the the parking lot area as long as I stayed off the tracks. The mechanical crew had just started up the power for that day's train, which consisted of C420 # 81 / C424 # 98 / C420 # 82. I was amazed by their outside appearance....they looked immaculate and their paint was spotless! Their insides appeared to be healthy too, as they emitted a light cloud of clean, white smoke as they were started up. In storage at the yard were RS36's 700 / 800 / 900 (all in Apache green and white) and a partially scrapped RS11 (what's left of the body was painted white...there was no lettering and no indentifiable number).

It should be noted here that the Apache yard is not actually IN the town of Snowflake, as many people mistakenly believe, but it is actually several miles WEST of town near the Abitibi Consolidated paper mill. A sign off state hwy 277 indicates the location of the Apache yard. Since the crew wasn't going to leave town any time soon, I had plenty of time to find suitable photo locations. Unfortunately, since they were going to head due east in the early afternoon, my choices were somewhat limited until the tracks turn northward near Snowflake to head toward Holbrook. The problem here was the lack of access to the tracks. My Delorme atlas showed several unimproved roads heading toward the tracks from state highway 77, but unfortunately, every one that I tried reached a dead end before reaching the tracks. I decided to shoot the train just east of the yard, on a short stretch of track that heads southeast (kind of a broadside, just slightly backlit sun angle here) and then get ahead of him and catch him coming into Holbrook. The first part of my plan worked out well, as he actually departed a little BEFORE 1400. I hurried on up the highway to a spot just south of Holbrook where hwy 377 crosses the tracks at about mp 4. I hiked in 3/4 of a mile or so and set up for a sweet shot of the train snaking through an "S" curve...and wouldn't you know it, the sunlight was absolutely beautiful until about 60 seconds before the train arrived when a small cloud covered up Mr. Sun at exactly the WRONG time. Man, was I pissed, but I took the shot anyway. Maybe I can digitally manipulate the shot so it at least looks like I had some sun. Well, he got down into Holbrook - by this time it was well after 1600 - and proceded to piss away the rest of the day's usable light performing interchange with BNSF. I was hoping I could get him leaving town...I set up just south of the Little Colorado River, where there were some trees in the background whose leaves had begun to change color...and really hoped he was going to get out before the sun set, but it didn't happen. He left about 30 minutes after sunset, but I went back to mp 4 and set up -- cameraless -- to watch and LISTEN to him climbing the hill out of Snowflake. And let me tell you, as disappointed as I was about the day's lackluster photographic results, the sound of three Alco Centuries in run 8 lugging a heavy train up a hill was quite an experience. On to Flagstaff to tie up and get rest for Friday's objective: the Black Mesa & Lake Powell.

Friday, October 27 -

The clerk at the front desk of the Flagstaff Motel 6 must have thought I was joking when I requested a wakeup call for 03:30. Luckily, I was still acclimated to Mountain DAYLIGHT time, so for me, the call was the equivalent of waking of at 0430! I wanted to get up to Page by about 0630...the info. I had on the BM&LP indicated that the daylight coal empty frequently departed the power plant between 0630 and 0700. Drove through intermittent drizzle and rain on the way to Page, and by the time it started to get light, I knew I was in for a cloudy day. No sign of the coal train at the power plant, so I set up at the highway 98 overpass, hoping the night train was running just a little late and that it would soon arrive. At about 0820, he showed up from the south, crawling down the hill toward Page at about 10 mph, with E60Cs 6006 / 6004 / 6005 / 6001 leading approximately 90 cars. I followed him down to the plant, where I took some panoramic shots of the train snaking into the plant area from a hill overlooking the facility. I had not made prior arrangements to enter the plant property, so I had to make do with taking shots from public areas...using my telephoto lens, I could identify at least six of the recently-delivered ex-NdeM E60s on the plant property.

The train spent over 2 hours unloading before departing for the mine; at one point it looked like a hole in the clouds might open long enough for me to get a sunny shot, but by the time he actually pulled it was cloudy and drizzling again. I set up on the highway overpass for a head-on tele-shot of the train, with some red sandstone cliffs and some of Lake Powell visible in the background. It would have made a really sweet shot if the sun had been out; I hope it turns out OK with the overcast sky. After I got on the highway to chase him south toward Kaibito, I noticed several locations that offered excellent broadside views of the train to the west. Again, these would have made some really great morning shots if the sun had been out.

I got ahead of the train and set up for a shot northwest of Kaibito...it looked like some trackwork would be taking place in the near future as several stacks of concrete ties were present along the right of way. It was then that I noticed the BM&LP's right-of-way is fenced...barbed-wire fences line the right-of-way along both sides of every location at which I stopped...at grade crossings, the fences come right up next to the track to connect to some rather threatening-looking cattleguards. Fortunately, the fences don't really interfere with one's ability to photograph the trains, so climbing them in order to take photographs is not necessary.

South of Kaibito, the tracks veer away from the highway and do not run near any major roads until they approach US Highway 160 west of Cow Springs. I decided to take the long way around, reaching the tracks at the intersection of highway 98 and US 160 between Cow Springs and the Black Mesa mine.. The tracks are much more accessible in this area, running parallel to US 160 between Cow Springs and the mine. I managed to get to Cow Springs ahead of the train, and then proceeded to chase him back east toward the mine. He didn't seem to get above 35 or 40 mph, so the chases were easy, and I caught him at several locations and was able to try a variety of angles, including some pan shots. Some of the darker clouds had moved away, but a high overcast, hazy bright sky was the best I would get throughout the afternoon.

West of Kayenta is the Peabody Coal Company's Black Mesa coal mine. The loadout is on the north side of the highway; an enclosed conveyor belt system runs down from Black Mesa to the loadout, crossing highway 160 on an elevated bridge. As I photographed the train running around the coal loop, I wasn't technically on the mine's property, but I must have been a little too far from the highway shoulder because a security officer approached me and said that they "do not allow tourists to take pictures of the train there." Damn, did my camera and Texas license plate really make me look like THAT much of a tourist in the middle of the Navajo Reservation? I haded down to the west end of the plant and watched the head end power come out. While loading, the train moves at the speed of a very slow walk, so it's easy to walk alongside the head end and take roster shots of the power. Due to some problems loading one of the cars near the train's rear end, the train had to stop for a while, and the engineer came down for a brief visit. He was a very nice and personable gentleman by the name of Kel Bennet, and offered lots of information on the railroad's operation. He mentioned that one of the Mexican E60s had been on the train the previous day (check out the following url for some of Michael McGowen's shots of that train posted to the Mexlist site: http://www.mexlist.com/photo/eaaz/1.htm) , but that the NdeM units will not enter regular service until they are fully upgraded. Modifications include changing their voltage capacity to the BM&LP's 50,000 volt system; the Mexican units were built to 25,000 volt specifications. Another necessary modification is the addition of a magnetic device on the fireman's side of the engines...when the power passes through the loading tower at the mine, these magnets trigger a device that lowers the pantograph while the engine travels under the loading tower. Kel also mentioned that the railroad is nearing the end of a 3-year maintenance upgrading, much of which has been contracted to an outside company by the name of "Western Rail."

From start to finish, the train took about an hour and a half to load. When he departed, I chased him west to Cow Springs and then called it a day as some darker clouds were beginning to show up. I had decided to shoot for Farmington, NM for the night's lodging, after first checking out the Navajo Mining Company railroad at the Four Corners Power Plant southwest of town. I probably would have gotten there before nighfall, but the plant's location on top of a mesa and the fact that it is on the opposite side of the San Juan River from town, with few roads leading to it make it a first-rate bitch to get to. I finally made it to the plant after dark, but in time to see one of the trains arrive from the mine. The Navajo trains run 20-something cars to a set, with an E60 electric locomotive on the north end and a remote-control Alco diesel C425 on the south end. One operator is responsible for both trains. According to information I've read, while one train is loading at the mine, the operator runs the other train to the plant for unloading. When that train returns empty to the mine, the first train is loaded and ready to go. Tied up for the night at the Farmington Motel 6.

Saturday, October 28 -

I had no clear objective for the day, other than reaching a location close to Amarillo so that I could spend Sunday morning shooting on the BNSF Panhandle Sub east of town and then be in position to make it back to Ft. Worth that night. The weather still had not cleared up -- in fact, on Saturday morning it appeared to have rained all night in Farmington -- so shoot-ability was not an issue in the morning. But I wanted to check out the BNSF Lee Ranch Sub (the mine spur that runs from Baca to Lee Ranch) to look for shootable locations. One of my objectives is to get back to this line and shoot the WFA / Escallante Western trains that run between PEGS and Lee Ranch. After a 2-hour drive south from Farmington on state highway 371(which included an unscheduled 20-minute stop for the "ultimate" high-wide special on the highway -- a truck carrying an enormous transformer toward the Four Corners Power Plant, so wide that it took up two highway lanes and so heavy it required a PUSH from a second truck to get up a steep hill), I reached the former Santa Fe main line east of Gallup at Thoreau. I saw four intermodal trains in about 10 minutes...a westbound had stopped because their ETD fell off...while another westbound came up behind them to investigate, two eastbounds passed, including an S-LGBCHC with distributed power, a train that I would shadow the entire day and eventually pace on US 60 as I approached Clovis to tie up for the night.

Anyway, after catching the four trains at Thoreau plus a couple more at Prewitt, I headed up the Lee Ranch Sub. About the only access to this line is from NM St Highway 509 near Ambrosia Lake. I picked up plenty of wet, red New Mexico clay from the soggy, sloppy, unpaved roads that criscross the Navajo reservation in this area as I took a shortcut to Hwy 605 to reach 509 from Prewitt. After 10 miles or so, the mud was caked on so thick that most of it would stay with me all the way back to Ft. Worth! I did manage to catch a BNSF empty E-SPVLRM heading for the mine, and although the sky looked like it was THINKING about clearing up, my shots of the train were taken under clouds. There are some interesting photographic possibilities on this line, but they are of the hike-in-and-wait variety, and the remoteness of the line would prevent one from getting multiple shots of the same train. There is no public access to the Lee Ranch mine itself.

I made it back to the main line at Grants, where a westbound fleet was hitting town. The lineside scenery around there doesn't really excite me, so I got gas, grabbed lunch, and headed east toward Laguna. Of course, by the time I got there, nothing was running. After an hour of sitting by the tracks and not seeing anything, I decided it was time to head for Belen, where it looked like the sky might be clearing up. Eastbounds were stacking up outside the terminal, and I stopped to shoot one as he cruised underneath I-25. Then I heard DS19 (the El Paso Sub dispr) giving the MBELELP a track warrant to leave Belen, and with an impending meet with a grain empty at La Joya, I knew I would have time to catch the BELELP. Some dark clouds were still hanging around the Manzano mountains, so I knew my chances for sunny shots at Abo were in jeopardy, but things appeared to be clearing up around Socorro and to the south, so I knew the BELELP was the best bet. It's always nice to get good shots on a line that everyone else ignores, particularly one that I have dispatched. The El Paso sub has plenty of good shots, and I bagged the BELELP at San Acacia, Escondida (north of Socorro), again south of San Antonio (where there was some excellent fall color throughout the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, and once more at Elmendorf. I hoped to get back to Sais before sunset so that I might catch a westbound leaving Abo Canyon, but I didn't quite make it. The one westbound that I saw arrived about 20 minutes too late. So I headed east toward Clovis, and saw something like 14 westbounds along the way...I also overtook 3 eastbounds, including the aforementioned dp'd SLGBCHC, which seemed to have no trouble doing 70 mph! I completed the "Motel 6 Trifecta" (I should buy stock in that company, I really should) for the trip by tying up at the one at Clovis, located across the street from the BNSF Hereford Sub main line (and conveniently close to a grade crossing, ensuring that trains would awaken me throughout the night roughly every 20 minutes! Now I know why those anti-whistle ordinances are so popular among people who live near railroad tracks! ).

Sunday, Oct 29 -

The final day of the trip ended up being the one with the best weather...hardly a cloud in the sky. I checked lineups at the Clovis yard office prior to heading to Amarillo. Plenty of trains were on the lineup, but little did I know that several westbounds had gone dead east of Amarillo due to a traffic jam that had developed the previous day as a result of a car-train collision west of Canyon that had resulted in 3 fatalities and tied up both mains for over 3 hours. So, east of Amarillo, things were a mess, and at least 2 dogcatch crews were busy dragging trains in. I shot a few trains between Amarillo and White Deer, and then made a bee-line for the curves between Codman and Miami...this is the first stretch of single-track east of Amarillo and is traditionally a real traffic bottleneck...Sunday was no exception! A hapless track supervisor somehow made it to Miami from Lora on the heels of a westbound fleet, and then got stuck for an eastbound parade before he could head for Pampa, where he promptly had to clear up for...more traffic! I shot probably a dozen trains in 5 hours, the highlight being an eastbound double stacker, led by a resurrected BN C30-7 and an EMD SD60. That one looked like something that would have been running on the BN 11 or 12 years ago! After calling it quits, I trailed a couple westbounds back toward Panhandle. I was not in position to photograph (even if I had been, the photo's would not have done it justice) the westbound Z-train I saw overtaking the westbound manifest freight on the double track west of Pampa. It was quite a sight though... as I departed Pampa I came up alongside the freight on the near track (main 2)...he was doing maybe 35-40 mph, and after I passed the head end and looked back behind me in the rear-view mirror, I saw another headlight on Main 1 (the far track) -- it was a Z train running 70 mph and overtaking the manifest train, AT SPEED! Signals on both mains were lined up for the trains for several miles, but the dispatcher finally decided to cross the manifest over to Main 1 behind the Z to make room for some eastbound traffic.

After grabbing lunch at the Panhandle Quick-E-Mart, I headed south to Claude, where I picked up US 287 and began working my way home along the BNSF Red River Valley and Wichita Falls Subs. Luckily, there were not too many trains to slow me down, but I did have to whip a 180 and follow the ZALTLAC from Ashtola to Goodnight, mainly because his power was an A-B-A set, consisting of a C40-8W / GP60B / SD75M. Traffic was slow after that, and by the time I got close to Wichita Falls, it was too dark to shoot anything else that was running.

A couple of quick notes about the trip...It looks like I preceded tragedies at two different locations on BNSF during my visits to New Mexico and Arizona...I was at Baca on Saturday the 28th...just over 24 hours after I left there, a stack train derailed on Sunday afternoon, the 29th. And remember, I spent Thursday night in Flagstaff...on Tuesday the 31st a westbound rear-ended a stopped train at Bellemont, just a few miles west of Flagstaff. resulting in the death of a crew member. Needless to say, traffic levels took a while to get back to normal after these two extremely unfortunate occurrences.

In all, it was a great trip that I would have to downgrade to merely "good" due to the overcast weather I endured during 2 of the days. Some of my slides have started to come back, and overall I'm pleased with the results (even the BM&LP cloudy day shots. Thank God I wasn't shooting Kodachrome 64!) I'm already trying to figure out when I'll be able to make that trip again, and how to increase my odds for sunny weather. I mean, for God's sake, this is the desert southwest we're talking about! It can't be cloudy all the damn time...

Thanks for reading this, and keep checking back.... I just might have some shots from the trip on line by the end of December.

WSC

Wednesday, August 2, 2000

NOW we're getting somewhere! During the past month (and then some) I've been able to add pages featuring South Orient's Wig-Wag Signals and also a page on the stored Russian locomotives at the Port of Houston . The Russian page is part of my expanded Obscurities page, which now features additional photos on Critters of the Greater DFW Metroplex .

More importantly, I've finally found time to sort through my Ft. Worth & Western and Dallas, Garland & Northeastern slides...and as promised, I will be adding these pages soon. Next in the works will be pages on Houston's PTRA (Port Terminal Railroad Association), as well as two Oklahoma shortlines: Farmrail and AT&L. I might also sneak in a page or 3 featuring the Angelina & Neches River, Texas Southeastern, and the Moscow Camden & San Augustine. So check back often...

That's it for the site news. Check back in a few days...I'll be adding some REAL shortline news as soon as I have time to write up a report.

WSC

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