Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren

51 Years of Railroad Photography 1960-2011

March 24, 2011

On my trip from Memphis to OK, I made my usual swing by the UP yard in Van Buren, AR. I found this east bound freight on the mainline near the South 28th Street crossing. Note the two shortline units in transit behind the road power.

These two units of shortline Autngua Northern are eastbound through Van Buren. Two days later, these same two units were photographed northbound on a train passing Little Rock Union Station. How and why these units made these unrelated moves is not known. Sorry that the tree filter did not work. These units appear to have been built as GP35s but are now listed as GP39es according to a stencil on the battery box.

A unit coal train now is pulling along side the freight on the passing track.

As I turned west onto State 51 off US59 in Stilwell, OK, I heard the CTC dusoatcher set up a meet at Stilwell. I turned around and headed for the south parking lot of the KCS station there. The first train was a northbound with a TFM unit leading 2 KCS units which took the siding and pulled up to the State 59 east crossing.

The northbound is now stopped at the State 51 east crossing waiting for the southbound dodger (KCS name for local). The gates are up so the traffic is crossing in front of the stopped train.

A few minutes later the dodger is seen at the North Stilwell switch, approaching the dark, approach lit mainline signal. The signal for the passing track remains lit.

After the meet, the northbound freight then proceeded. Note that the mainline signal is now lit. The last shot was taken through the windshield as the train reached the signals, sorry for the bug splatter.

March 27, 2011

On my trip back to Memphis, I found the following loaded unit coal train near the South 28th Street crossing in Van Buren, AR.

March 29, 2011

On the way to an appointment in east Memphis, I discovered this NS freight train with three BNSF units behind the lead NS unit in White Siding.

April 7, 2011

The DPU on the end of this eastbound loaded unit coal train, near Main Street in Van Buren, has just gotten fueled and it heading east with the train. The head end is seen approaching South 28th St.

Upon crossing over the tracks in Stilwell, OK, I see an empty grain train sitting in the passing track waiting at the State 59 east crossing for a loaded grain train.

The northbound mainline signal is approach lit while the passing track signal stays lit.

When the southbound gets into the circuit, the mainline signal shows red, "Stop".

The DPU then comes into view and passes the lead units of the northbound empty grain train.

After their roll-by inspection, the crew of the northbound train get back on their train and get permission to pass, after stopping, a signal displaying "stop".

April 8, 2011

The next morning after my eye exam at suburban Tahlequah (Keys, OK), we start for Shreveport, LA to pick up our grandson. The best route is along side of the KCS from Spiro, OK south on US59 and then US71. As we pass over the AOK (former RI) at Howe, OK, I noticed a southbound train on the KCS so we head to the north end of the Heavener, OK yard and catch this train with 2 Belles and a gray on the point and a Belle as DPU. Forgive any focus problems as my eyes were still partially dialated from my eye exam.

I was surprized to see this set of ex-TFM units in KCSdeMexico lettering working the north end of the yard.

Our next action was on the grade to Rich Mountain above the Arkansas-Oklahoma line. This loaded coal train had 2 GEs on the point (C&NW & UP), 2 GEs as DPUs in the middle (SP & UP), and one GE as the rear DPU (SP). It would have been hard to have found a prettier location!

When we get to Ashdown, AR, I spot some units sitting near the former Frisco station on the Kiamichi Railroad. What we find is a pair of lease units, this Indiana & Ohio GP35 and a rare EMD GP20D CIT Financial lease unit.

As we got back to the highway, a southbound KCS freight was meeting a northbound empty unit coal train with BNSF units.

Ashdown is not a town where you want to linger as there is a paper mill at the south end of town which smells really bad. On our northbound trip the next day, we stopped at a McDonald's near the mill, opened the car doors and closed them real fast and drove on to DeQueen, AR, 30 some miles north. This KCS unit is used to switch that mill.

As we headed south, I saw a headlight on the DPU of yet another southbound freight. We caught up to the DPU, but trees blocked any view of the headend before we got even with it.

After we crossed the Red River and entered Texas, I spotted a private road to a ranch in Bowie County, TX that crossed the track near US 71 where I got these views.

Texarkana is a divided city. US 71 uses the north/south Stateline Road toward downtown. The light poles have signs showing which state they are in. One intersection has this street name sign.

April 9, 2011

After spending the night in Shreveport in a motel with our daughter and grandson, we headed out with our grandson for Tahlequah. Before leaving Shreveport, we went by KCS's Deramus Yard and found these to GP38s in Belle colors.

On the return trip, we went through downtown Texarkana and shot Union Station.

Having been grossed out at McDonald's by the smell of paper mill, we discovered 2 more CEFX GP20Ds at the Kiamichi former Frisco station. When I got home to Tahlequah, I checked Greg McDonnell's "Locomotives: The Modern Diesel & Electric Reference" for more information about these unusual units. I discovered that CEFX is the only owner of these unique units which were produced as a joint venture of EMD, Catepillar, and MP Industries. All 40 units were produced in Boise, ID. Could these be a vision of things to come with Catepillar ownership of EMD? The model looks similar to the units that I have shot on the New Orleans Public Belt.

After lunch and play time at McDonald's in DeQueen, we head for the shops of the T&OE/DQ&E and find these 4 units.

I had heard the dispatcher talking to a train at Rcih Mountain, AR. He was sitting in the passing siding, handing over on to the main at the south end waiting for a meet. Unfortunately, the southbound loaded unit coal train was stalled on the main just south of the South Rich Mountain switch.

We then headed down the mountain to Heavener, OK. As we approached the traffic light at the south end of town, it changed to flashing red. I turned just in time to shoot this loaded BNSF unit coal train with some leased power.

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These two units were sitting just outside of the enginehouse at Heavener, OK.

This BNSF train was stopped at the Fueling Facility at the north end of the KCS yard in Heavener.

This page was designed and is maintained by Mike Condren. If you have materials
that you would like to contribute, contact me at mcondren@cbu.edu