Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren

51 Years of Railroad Photography
1960-2011

May 25, 2011

In a relay operation to get our grandson to Oklahoma, our son Matt drove down to Metairie, LA to pick him up. On the return trip to Memphis, they experienced car trouble. I adviced Matt to get off I55 in Hammond, LA and look for a GM dealer. They first thought that it was a fuel filter problem, but it turned out to be a bad catalytic converter. It would take them 2 days to get the part and get it installed. Our daughter suggested that they get the dealer to take them to the Amtrak depot and take the City of New Orleans to Memphis. Here we see that train arriving in Memphis about 11pm that night.

May 27, 2011

On our way out of town, Shawn and I dropped Matt off at Central Station in Memphis so he could catch Amtrak's City of New Orleans to Hammond to retrieve his car and head to Metairie, LA to spend the night with his sister before driving back to Memphis. Note that the sane unit was leading the train for the southbound trip as their northbound trip.

June 3, 2011

On our way to Shreveport with our grandson, we took US 59 which follows the KCS very closely from OK to Texarkana. Here is the DPUs for a coal train getting refueled at the Refueling Facility at the north end of the Heavener, OK.

We stopped for lunch at the "Southern Belle" in Heavener. After lunch our grandson wanted his security blanket. We could not find it in the car! We then drove back to Tahlequah to get "Popa Lovey".

On our return to Howe, OK, I discovered this AOK GE parked under the overpass over the former RI track.

Four hours later we are back to Heavener with "Popa Lovey" and discover this train at the north end of the Heavener yard. We finally got to Shreveport about 10:30pm.

June 4, 2011

We spent our morning at the Shreveport science museum. While parking the car I spot this yard across the street with a couple of trains awaiting departure.

This shot was taken of the Red River railroad bridge taken from inside the science museum. Note the swing span of the bridge which once allowed boats to pass.

June 5, 2011

On Sunday morning, I dropped Jan off at the First Presbyterian Church and headed back toward the science museum parking lot to shoot trains. On the way, I discovered Central Station once used by the KCS and IC.

The first train that I shot was a UP leaving the yard and crossing a line and then heading west.

The next train was an east bound intermodal which headed for the Red River Bridge.

The next train was another UP west bound which pulled up to the signal for the line west while the stack train continues east.

I then repositioned myself to get a shot of the Red River bridge with the stack train on it.

This views shows that the signal for the west bound UP freight has changed to allow the freight to proceed slowly.

The fourth train in an hour was a west bound freight with a NS unit in the lead.

This train was sitting in the yard.

The UP yard office and tower.

On the north bound trip we spot this KCS unit at the south end of Ashdown, AR near the paper mill.

We then find these lease units at the Kiamichi yard along side the KCS mainline in Ashdown.

The only power visible in Heavener, OK was this pair of units at the north end of the yard.

June 7, 2011

This unusual BNSF tank train with a couple of protection cars between the power and the tank cars was in Van Buren, AR. It is preparing to refuel at the Main Street fuel location.

The Little Rock Express was on display in Bald Knob all day on June 7. It was parked on a siding to the east of the mainlines, between the legs of the wye. The line to the right is the line to Memphis. There was shuttle bus service from the station to the east side of the tracks where stairs allowed visitors to tour the cab. June 8 it will head to North Little Rock where it will be on display the next day, June 9.

This derelict combine is on the station grounds of the Bald Knob station which is now a hobby shop specializing in Lionel and O-Scale.

A former MP caboose built by Mount Vernon is on display along with one of the late model bay window cabooses.

In Marion, I found this special with 2 passenger cars and engines on each end.

June 9, 2011

I got up about 4:30am and drove to North Little Rock. I then chased the steam train to Van Buren and then on to Wagoner, OK. For complete coverage of the chase click on Little Rock Express. Here we see the special leaving North Little Rock.

I was standing on the former US 65/71 viaduct over the tracks at Van Buren to first shoot the A&M ALCo C424 #57 and a few moments later the UP ALCo #844 passing the former site of the MP passenger station.

This shot shows the special leaving Wagoner, OK.

At Sallisaw I shot this loaded unit coal train which met the Little Rock Express at Hanson, OK.

June 10, 2011

Jan had a Presbytery meeting in Stillwater, OK. I dropped her off and headed trackside at Perry, OK where the former KC-TX Santa Fe main crossed the former Frisco Avard Sub. I barely got to Perry when I spotted this westbound BNSF on the Avard Sub.

The former ATSF station sits along side of the BNSF main from KC to OKC and Texas. It is currently being used by maintenance forces.

A southbound BNSF intermodal is seen at track speed passing the former ARSF station in Perry.

The BNSF is conducting extensive maintenance on their KC-TX mainline. Here we see what appears to be a ballast cleaning machine. Shortly after this image was taken, the maching started south with a fleet of other maintenance equipment.

Another BNSF intermodal train is seen passing the former ATSF station in Perry.

The last train for me at Perry was a general freight on the former Frisco line through town.

June 11, 2011

After checking out of the Hampton Inn, I went searching for things railroad in Stillwater. I made an amazing discovery. While in college in the early 1960s, I pledged one fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi, the honorary band fraternity. It turns out that their national headquarters, along with sister sorority Tau Beta Sigma, are located in the former Santa Fe station in Stillwater.

The significance of the DT&I caboose is beyond me here in OK.

This is not really railroading but was common in the mid-west into the 1950s, brick streets. Most have been covered with asphalt in recent years.

After Jan's pastoral visit at St. John's hospital in Tulsa, we headed to the Route 66 Park along Southwestern Blvd. in West Tulsa where the SLSF 4500 had recently been moved along with a solarium painted for the Tulsa Sapulpa Union and a Frisco side-door caboose.

This oil burning Frisco northern is painted for the "Meteor" passenger train, one of three painted this way. Note that the headlight and bell are still covered for protection from vandals. This engine was repainted black after the delivery of the streamlined "Meteor" in 1948.