Southwest Explorer Digital Photos
by Mike Condren
| While I watch through my telephoto lens, two cars and a truck cross at this crossing right in front of the train just east of Vinita. |
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| In taking this sequence of photos, I was standing on the embankment of the former connection between the Frisco and the MKT used by the Texas Special and the Bluebonnet. Most of the embankment is long gone. |
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| And now for the cars in the train. |
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| When I got to White Oak on Old Route 66, I noted a stack train parked on the main line. I called a freind on the train and learned that they were passing this train on the siding so I found a spot to get some shots. |
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| While waiting for the SW Explorer in Claremore, it became clear to me that my history as a railfan could be traced to my 6th grade trip on a chartered Missouri Pacific passenger train to tour the Will Rogers Museum there in Claremore. When I got off the train, I saw a very unusual Missouri Pacific locomotive. My junior and senior high school were along the Frisco in Van Buren where I watched many a train. Then in 1960 I bought a copy of Railroad magazine. The was a Missouri Pacific Locomotive Roster with a picture of a BL2. WOW! That's the locomotive that I had seen 6 years later. |
| Then our train appeared at the crossing of the former Missouri Pacific track of the Van Buren, AR to Coffeyville, KS line. After the train passed I was approached by a local wanting to know what this train was about. |
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| After the meet the passenger train is seen heading for Tulsa and Cherokee Yard. |
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| I barely beat the special to the 17th Street crossing in West Tulsa. |
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| The passengers have already begun the first seating in the diner before reaching Cherokee Yard. |
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| In the left window we see Chuck Weinstock and Rick Moser waving. |
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| The train is then seen from the new Cherokee Yard Hot Spot. |
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| After about 30 minutes of sitting at the entrance to the yard, I drove over to where the train was parked and watched the crew wash the windows of the train. |
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| After visiting with friends on the train, I tried to get a shot without tripot of the rear of the train on the business car track in the engine terminal area of Cherokee Yard in west Tulsa. |
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The consist order is: |
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