Amtrak #59 Along the LA Belt Detour
Memphis, TN

On June 25, in an attempt to shoot #59 on the LA Beltline detour, I arrived track side around 6am. I prepared for #59. About that time I noticed a southbound. The CSX Jacksonville dispatcher had been talking to a CSX freight at Leewood and told him that he would get a signal after the southbound. The southbound turned out to be #59. Then my camera's battery decided it was dead. I jumped into the car and beat him to the Broad Street crossing. I grabbed the "point and shoot" (PnS) digital. By the time it decided to charge the capacitor for the flash, the engine was past and the going away was not worth posting. I jumped back into the van and headed further south. This section of track is owned by CSX and dispatched in Jacksonville. Amtrak has a 15mph speed limit allowing me to race ahead of the train.With the traffic lights cooperating, I got ahead of him again and got this shot at Hollywood Street along side the Liberty Bowl Stadium (note the stairs to the upperdeck to the left). The flash really lit up the crossing gates, 6:35am. Not too bad for the PnS camera considering the early low light.

At 6:45am, after a 10 minute wait, Amtrak #59 gets permission from CSX dispatcher AY to proceed from Leewood to Aulon on the LA Belt on Main 2. The sun is now well above the horizon.

Here we see three views of the sink hole at Central Station that has caused the rerouting of the City of New Orleans through east Memphis on the LA Belt, 6/29/08.

When Kenny Young and I arrived at the temporary Memphis stop at 7;30am, these two buses were already there, waiting for inbound passengers. Looking north on the Y&MV main, an apparent UP GE sits at the curve in the distance. This is the north route of Amtrak #59 from Central Station. Looking south, we see the transloading location.

We first see The City of New Orleans coming by the hump yard with one of the hump sets working. It then passes our location before backing down to the loading location. The train then stops and backs north on the Y&MV main. It arrived at 8:30am.

The fueling is complete, the inbound passengers are loaded on the bus except for this wheelchair bound person, and the outbound passenger's bus has not arrived. In conversation with Matt, one of the outbound passengers, says that it was 10 minutes after my call telling Matt that the train arrived, before the bus leaves Central Station. The outbound bus finally arrives and we see Matt boarding.