Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren

51 Years of Railroad Photography 1960-2011

Mike's Main Railroad Web Site

Springdale-Fayetteville switcher in Springdale, AR 5/18/05. These ex-Belt Railway of Chicago ALCo C424s are the heaviest C424s ever built.

This westbound stack train is powered by the latest offerings from EMD and GE. The UP 8334 SD70ACe leads two sister SD70ACes and a GE C45... on June 14, 2005 at Railroad Park in Rochelle, IL.

Here we see Amtrak #7 stopped at Columbus, WI on Sunday June 19, 2005.

Westbound BNSF 8882 leads an empty coal train past the Kentucky Street sign on 8/1/05 at Memphis, TN.

BNSF 8975 is shoving hard on the rear of an empty coal train as a single DPU, 8/1/05, Memphis, TN.

Empty BNSF coal train at Mound City Road West Memphis, AR 9/16/05.

A UP stack train awaits being handed over to CSX at Cox St. in Memphis on 12/26/05.

An eastbound NS unit coal train is approaching the Houston Levee crossing in Germantown on Jan. 3, 2006.

Two UP freights race through the Little Rock Amtrak station area. The general merchandize has a "clear" signal while the stack train has an "approach" and is running considerably slower than the other freight on May 21, 2006.

A westbound BNSF is crossing the Huey P. Long Bridge on June 11, 2006, 9 months after Katrina.

A new BNSF GE #7789 displays the latest paint scheme as it leads a westbound intermodal around the curve west of the diamonds and through the signal bridge for the home signal for those crossings at Railroad Park in Rochelle, IL on June 17, 2006 .

My 2006-07 sabbatical at the University of Wisconsin-Madison began as a 2.5 day working session at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Day 2 began with breakfast at a Krispy Kreme in Rosemount where this in-bound WC commuter passed on June 20, 2006.

As part of their 4th of July Celebration, McFarland had rides on the WSOR from a park in their city to "MX Tower" and return. I viewed 3 such trips. But I suspect there were more. This made for a very attractive train in a pretty setting, especially on the causeway across Lake Monona with the state capital dome in the distance. This former MILW line crossed the former C&NW line in the middle of the lake, the only known such crossing. In more modern times, a causeway was built along side for auto traffic.

BNSF GP60M #119 still in the Red and Silver Santa Fe "warbonnet" paint leads a general merchandise freight through Meriden, IL 7/29/2006.

Shawn's first train chase with Grandpa and Momma in New Orleans on August 5, 2006 at 11 days. This was taken at the Central Ave. crossing at the east end of the Huey P. Long bridge.

On 8/20/06, WSOR Johnson Yard in Madison, WI had the equipment shown here.

This westbound NS is approaching the Amtrak station at Elkhast, IN, 9/3/06.

I chased the local north out of Madison, WI and got this shot of it passing the former C&NW station at Waunakee, WI on Sept. 24, 2006.

A southbound WC freight at the south end of the Byron, WI siding Sept. 30, 2006.

The first train at the new Sturtevant Depot to appear was Amtrak #331 from Chicago heading to Milwaukee at 9:44 am on Oc. 29, 2006.

After picking up the kids at Union Station, Virginia, Jeremy and Matt went to the Sears Tower. Jan and I took Shawn to watch trains along the BNSF triple track. The last train that we saw was the westbound Amtrak #5 the "California Zephyr" at speed as it blows thru Riverside, IL on Dec. 18, 2006.

After getting off of I39, we headed west towards Davis Jct., IL. I noticed cars moving on the track at the east end of the siding east of Davis Jct. After exploring Davis Jct., we returned to shoot the ICE train with #4201 on its train, 12/26/06.

After boarding Train 29, "The Capitol Limited", in DC Union Station on Jan. 12, 2007, I stepped out side to shoot these images of an Acela Express train.

I found this unit in Stevens Point, WI on March 17, 2007. This was the test bed of for the 645-engine in the mid-60s.. Note in this broadside shot the lack of the characteristic "porches" of the production SD-40s.

An inbound train stops at Van Buren Street Station. in Chicago on March 26, 2007.

This eastbound UP stack train is coming out of Global III in Rochelle, IL on April 7, 2007.

The Amtrak #7, the "Empire Builder", left Milwaukee on time and passed Duplainville at 4:23pm on May 3, 2007.

My favorite view early in the morning at Rochelle shows a train entering the scene beyond the west signal bridge and continues through the east signal bridge to the foreground. An hour later and this sequence is not possible as the Sun moves more to the south side of the track. May 18, 2007

The loaded unit coal train finally cleared the track and the empty began moving when the DPU of the loaded train got even with the empty train on May 20, 2007.

I caught a unit coal train headed by this new SD70ACe #9337 at Mendota, IL on the former CB&Q mainline to Galesburg, on May 24, 2007.

At Fairlane, MN, we got this loaded ore train coming from the mine on May 27, 2007.

On June 15, 2007, WSOR operated a 4 car passenger train behind their 2 E-units. This train ran from Madison to the Mid-Continent Museum at North Freedom, WI carrying major supporters of the musuem. The special finally arrived and crossed the bridge over Lake Wisconsin.

Long time friend Dave Ingles joined me on June 17, 2007, Father's Day, for an afternoon and early evening of railfanning. We began our afternnon by shooting the lineup of equipment in the Madison, WI Johnson Street Yard. Our train has progressed to the northwest corner of Lake Mendota.

On July 7, 2007, I made a railfanning trip to northern Illinois. I started with a stop at the Illinois Railway Museum.

Here comes a stack train through Elmhurst, IL with the headlight of an empty unit coal train on the center track in the distance. Aug. 4, 2007

We chased this freight up Byron Hill to the small village of Byron, WI. July 29, 2007

We start with a UP freight on the "west" NS track at Tower 17 awaiting permision to depart as an empty BNSF coal train is westbound on the "east" NS track of Broadway as an eastbound BNSF stack train clears on Main 1. March 16, 2007

NS #9480 is seen leading a general merchandize northbound through Greenwood Jct., OK where the branch to Ft. Smith once left the mainline. Sept. 22, 2007

KCS #4040 and #4050 are seen on the head of a southbound freight at the fuel rack in Heavener, OK, 1/5/08. These were my first "Retro Belle" painted units.

This train is at the east end of the NS Forrest Yard in Memphis on 11/8/07.

I now repositioned again, this time on the north service road of I40-I55 in West Memphis. The stack train is now on the former Frisco West Memphis branch heading south. Jan. 21, 2008

On Feb. 11, 2008, this BNSF unit coal train was heading east in Memphis at White siding on the NS.

Here is a westbound intermodal train. Note the heat waves coming off the engine, Riverside, IL, June 14, 2008. As you can see in the following sets of images, I love to frame my shots with signal bridges.

I first saw this train just west of White Siding at White Station Road in Memphis on June 29, 2008.

Kenny Young and I then raced ahead of the train to the junction to the new intermodal facility south of Harrison Yard in southwest Memphis, on July 4, 2008.

This westbound CSX train sat on the Illinois side of the river for the better part of an hour awaiting a slot through the busy Vincennes, IN plant. After the last car passed I tried to give chase through the city and found out why they wait in the farm land where there are no crossings to block. Apparently the west side of the river was once the current side as the round pier suggests that once there was a turn span for river traffic. Just off the bridge, the line crosses a little uses industrial spur that runs along the levee, 8/1/08.

An eastbound KCS general freight is seen passing the Ruston, LA station on Oct. 19, 2008.

This southbound BNSF local is seen pulling into Okmulgee, OK on Dec. 28, 2008. Note that the second unit is ex-Frisco #477.

An eastbound CSX freight is first seen on track that CN/IC uses as part of the Belt Line just south of Jackson Ave in Memphis, 1/8/09.

The Amtrak and Metra yards south of Union Station Chicago, 3/9/09.

R J Corman power used for switching industrial tracks in the former Frisco industrial park in Memphis, 6/23/09.

The Disney "Christmas Carol" train arrived in Memphis Central Station on Monday August 3, 2009.

The NOPB crew stopped in the shade of the overpass to await a signal to proceed from the operator at East Bridge Jct. tower in Metairie, LA on August 22, 2009.

The NS transfer keeps coming, the BNSF keeps going, and the UP moves into the picture. The parked empty coal train then comes into view. Four trains in the same photo, 3 of them moving on Sept. 27, 2009.

Shortly after arriving at Kentucky Street, I spot headlights on BNSF Main 2. As it approaches it becomes apparent that this is one of the taconite trains returning north. I could not tell if it was empty or loaded with coal for the north. As the rear-end comes into view, the CSX Marion transfer is seen coming around the corner, Sept. 29, 2009.

Amtrak #4, Southwest Chief at Mendota, IL on Oct. 11, 2009.

I caught this eastbound UP freight at Alma, AR on Oct. 24, 2009.

These Missouri Pacific signal bridges are in Hoxie, AR at the Frisco crossing and are out of service, having been replaced by the new signals on Nov. 15, 2009.

This train had a surprise, UP 1996, the SP Heritage unit on Jan. 6, 2010.

On Jan. 21, 2010, I was out railfanning and crossed the Malory St. crossing of the NS and headed west. The BNSF signal for Main 1 was "clear" so I searched for a safe off-street parking. The BNSF train had NS power.

On a trip to east Memphis, I caught this loaded coal train along Poplar Ave. just east of Mendenhall Ave. on Jan. 27, 2010. In Feb. 2012 this was the sight of a derailment of a stack train. A broken weld a couple of miles east of this location derailed the rear cars of the train. The cars were drug to this sight where the facing-point switch caused the cars to turn over spilling their containers onto Poplar Ave. on a Sunday morning.

Retirement for me means more time to do things that I had never done. One of those thing was Marti Gras. With family in the New Orleans area needing help with child care, Jan and I headed south to experience this event. Monday was a day with little activity for Mardi Gras. The weather was great and there was something else I had never done, shoot trains on the drawbridge at Manchac. On Feb 15, 2010 we headed up I55 to Manchac for the Amtrak parade. Amtrak #59, the City of New Orleans, arrived at 1:48pm, right on time.

"Fat Tuesday", , Feb. 19, 2010, last day before the beginning of Lent, meant lots of parades (3) and catching lots of beads thrown from the floats. Your truly got his share. A few strings of beads are shown here around his neck.

The first train that I got at Rochelle on my way back to Memphis was this intermodal. It was the first time that I had shot a train with the DPU other than at the end since the days of "slaves" on the KCS of the '60s. For one thing, there was less snow. A lot of it had melted. Another was that someone had built a snowman that shows in the corner of the first shot on March 5, 2010.

Here we see a CN train returning from the BNSF on March 18, 2010.

Just before 1330 hours, the dispatcher tells the crew on UP #7633 that they can proceed on signal indication on March 23, 2010.

Our chase of UP 844 began at the wye leading to the Van Buren Sub in North Little Rock, AR on April 23, 2010.

We catch the train as both the railroad and I-10 go onto their respective causeways west of greater New Orleans, LA on May 8, 2010.

Our loaded coal train has been joined by two other trains, tying up all three tracks through McAlester,OK on June 12, 2010.

For our 33rd Wedding Anniversary, July 30, 2010, we decided to go to Tulsa for dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant. While Jan was visiting a sick church member in a hospital, I headed to West Tulsa and Cherokee Yard of the BNSF. At the 17th Street crossing I found this intermodal/vehicle train waiting to enter the Avard Sub on its way to the west coast. The train extends across the Arkansas River bridge along side US 75.

On the way to Tulsa for the meeting of the Indian Nations Div. NMRA on Aug. 28, 2010, I find this northbound freight on the UP at Wagoner, OK at the crossing of the former MP and MKT. There was one unit on the front and one DPU on the rear.

This is the south trip of the "Rare Mileage" excursions on the A&M on Sept. 11, 2010. I also skipped the second photo stop at trestle #1 because of the limited footing and my limited skill in balancing with 2 artifical knees. I walked to the rear of the caboose at the third photo stop, our only runby of the day. During that walk I discovered that they were getting off on a paved road and walking down a paved road for the photo line so I got off for the shots on the bridge at what they called Lancaster but really was at the entrance to the Steward Cemetery at the north end of Steward (correct spelling, Bart's document misspelled it). The community of Lancaster was around the curve ahead of this shot.

On Spet. 29, 2010, I was headed east on US64. As I am passing through Blackwell, I spot the lit headlight on the DPU going away at track speed. I continue, passing the DPU and most of its train while the track and highway are close. I then head for the station at Morrilton. I shot my first slides at this location in 1961, MP GP7 #4321.

The westbounnd stack train that changed crews at 17th Street in Tulsa is now heading out the Avard Sub on Oct. 9, 2010.

Having picked up its cars, the passenger train heads south past the loading platform and into the cut which leads to the tunnel on Oct. 16, 2010.

Upon reaching Stilwell, OK, I catch a KCS northbound grain train. In the third image, the grain cars appear above my van in the parking lot on Nov. 6, 2010.

Here we see the "business train" sitting at the fuel dock in Heavener, OK on Dec. 12, 2010.

Before we left town on Jan. 2, 2011, we decided to go to the French Quarter in an attempt to find Sugar Bowl shirts. After getting two we headed up Canal Street where we spotted some street cars before heading to Shreveport for the night. The last street car we saw, 2011, had an LED headlight, HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Here we see 4 trains on Broadway, an eastbound BNSF intermodal, an eastbound loaded unit coal train, a general freigh on the eastbound NS, and a west bound empty unit coal train on the BNSF on Feb. 19, 2011.

The passenger equipment for this special arrived in Ft. Smith on March 15, 2011 and was stored in the A&M (former Frisco) North Yard. This location was the station area in Fayetteville from the Lafayette St. overpass at the north end of the station.

This action was on the grade to Rich Mountain above the Arkansas-Oklahoma line on April 8, 2011. 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!

After the program at Railroad Days at the Three Rivers Museum in Muskogee, OK on May 14, 2011, I returned to the parking lot where the MKT passenger station once stood. The first train that I saw was this southbound grain train.

After visiting the Science Museum across the street, the first train that I shot was a UP leaving the yard and crossing a line and then heading west, on June 4, 2011.

Volunteer car attendant David McDonald, a friend of over 40 years, is seen here as the narrator for the car. I rode the train on June 24, 2011 so that I could ride with David.

Our next train was at the end of CTC NE of downtown Tulsa near the location of where the Midland Valley and Katy crossed the Frisco and the Santa Fe had their station on July 16, 2011.

After less than 5 minutes, a southbound freight appears with a "Retro Belle" on the point. Meet 1 on July 22, 2011.

The DPUs on the southbound are then seen meeting the welded rail train as meet 2.

The next train in Grand Island, NE was a loaded unit coal train which met a westbound vehicle train just east of the BNSF flyover on Aug. 15, 2011.

The BNSF DPU then passes over the UP vehicle train in Grand Island, NE on Aug. 16, 2011.

Here is a loaded unit coal trains east of Kearney, NE on Aug. 16, 2011.

Here are some views of the locomotive backshop and service area from the observation deck of the Golden Spike Tower at Bailey Yard at North Platte, NE on Aug. 17, 2011.

Back in Hill City, SD, we stopped at the Black Hills Central and found a few things to shoot on Aug. 18, 2011.

This eastbound piggyback train passed me and stopped at a red signal near the Yellowstone River bridge in Billings, MT on Aug. 25, 2011.

After dropping Jan off at the church in Pryor, OK on Sept. 8, 2011, I headed trackside and got this loaded unit coal train heading for the OG&E Muskogee Power Plant.

This train had 2 Retro Belles and is about to cross the former Cotton Belt line at Texarkana, TX on Oct. 7, 2011.

On Oct. 8, 2011, I discovered the following power at the Kiamichi Railroad station in Ashdown, AR.

At Page, OK on Oct. 8, 2011, I discovered a northbound general freight waiting for a meet with another unit coal train that I miss just south of Heavener. Page is one of my favorite locations due to the surrounding mountains.

This KCS train pulled up to the Central Ave crossing in Metairie, LA on Oct. 14, 2011 to change crews before proceeding on its run through connection. The KCSdeMexico are two of the units I shot in Shreveport the previous day.

The closest stop this year for the KCS Holiday Train was Poteau, OK on Dec. 8, 2011. I arrived early and scouted out a spot for shooting the train south of town. I only waited about 15 minutes before I heard its horn.

I knew something was headed my way when I got this signal for the north BNSF track at CN Jct. The train appeared around 2:30pm on Dec. 12, 2011.

On Jan. 4, 2012, Virginia and I headed to the New Orleans Public Belt locomotvie shops for our tour which she had arranged. The shops are located in the 1925 roundhouse which was damaged and repaired following Hurricane Katrina. Here we see one of the units in for repairs to its Catepiler diesel engine. This was the cleanest shop/service facility I have ever seen.

Here we see another train of RDC-1s heading for the Park and Ride at Trinity Mills in Carrollton, TX on Feb. 27, 2012.

Here we see an inbound TRE from Ft. Worth at Dallas Union Terminal on Feb. 28, 2012.

This page was designed and is maintained by Mike Condren.
Earlier issues of Recent Trains are available through the indexes.
If you would like to receive the next issue of Recent Trains,
request that your email address be put on the distribution list
by emailing me at mcondren@cbu.edu.