Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren

52 Years of Railroad Photography 1960-2012

Mike's Main Railroad Web Site

April 28, 2012

This GP9 and rotary gon are owned by the Grand River Deveopment Association and are seen near the power plant east of Choteau, OK. There appeared to be a whole train of these cars parked on the track surrounding the plant.

I discovered this "critter" near Choteau, OK on my way to Vinita and the private passenger train special.

I spotted this loaded unit coal train on the former MKT line south of Pryor, OK.

These units were found at the UP engine terminal for the Grand River Development Association south of Pryor, OK,

I missed the head-end of the first train that I saw in Vinita, a loaded unit coal train. However, I did get shots of the DPU crossing the former Frisco diamond.

The next train was a southbound unit pipe train with a covered hopper as the head-end protection car which is required by Federal Law to protect the crew from shifting of the pipe during transit.

Next came this train of covered hoppers of sand headed to Ft. Worth.

The first BNSF train was this westbound train. My camera's auto focus went crazy for the coming shot I had hoped for. This train stayed just ahead of the following passenger train. It headed out the Avard Sub. in Tulsa as the following SW Explorer passenger special arrived at Cherokee Yard.

Next came a loaded unit coal train southbound on the former MKT.

We then got an eastbound freight on the BNSF which would meet the SW Explorer passenger train at Afton, OK,

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.

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.

And now for the cars in the train.

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.

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.

In Verdigris I found the passenger train stopped on the mainline waiting for a meet with an eastbound freight.

The freight finally shows and takes the siding. Note the non-frog leading to the siding in the foreground.

After the meet the passenger train is seen heading for Tulsa and Cherokee Yard.

I barely beat the special to the 17th Street crossing in West Tulsa.

The passengers have already begun the first seating in the diner before reaching Cherokee Yard.

In the left window we see Chuck Weinstock and Rick Moser waving.

The train is then seen from the new Cherokee Yard Hot Spot.

After the train got stopped, for the night, I parked at the entramce to the yard and shot this trimmer set of locomotives working the yard.

While I waited, this consist of power came out of the engine terminal.

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.

I then backed down even with the diner and got this picture of friend Dave Ingles in the doorway of the diner. I then parked the car and got on the train to visit with long time friend from our Rolla days, Tony Marchiando and frineds from my time of working at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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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