Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren

52 Years of Railroad Photography 1960-2012

Mike's Main Railroad Web Site

July 11, 2012

When I got to North Dardanelle and the offices of the Arkansas Short Line Railroads, I discovered that the BNSF had a unit treated cross tie train waiting for a crew to head out. Bill Robbins took me to the 19th street crossing where I got these shots.

The Dardanelle & Russellville has never been noted for its high speed main line. These 2 units are the road power for this train.

Bill then took me to the rear end of the train where the D&R had coupled one of its SW1s on the end to give the train the necessary shove over the top of the grade.

We then headed for the D&R train waiting for the BNSF tie train to get on the UP and head for home.

July 18, 2012
Drive from Tahlequah, OK to St. Louis, MO

Just south of Decatur, AR I ran into this KCS southbound freight. I turned around and found a wide open spot at the hot box detector.

This F-unit, in the reverse "Belle" freight colors, is on display at the limestone depot in Decatur, AR.

Here is the limestone station at Decatur, AR.

This caboose is in a small park just north of the former location of the wooden station in Gravette, AR.

This KCS station in Noel, MO was damaged by the explosion caused by a hot box on a boxcar of ammonium nitrate feritlizer. Some of the original tiles were damaged on this end of the station as seen in pictures taken here in 1972 of a meet between 2 freights. The responding fire truck was not damaged as there was a string of cars between it and the explosion. However, a woman was killed 2 blocks away when a wheel set from the car crashed through the roof of her house and landed on her in bed.

When I was growing up, we used to drive up to Noel in the summer. At least once we took a "speed boat" ride on the Elk River north to the bridge seen here where we turned around and headed back to town.

Noel is famous for its highway MO59 which passes under these overhanging cliffs north of town toward Ginger Blue Resort.

This KCS station is in Anderson, MO where I shot more than one meet between "Southern Belle" #1 and the north bound freight.

This "stuffed and mounted" Frisco caboose has seen better days in Granby, MO.

I found this loaded unit coal train in Springfield's West Yard.

This string of power was at the engine servicing area of West Yard in Springfield.

This is the former Frisco footbridge over North Yard in Springfield.

I stopped at the rest area along I44 east of Springfield. This sign is out front of the Welcome Center.

This picnic table cover is in the form of a Philips 66 service station, very common on this route.

The subject of this display in the Welcome Center was still in use until well after my graduate school days. I passed through and around it many times over the years.

This former Frisco crossing marker is located on the branch to Ft. Leonard Wood and is located just off I44 near Jerome, MO.

This is the former Frisco bridge over the Gasconade River at Jerome, MO.

This is a shot of the building on the left that contained my second floor apartment. The first floor was Rudy;s Liquor. The left most window was in my kitchen. The second picture shows the kitchen window on the right and dining room on the left. I could watch all Frisco train movements out the kitchen window.

The Class engine sits in Schular Park in Rolla over looking the water source once used for steam engines. The once was a water tower just beyond the engine.

This is the Little League field where I helped coach while I was in grad school in the 1960s.

On my way into St. Louis, I drove by the National Museum of Transport. This is the new Welcome Center and parking lots below the main museum.

July 23, 2012

On my drive from St. Louis to Memphis, I stopped for gas at Scott City, MO along the freight mainline of the former Missouri Pacific and Cotton Belt.

This freight is southbound at Scott City.

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