Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren

52 Years of Railroad Photography 1960-2012

Mike's Main Railroad Web Site

Jan. 17, 2013

On my way to Springdale and the monthly NRHS meeting, I decided to go track side in Westville, OK. I had hardly parked when the scanner announced a train approaching Westville. It turned out to be an empty unit coal train.

Back on US59 north of Westville on the 4-lane stretch of highway, I spotted this carved tree and turned around to get a better look and this picture. Note Pappa Bear at the bottom and Momma Bear up high with 2 smaller bears half way up the tree.

I next caught the train just south of the Illinois River bridge north of Watts, OK.

I then caught it north of the river where I once caught 5 red GP30s.

The next time I caught it was in Siloam Springs, AR. I am standing on the floor of the office of the former station.

Just west of the first Illinois River bridge on US412, I discovered this barn made to look like a pirate ship. It is across the road from a fireworks factory/shop and is used as an advertizement.

The next sstop was the new A&M shops in Springdale where I found these two former Ohio Central locos.

This is one of the trucks of A&M #72, a Bombardier built unit from Canada.

Jan. 30, 2013

As I left Vian, OK, the scanner announced a train on the UP at a hot box detector. I caught up with it just west of the US59 junction with US64.

I then caught the DPUs at the crossing just north of the former MP station, now public library.

The next train was a northbound UP train with KCS power on front and as DPU.

This is the gym in Sallisaw, OK where my cousins Booby and Albert Schambers played basketball for the "Coal Miners" in the 1950s when their step father was superintendent of Sallisaw Stripping Co.

I was in Sallisaw for an Operation Life Saver operation of the City Police, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Kansas City Southern, and Union Pacific Railroads. Here we see some of the 15 patro cars which were involved in this operation.

There were also patrol cars of the Union Pacific Railroad Police.

The lead unit of this train got by me but then I got the DPU.

The UP locomotive for the project finally shows up and is seen crossing the diamond of the KCS in Sallisaw.

The connection between the UP and KCS is also the area where UP is storing the components for the upgrading of the ABS (automatic block signals) to CTC (centralized train control) and eventually the new PTC (positive train control) system of signals.

The UP participant the days activities is then seen on the connection between the UP and the KCS.

The engine then stops to allow a member of the Sallisaw Police and a UP official to board the locomotive for the activitites.

This is a truck of a SD70ACe.

The MP Heritage unit is seen moving around the connection toward the KCS.

The KCS unit has now moved up behind the UP unit and is being hooked up.

Comare the area in the above shots to this from the past in the same area.

The units have moved forward enough now to activate the crossings signals and gates.

The units are now making there first trip over this crossing.

I then moved down to the south crossing and across the tracks to the old station parking lot. Note the police car waiting to catch a violator of the rules of grade crossings.

I then returned to the "sunny" side of the tracks for these shots.

I then returned to the north end grade crossing for these shots.

Here is another shot from the past in the same area.

I took a lunch break before returning trackside at the south crossing and catch the pilot passing the former station.

I then rushed to the north crossing and got this action.

Note the KCS train waiting north of the UP crossing in this going away shot.

The Operation Life Saver special got onto the passing siding and let the freight pass.

Note this recently repainted unit in the Retro-Belle colors.

The DPU was in old gray.

The special is now seen heading for the UP track for some running back and forth on the old MP track.

I then headed to the south end of the former MP station, now public library, for the next shots.

Next I moved to the north end of the station for these shots.

This shot was basically in the same position as the last sequence.

As many time as I have taken pictures at this location, I had never noticed the foundation for the water tower once used for steam.

The last crossing that I photographed was the one at North Maple Street and the Union Pacific Railroad.

I then decided to check out the railroad operations at the limestone processing plant at Marble City, OK, north of Sallisaw on the KCS main line. I found this engine coupled to a string of cars at the connection with the KCS.

I then headed to the quarry north of Marble City and discovered this unit at the entrance to the plant.

This is the lime plant at the quarry on the former KCS branch at Marble City, OK.

On my way back to Marbke City, I took this photo of the railroad bridge over Sallisaw Creek on the branch. This bridge once was on another branch, the Ft. Smith branch from Spiro, OK to Ft. Smith, AR over the Poteau River. In 1943 a flood took out a long stretch of that line north of the bridge in the Baden Bottom and the branch was abandoned. The bridge was then moved to this branch.

When did you last see a tell-tale on a railroad line? This one is to warn riders on the tops of the cars that a limited overhead clearance is just ahead.

I then returned to the connection with the KCS to find the engine was heading back to the plant.

Here is what I saw on a previous trip to this location.

I then caught the engine on the far end of the bridge on the deck plate girder section.

I then headed up the branch and caught it again as it slowly headed to the quarry. It stopped and I talked to the engineer briefly when it got to where I was standing.

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