Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren

53 Years of Railroad Photography 1960-2013

Mike's Main Railroad Web Site

May 8, 2013

To start the day, I drove down to Spadra, AR from our motel in Clarksville. I found this trackmobile coupled to a covered hopper heading for the Tyson feed mill.

These lease units were at the west end of the UP yard in Russellville, AR.

This is the former Missouri Pacific station at Russelville, AR. It has 2 MP heralds on the city side of the station.

In front of the Russellville station is a statue of a condcutor.

This caboose is in a park across the street from the station.

This switcher is seen preapring to head west to switch a feed mill west of town.

After visiting for a while in the D&R offices, Bill Robbins and I head to the wye at Russellville to catch some action. We found that the "Rocket" had delivered its train to the UP but that the UP had not delivered the interchange cars to the D&R.

These cars were delivered by the D&R to the UP.

We then left for lunch, to return just as the D&R crew was going back to work, the UP having delivered their interchange for the day, 9 UP MofW former rotary coal gondolas used in tie service. Here we see the D&R 15 coupled to the "tie cars" on the D&R leg of the wye. At one time coal was loaded from a truck ranp in the center of this wye.

Our southbound "Rocket" is now seen as it gets the "unit tie train" under way.

Our train is then seen passing its "pusher" engine, waiting to head up the hill and push the train up the hill. The lead loco is seen approaching the 4th Street crossing, former site of the "East 4th Street" commuter station, see D&R Buildings for shots of the former commuter sheds.

The pusher is then seen pushing up grade on the way to North Dardanelle.

We then use a parallel street to get to near the top of the hill, the former Oakland Heights commuter shed location. Note the "pole" for the "cross bucks" made from concrete, a symbol of the D&R.

We then headed to the other side of the hill, Bernice, the site of the third commuter shed. Regrettably I never got a shot of this shed. Today it is the crossing of state highway Truck 7.

We then beat the train to the state highway 7 crossing for another runby.

In Dec. 1960 Bill Robbins and I rode the cab of the steamer D&R #9 around the curve west of the shops. Below is a photo of Bill at the throttle of that engine.

As part of our chase, we drove to roughly the same spot which is now among the stakes of ties awaiting shipment.

They parked what had been the lead unit and switched by the unit which had been the pusher. First they had to pick up the covered hopper which was on the track with the tie cars and couple it to the former lead unit. The engineer who had been on the lead unit now became the switchman for the movements.

The empty tie cars were then coupled to the long string already in place and shoved to clear the main line.

The "rocket" is then seen at North Dardanelle.

On my way out of Russellville, I finally got a clear shot of the local switch engine.

I took US 64 back toward Clarksville because of the construction on I-40. At London, I spotted a west bound freight in the distance so I headed to Knowville for my shots.

May 11, 2013

This unit was parked near the yard office in Muskogee.

This string of units is seen switching the yard and approached the Callahan St. bridge.

These units were sitting in the engine service facility when I returned from getting my lunch.

These units were parked down from the yard office.

The first train was a northbound empty unit ethanol train.

On my way out of town, this southbound BNSF unit tank train was being refueled under the Shawnee Bypass overoass.

May 15, 2013

These units were the lead units on a unit coal train unloading at the OG&E Muskogee Power Plant.

May 16, 2013

On my way to the NRHS meeting in Springdale, I made my usual stop at the site of the former KCS passenger station in Siloam Springs, AR. I applied the 10 minute rule, wait 10 minutes, if no train is heard, leave. Within 8 minutes I hear the horn of an approaching train, this empty UP unit coal train.

I went by the new A&M shop building and found these units sitting outside.

These 6 units were parked on the mainline awaiting the nightly run to Monett.

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