Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren
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53 Years of Railroad Photography |
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Mike's Main Railroad Web Site
July 18, 2013
| Having broken a rotary switch contact earlier in the day, I was on the look out for replacement parts for this discontinued item at Radio Shack. Tahlequah does not have a Radio Shack. We headed to Stilwell, OK which had set their last part back for me. We then headed north on US59 on our way to the monthly NRHS meeting in Springdale, AR and a meeting with a former student, attendant at our wedding, and friend.
We spotted an empty unit coal train north bound at the Illinois River bridge just north of Watts, OK. I headed to the site of the former passenger station at Siloam Springs, AR only to find a loaded south bound unit coal train approaching the site as we arrived. It was on the main which blocked any chance for the empty unit coal train. |
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| After the meeting, we went to the north end of the new A&M shops and grabbed these shots. Note a pair of BNSF GEs behind the A&M power for the Monett turn. The BNSF had delivered a unit grain train earlier in the day. |
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July 19, 2013
| Needing more spare rotary switches for my model railroad, I had the Radio Shack in Pryor, OK set their 2 examples back for me. On the way I stopped at the crossing of the former MP and MKT lines in Wagoner for the "10 minute wait". Before the time was up, I heard a south bound on the former MP line. It is seen leaving the MP line for the MKT line on the connecting track. |
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| After picking up the spare parts at the Radio Shack, I discovered these units at the small yard south of Pryor that services the Mid-America Industrial Park. |
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| The Grand River Development Agency switcher is seen coupled to a short string of rotary gons. |
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| This BNSF unit coal train is seen through the security fence unloading at the GRDA power plant south of Pryor. |
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July 29, 2013
| I had a speaking engagement at the Muskogee Public Library and our anniversary celebration at Miss Addie's. Before heading to dinner, we swung by the MKT station parking lot and caught the following action. On arriving in Muskogee, we had seen the rear of this train entering the yard from Shawnee Bypass. The cab of the engine was parked in the shadow of the Court Street overpass. |
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| While shooting the above train, I heard this train blowing for the crossing at MLK. |
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| While the coal train was passing, a consist appeared near the UP Muskogee Yard Office. |
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| The DPU of the unit coal train then appeared and the consist which appeared in the above image has cut off the lead unit. |
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August 4, 2013
| On my way to Bartlesville, OK, I stopped off in downtown Tulsa to shoot some trains at the BNSF where it connects with the Union Pacific from Muskogee, OK and the South Kansas & Oklahoma. My first train was this east bound stack train. |
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| This shot of the Blue Dome District from the junction of the rail lines. |
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| This was the second train to pass my location. |
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August 13, 2013
| We had a meeting in Muskogee. It was raining as we started to home. We were driving down York St. As we approached the former Frisco crossing, I spotted a BNSF switcher with a string of cars. |
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| Three box cars behind the lead locomotive were 2 more locomotives idling. |
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| The switcher pulled down to clear a switch. Once the switch was thrown, the switcher starting backing up the track. |
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August 15, 2013
| On my way to the NRHS meeting in Springdale, AR, I caught this KCS engine on the siding at Westville, OK. |
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| In Springdale, I discovered that the A&M had completed the second track across Emma St, including crossing gates for cars and for pedestrians. |
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| The A&M engines outside the north side of the shops had not changed much from the previous 3rd Thursday meeting night of the NRHS Chapter. |
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| These 2 C420s were idling on the passing track north of the shops. |
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| I caught 3 C420s switching across Randall Wabbe Lane north of Springdale in Benton County. My shot from this location in the Trains magazine article about the A&M got me in trouble with the Chief Mechanical Officer because it gave off a puff of black smoke upon acceleration. There was a car of railfans from St. Louis and Minneapolis shooting the ALCos in action. |
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August 19, 2013
| I spent a couple of hours at Cherokee in West Tulsa. First we see a trimmer set of power pull up to the end of a freight in the receiving yard. |
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| Three units are then seen passing as they head east to then cross over and head to the engine terminal. |
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| This UP unit was in the center of this consist. |
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| These units headed east with a cut of cars. |
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| This traimmer set is seen heading out the Avard Sub side of the wye before pushing back into the yard. |
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| Another trimmer set is seen pulling out toward the Avard Sub before pushing back into the yard, |
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| The next movement was a "bare table" train from the east heading out the Avard Sub. |
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| The trimmer set then moves further west before pushing back into the yard. |
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| The last movement before we left was the Holly switcher pushing some tank cars around inside the refinery at the corner near the Arkansas River. |
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This page was designed and is maintained by Mike Condren.
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