Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren

On June 25, in an attempt to shoot #59 on the LA Beltline detour, I arrived at this location track side around 6am. I shot the CSX and then the combination of CSX and CN engines and prepared for #59. About that time I noticed a southbound. The CSX Jacksonville dispatcher had been talking to a CSX freight at Leewood and told him that he would get a signal after the southbound. The southbound turned out to be #59. Then my camera's battery decided it was dead. I jumped into the car and beat him to the Broad Street crossing. I grabbed the "point and shoot" (PnS) digital. By the time it decided to charge the capacitor for the flash, the engine was past and the going away was not worth posting. I jumped back into the van and headed further south. As you can see these tracks to Buckeye Technologies are kept busy as evidenced by the shine on the rail. This section of track is owned by CSX and dispatched in Jacksonville. Amtrak has a 15mph speed limit allowing me to race ahead of the train.

With the traffic lights cooperating, I got ahead of him again and got this shot at Hollywood Street along side the Liberty Bowl Stadium (note the stairs to the upperdeck to the left). The flash really lit up the crossing gates, 6:35am. Not too bad for the PnS camera considering the early low light.

In an attempt to shoot Amtrak #59, I returned to trackside on Wednesday June 26, 2008. When I arrived, around 5:55am, the northbound signals for CSX main #1 shows "green over red". Note the headlight of the CN/IC Hollywood Yard switcher low beyond the string of tank cars.

Moments later, a headlight appears from the south on Main 1.

About that time CSX dispatcher AY tells a westbound CSX train that it has permission to enter Main 2 to Aulon and then track 103 to KC Jct.

A pair of CSX GEs lead a vehicle train for Aulon.

Looking south, the CN/IC northbound is progressing nicely. Will this be another day of frustration with the CSX blocking the CN/IC train.

The CSX train picks up speed as it clears the switch to Leewood Yard. It will be close if it works.

Well, the meet turned out to be near perfect for me, and for CSX, as the CN/IC train cleared the interlocking at Aulon before the CSX train got there.

Here we see the CSX train taking the cross-over before taking the deverging route at Aulon on to the former NC&StL to KC Jct.

At 6:45am, after a 10 minute wait, Amtrak #59 gets permission from CSX dispatcher AY to proceed from Leewood to Aulon on the LA Belt on Main 2. The sun is now well above the horizon. Click here for individual pictures of the cars.

On returning from McDonald's with Sunday morning breakfast, I drove by Leewood Yard and found this ballast train, 6/29/08.

Here we see three views of the sink hole at Central Station that has caused the rerouting of the City of New Orleans through east Memphis on the LA Belt, 6/29/08.

Upon my arrival at Kentucky Street after church, I discovered this vehicle train sitting over Riverside Drive awaiting a signal before heading west over the Frisco Bridge over the Mississippi River, 6/29/08.

Upon going to the end of Kentucky Street, this empty BNSF coal train followed the vehicle train across the bridge.

In the meantime, two trains have popped into site. One is a NS train that originated at the BNSF Tennessee Yard. It came down the BNSF to Neptune Street and crossed over to its own eastbound track. It has now dropped its train, which can be seen in the distance, and pulled across the tracks of CN Jct. and waits for the BNSF President's Island job to clear so that he can return to Neptune Street down the BNSF Main 2 to run around his train. He will then proceed east on NS tracks toward the NS Forrest Yard.

The President's Island job has now crossed the CN and proceeds to the junction just west of Kentucky Street. Followed by the NS power crossing over to the BNSF Main 2. Fellow railfan Jim "Z-Piggy" Ammons was documenting the action. The NS then proceeded west to the signal bridge to await a signal for his eastbound move.

Some 6 hours later, I am returning from visiting a friends model railroad in Collierville, I discovered the train eastbound on the main having a meet at White Siding in very east Memphis.

When the westbound appears, it is led by a unit 1 number lower than the trailing unit on the eastbound. I first saw this train just west of White Siding at White Station Road. I next shot it at the site of the former Buntyn Station at the east end of Forrest Yard. The last shot is the "glint shot" of the day of the train on the fill of Forrest Yard.

It is little known, but BNSF has a yard at the Port of Little Rock. They come up from Pine Bluff on trackage rights from their Houston to Memphis trackage rights. Note that BNSF #2122 is ex-Frisco as evidenced by the notch in the nose for the Gyrolite, 6/30/08.

Upon returning to Memphis, I headed to Kentucky Street to check out the traffic. On my way across the "River", I had observed a westbound BNSF and a westbound UP. I also noted an eastbound UP stopped on the bridge. At Kentucky Street I caught this westbound BNSF freight on busy Broadway. The last shot is from the old "Kansas Ave." railfan vantage point showing the BNSF disappearing around the curve to the bridge.

Eastbound trains on, or going to, the BNSF are governed by this set of signals at Kentucky Ave.

How many times do locomotives in the lead of meeting trains have the same number? even if they are different railroads? The westbound BNSF was led by #5113 and this eastbound UP is led by #5113. Here we see it beginning its crossover of the BNSF mainlines on its way to the CN/IC Johnston Yard by heading down throught the former IC South Yard.