Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren
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50 Years of Railroad Photography |
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Aug. 17, 2010
| This unit coal train was waiting for the trains ahead of it to clear a track before it could enter. |
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Aug. 19, 2010
| This CSX vehicle trains is seen sitting in Leewood Yard in Memphis. |
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Aug. 20, 2010
| A westbound stack train is seen sitting along side of Southern Ave. in Memphis. |
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| An eastbound stack train is seen leaving Foreest Yard along side of Southern Ave. in Memphis with the power seen 2 hours earlier on the westbound stack train at the other end of the yard. |
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Aug. 22, 2010
| As I was leaving Memphis on my trip to Tahlequah with a load of belongings, I spotted a loaded unit coal train sitting at at Critco so I got off I40 at the Mound City exit and shot the picture below using my telephoto lens. |
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| Heading back toward I40, I spotted an eastbound UP train as I crossed their tracks so I turned around and waited at the crossing. |
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Aug. 25, 2010
| On my return trip to Memphis, I swung by the UP in Van Buren and spotted 2 loaded unit coal trains having their DPUs refueled. |
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| As I was driving down 4th Street, I spotted the A&M switching the Port of Van Buren tracks which parallel 4th. |
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| At the east end of the yard, the road power for both coal trains are visible. |
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Aug. 27, 2010
| On my way back to Tahlequah, I ran by Kentucky Street to see what might be happening. I noticed that the north BNSF track had an "approach" yellow signal at the signal bridge for CN Jct. Here we see the stack train for which the signal was set. |
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| The stack train was followed by this unit train of crushed limestone(?) |
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| These two units were sitting in the engine terminal in Van Buren. |
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| As I was stopped at the traffic light at Main and 8th St., I noticed people seated on the station platform. I checked my watch. It was 2:05pm. That meant that the Winslow Turn A&M passenger train would be back very soon. I headed to the crossing at 11th St. The following series of photos shows the arrival and turning of the equipment before it heads to the station. This is the location where railfanning began for me 56 years ago when I started Junior High on the north side of the tracks. I hung out on the south side of the tracks at the maintenance sheds before school and other times. It all seemed to come together as the power was #60, the first of the C420s which the A&M rebuilt in 1988. I was the official photographer of the rebuilding and first trip. | ||
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Aug. 28, 2010
| On the way to Tulsa for the meeting of the Indian Nations Div. NMRA, I find this northbound freight on the UP at Wagoner at the crossing of the former MP and MKT. There was one unit on the front and one DPU on the rear. |
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| After the meeting I sought out this bridge and overpass, relics of the days of the Midland Valley in Tulsa. |
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| When I got to the 17th St. end of Cherokee Yard, this train was coming around the wye from the Avard Sub. |
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| While the freight was backing into Cherokee Yard, an empty coal train came down the Cherokee Sub and headed around the wye heading west on the Avard Sub, hid from view except for the tops of the units. |
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| The power of the train from the Avard Sub finally comes into view again with the coal train still moving onto the Avard Sub. After parking their train in the yard, the power cuts off and heads for the engine terminal by first heading toward the Cherokee Sub. |
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| It was nice to find a former BN SD40-2 as the second unit of this trimmer set. |
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| As I was crossing the tracks on 17th St., I caught this ballast train waiting to enter Cherokee Yard. |
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| Upon returning to Wagoner, I spotted this northbound UP freight on the former MP tracks. |
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| In Muskogee, I find this freight at the north end of the yard, just south of the Shawnee Ave. bypass, waiting for a loaded unit coal train to get out of its way. |
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| After chasing the loaded coal train all the way through Muskogee on Main St., I catch the train across a hay field with round bales. Note the unpatched SP unit. |
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| Back in Muskogee, I find the following in the engine service area. |
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| This northbound empty grain train is seen passing the location of the former station. |
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| A southbound general freight prepared to enter the main by pulling up to the derail and then slowly leaving town. |
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| These two crossing cross-bucks are remnants of the days when this track was part of the Muskogee Branch of the Frisco Railroad. |  |
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| This is the former MP bridge over the Grand River at Ft. Gibson, OK. |
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| The UP tracks to the left are governed by the rules for CTC. Those to the right are governed by Track Warrent Control, TWC. The track in the foreground leads to the OG&E Muskogee Power Plant and are part of the right-of-way of the former Muskogee Branch of the Frisco. |
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This page was designed and is maintained by Mike Condren.
If you have materials
that you would like to contribute, contact me at mcondren@cbu.edu