Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren

51 Years of Railroad Photography
1960-2011

 

This issue of Recent Trains will cover the railroad pictures I took on our recent trip to the west, Mt. Rushmore National Memorial and Yellowstone National Park. This particular issue will cover railroad shots through Grand Island, NE.

Aug. 14

We headed up OK 82 out of Tahlequah to the Cherokee Turnpike/US 412. We headed north on US 69 at Chotau to US 60 at Vinita. We took US 60 to Nowata where we picked up US 169. We explored Coffeyville, KS some. We left US 169 for US 59 at Garnett, KS. Here we see one of the engines of the Watco congolmerate of rail lines, SEKO at Coffeyvill, KS.

In 1963 I hired out to the MP as a summer vacation ewplacement fireman. My student trip on the Wagoner Sub ended in Coffeyville, KS 15 hr and 45 min after signing on in Van Buren. We actually had to drop our work and run for Coffeyville. My fellow student and I sat up in the coffee shop of the railroad wye so we could catch the next thru freight back to Van Buren so we could mark up on the extra board. That thru freight made one set out at Okay, OK for the KO&G and we got back to Van Buren in 4 hr. Below is a pair of UP engines in the wye there at Coffeyville.

Leaving Coffeyville, I spotted this ATSF steam engine at the fairground along US 169.

Aug. 15

Wee discovered this BNSF office building in downtown Topeka.

Burlington station in Beatrice, NE.

When we get to Grand Island, NE, I drop Jan off at the motel and head track side. I found this caboose near the BNSF flyover of the UP northeast of downtown. But, as you can see, I missed the lead power of a loaded BNSF unit coal train.

I did get the DPU of the above mentioned BNSF unit coal train, the first of many unit coal trains over the next 3 days.

Unit coal trains and beards have been an important part of my life since Jan. 1977 when I shot my first one on the KCS railroad in OK. This train serviced a mine in WY and a power plant in TX. It was so cold that day that I began wearing a beard. Shortly there after, I had my first date with the librarian of The College of the Ozarks. At the end of July that year, we wed. On the trip to meet the in-laws, I showed them a picture of that first train on the approach of the Arkanas River bridge in which the entire train was visible. They were impressed so I made them an 11x14 print which hung in their home till their death. It now hangs in the entrance to our Tahlequah home and a duplicate hangs in the train room in the basement. I have wore a beard in the winter ever since and most summers. On this visit to WY we will get a guided tour of one of the WY open pit coal mines, see the Aug. 19th page.

The UP has quite an impressive line-up of signals at the west end of their small yard in Gran Island. They govern 3 mainline tracks and leads to two separate areas, a small yard on the south and a branch to the north. This crossing woukd be my base of operation that afternoon and the next morning before our departure.

My next train was an empty UP unit coal train.

I hear the next BNSF loaded unit coal train pulling hard on the grade of the flyover and position myself for some shots.

This long lens shot shows the local power in the yard at Grand Island.

The next train was a loaded unit coal train which met a westbound vehicle train just east of the BNSF flyover.

All of this action in less than and hour. I then headed to the motel to pickup Jan for supper. My coverage of the action continued after supper until dark.

The first train after supper was a slow moving train into the yard which blocked the crossing I had been using.

About that time a loaded BNSF unit coal train came by. After which we had to use the underpass to get to the north side of the tracks.

We missed the head end of a loaded unit coal train but got the DPU from the north side of the tracks.

The slow moving freight is finally in the yard and another westbound is visible in the distance.

In the meantime some light engines appear from the west on the same track so the westbound had to wait until the light engines cleared.

In the meantime a loaded unit coal train appears and heads east.
By the time the DPU shows, the westbound has a clear signal at my location.
The loaded coal train and the westbound general freight meet in the distance.

The westbound general freight with a clear signal turns out to be our last train of the day and the end of the second day of our vacation.

Aug. 16

I got up early and headed to track side to catch some action before Jan got up. My first train was a westbound empty unit coal train.

The next train was an empty BNSF unit coal train on the fly-over.
AN eastbound UP vehicle train surprised me and then passed under the BNSF unit coal train on the flyover
The BNSF DPU then passes over the UP vehicle train.

Next is a UP westbound vehicle train.

My location for photos in Grand Island was at the crossing just west of the BNSF flyover at CP B147.

My next train was an eastbound general freight with a CSX as the second unit.
Then came the shot of the day! An empty BNSF unit coal train passed over the eastbound UP with both sets of power in the shot!

The last train in Grand Island was this westbound which snuck up on me due to the noise of a work crew preparing to repair this very rough crossing.

We then headed to the Stuhr Museum where this display of railroad equipment and tools sits near the main building.

Railroad Town also displayed some tyoical narrow gauge and standard gauge railroad equipment. They no longer had a locomotive on display/operation in this area.

Railroad Town also featured a typical small town depot.

There was a typical "armstrong" powered turntable, a non-standard switch where the rails moved, no point rails, and a supply of typical freight car trucks.

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