Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren

51 Years of Railroad Photography
1960-2011

Oct. 12, 2011

Thsi set of DPUs is at the north end of the yard in Heavener, OK

This is the road power at the fueling facility at Heavener, OK. The mid-train DPUs were a pair of Retro Belle KCS units which were notavailable for photos as they were behind some very high weeds.

A second loaded unit coal train was parked on the mainline just south of the fueling facility. This is the DPU for that train.

The road power for the UP loaded unit coal train was parked at the location of the former passenger station in Heavener.

In Ashdown, AR, this was the power parked at the Kiamichi Railroad.

Oct. 13, 2011

I made a swing by the KCS shops at Deramus Yard in Shreveport and found the business train power buried behind some power.

This group of engines were outside of the shops.

This unit was stored on the far side of the yard.

These two KCS de Mexico units were parked outside of the shops. They will be on a freight in New Orleans the next day at Central Ave.

Oct. 14, 2011

Our first train at Central Ave in Metairie is this NS which was waiting for permission to head for their yard in East New Orleans.

This is the freight house for the New Orleans Public Belt at Central Ave. in Metairie, LA. The east approach to the Huey P. Long Bridge is visible in the left side of the picture.

A view of East Bridge Jct. tower from Central Ave. in Metairie, LA

We then drive down River Road to its end near Audobon Zoo in New Orleans to shoot this UP train waiting for permission to proceed through downtown.

We then head for St. Charles Street and some street car action. Every car that we saw had an LED headlight and flashing LED warning lights at the corners of the car.

We then drove north on River Road to get this shot of the Huey P. Long Bridge with the new trusses in place for the wider highway lanes on the outside of the two track line across the river.

This truck driver did not believe that it is important to stop before the crossing gate.

This KCS train pulled up to the Central Ave crossing to change crews before proceeding on its run through connection. The KCSdeMexico are two of the units I shot in Shreveport the previous day.

Amtrak #58, the northbound City of New Orleans, snuck up on us, and I almost missed it.

The construction materials interfere with getting good photos of trains heading to the Huey P. Long Bridge as this UP train and the NS train waiting to come off the bridge.

The next train was this northbound KCS train.

Our last train was this westbound BNSF at Central Ave.

Oct. 17, 2011

On a drive by of the KCS Deramus Yard in Shreveport, we spotted the KCS dome car among the various locos and cars.

Another real find was this pair of SW1500s in the new Retro Belle paint scheme. Too bad the lighting was so horrible. Well, there will be another trip to Shreveport. A third switcher in new colors was spotted but not photographable.

In Ashdown, AR, there gray KCS units were sitting at the south end of the yard along with the third unit further north. The KCS is rebuilding the line south of Ashdown and everything was shut down during their work times.

There were a couple of lease units at the Kiamichi Railroad in Ashdown.

In Wickes we find a loaded unit coal train with its DPU parked just south of where the caboose depot once stood.

Further north on the up side of Rich Mountain at Howard, AR, we caught this loaded BNSF unit coal train with 2 sets of DPUs. We ran into it north of Howard, turned around, and returned to this former passing siding site when passenger trains were still running over the line.

The first set of DPUs are KCS units in Retro Belle.

Then comes the BNSF unit as the single DPU pushing on the rear for all it is worth.

When we got to Heavener, the first traffic light was flashing so I turned toward the crossing and got this southbound with a couple of Retro Belles on the point.

At the refueling facility at the north end of the Heavener yard, we find this loaded unit grain train waiting to head south.

These 2 units were also at the refueling facility.

These were the DPUs for the loaded unit grain train.

Oct. 21, 2011

I had a chemistry meeting at the University of Arkansas. Before the meeting I went by the Arkansas & Missouri in Springdale and found this progress on the new locomotive shop.

Oct. 24, 2011

On my way to Memphis, when I got to the OK51/US 59 intersection in Stilwell, I looked north to check on traffic and saw headlights on the KCS. When I got to where I could see its signal, it was a "high yellow" meaning it would have an "all red" at the south end of the siding. I headed south on US59 and OK51 to the OK51 east crossing. I parked in the lot of the Stilwell cattle auction and shot the southbound BNSF loaded unit coal train with a BNSF on the point and 2KCS units (1 gray, 1 Retro Belle) behind it.

With all of the crossings in town blocked, I heard a northbound blowing south of town. When it finally appeared, it was an empty UP unit coal train. The dispatcher could have done a better job with the meet as the UP train had to stop at the North Stilwell siding signal. Finally it gets cleared and leaves town, but the loaded BNSF train still has all of the crossings in town blocked!

The UP power is then seen meeting the DPUs of the BNSF loaded train, a BNSF unit and a gray KCS unit.

Now for the DPU for the UP coal train.

The DPUs then meet for both trains.

After a few minutes I hear a train even further south of town. It finally shows as a KCS empty unit grain train with 2 Retro Belles. The loaded unit coal train begins to move before the grain train clears so my view of the DPU of the BNSF coal train is a distant shot. By then the traffic is backed up for several blocks westbound on OK 51, the road to the area Cherokee National Medical Center about a 1/2 mile east. I took OK51 east to AR59 for Van Buren. BTW these locomotives were the DPUs on a loaded grain train in Heavener a week before.