Trackside Log for Thursday, August 9, 2007

I got a nice early start before the sun rose. My first destination was to be the Nebkota Railroad in Chadron, Nebraska. While on the way I ran across a parked BNSF empty coal train in Orin, Wyoming, just west of Shawnee Junction. The sun was just above the horizon which led to some interesting lighting.

• 0609 MDT Orin, Wyoming - BNSF eastbound - BNSF 9930-BNSF 9663 w/ DPU (photo)

I continued along and discovered the Union Pacific main into the coal fields. There were coal trains parked all over the place. One loaded train was just leaving Shawnee Junction when I passed so I drove out ahead of it.

• 0632 MDT Lost Springs, Wyoming - UP eastbound - UP 6580-UP 7071 w/ DPU UP 6766-UP 7392
• 0645 MDT Keeline, Wyoming - UP eastbound - UP 6580-UP 7071 w/ DPU UP 6766-UP 7392 (photo)

I drove on leaving that coal train behind only to find another coal train ahead of it. I chased it ahead and photographed it as well.

• 0720 MDT Lusk, Wyoming - UP eastbound - UP 5990-UP 6154 w/ DPU UP 6001-UP 6399
• 0739 MDT Van Tassell, Wyoming - UP eastbound - UP 5990-UP 6154 w/ DPU UP 6001-UP 6399

Before long I arrived at Chadron, Nebraska. I quickly found the engine facility and three locomotives parked outside.

• 0903 MDT Chadron, Nebraska - Nebkota power - NRI 613 (photo)
• 0903 MDT Chadron, Nebraska - Nebkota power - NRI 614-NRI 49 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3)

After photographing the engines I got some breakfast. While getting breakfast I noted that there were an inordinate number of motorcycles parked around town. I quickly came to the conclusion that I sure know how to pick a week to visit South Dakota. This was Bike Week in Sturgis. The next part of the day was purely sightseeing. First I drove to Mount Rushmore. I've never seen so many Harley Davidsons in my life. They were everywhere. I drove through Rapid City among the motorcycles and photographed a Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern SD40-2 parked by the shops.

• 1246 MDT Rapid City, South Dakota - DME power - DME 6082 (photo)

Next I departed down Interstate 90 for Chamberlain but not before first visiting the Wall Drug Store and Badlands National Park. Now that is a fascinating place. After a long drive I found Chamberlain and the variety of interesting power the Dakota Southern had lying around the grain elevator.

• 1840 CDT Chamberlain, South Dakota - Dakota Southern power - DSRC 719 (photo 1, photo 2)
• 1843 CDT Chamberlain, South Dakota - Dakota Southern power - USS "70-1"-SSOR 75-SSOR 76-DSRC 512 (photo 1, photo 2)
• 1849 CDT Chamberlain, South Dakota - Dakota Southern power - UP 6925 (photo)
• 1858 CDT Chamberlain, South Dakota - Dakota Southern power - SSOR 103 (photo 1, photo 2)
• 1901 CDT Chamberlain, South Dakota - Dakota Southern power - DSRC 506-DSRC 522 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4)

After taking plenty of photographs I drove first to Mitchell, South Dakota to see the corn palace and then to Sioux Falls, South Dakota where I would spend the night at the Fairfield Inn. It turned out to be an awesome day and one I'll definitely remember.

Trackside Log for Wednesday, August 8, 2007

I awoke to a bright sunny morning. My first destination of the day was to be Heber City, Utah. My goal was to find the Heber Valley Railroad. I drove through the valley between Provo and Heber City and quickly found the railroad in town.

• 0848 MDT Heber City, Utah - Heber Valley Railroad power - HVRR 1813 (photo 1, photo 2)
• 0850 MDT Heber City, Utah - Heber Valley Railroad power - UP 1011 (photo)

I managed to get some nice photos of the operation and then continued on to Ogden, Utah to visit the Utah State Railway Museum. The first thing I ran across was a Southern Pacific engine parked behind the museum.

• 1030 MDT Ogden, Utah - Utah State Railway Museum power - SP 3769 (photo)

I wandered around for a while looking at the museum's equipment. After a while I drove by the Union Pacific yard in town and found a variety of power.

• 1103 MDT Ogden, Utah - UP power - UP 5634-CP 8784-CP 8773-UP 7210-UP xxxx-UP 4765 & UP 9069-UP 9051 (photo)
• 1110 MDT Ogden, Utah - UP northbound - UP 5620-FURX 8120 (photo)

After Ogden I started driving east. I saw a few Union Pacific trains en route, but unfortunately it's pretty impossible to stop and photograph them from Interstate 80. Interstates are a pain. I stopped by a few towns on the way, but didn't find anything terribly interesting. Eventually I arrived at Cheyenne, Wyoming. This time the weather was quite nice so I hunted down the Big Boy steam engine.

• 1814 MDT Cheyenne, Wyoming - UP display - UP 4004 (photo)

I also ran across a pair of Union Pacific SD40-2s and photographed them.

• 1840 MDT Cheyenne, Wyoming - UP power - UP 3200-UP 3203 (photo 1, photo 2)

I began making my way north ultimately bound for Chadron, Nebraska. I made it as far as Wheatland, Wyoming where I bunked down at a Motel 6 for the evening.

Trackside Log for Monday, August 6, 2007

This morning I awoke in Ogallala, Nebraska to a thunder storm. That didn't really set a good tone. I set out by heading yet farther west. As I drove the weather gradually began to improve. The rain soon stopped and it was starting to get brighter. By the time I got to Sydney, Nebraska it was still overcast and not terribly bright, but at least it wasn't storming.

• 0754 MDT Sidney, Nebraska - UP eastbound - UP 6514-UP 6196 (photo 1, photo 2)
• 0755 MDT Sidney, Nebraska - UP power - UP 3422-UP 3420 (photo 1, photo 2)

While photographing the parked power, a westbound passed behind. I was unable to get a photograph. Oh well, I moved on. Just west of Sidney I caught up to another westbound. I drove ahead and photographed it. I looked behind me and noticed an eastbound approaching as well.

• 0823 MDT Sidney, Nebraska - UP westbound - UP 5493-UP 9550-UP 7624-UP 4310 (photo)
• 0824 MDT Sidney, Nebraska - UP eastbound - UP 8433-UP 4464 (photo)

I continued westward and stopped at various locations whenever I noticed a train approaching. The skies were clearing nicely and I was eventually back into sunshine.

• 0838 MDT Brownson, Nebraska - UP eastbound - UP 4980-UP 4563 (photo)
• 0851 MDT Potter, Nebraska - UP eastbound - UP 6591-UP 4225-UP 2186-UP 4529-UP 8438-UP 4040
• 0920 MDT between Bushnell and Kimball, Nebraska - UP eastbound - UP 4875-UP 5160

As I neared Bushnell, Nebraska the sun was out nicely and I could see a row of grain elevators. I had to stop and photograph some trains passing the elevators. The second westbound to arrive was the train I was unable to photograph in Sidney. It all worked out for the best since the weather was much nicer in Bushnell.

• 0934 MDT Bushnell, Nebraska - UP westbound - UP 7322-UP 5815-UP 6546
• 0955 MDT Bushnell, Nebraska - UP westbound - UP 5472-CEFX 3181
• 1015 MDT Bushnell, Nebraska - UP westbound - UP 5493-UP 9550-UP 7624-UP 4310
• 1024 MDT Bushnell, Nebraska - UP westbound - UP 4714-UP 4617 (photo)
• 1046 MDT Bushnell, Nebraska - UP westbound - UP 7691-UP 5037-UP 3910 (photo 1, photo 2)
• 1059 MDT Bushnell, Nebraska - UP westbound - UP 5464-UP 7667-UP 7706 (photo)
• 1106 MDT Bushnell, Nebraska - UP westbound - UP 5086-UP 9175 (photo)

For a while I was trying to figure out the onslaught of westbounds. Eventually the Union Pacific dispatcher talked to an eastbound out of Cheyenne about a break-down. Apparently all the westbounds piled up behind it. A-ha! Now I understand. I'd really been hoping for an eastbound at Bushnell because there was a really nice scene with one of the elevators. No such luck. It didn't seem that any eastbounds were imminent and the westbounds were done.

I continued my trek west. I decided on a whim to stop at Burns, Wyoming to see what was there. It turned out to be a good move since there was a decent looking grain elevator. I decided to try for an eastbound again here. Of course the first train was one of the westbounds I photographed earlier.

• 1154 MDT Burns, Wyoming - UP westbound - UP 5464-UP 7667-UP 7706

But wait! Just after the westbound slowly passed I could see eastbound headlights. At last!

• 1207 MDT Burns, Wyoming - UP eastbound - UP 4151-UP 2485

The skies were beginning to cloud up and look like rain again. I drove to Cheyenne but the skies didn't look inviting at all. I stopped for lunch but ultimately decided to forego Cheyenne for the time being. I vowed to try again on my return trip through Wyoming. So I headed south through Colorado. Unfortunately it was stormy for most of the day. One of the stops I wanted to make in Colorado was the Leadville, Colorado & Southern. Luckily the weather was improving on my way there. By the time I arrived the weather was good enough to yield some reasonable photographs.

• 1702 MDT Leadville, Colorado - Leadville, Colorado & Southern power - LCS 1918 (photo 1, photo 2)
• 1720 MDT Leadville, Colorado - Leadville, Colorado & Southern power - LCS 1714 (photo 1, photo 2)

After chatting with the crew of the train and having a look inside their engine house I took my leave. I figured Grand Junction, Colorado would be my night's destination. The drive there was very nice. I had fun on some of the winding roads until I got back to Interstate 70. Interstate highways tend to be kind of boring.