Out & About – July 31, 2012

I did see and photograph a few trains during my outing of July 31 to document the double tracking project of 5 miles of UP’s Glidden Sub . I didn’t include photos of those trains in the previous post because that post was already too long.

As I was leaving the house I heard the DS tell a ZLCAT train that he would take them to Willowbrook Drive where he’d run Amtrak around them. I went to Stafford to wait for the two trains. My wait at MP 19.7 for the first train was brief. The head-end block of Tropicana reefers confirms this is the ZLCAT.

A big wave from the engineer is a nice touch in the second shot of the ZLCAT. The bright orange cap visible through the conductor’s windshield suggests there’s a conductor-trainee along with the regular crew.

Next up was Amtrak #2. I knew that Heritage P42DC 145 was in the consist, but probably trailing, so I had to set up for a wedgie. The only problem is that by this time in the morning, the sun is just too high for a properly lit wedgie. The least bad spot available was at MP 20.5…what can you really do?

Once Amtrak passed by, the DS gave track and time to MOW forces, so it was a good time for me to get the shots I used for the previous post.

I had finished getting my shots when I heard UP 9756 ask for clearance through the limits. Even though it was high-sun-thirty, I went back to Heacker to catch it at the red board there.

With no traffic on the immediate horizon, I took that as a sign that I should get out of the brutal heat, go home, and try to get some legitimate photography work done…