4 In A Row

It’s been exceptionally cloudy in Southeast Texas for the last 6 weeks, but there was a short respite from the darkness this past Tuesday, 1/6/2015.

Shortly after 9:00 AM, the Glidden dispatcher told MOW forces that they could have the track after he ran 4 eastbounds. Nothing like an oncoming fleet to get me out the door!

The first train was waiting at the prison road crossing hold-out spot near MP 26.5. Upon arriving, I saw that the lead unit was KCS 4191, a brand-new SD70ACe. Ahhhhh, yes, there’s nothing like the smell of fresh paint in the morning

After a few shots, KCS 4191 East got underway.

They only look this way for a short time:

Trailing unit SD70ACe 4011 looks quite austere compared to the 4191.

My original plan was to let the 4 trains come to me, but brand-new power calls for a chase. The pursuit started out inauspiciously when the first 4-5 traffic lights screwed me over. Happily, my frustration was in vain because the train had to slow down for some slow orders and I was able to set up just east of MP 24 with no rush.

Since the train was slow-rolling, I moved up to Missouri City near MP 18 for another view:

Since the getting was still good, I moved to West Junction for a final shot of the eastbound KCS manifest:

Amtrak #2 was a few minutes behind KCS 4191 so I stayed put at West Junction for it:

Minutes after Amtrak was UP 8587 leading UP’s hottest Glidden sub eastbound, the ZLAJX (expedited Los Angeles-Jackson, MS):

It seems like every other UP road engine has its trucks and fuel tank caked over with red dirt:

The Tropicana reefers are a fixture on the head-end of the ZLAJX:

Another fixture on this train is a single DPU on the rear:

Notice the red dirt on the undercarriage of UP 7931:

The last train was just far enough away to allow me to move 1 1/2 miles west to Heacker where I caught UP manifest MKBHO with 2 BNSF Dash 9’s on the point:

By the time I got to my car, MOW already had their track and time authority in place, putting an end to the festivities. No matter, 4 in a row ain’t too shabby. Besides, I was ready for some lunch…