Wednesday, April 17th, started just like every other Wednesday with me having off from work and waking up around 9AM or somewhere around there. As per the usual, I followed Miranda to where she has to park a few blocks off campus so I could drive her to the building saving time. I made sure to grab my camera and scanner on the way out rather than driving back home where I would inevitably get stuck sitting at the computer for hours. I took my usual route to the end of BNSF's Lower Yard at "East Lubbock" where I was pleasantly surprised to see an eastbound manifest just beginning to leave the yard as well as chatter on the Plainsman Switching Co. frequency. I'm not usually out while the sun is still on the east side of the tracks so I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity and get a shot I had found earlier this month at the west end of the Burris siding. I parked and walked down the access road toward the ex-ATSF searchlight signals glancing back down the tracks time to time to check the progress of the headlight. I had heard them blow for one crossing but they had not reached the next which was odd. I took some random shots of the codeline and signals as I waited.
Still nothing. I grew suspicious and convinced myself it was probably a train terminating in Lubbock making a reverse move into the yard, a common procedure. Just as this thought entered my mind, I saw a flash of blue a little ways down the track followed by "Crossing is protected." over the scanner and the horn of GMTX 404. The Plainsman Switching Co. had run down to the end of their line to Burris. I got excited at the prospect of getting the ex-NS, exx-CR GP15-1 still in blue between the signals but there was no reason for them to come down that far so I walked back to the Loop 289 overpass (seen in the distance above.)
By the time I got up the embankment, they had already run up their line
adjacent to the BNSF line to another spur to grab two tank cars before
returning back to their "main" and the rest of the train.
GMTX 404 prepares to cross US 84 with the Lubbock skyline visible on a surprisingly hazy day in West Texas.
GMTX 404 and 403 pause while the conductor walks back to protect the shove across US 84.
As I began to ponder their next move, I realized that at some point they would be returning to their yard meaning I would get a chance to shoot one of the coolest spots I've seen on any railroad, anywhere. I quickly got back to the car and went straight there. I could tell by the conversation of the scanner they were doing switching somewhere else so I went to find them. I ended up finding E. 66th St. which parallels the line and grabbed a few shots as they put GMTX 403 on the west end making the trip back easier.
I high-tailed it back to E. 52nd St. to guarantee getting the one shot I absolutely wanted of this railroad.
As I took the backlit shot of the 404, I could tell they were slowing down for crossing protected only by crossbucks. I was wrong as they came to a stop right next to me and the engineer proceeded to tell me that people are not allowed to take pictures because they are under Class II FRA something, something, something, and they have to call the police if they see someone doing it. Yeah, okay. He was nice about it so I just agreed and told him that after I got the shot I would go check-in at their office. The encounter was a blessing in disguise as they would now roll through the scene at half the speed as they would have otherwise.
After a brief conversation with me, the engineer prepares to cross E. 52nd St. and past some very track side residences.
GMTX 404 brings up the rear of the train as it rolls between two houses in a very model-like setting. I know 5 photos is a bit overkill but I think this is one of the neatest pieces of track I've ever seen. It reminds me very much of the following location on the Southern Indiana RR in Sellersburg, IN.
Photo taken in 2010.
I heard the engineer relay the message that I would be coming to the office so I decided to go straight there to put the crew at ease. Upon arrival, I spent a few minutes talking to and exchanging business cards with the General Manager/Superintendent who was super friendly and gave the okay for photography: "Take all the pictures you want just stay away from the tracks." I strongly urge anyone, if for whatever reason you find yourself in Lubbock and want to shoot the PSC, to stop by the office to let them know what you are doing. The train finally rolled into the yard and would not be going anywhere while the crew had lunch so I headed west toward West Texas & Lubbock's Doud Yard.
The F40 mother/slug set and one of their recently acquired LTEX GP35us were sitting on the main waiting to leave the yard as I continued west to the WTLC's offices in Wolfforth. I pulled up to the ex-ATSF Whiteface depot now lettered Wolfforth to have the same conversation as I had had with the PSC. This time, the guy who answered the door and claimed he was a manager (he didn't even tell me his name) barely said a word as I explained that I was a photographer and I planned on following the train to take pictures. He basically said the same thing, "just stay away from the right of way" and pretty much closed the door in my face. I took it as permission to shoot away so I grabbed a shot of the depot and two passenger cars in the yard before leaving.
I drove back to Lubbock to wait for the train to leave but hunger would get the best of me and I decided to head home, picking Miranda up on the way. After lunch and some TV time, I took her back to campus for the afternoon and went up to Canyon Jct. to check out what was going on there. A local was sitting at the signal so I drove to the west end of the wye to get a shot of the signals there. While I waited, I took the advice of the BNSF Special Agent I had gotten to know here and called the PD's office to let them know who I was and what I was doing. He advised me that where I had planned on shooting from was actually BNSF property so I gladly moved down to the next crossing. He thanked me for calling in and I had a worry free evening of shooting ahead if any crews got nervous enough to report me as suspicious. A few minutes later, BNSF 3196 with a local began its trip west on the Slaton Sub.
The local splits the ex-ATSF searchlight signals protecting the west
side of Canyon Jct. This was also the spot where the ATSF line to
Seagraves originally split off the Slaton Sub. You can see the old right of way to the right in the second photo. This line was ripped up
in the early 1990s to allow the expansion of US 82, the Marsha Sharp
Freeway, and was replaced by a new connecting track west of town.
BNSF 3196 is framed by the Tech Inn's canopy.
The westbound local rolls west through Shallowater passing a resting donkey and two horses.
I wish I had taken more shots of the freight cars I've seen out here.
The donkey and horse look for a snack while the tank cars at the end of the train goes by unnoticed.
I called the chase off here and drove back to Lubbock. The scanner alerted me of an eastbound local heading to Slaton with BNSF 1981, still in BN green, leading. I was still on the north side of town as he got the clear signal to leave East Lubbock so I knew it would be tough to beat him anywhere before Slaton, but I tried anyway. Surprisingly, I caught his tail end at Burris (the first signal east of East Lubbock) and finally got past him at the next intermediate signal. With only one set of signals remaining before getting into Slaton, my decision was made for me as I pulled over onto the shoulder of US 84. I walked a little bit into a recently plowed cotton field to add a little bit of something into the scene. Literally, seconds before the train popped out from the cut a white van pulled over onto the shoulder right in the middle of the shot. As they say, some days you're the pigeon, some days you're the statue. Hello, my name is Statue..
A whole lot of green going on here.
As I pulled into Slaton, I noticed the headlight of a westbound pulling into town in the distance and knew I had made the right choice to follow the local all the way down. I stopped at the Santa Fe Harvey House to grab a few shots as the coal train waited for the local to get off the main.
I got back to the west end of the yard to shoot the coal train leaving through the searchlights but found the local stopped blocking the switch and crossing causing a decent traffic jam on Business US 84. I took the opportunity to get some gas since my fuel gauge doesn't work too well and I didn't know how much more driving I would be doing this afternoon. I overheard the dispatcher tell the SLABEL that they would be following the coal train west. Sweet! Two westbounds on the Slaton. One bound for the Plainview Sub. and one to continue on the Slaton past Lubbock.
I returned back to my spot just as the local cleared up.
Some of the vehicle traffic was able to get across but soon BNSF 5713
had the empty coal train under way passing the West End Slaton signal.
A little ways out of Slaton, I set myself up on a hill near a small cut to shoot the intermediate signals at MP 686.1.
The next set of signals at MP 682.1 with the sign for the Great Plains Distributors of Miller and Coors.
I doubled back to the 686.1 signals to catch the SLABEL but was too slow and had to settle on the same shot at 682.1.
Unable to catch back up the coal train, I barely made it through Lubbock
to get the SLABEL through the signals at the west side of Canyon
Junction. Realizing that I had been following them, the conductor decided to have a little fun and made a sign that read, "HI MOM."
I skipped a few spots west of Canyon Junction and ended up at the East End Shallowater signals. By the time the train made it to me, the conductor had made another sign. His full message read, "HI MOM""I<3U."
The next spot was the wooden bridge over NCR 1100 between Shallowater and Roundup.
I had shot all the signals in Anton before so I wanted to try something different. Unfortunately, some idiot had to park in the shot. =) Whoops.
After stopping to check for dragging equipment found by the last detector, the SLABEL is back up to track speed through Littleton passing the ex-ATSF depot.
A boxcar lettered for the Sabine River & Northern, a Texas shortline.
Getting creative with the searchlights at MP 41.1.
I attempted to get back ahead of him but got slowed down going through Sudan and settled for one last parting shot as they continued west into a mini dust storm towards Muleshoe, Farwell, Clovis and Belen.
Here is what the shot at West End Sudan would have looked like.
Apparently, this stone train with a CSX trailing unit had been following the SLABEL. The dust had begin to defuse the setting sun so I grabbed one shot from the eastbound lanes of US 84 and drove the 40+ miles back home after a busy day on the Slaton Sub.
