With the completion of the GP60M's, Santa Fe immediately put them into service. I was lucky to catch them in Northern CA. Here, heading into the setting sun, they are a couple miles east of Richmond with a stack train.
With the help of Mapquest, a was able to get to an overpass one last time before they reached the Yard.
A quick call to my buddy Dennis Holmes, a dispatcher for the railroad, I learned the trio would be heading out of Richmond early in the morning, with a hot 991 train. I packed a cooler and drove to the Yard hoping there was enough light to get them being serviced.
Driving from the Yard, I found a nice place to sit and wait on the train. Hoping the sun hurried and gave me some light, I hear them approaching in the distance and before I know it, there they are! They sure are doing the ATSF and JB Hunt proud!
The trio was really moving on this section of track, and I was lucky the new camera has a good zoom! I snapped this shot as they headed East into the morning sun. I sure hope there are more railfans down the line to get these babies in action! I know I sure had fun seeing them in Northern CA!
My good friend and fellow Santa Fe fan Jerry Debene gave me a call to say that a 991 train was headed my way (Modesto, in the CA Central Valley) with 3 clean GP60Ms on the point. I had the day off, so I figured I'd try to catch it down at Tehachapi. I was surprised when I crossed the SP main to get on highway 99, and saw the train there...must be trackwork on the ATSF line on the east side of town. Here it is crossing the Tuolomne River bridge just south of downtown: I headed south on 99, and 3 1/2 hours later was at Caliente, where I bagged this shot of the train crossing Caliente Bodfish Road. The 2% grade kicks in from this point on, so my hope is to chase it further up the hill...
I beat the train up to Bealville, so I quickly parked, got my mountain bike out, and pedaled up the access road to try and get it at tunnel 7, where I got this shot:
Those are some sweet units Jerry, and its great to see them earning their keep out on the road! Dave - I hope you were able to beat this train to the loop...
Great shot, Dave, love the tunnel! Did you beat this one to the loop, or were your legs too tired to make the hike?
Actually I did . Here it is on the 5th crossing of Tehachapi Creek, a few curves away from the loop. The dispatcher has a westbound manifest in the hole at the loop siding.
Great shots, both. Dave, are those GP60Ms making a run-thru, on their way to their final owner destination? Sounds like a nice collaboration in progress here.....
And still in notch 8, at the west switch of Walong siding (the siding at the loop): and just past the east switch, approaching tunnel 10:
