Today on December 20th it was overcast all day, making it a perfect time to share a few sunny photos from Friday and Saturday close to home on the UP Baird Sub. I finished running errands in Fort Worth on Friday just after noon and I drove by the west end of UP’s Davidson Yard to see if anything was waiting to go west. Sure enough I saw the Abilene Local in the distance as it slow rolled towards the lead to bypasses #4 and #5, both of which were empty.
The first three bypasses were also empty, but there was a green signal lit for a westbound to leave town. This usually indicates one of the westbound “Z” trains that change crews at Mesquite instead of Fort Worth is close by. As the sunlight was still in the southeastern sky and not yet even broadside, I decided to head west right then and find a decent spot. I passed on Iona and Aledo before opting on the stretch between Annetta and Weatherford where the Baird Sub turns slightly southwest.
About the time I chose a spot along the rural road next to the tracks the detector at Aledo sounded off over the radio. Five minutes later at 12:50 pm I captured this broadside view of the UP 8173 West, which from the train consist looked like the ZAILC, otherwise known as the “Laser”.
I drove further west to a grade crossing where the tracks curve even more to the southwest before arriving at the east switch of Earls siding. Twenty minutes later at 1:10 pm I managed this view of the Abilene Local powered by a pair of GP60’s with a bit more light on the nose.
I had not noticed back at Davidson that the local had two fire department training cars in its train.
Listening to the radio nothing else appeared to be close so I headed back to the house. Saturday morning my wife and I went Christmas shopping, but in the background I kept checking on the location of the UP 1989 Rio Grande Heritage Unit which was leading a westbound “Z” train out of Memphis. After lunch we headed back home to unload our accumulated gifts before heading out again for groceries.
The 1989 West had just left Tower 55, so my wife opted to stay home while I made the five minute trip to the Baird Sub at Iona. Once again it was still to early in the day for optimum light on the nose of a westbound train without driving at least 55 miles west to Judd. As I approached Iona I could see an eastbound intermodal pulling into the siding that would hinder a decent broadside shot there. Driving west I checked downtown Aledo, but found too many vehicles parked in the foreground of the broadside shot I had in mind there.
So once again I moved on to the grade crossing just east of Earls siding and bagged this well lit view of the 1989 West racing by at 60 mph at 1:28 pm.
I had been informed earlier the NS 9133 along with three more NS GE-units was running not far back with another intermodal train, and sure enough seventeen minutes later at 1:45 pm what was obviously today’s “Laser” off of the NS at Atlanta roared by in pursuit of the UP 1989.
Listening to the radio I had knowledge the UP 8046 East was in the siding at Earls one-half mile west of my location, and after the passage of the two westbound “Z” trains it started to pull towards Fort Worth. I also headed east and at 1:56 pm captured this intermodal broadside as several calves behind a simple wooden fence left the watering trough.
The radio indicated there would be more action soon, but with these three good photos on a SD card I made the wise decision to return home so my wife and I could continue shopping. The sun will shine for many other days on the Baird Sub!
Fellow railfan Matt Shell had the time to have made the drive out to Judd for perfect light, and captured these two great shots of the UP 1989:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/trnchsr1984/23563639930/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/trnchsr1984/23232588633/in/dateposted-public/
