Monday August 3rd I learned from a friend that a southbound loaded coal train approaching Fort Worth had the UP’s Southern Pacific heritage locomotive number 1996 leading. I had a few errands to run anyway so I decided to catch it first. For the best lighting angles around midday I decided to catch it in Echo Lake Park in south Fort Worth shortly after the train started down the Midlothian Sub.
Echo Lake was built by the International & Great Northern back in 1919; I am guessing as a water supply for steam locomotives? Now a city park, it is not in the best part of town but reasonably safe in daylight. I ended up waiting about an hour under a shade tree for this photo. I could have taken the view from across the lake but decided I wanted something closer.
I counted 135 loads which makes this train somewhere around 19,000 tons with power. As the cars streamed by I moved into the old baseball diamond for this view of the DPU’s from what used to be the pitcher’s mound.
Years ago I photographed a southbound train here with a little League game going on in the foreground, but it looks like these days anyone with a bat and ball can play.
