Troy arrived at our house around 6:00 am and after securing his vehicle we piled into mine and headed to the display site. A few minutes after 7:00 am I took photos of UP employees with the 4014 as a backdrop. When we were finished we drove around to the east side of the mainlines in order to get the BIg Boy departing Fort Worth with the skyline in the background.
It was cloudy but not raining when the train got the signal at 8:00 am and the 4014 along with SD70M diesel 4015 acting as the helper unit and PTC host started the train on the grade south to Tower 55. Here is the sequence of photos depicting the smooth start to the day. By now a large crowd had gathered once again to witness the train’s departure.
And at this point I captured my goal of the perfect balance between train and skyline.
Troy and I hopped into the SUV and drove directly to our next predetermined location at the bridge over Sycamore Creek a little over a mile east of where the Big Boy would enter the MIdlothian Sub to head towards Ennis. I had come out to this spot the week before and cleared the tall weeds obstructing this view. The UP 4014 drifted downgrade over the bridge at 8:30 am.
This was one of four potential photo locations in the immediate area but with the train moving we could only catch it at one spot. Heading down Highway 287 towards the first planned stop at Midlothian we looked at the overpass in Mansfield where the highway passes over the Midlothian Sub but decided to move on. I had considered trying to catch the Big Boy passing over the Joe Pool Lake bridge but as that location is several miles off of Highway 287 we passed on that too.
There was a large crowd in downtown Midlothian and we decided traffic might delay us getting back on the road if we caught it there. This led us to our next pre-scouted location at Mt. Zion Road about three miles east of town. Fortunately for us we were there early enough to get a good parking spot with the SUV facing towards Highway 287. With cars parked on both shoulders of a narrow two lane road, small details like this can make a huge difference when everyone is trying to leave at once after the train passes by.
The location became more crowded with people now parking several hundred yards from the crossing. We managed to crop everyone else out as the 4014 traversed the curve at 9:55 am.
Arriving early and strategic parking paid off as Troy and I were back in the SUV and out on Highway 287 before the bulk of the crowd reached their cars and gridlock set in behind us. Advance scouting had not yielded and photo angles we wanted at the train’s next stop in Waxahachie so once again we leapfrogged the stop ands set up at a friend’s private crossing between Waxahachie and Garrett. As with the last stop we were there in plenty of time but it got crowded with others as train time approached.
We heard the train depart on the radio and when we could see smoke in the distance I launched the drone. I flew several hundred yards in the direction of the train with the intention of once again getting an aerial view followed by a ground view. This turned out to be a good plan as I had to abort the drone shot as a fixed wing aircraft came by flying low and I had to dodge out of its way. I was ready for the ground view a few seconds later before bringing the drone back to the launch point.
Packing up and back on the road, Troy and I were approaching the next scheduled stop at Ennis while the train was still a few miles north of town. We decided to circle in to the south side of town so I could launch the drone and get a crowd scene without actually flying over people which can ge a FAA rules violation. That is not as hard as it sounds as long as you fly outside the edges of and not over the crowd itself. We found an open and deserted spot to fly from with these results as the train came to a stop.
With this scene in the bag for UP we drove on ahead to Rice where we found this motley crew in attendance waiting for the train. From left to right is Steve Grabman, Patrick Phalen and son, Leonard Ruback, Jason Burke, Nathan Bailey, Ryan Nicolay and Troy Minnick.
Many stories were swapped before the train passed us here at 12:04 pm.
We beat the train into Corsicana and I decided to repeat the success of the drone shot in Ennis. As the train pulled slowly down to the stopping point on the Ennis Sub in the foreground you see the Corsicana Sub curving in from Tyler as two road switchers are parked in the house track.
Two blocks further south the crowd moved in as the Big Boy came to a stop. at 12:33 pm.
Moving on we headed south on I45 to Richland where we got off on Highway 14. Not seeing any opportunities that would make dealing with the traffic on this two-lane road in the wake of the train, we finally stopped in Wortham where I set up to video the Big Boy coming through town.
The video turned out well which made the interesting task of joining the solid line of southbound vehicles worth the effort. We only had to deal with the endless line of cars for a few miles until we reached Mexia where the train would make its last scheduled stop before ending the day’s journey to Hearne. Traffic spread out and we drove on south to the small town of Thornton. The drone proved to be the best way to record the 4014’s passage here with the town as a backdrop.
Now that we were getting closer to the Hearne-Bryan-College Station area, the crowds around Kosse, Bremond and Calvert were very large and we did not see any potential shots that would be worth dealing with the escape issues. When we pulled into Hearne the crowd was overwhelming so we found an out-of-the-way spot where Troy could get a ground shot of the train crossing the diamond over the Hearne Sub while I captured the same with the drone.
Check out the couple who had been waiting in their lawn chairs right up next to the track. Just try that on any other day!
These two going away photos shows how many were in attendance as the train pulled down to the yard office.
It took a little while but thanks once again to our credentials we scored a prime parking spot next to the yard office around 4:30 pm where people were massed on both sides of the 4014 as the fuel truck was maneuvering into position.
The steam special tied down for the night on the Giddings Sub main line as northbound traffic on Highway 6 slowed for a look and people came and went at a steady pace for many hours.
I was able to convince friend and UP Superintendent Ed Adelman to pose with the 4014 before getting back to managing the site.
Before heading to our hotel and dinner Troy and I stopped by for our first close up photos of the rear end of the train.
A good conclusion to the day and more to look forward to on Monday the 16th as the train continues on to Houston.
