On the morning of June 25th, looking back on my chase of CP 2816 between Mooringsport, Louisiana and Heavener, Oklahoma, I had caught the train at eight different locations with excellent results in my personal opinion. My plan for this final day was to catch the northbound train once or twice in Oklahoma and then head back for home. If I went further north with it, I would want to go to the scenic area between Siloam Springs, Arkansas and Neosho, Missouri, and that would mean two more days on the road before I would get back to Texas.
I kept thinking about the Arkansas River bridge between Spiro and Gans, Oklahoma and how I had the drone with me this trip. Driving to the northern side of the bridge required around a 28-mile round trip detour off of Highway 59. I would need to go straight there for my first photo of the train and then drive an unknown distance farther north to catch up with the train a second time. I decided since I had done well the day before that I would bet the farm on getting the Arkansas River bridge photo with the drone and then take my time to get home.
I turned east off of Highway 59 onto Oklahoma 141 and then on county dirt roads from Gans south to the bridge. When I arrived, I found that others had the same idea but only friend Terry Redeker would also be flying a drone. We visited until we could hear the whistle coming through Spiro about four miles south, and we both launched our drones for this perfect photo taken at 7:53 am.
In retrospect, this first shot of the day was also my best shot of the day. I did manage to rotate to the right for a few more photos of the fast-moving train.
As I brought the drone back for a landing, I made one final exposure here looking straight on at the bridge facing due south.
I started the trip home with the intention of checking out the Arkansas & Oklahoma shortline on the way. I drove back south to Howe, Oklahoma between Poteau and Heavener where I turned west to follow the old Rock Island Memphis line. Nothing was parked at the CPKC interchange, but on the west side of town I found a small transload where two ex-Santa Fe GP35’s were tied down. The best way to photograph them was to use the drone from the side of the public road.
In Wister I came across two ex-Santa Fe B40-8’s tied down and silent.
Nothing was moving between Wister and the A&O’s home base in Wilburton. The railroad’s SW1 was tied down here.
Driving on to McAlester I found five units tied down near the A&O’s yard office. One EMD ex-SP SD40T-2, two GE ex-WP B23 Super Seven’s and two EMD ex-ATSF GP30U’s.
With the A&O covered for this day I turned south on Highway 69. The UP Choctaw Sub was quiet until I overtook a southbound around Caddo where the tracks are several miles east of the highway. I took a detour in Durant east to what used to be the M-K-T and MP diamond north to south and the ex-Frisco now Kiamichi from west to east. In this final photo of the trip the UP 8117 South is about to cross the diamond.
Back in the 1970’s I used to go into the M-K-T depot located where the signal bungalow stands today in the northwest corner to ask about train operations. The remains of the M-K-T manned interlocking tower stood in the northeast corner. Those will be photos to share another day!