Sunday, April 26, 2009

Saturday/Sunday ES44C4, BNSF Operation Lifesaver, NS & more

Howdy,

Got out this weekend to do a little picture taking in & around the Tulsa, OK area. Got a few good catches so here we go,

Got my first glimpse of one of the ES44C4 engines that BNSF recently purchased.
The BNSF 6601 was in the consist of the Oklahoma City, OK-Tulsa, OK (M-OKCTUL)that arrived on Saturday




Here is closeup of truck assembly of the 6601




Speaking of the M-OKCTUL, here it was coming east on the Avard-sub about 7 miles west of the BNSF Cherokee yard in Tulsa,



The day started off with the Barstow, CA-Tulsa, OK (H-BARTUL) arriving off the Avard-sub and entering the BNSF Restricted Limits with a warbonnet on the point.


Here is the H-BARTUL after they had backed into Receiving track 8 (RD8) at Cherokee Yard.



Another interesting arrival was the NorthYard, Ft. Worth, TX-Tulsa, OK (H-NYFTUL) with a new SD70ACe on the point.


Tulsa, OK-Birmingham departed with a NS SD60 in the consist,

The UP arrived midday just as the sun came out long enough to shine on the MoPac tranfer caboose they use for back up moves in and around the Tulsa area.

Sunday morning began with the departure of the Tulsa-Galesburg, IL train with a GP28-2 Operation Lifesaver engine in the consist & a total of 134 cars.












































Final images of the day include the Eagle Pass, TX-Tulsa, OK (H-EAPTUL) 7 miles west of Tulsa on the Avard-sub &















the Enid, OK-Tulsa local (SPR8052) at Shirk siding (mp 436.1) inbound to Tulsa's Cherokee Yard.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Not all trains all the time

Being an airport manager has its perks as I found out late today when I returned to the airport and found a piece of aviation history sitting at the fuel pumps.

The aircraft is a General Motors FM-2 Wildcat (license built version of the Grumman F4F)





Picture of the nose/fuselage art Felix the Cat and kill markings while pilot completes pre-flight/startup checklist,



On the roll and lift off from runway 17 at Sand Springs Pogue Airport, OK,



Now the hard part begins as the pilot has to reach down and crank the handle (up to 38 times,) to retract the landing gear,



Always enjoy seeing this historical aircraft.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Warbonnet, IC SD70 & Lease engine on UP local

On Sat. 4/4/09 caught this clean Warbonnet on the Stack train Clovis, NM-Memphis, TN (S-CLOMEM) as they departed Cherokee Yard, Tulsa, OK

The Tulsa, OK-Galesburg, IL (H-TULGAL) departed with a standard cab SD70 in the consist.

UP local had a former Rock Island GP38-2, now a GMTX lease on the point. To bad the blue paint was more of a sky blue color on this unit.




BNSF engines in new paint

New paint on some engines include this CW44-9 that was in Warbonnet paint and are now in Bold Heritage II.



GP39-2 that used to be in the blue and yellow warbonnet scheme now in Bold Heritage I






BNSF 9647 (Barf Bonnet) visits Tulsa, OK




Gotta' a heads up from a friend in Missouri that the BNSF 9647 was lead engine on a loaded coal train headed south on the BNSF Cherokee-sub.
Caught the Texas Utilities loaded coal train Caballo Mine, WY- Kirvin, TX Big Brown (C-CAMKBB) as it departed Tulsa, OK southbound on the BNSF Creek-sub.


Santa Fe Southern in Sapulpa, OK


Southwest of Tuls is the shortline railroad Tulsa, Sapulpa Union RR. Every once in a while they get some interesting power down at there engine shop and February was a visitor from New Mexico. Santa Fe Southern GP 7 was visiting on a very nice day in February.

SOO in Oklahoma


While railfanning in January 09 of this year, heard BNSF Avard DS give a warrant to a SOO engine. Took of to the west of Tulsa, OK & caught the Kiowa, OK-Clark, OK (U-KIOCAK) empty rock train east bound to Tulsa.