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.

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.

Finally another post!

Howdy,
Been out of commission for a while due to some surgery but was able to get out for a few hours yesterday & visit Tulsa BNSF Cherokee Yard.

M-STLTUL was first train I saw & it arrived with what looked like a brand new ES44DC, BNSF 7395, on the point.

Also included in the M-STLTUL consist (dead in consist) was this nice ex-SP SD40T-2. I believe this unit is heading to Houston, TX for export to South America.

The SKOL rock train, BNSF symbol F-OKCOWA (foreign train, Okla. City, OK-Owasso, OK) was in the yard & departed with this hi-nose SD40 in the consist.

The SKOL train was headed east on BNSF trackage rights to the SKOL junction in downtown Tulsa. The train will continue on north to their yard in Owasso, OK which is approximately 20 miles northeast of Tulsa.

Last picture is of a GP39M that was on the Enid, OK local, SPR8052. This was one of the many paint/patch jobs that the BNSF experimented after the merger between BN & Santa Fe. Not to many like this around.

This train was on the Shirk siding (mp 435.1) located on the BNSF Avard-sub that heads west out of the Tulsa Cherokee yard.

Until the next post be careful around the tracks while railfanning & as always;

GOOD HUNTING!