# 4302: I followed Metrolink train 264 east this morning, first catching the train just above CP Kocian on Metrolink's Valley Subdivision.

# 4303: Another view of 264 all stretched out near the old SP station of Russ.

# 4304: After meeting Metrolink 264 at Honby, UP 7964 was again heading up the canyon. A few minutes after the meet UP 7964 was leading the ZLCLT-05 across the Santa Clara river just prior to entering the east portal of Tunnel 19.

# 4305: Moving on up the Canyon our next run by was just down from Ravenna, as seen from the Soledad Canyon Rd bridge over the tracks/Santa Clara river.

# 4306: After Ravenna 7964 went into the hole at CP Quartz to meet another eastbound Metrolink and so I beat feet up to my 'fail-safe' shot at Warren. In no time at all UP 7964 came hustling up the eastern slope of the Tehachapi Pass.






 

# 4307: Saturday while heading out the Needles Sub to intercept the UP/NS heritage duo I passed a westbound stack train at Pisgah that was sporting two 600s for power. As much as I love the warbonnets...yes even when they are faded...I was intent on catching the heritage duo so just kept pressing east. Later that night I spotted the Warbonnet duo again this time holding at Valley Jct. in Barstow waiting to head north towards Tehachapi. Figuring they were going to make a night run over the hill I thought no more of it...that is until this afternoon. After hiking down from Warren I was on my way home when I spotted a BNSF stack train working up the hill just north of Mojave...and to my great surprise here came the warbonnets from the day before. I hustled back up to Cameron where I caught 646 and 682 working the S ALTOIG up the hill.

# 4295: It wasn't long before fellow fans began to arrive in Topock in anticipation of the special guest leading the Q NYCLAC. A little after 0800 the NS 8102 took center stage at Topock with NS 8102-9898-BNSF 670 up front.

# 4296: At 0807 the NS 8102 passed the markers on BNSF's Colorado River bridge that signified its entrance into the state of California, the 4th NS heritage unit had arrived.

I roughly have 1/2 the chase finished and I am still working on a few of the locations between Bannock and Homer, as well as from Amboy on west. Anyway this is more than enough from me this evening. Thanks to those who provided updates on this trains progress west...it was really something to see and very much enjoyed by those out taking pictures of it.

Back in early April my Dad and I met up with good friends 'Metal' Mike and George (gjc) out on the Needles Subdivision as we started our annual Spring Southern California trip. This year we started out by spending 2 full days and camping two nights out on the desert before heading west for Afton Canyon (where we rejoined the following Thursday), Tehachapi, and finishing 2014's trip off by heading down to see 3751 steam over to San Berdo. We have been doing these trips now (first year with the Needles Sub added on) for 4 years now and they always provide great memories. We were also joined by a few other friends throughout adding to the trip.

Starting Friday afternoon the Needles Subdivision didn't disappoint as we photographed 70 trains between Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon, not counting what ran by at night. Here are some highlights from Saturday and Sunday...

# 4260: Saturday morning after camping the night and catching a few early morning eastbounds/westbounds west of Ludlow we set off for our first stop, Klondike. It certainly wasn't a long wait before our first train came along. Just west of Siberia the double tracked Needles Sub splits with main 1 swinging out into the desert to seek a gentler grade up to the summit of Ash Hill. Working through the large S curve on main 1 BNSF ES44C4 7124 works the westbound Q CHILAC6-02K up the western slope of Ash Hill at Klondike.

# 4261: After a slight break in traffic we started pushing east from Klondike, catching a few along the way. We again paused at Danby where the action again picked up as we explored some of the old mining settlement. As clouds begin to push in from the west BNSF 7502 races across the desert with the S ALTSCO, one of the mines old silos still stands in the foreground.
 

# 4262: About 150 yards east from the old mining site is Danby Auto Sales...




 

# 4263: Saturday morning had dawned cool and clear...albeit windy...but by the middle of the day clouds were pushing in from the west, lightly at first but as we were getting ready to leave Danby there were only a few patches of blue. Leaving Danby it even started to lightly rain on us. Settling again on the eastern slope of Goffs hill near Homer we found a break in the clouds for a few trains. With the smell of a fresh spring rain hanging in the desert air BNSF 6949 out races the clouds as it heads down Goffs Hill.

# 4264: After spending some time at Ibis we were ready to head back into Klinefelter Canyon to camp out our second night. Along the way we spotted yet another westbound BNSF stack train contending with the stiff and continuous up hill grade out of Needles. So we paused just west of Klinefelter (station) to capture BNSF 4046 west.

# 4266: We spent the next hour or so hiking around the hills in Klinefelter Canyon. Klinefelter Canyon, located between Klinefelter and Java, is the passage where the Needles Subdivision slips between the Dead Mountains to the north and the Sacramento Mountains to the south. Around 2200 we paused up on a hill top as we were waiting for just one more train. As we stood there swapping stories I took this 20 minute exposure of the Dead Mountains with the earth's rotation giving movement to the stars above.

# 4268: Sunday morning we were blessed with clear sky's all day...although the wind did come back. We started out early heading down towards Java where we set up for a few eastbounds. Sunday a work crew was granted time on one of the mains between Goffs and Needles, thus the Needles Sub would be a single track railroad at its eastern end for most of the day. There were still plenty of trains, only now they were being run in fleets. There was a large block of westbounds ready to go out of Needles but first three eastbounds were routed down Goffs Hill...the first of which came along in the form of BNSF 6992 east.

# 4269: Later in the afternoon there was still no shortage of westbounds, BNSF 7812 works a westbound 'pig' train up the continuous westbound grade just east of Ibis with the Dead Mountains in the background.




 

# 4270: As the day was running short we decided to follow a steel heavy H TULBAR manifest behind BNSF 4981-BNSF 794-CSXT 7698 up Goffs Hill. The heavy train was having a tough time on the grade, slowly but surely the heavy train roared passed us as we set up for another shot west of Bannock.

# 4271: As the sole rear DPU on the H TULBAR earns its keep off in the distance a eastbound vehicle train sails down Goffs Hill as it heads for an awaiting crew change in Needles, some 20 miles away.
 

Over the past few years it has been a well kept tradition for my friends George (gjc), 'Metal' Mike, and I to meet up in the Spring for a few days of railfanning here in Southern California. For the past 4 years our Spring trip has mainly focused on the rolling green Tehachapi hills along Union Pacific's Mojave Subdivision however with major track work and absolute work windows being in effect on the days of our pre-planned trip we had to improvise. After a very successful weekend outing (April 4-6) out on the Needles Subdivision (syscom3 is beginning to share his great images from that great weekend) we decided to meet back up on Thursday April 10th in Afton Canyon rather than Mojave.

Stretching for roughly 7 miles between the stations of Basin and Dunn on Union Pacific's Cima Subdivision, Afton Canyon has become a bit of a irresistible force for us over the last month or two. The rock walls and formations along with their varying colors are absolutely stunning and it seemed that they were calling all of us back so it seemed a good place to kick off part two of our Spring trip. From 0730-1630 we were treated to 9 trains in the Canyon, below is a look back on that day.

George has a off-roading friend who shared a video with us from up on top of some seemingly un-hike-able hills. He used a Bureau of Land Management trail to get up on the southern slopes of Afton Canyon and after learning this I began looking at Google earth. Finding the trail and an old BLM map of various trails in the area we had our game plan for the day set. Trail AC9606 swings you way out, 8.5 miles, into no mans land but eventually swings you back up on the southern slopes of Afton Canyon. After parking our vehicles we then hiked up onto the Canyon walls themselves and followed them towards the east end of the Canyon... RS

# 4272: Upon arriving 'on top of Afton' just after 0900 we almost forgot we were there to photograph trains. As we stood admiring the wonderful view that lay before us the sound of a westbound echoing throughout the Canyon caught us flat footed but certainly reminded us why we were there. UP's westbound KG3LB led by UP 7356 would be the first train to cross our viewfinders Thursday morning and is seen rolling through the Canyon heading for a crew change in Yermo, some 31 miles away.

# 4273: A look at some of Afton's trademark rock walls and formations.





 

# 4274: After the 7356 rolled west we geared up for some hiking and set off towards the east. We set up on a hill top overlooking the Canyon/Mojave River wash and were soon treated to UP 7263-5132-7471 on the point of the eastbound ZLADV.

# 4275: Following the ZLADV out of Yermo was the eastbound West Colton, CA to North Platte, NE manifest led by UP AC4400 7196. Conforming to the hill side near MP 193 the 2nd bridge crossing of the Mojave River can be seen near the top center of the photo.

# 4276: Continuing east along the Canyon walls the distant sound of that oh so familiar long-long-short-long on the horn could be heard down at Basin. Working westbound through the eastern end of Afton Canyon UP 5691-7334 occupy the Cima Subdivision with the ISCLB on the drawbar.

# 4277: Not to far behind the 5691 was yet another westbound, this time in the form of the KG1CIX. Stretched out along the Canyon floor among Afton's rock formations, the KG1CIX is west of MP 194.
 

# 4278: A broadside view of UP 7345-4923-4635 and the KG1CIX under the northern slope of Afton Canyon.


 

# 4279: After the westbound KG1CIX passed we headed back to the truck for lunch, after which we again hiked up above the east end of the Canyon in time for a eastbound which had just highballed Dunn. With the deep roar of the eastbound reverberating throughout the middle of Afton Canyon UP 5738-6200-5595-8786 roll down towards MP 194 with the OLSIS empty ore train.

# 4280: Pushing a little further east we heard one more eastbound highball Dunn which soon arrived in the form of the ZCIG1 behind UP 8319-5060.
 

# 4281: A telephoto view of the ZCIG1s DPUs, UP 8470 and 4561, rolling east and rounding an S curve before crossing the 3rd bridge over the Mojave River. After this eastbound we got one more westbound, a shorty cement train heading for Mojave which reminded us it was time to head west as well.

# 5024: Upon arriving in the Pass Sunday morning there was a parade of eastbound trains waiting for a few westbounds, including a late Amtrak 3, to come down the hill. One by one the westbounds cleared the work zone and then it was time for the eastbounds. After getting one hotshot BNSF eastbound Z up main 3 the eastbounds holding on main 1 were one by one flagged through the work zone. Starting out my morning down near Blue Cut the first train that would find itself in my viewfinder was UP's eastbound K-Line stacker (ITSAH3-14) led by UP 7278-CSXT 812-UP 8210. The eastbound stack train is leaving Blue Cut and rolling up towards old Cajon Station where it will pause to allow traffic ahead to clear the work zone at Summit.

# 5026: Since they were only allowing one train at a time through the work zone the DS had been fleeting eastbounds up the hill but now had a few westbounds that needed to get down the hill, including a hot shot and two that had crews running low on hours. After getting the K-Line stacks and a eastbound UP helper set up the hill it was time to open the gates for the westbounds. First out was a westbound stack bound for the Ports led by BNSF ES44C4s 7122 and 8200. This westbound was crossed over to main 1 at Lugo as they were not qualified to go down main 3 due to the steep grades. As maintenance and track forces are hard at work replacing rail on main 2 BNSF 7122 west carefully drifts by preparing for the long descent down into San Bernardino.

Several weeks ago a friend of mine approached me about doing a trip out to Trona, CA to photograph the Trona Railway. He had never been out to the remote Southern California short line and having only made a handful of trips myself I was certainly up for another trip to the Searles Valley as soon as we could coordinate a date. Since we both had President's Day off we made our way out to Trona on 2/16/2015 pausing briefly Monday morning in Boron to photograph BNSF's Boron Local as it was preparing to shove out to the Borax plant northwest of town, but those photos are for another day. Below are a few photos from our day along the 'Trona Road'. This is about as desolate an area to run a railroad as you can get and a stark contrast to other urban Southern California hotspots. The beauty of the desert mixed in with classic EMD machines make for a very interesting day trackside. For anyone who has never been, it is worth a trip.

Situated between the Argus and Slate ranges is Searles (dry) Lake on the western side of which the Trona Railway serves the Searles Minerals Company's processing plants which mine the various and numerous elements found under the Lake's crust. It is through this barren desert land that the Trona Railway drags tonnage out of the Searles Valley and up to a interchange with the Union Pacific (originally Southern Pacific) in Searles, CA. At Searles the products from the Trona mines are further taken to customers both domestic and export in an operation that has been ongoing since 1914 when the Railway was completed.

# 5040: Having plenty of time to ponder over the history of the Trona Railway while we waited it was just after 1500 that a distant headlight could be seen peaking into view at Oxy. It is just passed the small storage yard at Oxy where the Trona Railway encounters a stiff uphill grade that will remain for the next 26 some miles on up to Searles. As the distant headlight approached Pinnacles the classic pulse of EMD 645s began to beat the previously silent air as the westbound potash train prepares to leave the Searles Valley.
# 5041: Continuing the pull upgrade the westbound train with 17 potash loads is all stretched out behind Trona Railway's 7 road locomotives. These include (in order): TRC SD40-2 2009, TRC SD40-2 2007, TRC SD40T-2 2005, TRC SD40R 2002, TRC SD40T-2 2006, TRC SD40T-2 2004, and TRC SD40-2 2008. Rising above the Valley in the background are the Trona Pinnacles rock formations, a California Natural Landmark.

# 5042: After leaving Trona we made our way up to Garden City...where there is no garden nor a city :-) Garden City was once a station site on the Trona Railway just east of the Searles connection with the Jawbone branch (Lone Pine Branch). Fighting up the final approach to Searles the westbound train passes the former Garden City station site and water tank that once fed Trona's steam locomotives. The station is long gone however some of the foundations remain as does the old siding, now used to store hoppers.

Upon arriving at Searles the Trona Railway dropped the cut of potash loads in the small interchange yard. Afterwards they ran around to the east end of the yard and split up the power in order to double a loaded coal drag back to Trona. Four of Trona's motors would tie onto the 'first section' of the CSKTR (Skyline, UT to Trona, CA Coal) while the remaining three motors were spotted behind the Potash train they had just brought up from Trona. After the crew had taken the 'first section' down to Trona we believe they were bused back up to Searles to pick up the 'second section'.

# 5043: With apologies to Kit (CimaScrambler) TRC motors 2008-2004-2006-2002 take in the last rays of the afternoon sun as they pump up the air on the coal loads they will be taking down to Trona. One track over is the 'second section' of the coal loads and one track over still are motors 2005-2007-2009 which await a later departure with the 'second section'. I guess we were thinking the same thing just about here Kit :-)

# 5044: Just as the sun slipped below the distant skyline the desert was still aglow as it was time for the TRC 2008 east to highball Searles. As the train prepares to roll across Searles Station Cut-off Rd the desert will soon be filled with the whine of dynamic brakes as the train makes the decent back into the Searles Valley. To the left of the 'yard ladder' is a remaining portion of the old SP Lone Pine Branch that once ran out to its namesake city. Today only a few miles remain of the branch east of Searles and it is used to park trains awaiting pick up by Union Pacific.


(left) RS 2/16/15 TRC 2008 Searles - 5044

Last week I took Thursday (3/12) and Friday (3/13) off work with the original intention of driving up to Northern California on Thursday in advance of Winterail. However when I caught word from a friend that NS 1074, Norfolk Southern's Lackawanna heritage SD70ACe, would be the rear DPU on Thursday's ZLCAI I changed my plans around a bit. Now the road to Winterail would take me east via the former SP Sunset route before I made my way north :-)
With no real plan of what to do with the day before and after catching the NS 1074 I left it up to the trains to tell me where to go. It was a beautiful day in Southern California to be trackside, here are a few results from the day's activities.

# 5045: No sooner did I arrive in Cajon Pass Thursday morning I was greeted by a late running Southwest Chief which I ended up following down Cajon and into San Bernardino. Taking advantage of #3's San Berdoo station stop I made my way down to Highgrove where BNSF's (former Santa Fe) San Jacinto branch diverges off the San Bernardino Subdivision. After a few minutes of waiting #3 flew through town behind motors 44 and 81 en route to Los Angeles with intermediate stops in Riverside and Fullerton yet to make.
# 5046: After catching Amtrak in Highgrove reports that the ZLCAI was out of LA and heading east towards West Colton had me moving towards Beaumont Hill as well. Upon arriving at Ordway I got some elevation above Union Pacific's Yuma Sub to wait on the ZLCAI. Eastbounds were on parade Thursday morning which provided me with a few 'warm up' trains before it was the ZLCAI's turn to work up Beaumont Hill. Contending with gravity and the serpentine curves that are a trademark of Beaumont Hill's western slope the eastbound ZLCAI leaves Ordway behind UP C45ACCTE 7939-NS SD75M 2802 (ex-ATSF 218)-NS SD60E 6971.

# 5047: East of Ordway a curve gang was hard at work on main 2 which required that passing trains slow to a restricted speed, this provided me with ample time to get back to the car and get out ahead of the eastbound Z. I had to stop and take advantage of the Centennial bridge west of Beaumont, CA for a few roster shots...here is one of NS 1074 which was the ZLCAI-12's lone DPU.
# 5048: I hadn't really thought of following the ZLCAI east of Beaumont but after talking with a few friends I decided what the heck and continued to push east towards Indio and the Salton Sea. It has been several years since I have been trackside east of Palm Springs so I was interested to see what the area east of Indio looked like these days now that UP is working to double track this portion of the Yuma Subdivision. Currently the western end of double track along the Salton Sea can be found at the former SP station of Ferrum, which was once the interchange point with Kaiser Steel's Eagle Mountain Mine branch. What would have once been the west end of Ferrum is now CP Salton, which is where UP 3978 west found itself, holding for a eastbound stack train led by UP 7526.

# 5049: UP 3978, ex-SP SD70M 9804, was the lead motor on a westbound 'Tropicana' Z train, 3978 was also sporting a short lived version of the UP paint scheme which features a lower lightning stripe and grey paint below the cab windows. I ended up following this train back west, trying to catch it passing as many of the few remaining searchlight signals as I could. A big fan of the searchlights I was somewhat surprised to find the handful of searchlights between Thermal and Mortmar, I figured by this time they would all be replaced. Rattling over the east switch at Mecca UP 3978 will briefly pause once more at the west end of Mecca for a meet before getting a clear path to Thermal where double track resumes for the run west to West Colton.
# 5050: Pushing west I came upon a slow moving westbound auto-rack train ahead of the UP 3978 which was having a tough time contending with the eastern slope of Beaumont Hill. Between Cabazon and Garnet I did some wandering in the desert and found a little hill to hike up on. It wasn't quite what I was looking for but I guess it is a different take on the situation. With a pair of EMDs, led by 8755, slugging it out on the point the westbound racks have just passed under the CA-111 overpass west of Garnet with one of many windturbine farms in the area visible in the background.

Contrary to my TO screen name Southern California's Tehachapi Pass is my favorite place to spend a day trackside however Tehachapi92 doesn't roll off the tongue as easy ;-)
Anyhow, last weekend with no pressing plans on Sunday I made the short drive up to the Tehachapi Pass and spent some time around Caliente, CA on Union Pacific's Mojave Subdivision. Going into the morning clouds were lingering over the mountains which provided me with overcast conditions to work with early on but as the day pressed on the clouds thinned out considerably which allowed for some nice sunlight around mid-day. Trains were in no short supply Sunday as well. A work window was open on main 1 between Cameron and Warren which meant the railroad was down to single track between Summit and Mojave. While this meant trains would be 'fleeted' in groups they were fleeting the right direction for me Sunday morning with UP and BNSF dispatching southbound after southbound out of Bakersfield :-)

# 5055: Starting the morning hike right around 0700 in the cool of the morning just before sunrise I was alerted to a northbound covering the crossings up at Cliff so I set up to take a few photos of the train rolling into Caliente. Easing down the top leg of the Caliente horseshoe BNSF-NS-BNSF-CSXT GE's hold back their stack train as a Union Pacific drag waits on the opposite leg of the horseshoe in 'downtown' Caliente. This BNSF northbound (westbound back in SP days and westbound once it rejoins home rails in Bakersfield) was one of only two northbound movements I would see during the morning hours.
# 5056: Following the UP manifest seen in photo one up the mountain was a parade of southbound trains which kept me busy for the rest of the morning. Right behind the UP manifest was a BNSF train sporting warbonnet clad C44-9W 715 on the point. 715 along with 3 younger GEs, including one C4 that appeared to be right off the show room floor, are rounding the Caliente horseshoe curve as they prepare for the near 600' climb that in just over 6 miles will take them to Cliff in one of the most amazing shows a fan of mountain railroading will witness out west.

# 5057: The 2nd northbound move I caught later in the morning was a UP light power move which couldn't have been much lighter. Lone C44AC 6185 (ex-SP 137) rolls down into Caliente as a BNSF manifest holds in 'downtown'. Earlier in the morning as I was driving up to Caliente I spotted a UP manifest at Cable which had 3 motors on the point and another 3 on the rear. If I saw things correctly I believe 6185 was one of the 3 motors on the rear. It may have been called out of Bakersfield as a manned helper to assist the UP manifest up the mountain.



(left) RS 3/22/15 UP 6185 WB Helper and BNSF EB at siding - 5057

Last Sunday (March 29th) was predicted to be a beautiful day here in Southern California so with this in mind I made the short drive up to Tehachapi for the day. Getting up to Keene about 0630 I began a hike down the Tehachapi Creek with the intention of getting some photos of Union Pacific's Mojave Subdivision suspended high above the creek along a somewhat remote stretch of the famous mountain pass. With only a light breeze it was indeed a wonderful day to be on Tehachapi and moreover the trains were running. As I was following the creek downstream talk on the scanner of a broken rail between Rowen and Cliff caught my attention. As I got some elevation on a nearby hill side north of the Tehachapi Creek I caught a glimpse of a UP boom truck hi-railing towards the break. By 0800 the rail was repaired and the mountain was open for business.
Union Pacific's hotshot ZLCBR was held up by the break at Woodford and was first out of the gate after the break was repaired. Following the ZLCBR down the mountain was a fleet of 4 more northbounds. There were a few more northbounds but they were held as it was now time to get southbounds up the mountain, starting with a trio of back to back Union Pacific trains. Attached are three photos of the first southbound out of the gate Sunday morning.

# 5060: Aiding the lumber heavy QRVWCB in its fight with gravity UP 8094-5425-7937 echo the roar emitted by their head end counterparts, also just out of Tunnel 7.

RS 3/29/15 Same UP EB passing Tunnel 7 - 5060

They say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' and while in some cases beauty might be universal, in others....not so much. Tehachapi fits that latter category. To some Tehachapi might seem like a overly photographed land where 'dead' brown hills and spotty tree cover is the backdrop to a sea of increasingly uninteresting modern motive power. But to this fan there isn't another railroad route that commands a irresistible lure quite like 'Snake Mountain'. Nestled at the southern most extension of the Sierra Nevada range the Tehachapi mountains proved a seemingly impassable challenge when Southern Pacific started up the mountain range in 1874. Through a series of marvelous track alignments Southern Pacific carved a railroad through the mountains, taking their railroad from the San Joaquin Valley and on towards Los Angeles. Today's railroad is much the same as it was in the early days. Of course over the years motive power changed from steam to internal combustion, signal systems replaced train order operations, and of course the two tenants that were once the rule on the mountain have given way to the modern entities that we see today. But one thing that remains unbroken is the amazement that Tehachapi continues to inspire in those who stand track side to watch today's modern railroads wage the timeless battle with gravity to lift trains up and over the mountain.

Below are trio of images taken on Saturday April 11th, 2015 during an annual Spring get together between George (gjc), Curt, 'Metal' Mike, and myself. This was the last full day of our 2015 trip when trains were in no short supply throughout the day, keeping our focus firmly fixed on the mountain.

# 5077: Amidst the golden hills and seasonally green trees BNSF's hotshot Z WSPNBY is carefully piloted down the western slope of the Tehachapi grade at Walong, more commonly known as the Tehachapi Loop. Today's train has drawn ES44C4 6694, C44-9W 4752, SD70MAC 9753, and C44-9W 4601. While the train's head end is preparing to begin the swing back under itself the rear end is still emerging from Tunnel 10 on the upper level of the Loop.

# 5078: Impersonating a snake the hotshot Z is coiled up over itself as it continues the decent down the mountain. The elevation gained/lost between Woodford and Marcel is yet another example of the amazing engineering that went into taking the railroad over the Tehachapi's. In this view 5 levels of railroad can be seen in the 4 miles between the middle of Woodford and the bottom end of Marcel.

# 5079: Slithering up the siding at Rowen luck brings one more eastbound (southbound) stack train to our viewfinders before the sun prepares to call it a day. The day maybe cooling into evening but the rail action is just heating up.

This afternoon I had some time to kill after getting off work so I made my way up to Rosamond with the hope of catching a train or two on Union Pacific's Mojave Subdivision. As luck would have it one of Union Pacific's lumber laden Roseville to West Colton manifest drags was descending the eastern slope of the Tehachapi's as I arrived into Rosamond. Getting some elevation in the hills north of town I waited it out in the wind and soon enough armor yellow and grey appeared on the horizon heading my direction.

# 5061: For the most part tangent track is the definition of Union Pacific's Mojave Subdivision between Phelan and Mojave, CA however some curvature is utilized to tackle the 1.3% (max.) grade that faces trains leaving the desert floor at Rosamond. Oban is the railroad's lowest point in the Antelope Valley and from that point northbounds (westbounds in SP days) are working all the way to Tehachapi Summit, with the major grade starting in Mojave. Still Ansel Hill foreshadows things to come for trains en route to do battle with Tehachapi. Situated at 'the top' of Ansel Hill is Ansel siding, weighting in at 8340' between CPSP389 and CPSP391. Slipping down grade out of Mojave and towards the floor of the Antelope Valley the QRVWC is all stretched out rounding the curve at the south end of Ansel siding.

This morning I had an appointment first thing in Hesperia, CA. Not knowing what all I would be having to do and how long it would take I took the entire day off work. To my surprise I was free about 0900 with the rest of the day all to myself.... if only I had brought my camera.... oh, wait, I did :-)
After my appointment I drove over to BNSF's Cajon Subdivision and spent the morning picking around the former Santa Fe 1st District between Helendale and Oro Grande. One of the mains was out of service between Victorville and Oro Grande due to maintenance of way, this created a single track 'bottleneck' on the busy Cajon Sub but trains were still in no short supply. By 1100 the sun was starting to climb high in the sky so I began to contemplate my next move. On a last minute kick I decided to make a kamikaze run out to Trona and try my luck with the Trona Road. All in all it was a great day track side.

# 5064: After spending an hour around Helendale I moved back up to Oro Grande where I was treated to a pair of brand new BNSF ES44C4s. 'Left hand running' immaculate C4s 8348 and 8349 (teamed up with older GEs 7350 and 6941) swing their westbound old school 'piggy back' train through Oro Grande as they continue their westbound journey. There were a few containers loaded on spine cars but this was for the most part a trailer train.




# 5066: Peace will soon return to the desert after the roar from the seven hard working EMDs has become just a happy memory at Pinnacles. However for the crew there is still another 20 hard miles ahead before the Union Pacific interchange at Searles, CA is at hand.

# 5065: Upon arriving in Trona just after 1300 the westbound job to Searles was getting ready to hit the desert so I made my way out towards Pinnacles. I must admit that since my first trip to Trona in October 2014 I have become captivated by the lonely desert railway. The Trona Railway is a wonderful throw back to an older era of railroading and while I did get to witness this era for a short time in my early 'railfan years' I was really to young to truly appreciate what I was seeing. Standing at Pinnacles this afternoon the labored beat of 7 EMD 645 diesels shattered the surreal silence of the Searles Valley as they began to dig into the 1.85% grade. The smell of creosote in the old wood ties and the rhythm of steel wheels on old jointed rail completed the feeling, it was then I had to remind myself to take a few pictures! Leaving the Searles Valley floor Trona's 7 second generation SD40 products bark up the stiff grade approaching Pinnacles with a string of potash loads from the Searles Valley Minerals company tied to the draw bar. In the distance masked by the exhaust boiling out of the La Grande graduates the Trona skyline appears to be just a mirage in the vast wide open desert. Trona SD40T-2 2005, x-SP 8541 is on the point.

Yes, there were 626 good reasons to make a quick run up to Mojave, CA this morning :-)
It is once again that seasonal time of year just before the start of Summer when we are super slow at work, as a result I was given today off which worked out really well. A timely heads up this morning from a friend informed me that CSX AC6000 #626 was leading Union Pacific's southbound Fresno to West Colton, CA manifest over Tehachapi. The train was already on the mountain and approaching Sandcut at 0530 so I grabbed up the camera, jumped in the ole Chevy, and made my way up to Warren.

# 5067: A little after 0830 the MFRWC-21 emerged from Cache Creek canyon west of Warren and took center stage on the Mojave Subdivision, gently coasting down the eastern slope of the Tehachapi grade and conforming to the final mountain face before dropping into the Mojave Desert. Trailing CSXT 626 were a brace of UP motors which included; UP 9606 (x-SP 8142), UP 8748, UP 7456, and UP 7996.

# 5068: Rolling into Mojave the Fresno had a power set out to make before leaving town en route to West Colton. While the crew prepares to cut off their train (which is holding main 1) BNSF 6594 puts to good use the two main track CTC which was cut in last November and slips passed the Fresno on main 2. The eastbound (southbound) Q has a solid set of ES44C4s up front which included 6594-8121-7001. Remember when there were only 25 C4s (6600-6624)??? ;-)

Friday I met up with a few friends visiting from Maryland for a day on Tehachapi. The weather early on was overcast but we found plenty of sun as they day wore on. Turned into an excellent day on Tehachapi.
# 5072: Leaving Marcel a westbound BNSF manifest slips down the Tehachapi grade just prior to entering Tunnel 10 behind BNSF motors 8345-7234-7653-4371. This is the 3rd time in two weeks that I have photographed the BNSF 8345 on Tehachapi.
# 5073: The final train of the day was rocking a proper lead motor as we photographed it bursting out of Tunnel 5 at the west end of Cliff siding. This is the first time I have been to this location at Cliff since the searchlights came down in 2012! On another note someone at BNSF's power desk deserves a tall cold one on the house...there has been a rash of warbonnet leaders on Tehachapi as of late. As a matter of fact there have been 4 this month and those are just the ones I have photographed. CitiRail ES44AC 1409 is last out on this eastbound manifest.

After reading here on Trainorders that Fillmore & Western would be hosting their '2015 Railfest' this past weekend I decided it would be well worth the drive to check things out. It had been 10 years since I had last been around the Fillmore & Western so I was certainly overdue for a visit. I brought my Grandpa along with me since I figured he would enjoy getting the chance to ride the train around for a little while. The Fillmore & Western put on a great weekend for those in attendance. For those who have never been or for those who haven't been in awhile I recommend a trip....and be sure to say hello to 'StarshipConductor' while your there :-)

# 5074: Having just arrived from Fillmore with westbound train 100, our power (ALCo S6 #1059), is running around the train in preparation for the return trip on eastbound train 101. Slipping down the siding the venerable old ALCo is about to roll passed the operator's bay on the Santa Paula depot before hooking on to its train. In the background at left is Sunkist's Santa Paula Orange Association which serves as a reminder of the region's once huge involvement in the shipment of citrus by rail.
# 5075: After pausing in Fillmore train 101 continued on to Piru which was a new experience for me considering the last time I was in Fillmore the trackage east of Fillmore was out of service. Running around the train in downtown Piru FWRY 1059 is rolling towards its train which will become train 102 for the westbound trip back up to Fillmore.
# 5076: After riding the train to Santa Paula and Piru we decided to get a few photos on the ground as FWRY 1059 made its final run to Santa Paula for the day. Just east of Santa Paula the S6 rumbles by a water spout and semaphore signal just prior to rolling across Highway 126. Looking at the timetable I believe this may have been near the old SP station of Kevet.

# 5080: Here is UP 2379 rocking its new paint scheme early this morning in the Mojave yard. Sure caught my attention seeing an old SD60M wearing the battle flag!
# 5081: Rolling down grade out of Woodford and around the Keene horseshoe curve the westbound ZLCLT has drawn one of Union Pacific's two specially painted Salt Lake City Olympic SD70Ms as its lead motor. We are 13 years removed from the Winter Games in Salt Lake but both UP 2001 and 2002 continue to represent the events that took place, still wearing one of UP's most striking special schemes and wearing it well I might add! The Cesar Chavez visitor center is in the background at left.
# 5082: Last November I made a series of hikes along the mountain ridge that is straddled on its northern slope by Cache Creek and the Mojave Subdivision between Warren and Cameron. Today I returned to the ridge in the Cache Creek narrows to seek out a few locations that were not shoot-able in November due to the low Winter sun angles. Both UP and BNSF sent me two eastbounds each allowing me to get the angles I was looking for. Behind a trio of Union Pacific GEVOs, led by C45AH 8073, a eastbound Roseville to West Colton manifest slips down grade through the serpentine curves along the northern bank of Cache Creek.

You don't have to go far on Tehachapi's western slope to be amazed at the mountain railroad that Southern Pacific forces carved into being between 1874-1876. Whether it be the serpentine curves or the frequent locations where the railroad clings to a narrow shelf situated high up on a hill side, the railroad today is every bit the achievement that it was then. Today we are fortunate that most of Tehachapi's western slope is not to far away from paved roads however one stretch of the mountain between Rowen and Bealville does lay hidden from the eye of the casual traveler on near by California Highway 58. Leaving Bealville the railroad finds itself precariously perched high above the Tehachapi Creek valley at the appropriately named station of Cliff. From Cliff the railroad's situation remains the same until it reaches the west end of Rowen where the right of way finally regains some 'breathing room' on either side.
This past Sunday with a clear weather forecast I could not pass up a chance to make the journey up to Tehachapi for a few hours. Lacing up the hiking boots I spent the morning fixing my lens on the Mojave Subdivision as it leaves Cliff and makes it way up to the west end of Rowen. After catching a few trains I promptly made my way back home to take my mom out for a Mother's Day lunch. The attached series focuses on the final train that I would fix my lens on Sunday morning. The southbound BNSF intermodal was made up of mech. reefers, stacks, and pigs. I have always liked this configuration with BNSF's modern 'ice boxes' mixed in on intermodal trains. Over the years this has become my favorite BNSF train to watch conquer the Tehachapi's. What's the H2.5 got to do with anything?!? I will get to that in part II :-)

# 5083: Leaving Cliff the Mojave Subdivision finds itself firmly clinging to a narrow shelf carved into the mountain side as it heads for Rowen. Two tunnels were blasted into being as the railroad continued east and today tunnels 7 & 8 bookend the most famous of Tehachapi's long 'drop offs'. Leaving Tunnel 8 trains make a series of snaking 'S' curves before Rowen is at hand. Emerging from a deep rock cut and yet still at times suspended up high above Tehachapi Creek BNSF 4495-7245-7981-4467 work towards Rowen. The east portal of Tunnel 8 can be seen at upper right.

# 5084: Zooming out offers a overall view of this remote stretch of railroad as it leaves Cliff. With the reefers, containers, and pigs highlighting the contour of the Mojave Subdivision the head end prepares to diverge onto the siding at Rowen to make a meet with a northbound BNSF Z train. The rear end of the southbound is still high above the Tehachapi Creek valley between tunnels 7 & 8, the latter of the two is near the center of the image.
 

# 5087: Now what's all this H2.5 talk?? Well take a peak at the train's final motor...BNSF C44-9W 4467. BNSF's one off H2.5 paint scheme :-)


(left) RS 5/10/15 BNSF 4467 (rear end DPU) - 5087

Yesterday afternoon found Union Pacific's Missouri-Kansas-Texas heritage SD70ACe venturing through Espee country en route to Lathrop, CA. Having the afternoon free I ventured out into the wind and ended up following the train up and over the Tehachapi mountains. LATC's power desk has really been spoiling us on Tehachapi the last few weeks with special leaders on the 'Lathrop Z'. Here are a few images from yesterday's outing with Ms. Katy...
# 5088: With the wide open Mojave Desert as its backdrop the ZLCLT-12 is just south of Fleta as it works towards Mojave.
# 5089: Having topped Tehachapi Summit the 'Lathrop Z' slithers down grade approaching the end of double track at Cable. The primary colors of the head end consist, which includes: UP 1988-CSXT 5489-UP 6946, adds to the already colorful Z train's make up.
# 5090: With Bakersfield nearly within their sight the ZLCLT swings through the curves leaving Ilmon. With the twisting Tehachapi confines at their back the scene is bathed in low hanging sunlight that will soon be erased by the rolling hills as another day on the mountain nears its end.

All the great postings lately showing Union Pacific business specials or the well documented Cheyenne Frontier Days special drawn by the elegant E9s got me thinking this morning so I decided to dig through the archives and pull out a few photos of Union Pacific 'specials' that I have photographed so far in 2015. The last few years leading up to 2015 had not seen very many of Union Pacific's fine varnish on the rails in my neck of the woods, with the exception of the Stanford-Sunset duo, but UP made up for this in 2015 with several very impressive business trains starting in March 2015...