A Return Of Ears And a Return To Rich Mountain
Greetings, and welcome to the February 2006 Sampler essay, which will be similar to the “January 2006 Sampler” essay that preceded it but with two additional elements.
The first additional element is that more than halfway through the month, I received my ICOM radio that was a replacement for the Radio Shack radio scanner that I lost in Berwick the day after Christmas, as described in the voluminous “December 2005 Sampler” essay. So, I had been without the ability to hear railroad radio traffic for all of that January.
The second additional element is that this month ended with my second winter trip to Rich Mountain, my first winter trip to Rich Mountain with a digital camera.
The month started with colorful scenes near home.
Saturday, The 4th
My first catch of a train for the month was Union Pacific Railroad train MNOHO-3 westbound, with UP 4580 leading, followed by a patched Chicago & Northwestern railroad locomotive.
I first shot it at Chacahoula, then I got it coming across Berwick Bay, and, finally, I bagged him in the Bayou Sale siding.
Notice the eastbound train on the mainline.
Later that day, Saint Jude and I went to Peppers and had Guinness, honey-baked chicken tenders, and jalapeño-and-cheese bread.
Sunday, The 5th
On this Sunday, I chased another MNOHO, this time, the NOHO-04. I first got him at Horseshoe Road in Schriever.
I photographed some of the cars as it passed me in Chacahoula.
You don’t see boxcars like that anymore!
Then, before I returned to Whoadieville, I caught BNSF Railway train M-NWOTPL1-05 westbound at Horseshoe Road.
Sunday, The 12th
This was the day that I got to know Tom Brown. He came to the North Main Project Road crossing with me.
First, though, I got this westbound BNSF Railway train at Old Schriever Highway.
Later, I got a great shot of UP train MNOEW-10, which Brown and I had watched at the west end of Schriever earlier, passing the Bayou Sale siding.
Sunday, The 19th
On the night of the 17th, my new Icom IC-V82 radio arrived in the mail. I first put it to use the next morning, I was amazed that I could hear stuff from farther away than I could with my Radio Shack scanner.
I never did figure out how to scan with the thing, though.
On the morning of the 19th, I chased UP’s KNOCI to Amelia, where I photographed it; then, I turned around and made my way to Whoadieville.
At Avondale, I shot this parked westbound BNSF Railway train at Avondale Garden Road.
A little while later, UP’s MNOHO-17 led by CEFX 3147 departed westbound on the Avondale Subdivision, and I photographed it at Willswood Road in Waggaman, apparently my first time doing that shot. It’s not a good shot, which is why I did it I would guess no more than five more times in the 20 years afterward.
Saturday, The 25th
Here I was on Rich Mountain! If memory serves me correctly (I don’t care to dig through old email messages to find out), I left New Orleans after work on Friday and got to maybe Ashdown, Arkansas for the night, starting this date (Saturday) there.
On my way northward, I shot a couple of trains at the US Highway 71 bridge over the Kansas City Southern Railway mainline at Gillham, Arkansas. The first was the C-WEKC, a northbound empty coal train.
This picture was critical in my development as a photographer, because it showed me that I could make good images under thickly cloudy skies. I had stopped at this location to take pictures because I was far from home and wanted to maximize the photography even when lighting conditions were not optimal by the standards that I then had.
A half hour later, I photographed the G-KCRV, a southbound loaded grain train headed to what is, for me, close to home, at Reserve, Louisiana, as it passed this same location, and I photographed it from the other side of the bridge.
Sunday, The 26th
I did get some good shots on this date. The one that I will share here is of KCS train C-KCTU, led by BNSF 9820 still in the Grinstein Green paint of the Burlington Northern Railroad, southbound at Acorn, Arkansas.
The highlight of the day was a train, probably the H-KCSH, of four standard-cab EMD locomotives, three SDs and one GP, climbing the mountain.
Monday, The 27th
Because it was Carnival Week, I didn’t have to take off of work to be here on a Monday, and that’s why I also didn’t take off on the Friday to come here then.
On this morning, I got a cool shot of a northbound KCS train led by KCS 6602 with four loaded centerbeam flatcars among the first six cars passing milepost 349 at Stapp, Oklahoma.
Later that day and much farther to the south, I made this shot of KCS train H-SHKC northbound at Arkansas Highway 234 at Alleene, Arkansas.
The H-SHKC was a cool train, the “haulage” train that existed for the sole purpose of making setouts and pickups for local traffic between Shreveport and Kansas City.
I arrived back home in Louisiana that night, though I don’t know if it was at home or at the apartment.
That’s all for the February 2006 pictures.
Merci.
Jbx
