The last full day of the trip. Before heading back towards San Francisco, we wanted to give the Donner Pass railway another try. The day before, we didn’t get to make a photo of a freight train, hopefully we would be able to make up for it. We had seen some possible photo locations close to were we had been waiting the day before, east … Continue reading Last chance
Through the dry landscapes of northern Nevada, another doublestacker is on its way to Ogden over the Overland route. Continue reading Containers over land
The Overland Route connects Chicago to Oakland, following the grade of the first transcontinenal railroad. It traverses Utah from Ogden over the Great Salt Lake to Tecoma, NV. Still wary for snakes, we didn’t have a choice than to walk between the bushes and rocks to get the next shots we wanted. No reptiles this time, but we encountered this westbound train. Continue reading More snakes?
The flatness of the Great Salt Lake was as spectacular as the roughness of the landscape we visited only hours before. Between Lakeside and Little Mountain, the railroad runs through the Great Salt Lake. We needed patience to see a train here: we didn’t get a train coming from Salt Lake City, so the picture shows 2 engines that help push a container train over … Continue reading Water everywhere
We met the next train in Klondike, in front of a backdrop formed by the Bullion Mountains. The 3 engines are working hard pulling their load through the curves and up the hill. As is mostly the case, you need luck with train traffic. Despite the great weather and the beautiful locations, we didn’t get to see any more trains. When the sun was gone, … Continue reading Bullion Mountains
In Ludlow, we started following the National Old Trails Road, aka Route 66. Following this legendary road leads the slow traveller past long forgotten restaurants, motels and gas stations. It follows BNSF’s transcontinental railroad, or at least the parts of it that we explored in California and Arizona. This makes route 66 a must-see for every railfan. Along the road you discover great places, and … Continue reading National Old Trails Road
A westbound doublestacker runs through Ludlow, now populated by creosote bush instead of people. The remains of the town can be seen in the center of the image. The interstate highway, main reason of the town’s disappearing, can be seen on the left. Of course, trains don’t need to make intermediate water stops anymore. Technological advance made this town obsolete. Continue reading In the wide open desert
The quest for some freight trains brought me a bit further south, in Alt-Hoeselt. I parked the car close to the, by insiders well-known, curve and started walking. I didn’t quite find what I was looking for, so this Crossrail train became a “panic” shot. On the photo you can judge the gradient, and thus understand why the loco is spitting out a lot of … Continue reading Enjoying an evening walk
Railscapes 