SP Semaphores

Blades!

Here are some photos from the Carrizozo New Mexico area with *real* semaphores (as in lower quadrant) that used to be on the ex Espee line. These blades have now fallen, but at least I was able to get there once before they were gone.

For more info and photos of semaphores, visit www.semaphores.com

Would you like prints of most any of these slides? Go to Desert-Rails.com for details!

	Bright and early Saturday morning May 1, 1999 finds this power at Deming, NM. The three Santa Fe units on the left are still "pure" Santa Fe, i.e., no BNSF markings or renumberings at all.
	Later on that day, on the way north towards Carrizozo, we found this NS engine idling away in the house track at Three Rivers. It was still there 3 days later on our return trip. May 1, 1999.
	Here is a westbound coal train at the first set of semaphores just north of Carrizozo. May 1, 1999.
	Another westbound train at Carrizozo is this solid autorack train with CSX power on the point. May 1, 1999.
	Here is an eastbound train splitting the blades just north of the town of Carrizozo on May 1, 1999.
	The lonely railroad sentinel guarding the main line late Saturday afternoon May 1, 1999. This storm system is the one that caused the tornadoes a couple of days later in Oklahoma City. This is the photo used for the background on this page, with a little help from an image editor!
	A late afternoon westbound at the signal shown above. May 1, 1999.
	That evening we did some flashbulb photos of a train tied down at the Carrizozo yard. We used 6 number 25B bulbs, shot off one at a time with the cameras on a tripod and shutter set to bulb. Aperture with Kodachrome 64 film was f 5.6. May 1, 1999.
	Here is the train from the above photo the next morning with the new crew on board, but now waiting for a broken rail to be repaired north of town. May 2, 1999.
	The town of Carrizozo has this old CB&Q caboose in a little park along with a semaphore. May 2, 1999.
	This eastbound train had to stop and flag this red signal account another train just ahead being walked over that broken rail I mentioned earlier. May 2, 1999 just north of Carrizozo.
	And then we went further north (RR east) to Coyote, where there were multiple blades. Here a westbound train splits the blades on May 2, 1999.
	Another westbound is at the double pair of double blades at east Coyote, the only set of "double-doubles" left that I know of, anyways! May 2, 1999.
	Here is the run through autorack train, again with CSX power on the point at the "double-doubles" at Coyote on May 2, 1999.
	An eastbound train climbs the grade past the signals at Coyote late in the afternoon of May 2, 1999.
	Right behind him was another eastbound. There were a lot of trains running on this line, and there probably will be more as the UP upgrades this line. May 2, 1999.
	Foamers on the hill! Here are my 2 friends, Jerry and John Sharp, blasting away with digital and film cameras. Note the huge tripod Jerry is using for his small lightweight (but very high quality) digital camera! May 2, 1999.
	The last blade shot of the trip was here at Robsart late in the afternoon of May 2, 1999. It certainly was an enjoyable, if all too short, trip! It was the first time that I had ever been in this area, and about time too!
	The next day, Monday May 3, 1999 was a travel day back here to Phoenix, AZ and on the way back we got Amtrak's No. 2 at Deming, NM. The photo turned out better than I had expected account it was really windy and there was a lot of sand in the air!

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