RoadTrip2005

Road Trip 2005!

This year's vacation was to get to the National Train Show in Cincinnati, as well as doing a fair amount of railfanning both on the way to and from the Train Show. Again we decided to drive account flying is still a hassle, and while gas is high, it still was good to see a part of the country I had never seen before.

All photos were shot on Kodachrome 64 film, and scanned with a Nikon 4000 dpi film scanner. Dust and spot removal and other minor touch up work was done with Photoshop.

All photos worth posting from the trip are now posted - enjoy eh :).

	We got the trip off to a good start with a great runby of the Apache Railway just headed south from Holbrook, AZ about 1 hour before sunset. July 1, 2005.
	Next day we were headed along the BNSF when we got this westbound at Panhandle, TX. July 2, 2005.
	That evening we got as far as Curtis Hill, OK and there were quite a few trains running, and this westbound shot turned out well with the low sun lighting up the nose of the engine. July 2, 2005.
	Here is another westbound taken from the same location as the photo above just moments from sunset. July 2, 2005.
	The next morning we spent another couple of hours at a different location a mile or so east of the other shots posted above. Here is a westbound grinding up the hill, and a Z train is about to scoop him. I think the trailing unit is an ex-Canadian Pacific unit, but I am not sure on that. July 3, 2005.
	Another hot westbound this time with Norfolk Southern power taken from the same place. July 3, 2005.
	Further on up the road we found this Hudson Bay Railway engine parked here....sure seemed like a strange place for it to be, being so far from the ice and cold of the Hudson Bay area! Waynoka, OK on July 3, 2005.
	Here's a BNSF "Earthworm" grain train at Danville, KS pulling ahead to clear an eastbound stack train. July 3, 2005.
	July 4th found us in Kansas City at Birmingham Junction.
	After watching fireworks for the 4th, the next day we headed east into Indiana, and got this Indiana Railroad train with a black leaser on the point...oh well. Sulivan, Indiana on July 5th.
	Just a little ways further we got this Indiana and Southern train leaving Switz City. July 5, 2005.
	The next day we spent some time at Marion, a well known railfanning location (and a nice HO layout as well). July 6, 2005.
	Another train at Marion, this time northbound. July 6, 2005.
	And yet another northbound train just a few minutes before sunset. July 6, 2005.
	Next day I got this photo of the Ohio Central's ex VIA FP7A unit at the Morgan Run Shops. July 7, 2005.
	After the National Train Show in Cincinnati, we headed into the coal fields of West Virginia. I was surprised to see some bridges with their "Virginian" lettering still in very good shape. Here is an ex ICG yard engine at Thurmond, West Virginia on the West Virginia Southern Railway. July 11, 2005.
	Next day I finally got my first shot ever of position light signals, and in the sun at that! Williamson, WV - July 12, 2005.
	Not too far behind the train above was this one, on the other track. Williamson, WV - July 12, 2005.
	And then we wandered on down into Arkansas, and here in Fort Smith I got this photo of an ex Santa Fe GP20 now working for the Fort Smith Railroad. July 14, 2005.
	Another ex Santa Fe GP20, this one in the new owner's colors. Ft. Smith, AR - July 14, 2005.
	And now I got my first photos of the Arkansas and Missouri, well known for their fleet of pristine Alco engines. Here is one of them at the Van Buren station on July 14, 2005.
	South of there at Winslow they were doing a phony "train robbery" (much like they do here in Arizona on the Grand Canyon Ry) and here is one of the "robbers" firing his pistol as he takes control of the train! July 14, 2005. I was told the owner of the A&M was on the one car of this train.
	Afterwards, the engine was run around the one car and made ready for the return trip to Springdale. July 14, 2005.
	Here is the Passenger Special just a few miles north of Winslow, near Brentwood. July 14, 2005.
	At the Springdale engine shop they were getting this consist ready for the night's run. They have recently acquired some ex CNR M420's (one is shown here second out), and also at least 3 of the Chicago Belt's old C424's. July 14, 2005.
	Next morning we got the passenger train southbound at West Fork. July 15, 2005.
	Same train going through Winslow. July 15, 2005.
	We then waited for the northbound train at this bridge near Rudy. July 15, 2005.
	On its northbound trip, they did some switching of cars at Winslow, and here the sun is just coming out after a brief rainstorm, and it sure was humid and sticky, at least to someone like me who lives in the very dry deserts of Arizona! July 15, 2005.
	Here in Clinton, Oklahoma I got a few shots of the Farmrail operation. July 16, 2005.
	They apparently at one time, or maybe still do, have some kind of passenger service. Clinton, Oklahoma - July 16, 2005.
	A group of Farmrail engines, most ex ICG, a couple are ex-Milwaukee Road. Clinton, Oklahoma - July 16, 2005.
	Later that afternoon, I got this westbound at Vaughn, New Mexico. July 16, 2005.
	The last shot of the trip was of The Very Large Array near Datil, New Mexico. Remember, they are always watching and listening................ Datil area of New Mexico - July 17, 2005.

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