The
Kansas City Southern's annual Holiday Express came to Jefferson, Texas
on Monday, November 30, 2009 and this site includes some photos of the
train in daylight and at night. I even took pictures inside the trains'
display cars.
Earlier in the day, around 2 p.m., I got a fantastic 3-KCS train meet in Lassater, TX at the Lassater Road crossing, including the KCS Holiday Express. While taking the pictures of the Christmas train, I had my other digital camera (the Panasonic FZ28) on a tripod and turned on the HD movie mode to capture the train's passing. There's a link to this movie on this page and here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZY_pjGuNVY Lassater is about 7 miles west of Jefferson.
The train meet went like this: The first train was on the siding and was a mixed freight with a few container cars at the end. It was heading east toward Jefferson at 1:19 p.m.. It was lead by KCS Belle 4124 and 4 other KCS and 2 NS units (I also included a movie of this train - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaVbLAPaxos). The second train was a westbound loaded KCS coal train, which had leased UP locomotives, at 1:45 p.m. This coal train stopped on the main line while the third train, the KCS Christmas train, passed eastbound on the siding at 2:03 p.m., following the mixed freight. It was bright sunshine by the time the Holiday Express showed up.
There was a KCS MOW crew at this crossing waiting for the trains to pass and these were some of the nicest railroad people I've ever chatted with. They came over to where I was set up and told me about the three-train meet about to happen. I had never been to this crossing before and it was fantastic luck that the KCS people were there and that the site was a good photo spot. (All photos and videos by Ken Ziegenbein)
Included today:
1) Friendly dog
2) KCS 1, 2, 4124-Belle, 4022, 2839, 2899, 1906
3) NS 2636, 6670
4) UP 7311, 6840
5) KCS Holiday Express and business train
6) Elves
LEFT-This very friendly dog also became a friend while I was standing there. Apparently it belonged to someone living in a house nearby. RIGHT-This is the Lassater Road crossing.
KCS 4124 heads the eastbound DASH (Dallas-Shreveport) train at 1:19 p.m. on the siding.
To view a movie of the locomotives of this train passing, click on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaVbLAPaxos
LEFT-This train had 7 locomotives. KCS 4022 and NS 2636 and NS 6670. RIGHT-KCS 2839, 2899 and 1906.
While the KCS mixed freight was on the siding moving east, the KCS loaded coal train arrived westbound on the main line, headed by UP 7311 at 1:45 p.m. (YIKES! Here I am in KCS territory and I get UP leased power! Might as well have stayed in Little Rock :-)
KCS 2 heads the Holiday Express train eastbound on the siding following the mixed freight. It's now 2:03 p.m November 30, 2009.
LEFT-Very sharp looking train. RIGHT-KCS 1.
To view a movie of this scene, which shows the whole train passing, click on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZY_pjGuNVY
The movie was shot in HD, 16x9 format, so when you open it, there's a 'HD' button on the bottom of the Youtube movie, which expands it to HD.
LEFT-Through the trees and red leaves. RIGHT-St. Louis.
LEFT-Dallas. You can read all the names of the cars in the video. RIGHT-Lake Charles.
LEFT-Almost everyone in the dome was waving. RIGHT-Lazaro Cardenas.
LEFT-Veracruz. RIGHT-Port Arthur. Note the DPU on the rear of this train!
LEFT-Engine 2009. Guess you could say he's the equivalent of Rudolf helping deliver good cheer this Christmas season. RIGHT-Neat shot of reindeer with a coal hopper as a backdrop. I got a shot of these flying over the Moon later in the night.
LEFT-The gingerbread car. RIGHT-Colorful train I must say.
LEFT-DPU of coal train, another UP engine No. 6840. Me and the dog returned to solitude and silence....Santa and his train have gone. RIGHT-This is taken in downtown Jefferson, Texas and is parked where the train will be on display in the evening. It's 2:45 p.m.
LEFT-Ready for visitors. The train was displayed between East Austin Street and Lafayette Street. RIGHT-The train was split with the business cars pulled across East Austin Street.
There's a small tourist train in Jefferson that runs year round and they too had a Christmas train.
RIGHT-Looking downtown from across the tracks.
LEFT-Reflection of engine 2009 in water from rain the day before. RIGHT-Crowds started gathering as early as 3:38 p.m. The display cars opened at 4.
Here's the parked KCS business train across a lake. The old abandoned KCS trestle is in the front.
The old trestle is to the right.
LEFT-You can see the locomotives of the train. RIGHT-KCS 2 parked at 4:13 p.m.
LEFT-KCS 2 in the shade. RIGHT-Back to the Christmas train and families were posing for pictures.
LEFT-Yes Virginia....there ARE elves!! RIGHT-Line to go through the cars.
LEFT-Seasons Greetings on the side of the caboose.
Inside the train now in the caboose with Santa.
RIGHT-KCS O-scale layout, one of several in the train.
LEFT-Trolley.
LEFT-Moon over the model houses. RIGHT-Santa's reindeer jumping over the Moon.
RIGHT-Twilight.
Totally black.
You may contact me using this CONTACT FORM - Please be sure to type your email address correctly in the form, otherwise I can't respond. You will also be asked to enter a sequence of letters and numbers to help me try to avoid spammers. If this site doesn't work properly or you want to email me directly, you can by manually typing - - ken (@) trainweather (.) com - - in your email address field (leaving out the ( ) and spaces). Thanks for understanding. If you want to view more of my train pictures, click on: http://www.trainweather.com/sunday.html
I also have a FACEBOOK page.
Earlier in the day, around 2 p.m., I got a fantastic 3-KCS train meet in Lassater, TX at the Lassater Road crossing, including the KCS Holiday Express. While taking the pictures of the Christmas train, I had my other digital camera (the Panasonic FZ28) on a tripod and turned on the HD movie mode to capture the train's passing. There's a link to this movie on this page and here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZY_pjGuNVY Lassater is about 7 miles west of Jefferson.
The train meet went like this: The first train was on the siding and was a mixed freight with a few container cars at the end. It was heading east toward Jefferson at 1:19 p.m.. It was lead by KCS Belle 4124 and 4 other KCS and 2 NS units (I also included a movie of this train - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaVbLAPaxos). The second train was a westbound loaded KCS coal train, which had leased UP locomotives, at 1:45 p.m. This coal train stopped on the main line while the third train, the KCS Christmas train, passed eastbound on the siding at 2:03 p.m., following the mixed freight. It was bright sunshine by the time the Holiday Express showed up.
There was a KCS MOW crew at this crossing waiting for the trains to pass and these were some of the nicest railroad people I've ever chatted with. They came over to where I was set up and told me about the three-train meet about to happen. I had never been to this crossing before and it was fantastic luck that the KCS people were there and that the site was a good photo spot. (All photos and videos by Ken Ziegenbein)
Included today:
1) Friendly dog
2) KCS 1, 2, 4124-Belle, 4022, 2839, 2899, 1906
3) NS 2636, 6670
4) UP 7311, 6840
5) KCS Holiday Express and business train
6) Elves
| CLICK ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE Or, to view all images in a larger format, click on: http://thundertrain.org/KCSHolidayExpress-113009-bb.html |
LEFT-This very friendly dog also became a friend while I was standing there. Apparently it belonged to someone living in a house nearby. RIGHT-This is the Lassater Road crossing.
KCS 4124 heads the eastbound DASH (Dallas-Shreveport) train at 1:19 p.m. on the siding.
To view a movie of the locomotives of this train passing, click on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaVbLAPaxos
LEFT-This train had 7 locomotives. KCS 4022 and NS 2636 and NS 6670. RIGHT-KCS 2839, 2899 and 1906.
While the KCS mixed freight was on the siding moving east, the KCS loaded coal train arrived westbound on the main line, headed by UP 7311 at 1:45 p.m. (YIKES! Here I am in KCS territory and I get UP leased power! Might as well have stayed in Little Rock :-)
KCS 2 heads the Holiday Express train eastbound on the siding following the mixed freight. It's now 2:03 p.m November 30, 2009.
LEFT-Very sharp looking train. RIGHT-KCS 1.
To view a movie of this scene, which shows the whole train passing, click on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZY_pjGuNVY
The movie was shot in HD, 16x9 format, so when you open it, there's a 'HD' button on the bottom of the Youtube movie, which expands it to HD.
LEFT-Through the trees and red leaves. RIGHT-St. Louis.
LEFT-Dallas. You can read all the names of the cars in the video. RIGHT-Lake Charles.
LEFT-Almost everyone in the dome was waving. RIGHT-Lazaro Cardenas.
LEFT-Veracruz. RIGHT-Port Arthur. Note the DPU on the rear of this train!
LEFT-Engine 2009. Guess you could say he's the equivalent of Rudolf helping deliver good cheer this Christmas season. RIGHT-Neat shot of reindeer with a coal hopper as a backdrop. I got a shot of these flying over the Moon later in the night.
LEFT-The gingerbread car. RIGHT-Colorful train I must say.
LEFT-DPU of coal train, another UP engine No. 6840. Me and the dog returned to solitude and silence....Santa and his train have gone. RIGHT-This is taken in downtown Jefferson, Texas and is parked where the train will be on display in the evening. It's 2:45 p.m.
LEFT-Ready for visitors. The train was displayed between East Austin Street and Lafayette Street. RIGHT-The train was split with the business cars pulled across East Austin Street.
There's a small tourist train in Jefferson that runs year round and they too had a Christmas train.
RIGHT-Looking downtown from across the tracks.
LEFT-Reflection of engine 2009 in water from rain the day before. RIGHT-Crowds started gathering as early as 3:38 p.m. The display cars opened at 4.
Here's the parked KCS business train across a lake. The old abandoned KCS trestle is in the front.
The old trestle is to the right.
LEFT-You can see the locomotives of the train. RIGHT-KCS 2 parked at 4:13 p.m.
LEFT-KCS 2 in the shade. RIGHT-Back to the Christmas train and families were posing for pictures.
LEFT-Yes Virginia....there ARE elves!! RIGHT-Line to go through the cars.
LEFT-Seasons Greetings on the side of the caboose.
Inside the train now in the caboose with Santa.
RIGHT-KCS O-scale layout, one of several in the train.
LEFT-Trolley.
LEFT-Moon over the model houses. RIGHT-Santa's reindeer jumping over the Moon.
RIGHT-Twilight.
Totally black.
You may contact me using this CONTACT FORM - Please be sure to type your email address correctly in the form, otherwise I can't respond. You will also be asked to enter a sequence of letters and numbers to help me try to avoid spammers. If this site doesn't work properly or you want to email me directly, you can by manually typing - - ken (@) trainweather (.) com - - in your email address field (leaving out the ( ) and spaces). Thanks for understanding. If you want to view more of my train pictures, click on: http://www.trainweather.com/sunday.html
I also have a FACEBOOK page.