Sunday, February 15, 2009 at the station in Little Rock, Arkansas. It was another busy day with 15 trains between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Due to an empty coal train waiting on a crew, both main tracks were blocked for over an hour and a half. As a result,  5 trains (including a BNSF train) had to use the Amtrak siding to get around the coal train. Made for some interesting closeup shots. Then, as the coal train finally got a crew and headed north on the Van Buren Sub, the very next train on that line broke an air hose in front of Union Station and went into emergency (we saw the air hose break right in front of us - one of our group called the UP 800 number and reported the exact milepost and car ID that had the break, which might have saved the crew a little time. Shortly after the call by Bruce, a UP policeman showed up and a front-end crew member arrived at the site with stuff to fix the break). There are photos of this below.

Also included today:
1) UP 3841, 5651, 7131, 1540, 4697, 3824, 4845, 1423, 7830, 7794, 4858, 2285, 4245, 0786, 7923
2) BNSF 4362, 7600
3) Very old Santa Fe boxcar
4) Broken airhose puts train in emergency

CLICK ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE Or, to view all images in a larger format, click on: http://thundertrain.org/trains-021509-bb.html

LEFT-UP 3841, 9:39 a.m. RIGHT-UP 5651, 9:57 a.m.


LEFT-UP 7131 on an empty coal train. This is the train that had to wait on a crew a little later. RIGHT-Another train passes the coal train on Main One. The coal train is on Main Two.


LEFT-Distributed Power sticker on 7131. RIGHT-UP 1540 leads a train that will switch to the Amtrak siding at 10:15 a.m.  The train is southbound.




RIGHT-The empty coal train, on Main Two, is starting to move north, but will stop again soon. That's why the other train is on the Amtrak siding.


The second train to use the Amtrak siding, 10:46 a.m. This is moving northbound. UP 4697 leads the mixed train.


LEFT-You can see the coal train, which is mainly on Main One, but the DPU is across the turnout on Main Two. RIGHT-Old Santa Fe boxcar.


LEFT-DPU UP 3824 is sitting on the switch between Main Two and Main One. RIGHT-The third train to use the Amtrak siding was BNSF 4362 heading north.


RIGHT-BNSF 7600.


RIGHT-Waiting for a green signal.


BNSF 4362 starts to move.


The 4th train on the Amtrak siding is headed by UP 4845 at 11:30 a.m.


Sitting down, looking up. UP 1423.


RIGHT-The fifth train on the Amtrak siding was headed by UP 7830 at 11:44 a.m. I thought I'd do some 'artistic' angle photography, just to be different.


LEFT-This is what we would see if there was an earthquake.


LEFT-Another person was making shadow characters on the side of the trailer. RIGHT-Super Heavy decal on one container.


LEFT-An old Southern Pacific Sunset logo. RIGHT-DPU-SP 7794, 11:52 a.m.


RIGHT-UP 4858, 11:58 a.m.


LEFT-The airhose broke between these two damaged autoracks, making the train go into emergency at 12:10 p.m. This is the train headed by UP 4858. RIGHT-The separated airhoses.


12:29 p.m. The crew member is re-connecting the airhose watched by a UP policeman.


RIGHT-In the meantime, another train passes on Main One.


LEFT-The surgery went well. It only took 3 stitches and lots of tape.  (LOL) RIGHT-Another train passes on Main One, southbound.


LEFT-This baby pacifier was on the Amtrak platform. RIGHT-UP 4245 southbound at 1:04 p.m.


RIGHT-A Rock Island hopper is right behind UP 9786.


UP 7923, northbound, at 1:38 p.m.

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