Sunday, April 27, 2014 was a stormy day in Little Rock, but there were times when I could still some train pictures. Amtrak's Texas Eagle northbound No. 22 was over 5 hours late, arriving at 5:07 a.m. instead of 11:31 p.m. the night before, due to being delayed by a stalled freight before leaving San Antonio. I got up and got to the station just as the train was arriving and remained there past sunrise getting a colorful sunrise as well as a couple of night shots of freights. I also got photos of a wet downtown Little Rock after 7 a.m., a closeup of a fly, and pretty purple and yellow and pink flowers. There was some light hail falling and heavy rain at the station in the pre-dawn hours. Later Sunday evening, a major 3/4th mile wide tornado destroyed houses and blew cars and semi's off Interstate 40 near Mayflower, which is only 20 miles west of Union Station. Mayflower is on UP's Van Buren Sub which runs from North Little Rock to Van Buren, AR then into Oklahoma.

There were 4 locomotive roadnames today, UP, AMTRAK, BNSF and NS. Also today I saw a GMQX Granite Mountain Quarry loaded ballast train, ACFX 45924 Penford Products Company hopper Cedar Rapids Iowa, KWT 7000 Farmer's Co-Op Grain Supply Ulysses Nebraska faded hopper, UP 90900 old large coal hopper, SP 355216 woodchip car, MP 641719 with red MoPac Buzzsaw, CELX 6205 blue tank car. Locomotives were: UP 6523, 9436, 9533, 8432, 5224, 5700, 6150-ex SP, 6577, 9654, 9619, 9693, 4435, 4680, 5398, 9295, 8525, 9424, 5768, 1666, 7371 *** AMTK 50 *** BNSF 8838, 7335 *** NS 8845.


Amtrak Texas Eagle No. 22 arriving at Union Station Little Rock at 5:07 a.m. It was delayed over 5 hours before leaving San Antonio yesterday due to a stalled freight. Normal arrival time in Little Rock is 11:31 p.m. and No. 22 has been running early most nights recently.


Note the line of passengers waiting to board left of the train. The Amtrak engine number is 50.


Little Rock is an Amtrak crew base, so the engine and Superliner crews change here. The train usually has seven Superliners, consisting of coaches, sleepers, dome-lounge and dining cars.


From a distance. The train left at 5:16 a.m.


BNSF 8838, 5:40 a.m. OSNES-26


UP 6453, 5:55 a.m. MPSLI-26 (Manifest-Parsons-Livonia)


HOKX 286126 tank car.


CN 558209 boxcar.


MKT 4524 hopper.


Morning clouds, 6:05 a.m.


6:19 a.m.


Heavy rain and hail, 6:58 a.m.


UP 9436, 7:07 a.m. MAXNL-26 (Manifest-Alexandria-N. Little Rock)


UP 9533.


Wet logs on a flatcar.


More logs.


Driving on 3rd Street heading east toward downtown Little Rock at 7:14 a.m.






Now it's after 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon, and these are on Main Street. I had just eaten at Capital Bar and Grill in the Capital Hotel.


They look like they're smiling at me.




Fly closeup.


2:21 p.m. I had just arrived back at the station as this train was leaving. There was a green signal on Main 1, so I knew another northbound train will be arriving soon.


BNSF 7335, 2:29 p.m. AARAS-26


BNSF 7335.


UP 8432.


UP 5224, 2:44 p.m.  KLDMN-26


Stacks.


UP 5700, 6150, 3:07 p.m. CATTU9-24 (Coal-Antelope Mine-Fulton, AR)


UP 6150, ex-SP.


Loaded coal train.


UP 6577, dpu at 3:12 p.m.


Train approaching, 4:24 p.m.


UP 9654, 4:24 p.m. RNLAM-27 (Rock-N. Little Rock/Biddle Yard-Armourdale, KS)


UP 9619, 9693 on a GMQX ballast train.


GMQX Granite Mountain ballast train.




GMQX 098 hopper.




UP 4435, 4:58 p.m. QSHNL-27 (Priority Manifest-Shreveport-N. Little Rock)


UP 4680.


CAGX 95239 ConAgra Mills hopper.


ACFX 45924 Penford Products Co., Cedar Rapids, Iowa hopper.


SOU 531366 Southern boxcar.


KWT 7010 Farmer's Co-Op Grain Supply Co., Ulysses, Nebraska hopper.


EEC 2514 rusty boxcar.


SP 337966 gondola.


UP 909000 large hopper.


CAGY 7016 hauling coils.


MAEX 4378 braced hopper.


SP 355216 woodchip car.


Lion fountain in front of Union Station.


These flowers are in front of Union Station.


Arkansas State Capitol with dark clouds. Taken from Union Station at 5:13 p.m.


UP 5396, 6:00 p.m. These engines were worn and some had graffiti, which is relatively rare on locomotives. No. 5398 appears to have burned. YNL99-27


UP 5398.


UP 9295 with MSR graffiti. The 9295 was stored at Burnham, CO.


UP 8525..


UP 9424.  The 9424 maybe out in CA. Too bad the 9424 is tagged, it has the "We will Deliver" slogan!



UP 5768.


UP 1666.


BTCX 10615 gondola with I think sand. Gondoal BTCX 10615 is sand. Loaded at Newport, AR heading to San Antonio. Interesting that it is not loaded in a covered hopper?


Six locomotives on this train.


SIRX 490012 hopper.


FSR 47122 gondola.


MP 641719 gondola with a still-red MoPac Buzzsaw trademark.


Dark clouds at 6:07 p.m. A major tornado was brewing 20 miles west of here at this time.


UP 7371, 6:12 p.m. QAGNL-26 (Priority Manifest-Angleton, TX-N. Little Rock)


NS 8845 and UP 7232.


CElX 6205 blue tank car.

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