Here are lots of train photos from the week of February 10 through February 14, 2009 at Little Rock PLUS a closeup photo of the official mascot of the Arkansas Razorbacks, TUSK II, a huge razorback. I got to pet him. He was in a trailer behind Union Station along with lots of people, who were doing something at the Arkansas Capitol later that morning.

I might be imagining things, but there seems to be more trains these days. There were 12 passing Union Station in Little Rock on Saturday, February 14 alone between 7:22 a.m and 11:45 a.m. While not as many as past years, it's definitely more than last month. I didn't go to Brinkley this  Saturday but was told they had lots of trains as well. (Ken Ziegenbein photos)

Included this week:
1) UP North Little Rock yards taken from parking lot of Cracker Barrel
2) Old Camp Robinson tracks in North Little Rock
3) 'TUSK II" large razorback, official mascot of the Arkansas Razorbacks, University of Arkansas
4) CSX 8054, 4753
5) UP 7865, 5519, 2460, 4111, 4567, 5785, 6578, 5039, 3804, 2426, 4907, 5201, 4386, 5297, 8059, 7874, 7788
6) BNSF 7596, 4399, 4051, 4891
7) GMTX blue-white 2156, 2153
8) Green/blue containers
9) Long flatcar load
10) D&RGW dump car 3901
11) CNW dump car
12) BN green boxcar
13) CN blue boxcar
14) Rock Island worn blue boxcar
15) YKR 925 blue boxcar
16) BN green autorack by itself
17) White, round tank or container car
18) Re-painted MoPac hoppers with buzzsaw
19) BNSF and BN coil cars
20)  Long string of Herzog hoppers
21) Yellow CNW hopper "Employee Owned"
22) Rice & Popcorn hopper
23) Blue tank car
24) Alberta blue hopper
25) New NS hi-cube boxcar
26) New CSX containers "How Tomorrow Moves"
27) Unknown type of bird.

CLICK ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE Or, to view all images in a larger format, click on: http://thundertrain.org/trains-razorback-feb2009-bb.html

LEFT-UP's North Little Rock classification yard as seen from the parking lot of Cracker Barrel on February 10. It was raining lightly. The road you see in the foreground is the on-ramp for eastbound Interstate 40. RIGHT-UP tracks to Camp Robinson-Camp Pike (home of the 39th Infantry) in North Little Rock are still in place, but haven't been used since the Gulf War in 1990. Abandonment was applied for way back in the 1970s by Missouri Pacific but was denied because the US Army wants to keep the tracks in place in case they are someday needed. It would take a lot of work to make them train-worthy - parts are washed out over a small creek. These tracks are about a quarter mile away from my home. Taken February 10, 2009 in rain.


RIGHT-'TUSK II', the official mascot of the Arkansas Razorbacks (University of Arkansas) in a trailer behind Union Station in Little Rock on February 12, 2009.


LEFT-The eyes are hard to find. RIGHT-Closeup. Those eyes are haunting. It feels bristly.


RIGHT-This is on the south side of Union Station.


RIGHT-CSX 8054, February 12 at 10:44 a.m.


LEFT-Interesting blue and silver hopper. RIGHT-UP 7865, 10:50 a.m. February 12 at Union Station.


Perfectly arranged green and blue containers.


LEFT-DPU-UP 5519. RIGHT-Friday, February 13, UP 2460, 10:40 a.m. southbound.


LEFT-Blue/White GMTX 2156 and 2153, southbound February 13 at 10:52 a.m. RIGHT-Long flat loads.


LEFT-UP 4111, northbound at 1:01 p.m. RIGHT-D&RGW dump car, No. 3901.


LEFT-CNW dump car. RIGHT-BNSF 7596, 1:25 p.m.  Feb 13.


LEFT-BNSF 4399 and NS 9930. RIGHT-BN green boxcar.


LEFT-It's now Saturday, February 14, 2009, Valentine's Day. CSX 4753 passes at 7:22 a.m. RIGHT-Blue CN boxcar.


LEFT-Attack bear gets riled at lone UP 4567 heading back to North Little Rock from Biddle Yards in Little Rock. RIGHT-UP 5785 heads a loaded coal train at 8:18 a.m. Feb 14.


LEFT-DPU-UP 6578. RIGHT-UP 5039 leads a long mixed freight of mainly boxcars, 8:52 a.m.


LEFT-Faded Rock Island boxcar. Looks like this boxcar has been around the world several times. RIGHT-Interesting YKR 925 boxcar.


LEFT-BN autorack by itself in the mixed freight. RIGHT-Alien graffiti.


LEFT-Bobcat graffiti. RIGHT-Nothing left of the original Golden West boxcar! This car must have sat at one location for awhile. While I try to avoid graffiti photos, every once in a while there are some that are more interesting than others. I figure the illegal artists who paint these won't be seeing this website anyway, so they won't be encouraged to 'paint' more.


UP 3804, 9:27 a.m.


LEFT-Round tank car or special container. RIGHT-These retouched Missouri Pacific hoppers also made an appearance last week. Notice they kept the MoPac buzzsaw emblem.


BNSF coil cars.


LEFT-UP 2426, 9:39 a.m. RIGHT-UP 4907, 10:25 a.m in a consist of nine locomotives.


LEFT-This train usually carries a lot of locomotives, I assume to move to another location. The mixed train was long, but did not require this many engines. RIGHT-UP 5201. last of nine.


LEFT-UP 4386, 10:41 a.m. RIGHT-Long string of Herzog hoppers.


BNSF 4051, 10:48 a.m. northbound. This is probably the QHOME (Houston-Memphis trackage rights train)


RIGHT-Green BN boxcar plus another green one.


LEFT-Yellow CNW 'Employee Owned' hopper. RIGHT-UP 5297, 11:01 a.m.


LEFT-Another BN green hopper plus a 'Rice & Popcorn' hopper. RIGHT-Blue tankcar.


LEFT-In Dale We Trust. RIGHT-UP 8059, 11:18 a.m.


LEFT-Blue Alberta hopper. RIGHT-New NS hi-cube, No. 487209.


UP 7874, 11:42 a.m.


LEFT-CSX container "How Tomorrow Moves" RIGHT-UP 7788, DPU.


RIGHT-This bird was checking me out across the tracks. With the orange coloring, I thought it was a Robin, but it's actually a male Kestrel, according to Patrick Slayton (thanks)

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