That is right. With it being at the end of the wire, there was definitely a greater variety of power through there. It's been a while since I was up there. Most of my railfanning there was late afternoon and there is a hill on the west side of you so the light fades fast so that limited some of the shots. Will have to see what other goodies I managed to catch there as well.
Your eyes are not deceiving you--those weeds are bent over on their sides from the gale-force wind. A unit frac sand train lumbers upgrade on the .66% just east of CP 10.6 west of Minot:
A couple more slides of the SP (Wisconsin Central) train coming into Hearne, Texas off the DALSA cutoff. The DALSA is one of the few parts of the original San Antonio & Aransas Pass railroad that is still in use by the UP. Here the train can be seen just starting its turn to come under the Texas Highway 6 overpass where it will join with the old Houston & Texas Central line. This is looking down the old H&TC line into the throat of the yard at Hearne.
When the newer carbody styles (C44-9W, etc.) appeared in the 1990s, I originally thought they looked weird and not really American. I have, since then however, realized I was the one who was weird and realize they look nothing BUT American and tough. They still don't have the effect the SD45s had on me when they first appeared, though. Those flares! Doug
The SD45 has a style that shows its muscle. The classic, clean EMD lines, and those flares, make it look like a tough 300-lb linebacker ready for the game. It's big, virile, macho and makes the ground shake as it goes by. It looks like it can get the job done. With class, at that.
I guess the hammerhead look of modern units kind of carries on the broad-shouldered linebacker look. I like 'em. NS 8104 (Lehigh Valley heritage unit, Columbia, SC, 05/30/2015).
Today, I was driving through Hearne and decided to visit the location that I was at when I took those old slides of the Wisconsin Central SD45s. Surprisingly a lot but not all of the old telegraph poles and unused yard light poles are still standing after 28 years. The wires end at the one in the middle with the broken arms.. It does have an additional broken arm. Interesting place and still a number of trains to watch. The old photo for comparison.
UP has built a new office to house its San Antonio Service Unit right where the DALSA (Dallas/San Antonio) splits off and heads for Flatonia where the trains usually then take the Sunset Route to San Antonio or they can continue south toward the Rio Grande Valley. The new UP office on the left.
It is indeed a big roll up door. Just some oddball CSX MoW equipment. This is the flat in front of it and it has a container with both a sliding door and roll up garage door and in front of that was yet another box car with a roll up door.
Had poor luck railfanning this week, so again into the wayback machine I go. From June 1997 at Cheto, AZ is a BNSF hotshot with TOFC loads stretching to the horizon.
