Took a drive up to Fresno this weekend for a track meet, and decided I'd check out Calwa UP yard and Bakersfield BNSF yard. Well, didn't make it to Calwa... Along the way, Fresno Sub was surprisingly quiet both up and back. The UP tracks wind back and forth along Hwy. 99 between Bakersfield and Fresno. Early this morning on my way north I only saw one train. It was still dark out, so I didn't see much. On the return trip this afternoon I didn't see any. So I stopped at Bakersfield UP yard. Drove around a bit, then found a good place to park and check things out on the dead end D Street, just south of 16th. It was just a few steps into parking lot of the BNSF office for some ringside seats. This is an ideal spot at the east end of the yard to watch switching. This was my very first experience watching yard ops, so I was learning a lot. First I saw a 10-diesel MU monster, which consisted of about 4 Dash 9's, a couple of GP-somethings (I think), a tiny yard switcher, and some other diesels I couldn't ID. I guess it was just switching locos to the different tracks. Pretty cool. Then I saw something that really surprised me. A two unit MU, which looked like it was doing the yard switching, was sorting a 13-car train. At one point, I suddenly saw what looked like 3 cars rolling by themselves into the yard. Then another two cars. Then another 4 cars. Is Bakersfield a hump yard ????? It certainly doesn't look like it has a grade, but I've never seen a hump yard before so I'm not sure what to look for. Then I saw a thru train come in from the east and stop at the office, where they did a quick crew change, and it then headed west. Four Dash 9's up front, with two bringing up the rear. I assume the rear locos were for helping the train up the Tehachapi Loop ???
They were probably "kicking" the cars. This is done by pushing the cars to get a little rolling speed. Then cars are cut by a brakie & the loco stops. Someone else has already been thrown a switch for the track the cars are supposed to go into. This saves time since the engine doesn't have to take the cars all the way in the track to make a joint. This is also called flat switching.
Bakersfield isn't a hump yard. They do a great job kicking cars there. Most of the locals park in the F St parking lot and watch the switching from there. You can watch the signals also for anything coming into the yard and the fence low enough for photography. Helpers are usually added to the trains at Richmond for the trip to Barstow. The only train that looses it's helpers in Bakersfield is usually the grain train, which can be a 100+ car train. Another good location is to head east and down towards Kern Jct. Just out of the commercial area, you can park along the tracks and watch everything coming and going. Kel
Thanks Kel. The F St. BNSF lot (I assume that's the one you're talking about) had a bunch of "BNSF Employees Only" signs, so I figured I'd park on the public street. I was surprised at how accessible the yard was. You could even see the yard from the street running thru the BHS campus. Next time I think I'll take a walk up the Oak St bridge to get a good overview of the yard. BTW, any problem taking photos from the BNSF office property? You mean the junction next to the old SP yard where Truxton becomes Edison Hwy.? Thanks for the info.
Kern Junction is a great place to watch trains, but be aware of your surroundings when in that area...the non-railfan locals in that area are not always friendly. The area around the UP Yard is not as nice as the area around the BNSF Yard. East and South-East Bakersfield is home to most of the local criminal activity. Not as dangerous as many areas around rail yards in L.A., but still a good idea to keep your head up-doors locked and don't wander too far away from your car.
You should be fine. The BNSF has local security there, but they are pretty cool. You should be fine. Have your camera out and stay behind the fence. Most of the guys will say hi. If you shoot from Oak St, park next to Jack in the Box and you can wonder from there. I get alot of neat shots from there and the footbridge down by the Rabobank Arena.. Yes. Like Kevin says, the local wildlife can be interesting there. I go down toward the signal bridge or the creek further down Edison highway to railfan. Kel
