My wife has the week off, so we went for a drive. Had hoped to catch a few trains. And there were some. But forest fires are burning around our region. (Quite normal. Happens every darned year.) And at times, the smoke was fog thick. We stopped so she could visit a friend, and I heard this guy powering up. So wandered outside. The smoke was kind enough to thin for a few minutes: BNSF 4703 in the lead, has just left the double track at Conkelly, Montana. Climbing east into the Rockies. This location, rounding the southern end of Teakettle Mountain, is known as Bad Rock Canyon. Below the cliff, is the Flathead River. This site has a bad reputation. More than a few trains have had "bumping incidents" here. OK. I mean they've collided. mg: Boxcab E50
Ken, Good to hear you got out of the house. We've got a lot of smoke out here in Eastern Washingtongrad as well. Some days it is not worth going out. I work in Moses Lake, and normally you can see Mt. Rainier over the lower end of the Colockum. Can't even see the Colockum, and it is only 20 miles away.
Wow, that area has really grown! The trees have nearly blocked the view... Thanks for sharing--glad to hear you got to do some 'fanning!
CP has the same problem in the Spiral Tunnel area, but they cannot cut the trees back since it's on a federal park land. Is BNSF restricted from the same, on the Glacier Nat'l Park border?
Ken, nice photo. Hope the winds don't turn nasty towards you area...any chance of that or are you far enough away?
If memory is correct, at that place in the photo, the dividing line for the Park, is center of the River. Most of the trees in my way yesterday, were on this (south) side of the water. If I'd wanted to sit by the road, just a short disatnce east, is plenty wide to pull off. A quick push through the trees, and I'd be standing on the bank with clear view. But we were at a friend's place of business. And there was not time to jump in the car...... :sad: Boxcab E50
Hank- We had very gusty winds yesterday. Our home is quite safe from any fires. But on occasion, we do get heavy smoke. Fires of 2003, we could not even see across the street. The neighbor's house there is less than 100 feet away... Couldn't make it out in broad daylight. We could certainly see and smell smoke last night. West of us about 30 miles, a new lightning fire is heading toward the home of a friend..... It's summer here. At some point, this happens. Virtually EVERY year. :sad: Boxcab E50
Argh! I'm in trouble now! Yes. I admit it. Must have been a mental lapse. mg: Or did I mistake the orange colors for another company? Well, am sure the yard office will have this news circulated by week's end. BTW- Congrats on your first TrainBoard post! Hope you'll be participating more often! :thumbs_up: Boxcab E50
That was just some gentle ribbing from a friend. Don't worry. I may actually do it again some day! Boxcab E50
Trees are one thing that I didn't have to worry much about on the Gallup Sub when I wuz railfanning that line. Sagebrush.....different story. No fires here, just rain, rain & more rain, all day today. Hope it clears up by the weekend so I can go 'fanning NS action around Macon (and maybe sneak down to watch Atlantis' scheduled launch.....)
The orange is nice. The black is nice. The orange and black ('Kansas City' orange and black, on D&RGW's later diesels and Milwaukee Road) is nice together. The BNSF 'wedgie' is.. Uhm.. Okay, I guess.
Guys, any orange as long as it is not Guilford orange is good! Hmm, you all have given me an idea, maybe my next RC plane should be BNSF, those colors would look nice on a CAP 232 plane:shade: The BNSF colors are also the Winnebago High School colors. I think however I'll leave Jessica in her Santa Fe Red though. Here is a picture I took near one of my favorite little towns of Chadwick IL...
