Our Best Trip Ever - Part 11 - On the Cut-Off

(Continued from: Our Best Trip Ever - Part 10 - Heading Into the Unknown)

Day 6 - Part 1

To See an Eagle Nest

Despite my fears of a big cat looking for dinner, we slept well, deep in the heart of Kaibab National Forest. After I awoke and as I made a quick walk around the area where we camped, surveying for animal tracks as much as looking for a good shot, I thought of the today’s plan. We are now fairly far removed from all the trappings of a modern society. “No billboards, no buildings, no graffiti, no power lines — nothing to spoil a scene,” I pondered.

The track of our sixth day on the Seligman Sub. The black camera icons indicate the locations that I shot.Today was going to be fun. This is a part of the Seligman Subdivision that I have never visited before so it was going to be an adventure for both Deb and I. It certainly is beautiful in this region of Arizona and not something folks typically think of when they think of Arizona. No sir, no desert here. As I walked back to the truck a westbound intermodal broke the morning silence as it squealed past in a cut below me. As I raised the camera to take a few shots, I was reminded of the challenges of shooting trains in this venue and of what the day might hold:

A Cut-Off Cut - Symbolic of the features of BNSF’s Crookton Cut-Off on the Seligman Subdivision — plenty of massive cuts and fills — this early morning photo shows the challenges of photographing and chasing this segment of the subdivision as a westbound intermodal consist rounds a curve inside of a cut west of CP West DoubleA.
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

I went back to the rig and found Deb already making preparations for our departure, so it wasn’t long after my return that we found ourselves on the road heading towards my first target location for the day, Eagle Nest Mountain. I like the name “Eagle Nest Mountain” and it has some pretty compelling photo opportunities as well so it was the prime destination for this part of the trip. I had to size up our options there first and if we spent the whole day there then that would be great.

There wasn’t a direct road between West DoubleA and Eagle Nest, so I back-tracked a bit and opted to take only the best roads. It wasn’t long until we arrived at our destination after a very enjoyable ride. As we entered into the area I could see a massive fill which marked the location I sought. “Wow,” I thought, “that is a huge fill!” 

Once track side we made our way around to get the lay of the land. Unfortunately, the forest roads are at a much lower elevation that the railroad grade which precluded me from choosing any spot on the west side of the mountain as I had hoped.

All was not lost though. During the planning phase, I had seen an old quarry site on the eastern slope of the mountain, near the mountain’s peak, which would make for a great campsite if I could reach it. Explaining this all to Deb, I drove towards the eastern side of the mountain, searching for a possible road to the defunct quarry site. Eventually, after I sized up what I saw before me and what showed on the GPS, I picked an old road leading away to the left.

As the grade began to steepen and the road began to narrow, I stopped the truck and put it into “4-wheel drive low.” We then plowed on. After crawling over some rock drifts and a few butt-clinching slopes in the road I began to get excited as it appeared we were almost there. Then my heart sank. Across the road in front of us, which did continue on to the quarry a few yards ahead — and certainly not visible on a satellite map of the area — was a barbed-wire fence with a “no trespassing” sign. Bummer.

Oh well, no quarry campsite for us. However, since we are here and made it this far, not to mention that we needed a break before I attempted a descent, we decided to wait for a couple of trains to go by. Of course, this being the BNSF Transcon, we didn’t have long to wait:

BNSF 4308 West - BNSF 4308 (GE DASH 9-44CW), BNSF 7908 (GE ES44DC), and BNSF 7308 (GE ES44DC) exit a curve with a westbound intermodal train approaching East Eagle Nest on BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision.
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

While Deb was taking in the view and shooting photos from near the truck, I had climbed as far up the slope as I dared — seeing as the elevation was well over 7000’ and I am a cardiac patient! Fortunately it made for a great shot as one of the trains came in from the east with the rig parked where we were stopped. To the left, on the other side of the fence, you can see the start of the quarry site. It would have been a cool spot to camp, no doubt. I plan to return here someday and shoot the sunrise, it should be amazing.

An Eagle’s View - Perched on the side of Eagle Nest Mountain, this northeastern view shows the passing of a westbound BNSF intermodal train on BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision with BNSF 4308 (GE DASH 9-44CW), BNSF 7908 (GE ES44DC), and BNSF 7308 (GE ES44DC) providing the head end power.
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

A Backup Plan

Once we had rested a bit and taken in what Eagle Nest Mountain had to offer us, it was time head back down the mountain and seek opportunities elsewhere. Often it is a bit more difficult going down a trail than coming up one as gravity effects your speed more and my truck is pretty heavy. Also, this time it was complicated by the fact that I had no where to turn around, I was up against the fence. I took a short stroll and surveyed my options. I found a spot where I thought I could muster a three-point turn so we went for it. I backed up to the point and asked Deb to step out of the truck while I attempted the turn. “No sense in both of us tumbling down the hill,” I reasoned. Besides, someone has to take the youtube video of it! Eventually I completed my turn, which was more like a seven-point turn, and we headed down the mountain, a little bummed that we could not spend the day there as we hoped but satisfied we made the effort and got the shots we did.

My secondary location was the curve near milepost 402, a location named Sandstone Tank on the map. It appeared that a short drive on the same road that led us to the quarry road and then we would be there. Oh, contraire.

Once we got back to the main east-west road we made a left turn and reached a cattle fence. After proceeding through the gate, and securing it behind us, we were greeted with a nice meadow sprinkled with some trees about. It was pretty cool. I should have known.

Eventually the scenery gave way to a rather wooded area with some stream beds running through it. Remember, in the previous post, when I mentioned that it appeared as though it had rained in the area recently? Well, a good portion of that rain run-off apparently ended up here. It scattered logs and limbs alike all along the route and gouged good sized channels where there was once mild creek beds. All of this made for a very slow, rough, and tiring ride. It was the Road from Hell. Next to the road to Canyon Diablo, this is bad road number two for us. 

The Road from Hell

They Call It “Sandstone Tank”

Ultimately, hell ended and we were set free as the road mellowed out and merged with one of those well-maintained roads we dreamt of. A quick jaunt north found us track side once again and it looked more promising. I tried to avail myself of one of the few tunnels under the tracks to survey the other side, but, alas, our truck was too tall to fit through. We opted to take a forest road that runs along the south side of the tracks an stopped at a point were the road temporarily roase above the tracks. The spot was killer and we now know it as Sandstone Tank.

It was time for lunch and this where I opted for that foot-long Sonic Coney Dog that I had packed in the fridge from Williams. Hell, today, I earned it. It was every bit as wonderful as I had hoped it would be.

I planned to spend a few hours here, so I grabbed my gear and, using the sun as a guide, walked west to a location to set-up for an eastbound approaching from the west. There was a brief lull in traffic which afforded me the opportunity to just enjoy the view, which I did. The first trains by our location were a couple of westbound intermodals, followed closely by an eastbound one.

Sandstone Solitude - In a rare quiet moment, sans trains, at a location shown on a map as Sandstone Tank, Arizona, the landscape calls to me.
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

Waiting for the Shot 2
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

BNSF 5436 East - A quartet of GE DASH 9-44CWs, led by BNSF 5436, climb the grade and negotiates gentle sweeping curves on BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision at Sandstone Tank, Arizona.
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

As the day wore on, it began to seem as though the trains, one eastbound and one westbound, always seemed to meet each other at our location. More often than not we had two trains in view at one time. Here’s an example of two intermodals blowing by one other: 

Passing Trains
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

Sandstone Tank has many options for setting up. Here I walked east of the rise and got a tight shot showing the diesels working hard upgrade and a slide fence that warns trains of fallen rocks inside a cut:

BNSF 5406 East 1 - BNSF 5406 (GE DASH 9-44CW), BNSF 5216 (GE DASH 9-44CW), NS 9845 (DASH 9-40CW), and BNSF 5380 (GE DASH 9-44CW) enters a cut that is protected by slide fence near Sandstone Tank, Arizona on BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision.
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

Here is the view to the east of the rise, pretty killer:

BNSF 5406 East 2 - BNSF 5406 (GE DASH 9-44CW), BNSF 5216 (GE DASH 9-44CW), NS 9845 (DASH 9-40CW), and BNSF 5380 (GE DASH 9-44CW) lean into a gentle curve near Sandstone Tank, Arizona with a manifest consist in tow on BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision.
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

And a few taken from atop the rise itself:

BNSF 7279 East 1 - BNSF 7279 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 5045 (GE DASH 9-44CW), and BNSF 7504 (GE ES44DC), are up front on this eastbound intermodal train near Sandstone Tank, Arizona on BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision.
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

BNSF 7279 East 2 - BNSF 7279 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 5045 (GE DASH 9-44CW), and BNSF 7504 (GE ES44DC), are up front on this eastbound intermodal train near Sandstone Tank, Arizona on BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision.
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

BNSF 7564 East 1 - BNSF 7564 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 7475 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 4330 (GE DASH 9-44CW), and BNSF 4175 (GE DASH 9-44CW) lead this eastbound intermodal train near Sandstone Tank, Arizona on BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision.
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

BNSF 7564 East 2 - BNSF 7564 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 7475 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 4330 (GE DASH 9-44CW), and BNSF 4175 (GE DASH 9-44CW) lead this eastbound intermodal train near Sandstone Tank, Arizona on BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision.
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

“A” End
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

Back to the ‘Nest

After garnering nearly 500 photos from the “tank,” I wanted to try another location. I really wanted to get some shots around Eagle Nest is how I sold it to Deb. The truth is that I planned another special side trip for her and this was the perfect time to take her there. We are both big fans of things from America’s past, especially the Old West. 

So we headed back to the ‘Nest, but not, I repeat NOT the way we came. Instead we took the “big roads,” a longer but more much enjoyable ride. Upon our arrival I sought out the tunnel that afforded us an opportunity to cross the tracks and head a bit north. Fortunately our vehicle was not taller than the tunnel in this case and we made it under the tracks just fine.

Once on the other side it took a bit of work to find our quarry but we eventually did. The location we sought was where the Beale Wagon Road traversed the area. This is a wagon road from the mid 1800’s that ran east-west across New Mexico and Arizona to California. This road is noted for using camels during it’s construction and was laid out by Navy Lieutenant, Edward Fitzgerald Beale under contract with the U.S. Government.

From Wikipedia article:

Of this road, Beale wrote: “… It is the shortest (route) from our western frontier by 300 miles, being nearly directly west. It is the most level, our wagons only double-teaming once in the entire distance, and that at a short hill, and over a surface heretofore unbroken by wheels or trail on any kind. It is well-watered! Our greatest distance without water at any time being twenty miles … It crosses the great desert (which must be crossed by any road to California) at its narrowest point.” 

Consequently, Beale’s route and survey served as the basis for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad as well as U.S. Interstate 40 across this portion of the country.

Back to Town

Not having found a suitable camping location that I felt comfortable with and one with a view of the tracks that didn’t require a strenuous hike, and having visited the Beale Road, we decided to head back to town, so to speak. As we headed south on the “big road” I stopped and waited to get a shot of a train crossing the bill fill adjacent to Eagle Nest Mountain for prosperity sake:

The Big Fill - In Arizona, on BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision, a westbound intermodal train leaves CP East Eagle Nest via a massive fill heading towards CP West Eagle Nest. Part of Eagle Nest Mountain can be seen on the right.
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

We reached I-40 and headed west. After a brief run at 70 MPH, enough to throw most of the rocks from our treads and with apologies to my fellow travelers at the time, we exited and headed towards one of favorite spots along this portion of the subdivision, Crookton, the namesake for the cut-off.

Once we reached the old Route 66 bridge over the BNSF trackage I pulled off of the highway and waited for a train to arrive so I could shoot a panorama shot of the location looking north in this case:

Crookton Panorama
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.
Click image for larger size.(5MB)

[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Debra Parra, ChasingSteel.com.

BNSF 4521 West - BNSF 4521 (GE DASH 9-44CW) is the lead unit on this westbound manifest train approaching the old “Route 66” overpass near Crookton, Arizona.
[4/22/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

It was time to take a break and secure a lodging location for the evening at this point so we headed towards Seligman, a short distance away. I’ll save that for the next post…

Our Best Trip Ever - Part 10 - Heading into the Unknown

(Continued from: Our Best Trip Ever - Part 9 - A Few Favorite Locations)

Day 5 - Part 2

Sailing into Uncharted Waters

After the shoot at CP Chalendar, I grew concerned, not so much about the distance we needed to travel today, but rather the uncertain condition of the roads and the general accessibility of the area that laid ahead in our travels along BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision. According to my original plans we were due to spend the day shooting the area around Eagle Nest and Double A. Since we were not even near Double A yet, I felt tense because that meant something must give in our schedule. I preferred it to be those areas we had visited before so we headed west on I-40 towards Williams, Arizona to try to get back on schedule.

It turns out that in my haste to depart Bellemont without refilling my propane tanks added value to the trip. Since we were going into the Kaibab National Forest, as we entered Williams, I topped off my diesel and fresh water tanks while also dumping our waste and grey water. All I needed now was propane.

Superior Propane, Inc. of Williams, Arizona.I saw from the freeway a propane distributor and I was up for giving the place a shot since I was tired of paying too much for propane from the truck stops along the way. Using dead reckoning and our GPS as the map we found the dealer that I saw from the freeway. The propane dealer was Superior Propane, Inc.

As a nice salesman refilled our tanks, he and I struck up a conversation. I preceded to explain our trip and our adventures thus far and asked for his knowledge of the area near Double A. Pulling a map from the cab of the truck he clued me in on what the road conditions were like and what to expect where. He even went so far as to offer additional railroad related shooting opportunities to be found near Seligman and Pica, further on in our trip.

Armed with this new, and locally confirmed, information, I felt easier about our plans and how successful we should be. I left a few business cards with the folks at Superior Propane and encouraged them to check my web site in a few months to see the result of our chase.  As we waved goodbye, we departed and headed north out of Williams.

For the next two days or so we would be visiting portions of the Seligman Subdivision that I have never chased before. This was the heart of our trip - the new, the uncharted, the unknown.

Using the map shown below, you can see that my original plans called for accessing Eagle Nest from a road heading north out of Ash Fork, Arizona - seen in yellow dashes. This route was gleaned from analysis of Google Maps and railfan reports. However, now that I knew the local road conditions I was able to maximize my travels in the Kaibab National Forest along the BNSF tracks. The route we actually traversed over two days in the forest are shown in red. This afforded a couple of other locations that I had resigned myself not being able to visit - all thanks to the folks at the Superior Propane.

CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE - Actual route taken along the Crookton Cut-Off shown in RED thanks to information from the folks at Superior Propane. My original intended route is shown in yellow dashes. 

Shots from the Crookton Cut-Off

The road which lead us into the Crookton Cut-Off region was extremely smooth and wide for a gravel road. It was obvious this road was well maintained and it allowed us to make quick work of the distance that we needed to cover. In short order we found ourselves along side the BNSF transcon once again. The site was east of CP East DoubleA. (Pronounced as and spelled like “Double A” for most but “DoubleA” for the railroad.)

BNSF 4382 West 1 - BNSF 4382 (GE DASH 9-44CW), BNSF 4367 (GE DASH 9-44CW), and BNSF 7673 (GE ES44DC) head up a westbound manifest consist seen here rounding a curve near East DoubleA on BNSF’s Crookton Cut-Off.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com

After a few quick shots, I took some time to look around. The land was amazing and not at all what I thought a “forest” would be like. The colors of the geology and foliage are surreal and vivid - a photographers dream.

BNSF 4382 West 2 - BNSF 4382 (GE DASH 9-44CW), BNSF 4367 (GE DASH 9-44CW), and BNSF 7673 (GE ES44DC) head up a westbound manifest consist seen here rounding a curve near East DoubleA on BNSF’s Crookton Cut-Off.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com

BNSF 976 East 1 - BNSF 976 (GE DASH 9-44CW), BNSF 4788 (GE DASH 9-44CW), and BNSF 5228 (GE DASH 9-44CW) give all they’ve got to muscle this eastbound manifest train upgrade and through the curves of the BNSF’s transcon line in Arizona. Seen here leaving CP West DoubleA.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Debra Parra, ChasingSteel.com.

BNSF 976 East 2 - BNSF 976 (GE DASH 9-44CW), BNSF 4788 (GE DASH 9-44CW), and BNSF 5228 (GE DASH 9-44CW) give all they’ve got to muscle this eastbound manifest train upgrade and through the curves of the BNSF’s transcon line in Arizona. Seen here leaving CP West DoubleA.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

BNSF 976 East 3 - BNSF 976 (GE DASH 9-44CW), BNSF 4788 (GE DASH 9-44CW), and BNSF 5228 (GE DASH 9-44CW) give all they’ve got to muscle this eastbound manifest train upgrade and through the curves of the BNSF’s transcon line in Arizona. Seen here leaving CP West DoubleA.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

CP West DoubleA, View From the East
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

The one aspect of the line that I noted was how the line was graded and built. Being built rather recently, (the line was built in 1960 which is recent in historical railroad terms), the construction involved making ample use of fills and cuts with the help from heavy machinery that wasn’t available during the construction of most rail lines built a century prior. This fact tends to make chasing the line a tad bit challenging because you can find yourself 100 feet above the line one minute and two hundred feet below it the next minute. It does afford some amazing vistas though. Looking through the photos I took on the cut-off, you’d be hard press to find one without a cut or a fill in the shot.

One control point that I wanted to visit, if possible, was CP West DoubleA. I had seen photos of the location before and I was always drawn to the look and feel of it. The control point consists of a single crossover paired with a small siding and it is situated at the end of a deep cut.

Heeding the numerous “No Trespassing” signs posted along the BNSF right-of-way we searched for and found a vantage point on the east end of the control point. We decided to break for lunch and set-up to wait for some traffic. While we were waiting we saw the signals, both eastbound and westbound become favorable for us.

When I could hear the trains approach I went closer to the tracks and waited. Deb snapped this shot of me listening to discern which train would arrive first:

Waiting for the Shot
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Debra Parra & Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

The eastbound came through first. It was a doublestack intermodal (Deb took the second shot shown below):

BNSF 7321 East 1 - BNSF 7321 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 7535 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 7247 (GE ES44DC), and BNSF 4991 (GE DASH 9-44CW) enter the OS at West DoubleA with their eastbound intermodal consist prior to a westbound also cleared through West DoubleA on BNSF’s Crookton Cut-Off.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

BNSF 7321 East 2 - BNSF 7321 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 7535 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 7247 (GE ES44DC), and BNSF 4991 (GE DASH 9-44CW) enter the OS at West DoubleA with their eastbound intermodal consist prior to a westbound also cleared through West DoubleA on BNSF’s Crookton Cut-Off.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Debra Parra, ChasingSteel.com.

BNSF 7321 East 3 - BNSF 7321 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 7535 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 7247 (GE ES44DC), and BNSF 4991 (GE DASH 9-44CW) hustle an eastbound intermodal consist through CP West DoubleA on BNSF’s Crookton Cut-Off.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

While I repositioned myself for another angle, the westbound blew by and caught me by surprise. Eventually another eastbound, this one a vehicle train, came through the OS:

BNSF 7300 East 1 - BNSF 7300 (GE ES44DC) and BNSF 7476 (GE ES44DC) make short work of making track speed with this eastbound vehicle train seen here moving through the OS at CP West DoubleA on BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

BNSF 7300 East 2 - BNSF 7300 (GE ES44DC) and BNSF 7476 (GE ES44DC) make short work of making track speed with this eastbound vehicle train seen here east of CP West DoubleA on BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

As the sun began to hang lower in the sky it was time to find a suitable camping location. We moved a bit further west along the line and settled for a secluded spot west of CP West DoubleA.

Mossberg 500 Tactical Shotgun

This proved to be a suitable location for a little target practice and gun familiarization time having recently added a Mossberg 500 to our arsenal. So Deb and I took turns shooting a tree stump. I must say that I like my new Mossberg very much and it should serve us well here in BFE.

After setting up the rig for the night, Deb and I returned track side to caught the final few shots before the sun set entirely. Again, the deep cuts of the line presented few sight lines but so we worked with what we had: 

Into West DoubleA 1 - A solid set of GEVOs (GE ES44DCs), running elephant-style, scoot this eastbound doublestack train around a curve inside of a cut just west of CP West DoubleA as the sun sinks low in the evening sky.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

Into West DoubleA 2 - A solid set of GEVOs (GE ES44DCs), running elephant-style, scoot this eastbound doublestack train around a curve inside of a cut just west of CP West DoubleA as the sun sinks low in the evening sky.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

Into West DoubleA 3 - An eastbound doublestack train seen negotiating a curve inside of a cut just west of CP West DoubleA as the sun sinks low in the evening sky.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

BNSF 7601 East 1 - BNSF 7601 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 7875 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 7516 (GE ES44DC), and BNSF 7289 (GE ES44DC) are the lead units providing the horsepower to this hot intermodal “Z train” just west of CP West DoubleA on the Seligman Subdivision of BNSF’s vaunted transcon route.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

BNSF 7601 East 2 - BNSF 7601 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 7875 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 7516 (GE ES44DC), and BNSF 7289 (GE ES44DC) are the lead units providing the horsepower to this hot intermodal “Z train” just west of CP West DoubleA on the Seligman Subdivision of BNSF’s vaunted transcon route.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

As I shot the trains, Deb took on the role of animal tracker and took photos of the numerous animal tracks that were all around us. Apparently there had been some recent rains to the area previously and many of the tracks were well preserved in the mud. When we returned to the camper for dinner, some star gazing, and sleep, one thing we tried to do was to identify the tracks she found. Obviously there were a lot of elk tracks but also, it appeared, that some sort of big cat was around as well. I drifted off to sleep wondering what animal preys on elk and listening to the trains echoing in the cuts below us — just after I gently tapped my Mossberg to make sure it was nearby.

In the next post I’ll cover our run to Eagle Nest, the crown jewel.

Our Best Trip Ever - Part 9 - A Few Favorite Locations

(Continued from: Our Best Trip Ever - Part 8 - Flagstaff Area)

Day 5 - Part 1

Up Early and Heading to Maine

After the wonderful visit to the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, and the opportunity to do some night viewing through one of their historic telescopes, the day’s events and excitement had left us with little energy to do much else. So after leaving the observatory we headed west on I-40 in search of a place to park for the night. We opted to just spend the night at the Pilot Travel Center at Bellemont, Arizona. This seemed as good of a place as any as it afforded us a chance to top off the tanks and do some shopping to augment our stores. No time for a traditional dinner tonight so we just grabbed some McDonalds and called it a night.

The track of the first part of our fifth day on the Seligman Sub. The black camera icons indicate the locations that I shot.

When I set about planning the trip along BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision I made sure to include some time at a few of my favorite locations that I had shot during prior visits to the subdivision. One location in particular, CP Maine, was, by design, a stone’s throw away from where we stopped for the night.

I had shot a couple of trains at Maine back in 2006 under some overcast skys. The location is home to a crossover with trains arriving from the west “out of the blue,” so to speak, as they appear to crest a grade out of nowhere. From the east the trains enter the scene by rounding a nice curve giving some interesting perspectives most times. All of this is backdropped by mountains and pine forests.

Here are two shots from back in 2006:

Shots from Maine, Arizona - July 3, 2006
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

My plan was to rise early enough to catch the sunrise at that location. Well, at least that was the plan.

I slept a little longer than I had hoped and grabbed my keys and headed for the cab of the truck. I left Deb sleeping in the bed so she could get some much needed rest and, as I skipped the opportunity to fill my propane tanks, we bolted west on I-40 once again.

As we motored westward I could see the sun was already above the horizon as I looked in my side mirrors. As seen in the image below, the sun had in fact already risen above the ridge behind the tracks when I got there. In my head I envisioned catching a train backlit against a golden sky with the sun still below that ridge. We arrived later than I had hoped for at Maine, but we were there nonetheless. 

As I set-up my gear, I checked in on Deb. Thankfully she continued to sleep soundly despite my less-than-smooth driving while trying to race the sun. Some locals where crossing the tracks at the grade crossing where I parked apparently heading to work for the day. I thought how thankful I was to be on vacation and that I had this view to start my day.

It was chilly outside but resfreshing as I waited for trains to arrive. It didn’t take too long and the first one was a westbound intermodal. I went into action and fired off shot after shot.

BNSF 7545 West - BNSF 7545 (GE ES44DC) and BNSF 4087 (GE DASH 9-44CW) are in charge of a westbound intermodal as they round the curve into CP Maine, west of Flagstaff, Arizona.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

Moving Through Maine - BNSF 7545 (GE ES44DC) and BNSF 4087 (GE DASH 9-44CW) are charged with holding back the tonnage of a westbound intermodal as they move downgrade through CP Maine, west of Flagstaff, Arizona.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

Up next was an eastbound fighting the grade and the sun:

BNSF 5049 East 1 - BNSF 5049 (GE DASH 9-44CW) is teamed up with three more unidentified GEVO units on the point of an eastbound intermodal temporarily cresting the grade at CP Maine, as they fight to climb towards Flagstaff, Arizona.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

Conquering the Mountains - At CP Maine, in northern Arizona, an eastbound BNSF double-stacked intermodal train accenuates the grade, and thereby the challenge, of conquering the mountains as BNSF moves freight along their transcon route.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

Another westbound came up next. This one was a high-priority “Z train” that made short work of the descent from the summit as she ate up the trackage and blew by me.

Hotshot Hitting the OS - BNSF 7796 (GE ES44DC) and three more ES44DCs are up front leading a hot westbound intermodal “Z train” into the interlocking plant at CP Maine in Arizona.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

A couple more eastbounds came by and I began to feel as though I had enough decent shots at Maine and thought it time to move further west to another location that I favor, so after the 7219 East blew by I packed up and headed west on I-40 once more.

BNSF 7219 East - BNSF 7219 (GE ES44DC), along with three other units, charge upgrade with an eastbound intermodal consist at Maine, Arizona.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

In Search of Robin Hood, of Sorts

My next destination was Sherwood Forest. The railroad calls this location Chalendar. (I keep calling it mistakeningly Calendar in my head.) After reaching the location and parking my rig on a turnout across the tracks, I noticed the rather surreal view of the last-quarter moon low in the sky over the road. I set-up across the tracks and took this shot: 

Moonrise at Chalendar
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

Chalendar is comprised of a grade crossing, which makes reaching this location a breeze, a control point with crossovers, all situated in the middle of a large s-curve. The tracks run along the south side of a large pasture to the north and along a forested area (perhaps Sherwood Forest itself?) to the south.

BNSF 5168 West - BNSF 5168 (GE DASH 9-44CW), BNSF 7473 (GE ES44DC), and BNSF 7544 (GE ES44DC) are the lead units on this westbound intermodal approaching CP Chalendar in the early morning light.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

During a lull in traffic levels I went back to the camper and woke up Deb. I thought she would enjoy the area and the abundance of wildlife that was everywhere. After fixing us a couple of breakfast burritos she joined me outside and took photos of the frockling birds in the area while I continued to shoot the train traffic.

BNSF 7676 West - BNSF 7676 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 4065 (GE DASH 9-44CW), and BNSF 7680 (GE ES44DC) provide the power for a westbound doublestack consist seen here approaching CP Chalendar on BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision in the early morning light in April 2011.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

BNSF 7556 East - BNSF 7676 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 4065 (GE DASH 9-44CW), and BNSF 7680 (GE ES44DC) provide the power for a westbound doublestack consist seen here approaching CP Chalendar on BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision in the early morning light.
[4/21/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

I must have lost track of time, because once I did realize what time it was, I became a bit concerned. My hope was to reach the unknown, at least to me, region of the Seligman Subdivision, known as the Crookton Cut-Off by this point in the day. We were behind schedule already because of me messing up the event schedule of the Lowell Observatory and needing to take an extra day in the Flagstaff area to make sure Deb got to see the observatory.

As I packed up all of my gear I made the decision, in the interest of time, to forgoe another of my favorite locations in this area of the subdivision called Bootleggers Crossing. It is another very picturesque location, that is not too far away from Chalendar, featuring cool curves and plenty of long glass opportunites. I’ll make sure to visit it again next time though. 

Here is a shot of a train at Bootlegger Crossing from back in July of 2006: 

BNSF 4104 East - BNSF 4104 (GE DASH 9-44CW) leads three more units and an intermodal consist eastbound into a curve while meeting a westbound counterpart at Bootlegger Crossing, just east of Willaims Juntion on BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision.
[7/3/2006 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry, ChasingSteel.com.

In the next post I will cover our effort to reach the unknown and disclose the wonders we found there.