Unique Track Side Photo and Viewing Opportunity

Now I am not an astromoner, nor a scienist, at any level so keep that in mind as read this post. I do, as does Deb, enjoy amatuer astronomy though and we try to follow or view most astronomical events as time permits. As such, there is an upcoming event that we are excited about along with the photgraphic possiblities that come along with it…

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Holiday Leftovers from LAUPT

As the lack of recents posts atest to, I have been crazy busy lately. Not only have I been working a ton to finish a large project by year’s end at the office, but the holidays are upon us and we are entertaining out-of-state guests for a few weeks. As if that wasn’t enough, I have also spent all of my spare time learning a unique subject that has always interested me. Soon I will prepare a post on the topic and the byproduct of all my research and learning…

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UP 844, a Mountain, a Mob, and Me

As I described in in my previous post, “”UP” for a Chase? 844 Comes to California,” Union Pacific’s famous steam engine, the UP No. 844, is in California and garnering quite the attention in the process. On Saturday, November 19, 2011, the UP 844 lead the Centennial Tour train eastbound from West Colton, California to Yermo, California. The route the train was scheduled to take was over BNSF rails up and over the scenic and challenging Cajon Pass. It was the making of a perfect photo opportunity and I headed out early Saturday morning, almost dutifully, to get in position…

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"UP" for a Chase? 844 Comes to California

Today marks the beginning of the “return-trip” for Union Pacific’s “Living Legend,” No. 844, after participating in what Union Pacific dubbed the Centennial Tour to help New Mexico and Arizona celebrate their one-hundred years of statehood. Union Pacific’s No. 844 is the last steam locomotive built for Union Pacific, delivered in 1944, and will travel more than 2,900 miles from its base in Cheyenne, Wyoming during the 32-day, nine-state tour that will honor the rich railroad heritage of the scenic Southwest…

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Union Pacific Leads the Way

Last night I settled in to my usual haunt, the easy chair in the front room, and perched upon my lap was my trusty Apple MacBook Pro. I had plans to research and craft a blog post that was long overdue. You see, the Union Pacific Railroad is embarking on a grand tour of the Southwest with one of their treasured and glorious steam engines replete with appropriate carriages of old in tow. The purpose of the event is best left described by a few passages from their press release…

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Living, Barely - Cima Sub Shots - Part 5 of 5

After the day’s events and considering I was content with the shots I had taken already, I decided to head home. As I left the Ivanpah, California grade crossing, I knew of two trains on the normally sparsely populated Cima Subdivision of the Union Pacific Railroad. One was the eastbound vehicle train that kept me company while we both waited for the westbound manifest train at Ivanpah. The vehicle train was now well on its way to Nipton, California and east towards Las Vegas, Nevada. The manifest train was out in front of me somewhere between Ivanpah and Kelso, California by now…

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Living Lucky - Cima Sub Shots - Part 4 of 5

Up until this point my truck was soldiering on, doing it’s climbing the mountain thing when came that point that most, if not all, four-wheelers have felt at some time or another. My truck had lost the forward progress and it started to wiggle and began a worrisome and very discernible slide towards the right side of the road. “Shit, sand,” I exclaimed. Normally I would not want to stop my truck at this point because any forward progress works in my favor to get beyond whatever sand trap I might be in. However, my forward progress had ceased and I worried about the sideways slide that my truck was in. I stomped on the brakes…

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Living Large - Cima Sub Shots - Part 3 of 5

Eventually my frozen fingers thawed and I proceeded along my route towards Ivanpah, CA. I would have to go through Cima, CA in the process and I thought perhaps I should stop for the night and tackle Ivanpah in the morning with fresh light and fresh legs…

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Down at the Depot - Cima Sub Shots - Part 2 of 5

After getting my fill of grade crossing shots and as the sun sank below the horizon I turned my attention to the Kelso Depot. It was past closing time so I had the exterior of the depot and it’s grounds all to myself which is nice because it came be a quite busy place during the day considering it’s remote location…

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Better Late Than Never - Cima Sub Shots - Part 1 of 5

It was the Sunday before President’s Day and I had hoped to arrive mid-afternoon with plenty of time to find a nice spot to set-up camp. I know that I am getting older because I just don’t do things as fast as I once did - especially when it comes to physical chores such as prepping the camper and the truck for a trip. I left later than I wanted so I had to adapt my plans accordingly. My destination was the Union Pacific’s Cima Subdivision. In particular, I was targetting the area around Cima itself. By my calculations, if I hustled, and drove straight through, I might be able to catch some good light at the Kelso Depot. I headed out in haste…

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