Amtrack Running Late yesterday. Very Very Late

 Weather, Track Repairs, Storm Reroutes and One young man visiting his sister here was just trying to get back to school. It seems even the trains are not reliable anymore. I stopped flying 35 years ago and have not looked back. I like the trains very much, especially Amtraks Zephyer from Chicago West. My brother and his wife were inbound having been in Palm Springs all last week. I was down at Union Station yesterday to see them return. Due in at 3:10 in the afternoon. Then, 4PM or later. I left the station and headed home on track 1 at 4:30PM. Had a text  from my brother at 7:11. They were idle on a track half way between Ft. Worth and Dallas' Union Station. This morning, I had an update text that they got off at Irving and were finally home shortly after 10PM. Long day to end a fun week out West. 

However, I did get some shots of the busy 7-tracks at Union Station with Reunion Tower on the far side of the track roads. Two Union Pacific manifest freights running dual side by side on 6 and 7. Containers, and Car Racks with some covered gondolas, tanks, a few hoppers and a lot of Intermodal frames from empty container flat beds. The graffiti on the cars is most interesting. You see lots of interesting stuff from people who really are rather talented with paint. 

I had an interesting and brief conversation with a young man returning to college after visiting his sister here in

Dallas. he had a couple of canvas images that he was taking with him. Never got a chance to see the image but he obviously loved art. Nice man. Hope he got those canvas' home with out any travel damage.

Interesting day seeing and riding a train.

 I'm a train buff , Always have been. And I think it is pretty safe to now say, "always will be". Interesting also, is that while I rode deep into south Oak Cliff to the UNT Dallas Station, before transferring to the 415 bus which took me even more deep. 

My original intention was to see the old Red Bird Mall. It did undergo a name change to the Southwest Center Mall, a massive amount of roof in South Dallas. Malls are somewhat falling from grace and are not as fashionable as they were once upon a time. But, as some know, this time of year is still hard on me, even though I did end the 20 year long mourning for my son's untimely death last year. So, I retreated to going that extra few miles to see the old malls new face and name. Another time might be better suited for such a visit. 

I had a very good lunch---A super Taco Bowl at an indoor super Shell station. Actually was about the same size as Fuel City but no where as large as Buc-ee's. The Dallas area has two Buc-ee's and I haven't been to either one yet. I have been in the massive one in New Braunfells, south of Austin. But, I must say, Taco Casa was matching up for price and quantity as any Buc-ee's or even Dallas' Fuel City, (sorry, Brandon) when it comes to food. Taco Casa cannot come close to Fuel City's number of pumps, but the two combined come no where close to Buc-ee's 60 pumps for starters.

On the the trip outbound, I saw the DG&O ( a short line) engines waiting for the big bucks intermodal crossing the T&P bridge over the Trinity being pulled by Union Pacific engines. A fairly normal scene, I might add. But on the inbound trip is where a first for me was encountered under Reunion Town at Union Station. It runs both Red Line and Blue Line, Dart light rails, and also the regular diesel electric engines that pull the TRE between Dallas and Ft Worth. It is the same as a commuter rail with the double deck cars.Then, the famous Texas named trains that Amtrak runs cross country. But there it was, on all four tracks, the two Dart trains, the TRE and the Amtrak at the same time at the Union Station. I only wish that I had been on the platform and not onboard the Dart moving. I have ridden the TRE to Ft. Worth and that is a pampered trip from down town to down town. The TEXrail, is yet not ridden by me, but I hope to be able to ride it in the fall. That leaves the two other rail systems that are in various stages of construction. The Dart Silver Line--not light rail,but diesel electric like the TRE and of course, the Bullet Train from Dallas, Ft. Worth to Houston in 90 minutes. 

 Dart is the largest light rail system in the US with 93 miles over 5-counties and 500-million passengers in 25 years.

Dart also just approved a new underground system ( a second in downtown Dallas). So, if you are a train buff, Dallas is the place to be.

Least we not forget our amazing DFW International Airport with three control towers, 7-active runways with a future 8th just waiting for traffic to increase even more. Acreage larger than Manhattan. Pre Covid-19 the number of Internatinal  carriers serving Dallas, three major Package delivery cargo lines, and the increasing foreigh air cargo that here. Just this week, American has returned to the volume pre-Covid-19, they say.

The Aspen Trees In The Sierra Nevada

Some how, trains and planes have found away into my soul. The joy that I get out of watching them work is not from some mechanical ability that I have, but from the dynamics of how they operate. My mom had told me that when I was a baby, I had been on a train and had let the sounds of the thumps in the rail joints put me to sleep. While mom was able to confirm before she passed that my earliest memories that I had described to here were when I was 18 months old. So the train ride was not remembered having been made before my 18 months of life. But I can tell you, in my roomette aboard the Zephyr, that ride of shifting from side to side also put me to sleep as most of the tracks today are seamless and therefore, no clicking and bumpidy bump bump sounds.

Several decades ago, I had taken the San Francisco Zephyr, now known as just the California Zephyr. Boarding first, the Lake Shore Limited along the lower Great Lakes, it carried me to Chicago where I transferred to the Zephyr after a four hour lay over. One of the things that makes riding the train that romantic concept was that trains don't rush. While they work hard to maintain their schedules, the mechanics of railroading just some times allow for delays. But, ever since then, I have wanted to complete that trip from Denver, to Salt Lake, to Reno, to Truckee, California and on the last couple hundred miles to Emeryville, California. Had I completed the trip on my initial ride with Amtrak, I would have been routed up to Cheyenne, Wyoming out of Denver. I've been to Cheyenne by car so the change would be a welcome one for me in as much as the upper Colorado River provides some of the greatest scenery through Nevada's Carson range of the Sierra and of course, the western Sierra from California's Central Valley into the front range of the Rocky Mountains.

In search of web cams along the Zephyr's route, I found one in Truckee, California. The camera catches both the # 5 and the #6 as they stop at the downtown rail station which the camera pans. Looking at the station and both ends of the tracks from East bounds to West bounds as well as the main part of town at Donner Pass Road and Bridge Street. There is also a lot of freight trains, but the Zephyr has priority (Amtrak). The lines in Truckee are run by the Union Pacific Railroad. Any how, when the camera hits the mid section view, the Aspens are along the ridge on the far side. But, there are a couple right under the camera where the tops show. The colors are getting better day by day at 7,000 feet elevation.  Which is another item of the Zephyr and the freight trains. Railroading presents those problems and if you like to see long trains with many many engines it is because the mountain inclines are steep in the area. One of the two tunnels is inoperable at the moment so the east bound and west bound must share the one open tunnel. Still, it is the pulling and pushing of long freights trains up and down the mountains that require such make ups of 4 lead engines, 2 in the middle and 1 on the end. In the winter, you get to see some pretty spectacular snows. The Truckee station is also the regions Track Management and they have a couple of snow trains that go out and clear the tracks in the passes where the heavy snows have slid down onto the tracks. One heck of a snow blower and plow I might add. All of which can be viewed from the web cam.

The Truckee Airport is for general aviation and some pretty big jets land there.It is in the heart of ski country as well as Lake Tahoe. During the summer and ski season, the tarmac is full of private jets. I even saw a single engine jet land there a few weeks ago. It was the first one that I have seen with a single engine. Cute little thing. You can really tell the men from the boys by the price of their toys. 

So, as we are officially in Meteorological fall already (Sept 1 to Dec 1) not to be confused with Astrological fall which hits around the 20-22 of September that some still follow. While going to the DPS to get my drivers license renewed, I rode the bus. That was my first outing since my last discharge from the hospital. over 4 months ago. Being able to ride and just look out the window at all the changes that have been made since my days of working my shoot wagon wheel. I took buses that took me down some of my old wagon wheel route. There were a lot of trees with flipped leaves. Past post have talked about the meaning of flipped leaves. In short, a sure sign that fall is not getting ready to start, it already has. 

Where planes are concerned, American has started parking planes again on the SE quad of the 18's line up and wait area. No sign, this thing is anywhere near over with the layoffs and a second parking of planes. Old Doug has his hands full, as does his new counter part at United's, Scott Kirby, on the job as CEO just over 100 days! Ouch! That reminds me. I should go rest a bit.

Update---In just the wee hour or two since posting, American has removed the 11 planes that they had parked in the SE quad of 18's line-up-and-wait area.  All the construction vehicles that are working on the 18's upgrades are now parked there. They could have been moved to other areas of the airport but I don't think so. I'll have to check the flight logs at Victorville and see if they have put any into storage that matches the static number of yesterday.

I will try to keep you updated to those that want updates. It is news in the Airline Industry and that means jobs for a lot of people and a potential adjustment for share holders at-large.

Jockeying For Position and Doing A Bit of Railroading To Boot

17 Mar 2020.post update

The Zeph, Amtrak #6, was seen pulling a consist and re-arrangement of normal car order. The usual car behind the second engine is the mail car. Today, it was at the end being the 8th car, not the normal 11 in the consist.

American Coot. Best know for the baseball farm team that is known by its name---The Toledo Mud Hens [1]

Two years ago a squirrel jumped from this plant and knocked seed onto the brim of my fedora. That seed, today has come up in one of my flower pots on the porch and is about two feet tall. It's looking good, healthy and I hope that it blooms this fall just like mom! We will see. And my trees in pots are now about 7 feet tall and have never looked so good. I didn't even give them a dose of my Vitamins this year. That shot two falls ago is still showing results. Originally, I had thought that the bottle was Centrum but looking more closely at the front of the bottle rather than the back ingrediant label, I discovered that it was Mature Multi from Member's Mark. That's Sam's Club brand label like Costco's Kirkland brand. All I know is that it worked better on my trees than it did me! Ha!

So what is so strange about that. Well, First of all it's the Zeph. Secondly, one must remember that the US Mint is in San Francisco. Thirdly, The train also stops in Denver on its way east to Chicago. Guess what? There is also a US Mint in Denver. So, by deduction and past history, The US Mint ships coins from San Francisco and Denver to Chicago. The Zeph ends in Chicago but the Lake Shore Limited starts in Chicago and ends in Boston.Also in Chicago, the Amtrak route can split off the Limited to go southeast, south, and guess what, it has covered all the districts of the Federal Reserve. I love watching trains more than airplanes. The term used when things like this happen is Railroading. The train line is doing a bit of Railroading....that's switching from this track to that track or in layman terms, jockeying around for position to get where it needs to be.

When I was a kid, the little town where I grew up (pop. 1498) had a train station that still carried passengers. I would ride my bike down the hill from where I lived to the station and sit and watch the trains come and go. The first thing that I remember that was the show stopper was seeing a casket taken from the baggage car,placed on one of the old rail carts that were used for luggage, and then, pulled around the train station to a ramp and a waiting hearse of the local funeral director. It was a treasure hunt the rest of the summer and summers that came after that.

There was a nomenclature for that happening that afternoon. It was called the Pullman Express. Funny thing about that was that years later, I was at an airport and watched the ramp rats (not a derogatory term use) bring a casket around and load onto the plane that I would be my flight. It was the second time and second mode of transportation that I had witnessed  human remains being shipped elsewhere. Even later, I knew a funeral director that called the meeting of a plane with a human remains the "Tampa Express". It was a term that meant that instead of the family calling the funeral home where they would have the funeral rite and burial to handle the return of the remains, they would called the funeral home where the death occurred and have the loved one shipped in a casket back home, costing the family hundreds of dollars more than needed. It was snowbirds being sent home and the Florida funeral directors were the winners.

That is when it clicked that business commerce was what made the world turn so to speak. It had me in its grips and over the years, it just gets in your blood and you love every minute of it in the long and the short of career terms.

To this day, I still enjoy watching trains come and go and doing their "railroading". So seeing the less than normal consist of cars and the out-of-position of cars, is an eye catching experience, much like photography that trains your eyes to pick up on things that the average Joe misses.



[1]
The American coot (Fulica americana), also known as a mud hen or pouldeau, is a bird of the family Rallidae.
Thanks to the Cornell Lab's, All About Birds https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Coot/lifehistory

Drag Races Between Two SD-70 Locomotives

Actually, if I had this image when I posted the 12/22/2016 post, "Perseption Is Everything, But..." this would have been a perfect image. It is impossible to show the reason why here in this image, but behind the Union Pacific engine are two more BNSG engines. The way I understand it is that the railroad that owns the tracks pulls a rerouted engine and cars for a train that is using those tracks for some reason. In short, they need an escort while on Union Pacific tracks. But, a case at first sight sure could be made that these two trains were racing.

We set another record today. While checking out the lake, and talking with  another lake goer, we pretty much decided that any scene at the lake today could be anywhere. Anywhere in the world. As Ali said, "we call it White Rock Lake". And I do believe that he captured the moment completely with that statement. He later said, we could use that as a tag line. We sure could, Ali. We now have it for the record and should we want to use it again....we are the only ones that can claim it from here on out.

"Look at that. It could be any place in the world. We call it White Rock Lake". copyright Ali and dallaspaparazzo, Tuesday, 10th January 2017.All rights reserved for us both!

"Look at that. It could be anyplace in the world. We call it White Rock Lake."

Train Drag Racing?

A beautiful little wren.

Serendipitous Finds in Wing Heaven

Many years ago, I met a man who owned an aircraft parts business. I was like a kid in a candy store when I got to walk through the facility. Anything aircraft is just one of those things that sends my nervous system into a WOW mode. Watching balloon's  envelopes being cold inflated does the same thing and when they are cold inflated enough to switch to the hot air being pumped into the envelope from the burners so that they can then stand up-right is where my spine shivering stops and I have to go to work taking pictures.

Old planes, old trains still have that WOW factor for me. While growing up, my dad knew a lot of WOW factor guys and we would go out along a country road or along the fence row of a field where crop duster pilots made there bi-wing planes do amazing things. Talk about guys that had ice running in their blood. When it came to fear and the crop dusters that I grew up watching, those guys were icy  boys.

This past weekend, trying to find the best area where planes going into Love Field put down their landing gears has been a challenge for sometime. Generally, there is about one area on the final where this happens. For Love, it's after they start their turn into their final. I'm getting close, but I'm not totally there yet to get the full sequence of a 737 from door opening to the wing strut gears beginning their fold-down. Of course, most of the 737s don't have doors covering those wheels, but the arms just comedown and lock. The front nose wheel is a double door. Never-the-less, I'm driving to the last place where I got close to getting the image that I need but I went a couple of streets over from where I was before. I pulled over and got my camera out of the bag and was changing lens when I glanced up to see that I wasn't in any one's way when that WOW factor kicked in and chills hit my neck nerve causing me to shiver with excitement. I had accidentally happened onto one of those out-of-the-way places that operate one of  those amazing businesses. After that find, I packed away the camera and headed for the home and barn as a happy camper! My day had been made complete. This is what I found.

Wing Heaven

I bet they know where to get a pair of wings! But the old crop duster that I grew up watching was also yellow.

Seven Tower Cranes Says A Lots

Well, you have heard me talk about the massive amounts of construction going on in the Metroplex.  It is something that most places wish that they had going on in their areas. Add the roadwork going on to the building construction and it just freaks me out. I've seen a lot of construction projects. Some I was actually apart of at the time.  But never, have I seen this amount for this long and the signs show no sign of letting up any time in the future.

Today, was the first time that I have been out on my photo circuit for nearly a month, now ( Some of you might have noticed since I have not produced much post writing or picture posting). The reason for that is an old injury that flared up and had me pretty much sitting at the desk catching up on some detail work that had taken a back seat when I was out shooting so much of the time.

Yesterday, I went out for a couple of hours and treated myself to a sit down meal for a change. While driving that short distance, I ran across a Mc Donald's that was in a heap of rubble with a big back hoe still parked at the site. Today, the demolitions continued with a complete office complex  that had been leveled and already cleared off. Then, this afternoon, the next demolition was a major warehouse complex and a motel that were in various stages of rubble. Before the day was out, I had come across another four landmarks that were just totally gone. It was mind-boggling and I am asking myself, what was wrong with the buildings that were there in the first place?

Then, it was like a time warp and I started to see new construction projects and I'm not talking about little ones. A 300-500 villa complex in Las Colinas tucked away off Carpenter Freeway (SR114)  near the old Texas Stadium has already begun. That's when I hit the SR183 Airport Freeway road work that has completely revamped the south end  entrance to Dallas/Ft.Worth International Airport. Keeping in mind also, that the North End was just completed.

On the amusing side, while checking out my favorite train spot, I came across a lady who had run her SUV off the road into a ditch that had the SUV on a 45 degree angle and from the road level,the top of the SUV wasn't showing all that much. The lady already had help and I continued on to check out the trains. On the return, a guy in a bobcat had pulled the lady out of the ditch. There was thick heavy mud as high as the top of the wheels. I really don't want to know how she drove off the road into the ditch in the first place.

It was a perfect day to be out walking with the camera and just doing a bit of street photography which is just pure fun and usually turns up some good submissions in the editorial department. Here are some shots from the afternoon.

Should have gotten a shot while the car was still in the ditch.

This was a great shot from the hill overlooking the old Texas Stadium location.

From the Texas Stadium hill, there are 7-tower cranes working at Love Field. a couple for the parking garage and the rest are for the new training facility at Southwest Airlines Campus adjacent to their Headquarters  and the new Operations Center that was completed not all that long ago.

Bullet Trains

Having traveled both The Lake Shore Limited between Boston and Chicago along the Great Lakes and The California Zephyr between Chicago and Emeryville, California  about three decades ago, I became a fan of Amtrak as a passenger rail service immediately. Since then, I have wanted to ride the rails again. I love riding the TRE and DART but not to the extent a high-speed trip would be like. Given the choice of going by plane or by train, the choice will always be rail over plane today.

Recently, it was announced that the TRE, or Trinity Railways Express, would be busy putting a TRE-type train into Terminal A or B at DFW International. The switch off the Dart light rail line is already in place on the way into terminal A. It will connect Ft. Worth to DFW via the TRE directly as DART has done already with Terminal A in connecting Dallas with DFW with light rail.

In the meantime, The FEC or Florida East Coast Industries, the parent of Florida East Coast Railroads announced that with state and private money, they would begin building a high-speed train between Miami and Orlando, running between 79 and 125 MPH over upgraded tracks the FEC already owns, operates and manages. It must be pointed out here, as well, that Florida Power and Light already owns and runs the largest windmill farm in the US here in Texas. In short, the energy derived from Texas wind is controlled by Florida Power and/or the biforcated-biforcated businesses that fall under that umbrella. Soon, they will top us as a high-speed rail route in their state while Texans are still discussing the ins and outs of why not to go ahead with the project.

That brings me to the crux of this post. Texas has been planning and talking about the Bullet Train between Houston and Dallas that would truly be a bullet train--the same as the Japanese shinkansen that runs between Tokyo and Kyoto currently at about 215 MPH.  No more than 24 hours after the media aired the story, fellow Texans against the train were stirring the pot with all kinds of negative instruments laid out ready to cut the threads the Train planners were holding up to be another economic boom for Texas.

First and foremost, these Texans, as loyal as they are, need to put the state as a whole above their self-centered interest and get this train built. Already Texas is looking to be number three behind Florida and California instead of being the leader of high speed rail for the next generation of Texans.Which ironically would be the grandchildren of those that want to stop the progress.

Florida, on the All aboard Florida website have already posted that  their service begins in 2017. And least we forget that the original high speed is the east coast route of Amtrak's Acela, which FEC plans to equal in their Miami to Orlando run.

And, as Vice-President Biden just stated on his trip to Dallas, that you can do all you can do to get new business growth brought to Texas but once they are here, if you don't have the things like a high-speed rail, you are not going to keep those businesses here in the state of Texas.  He is soooooo right!

The TRE inbound to Irving Station

TRE on its way to Ft. Worth. Seeing this at DFW Terminal A or B will absolutely get the word out to the rest of the world that Dallas means business in a First Class Way

You want to see an economic engine at work, just imagine a 215 MPH bullet train from Houston pulling into South Side on Lamar Station by 2018 tops!

A Big Change and A New Discovery

Some of you will remember that when the "big boy" of Union Pacific was being readied to be pulled to Frisco and the rest of the collection of old cars and engines were being pulled out with little or very short notice, a trip to Fair Park was just about every weekend. Since the final move, there has been no need to go down to Fair Park. Yesterday, on my shoot list was a brief note that I should check out what was being done with the land were the "museum" of trains had previously occupied. It would also give me a chance to get my cardio-walk in with almost perfect weather. An old weatherman taught me years ago that when you add the temperature and the humidity together and the total is more than 130, you are going to  sweat like a rain storm. Below that and you feel comfortable. The humidity was dropping and the temps were about average for this time of year so that did make for a perfect weather day to be walking.

When  arriving at Fair Park, the valet parking was set up at a couple of entrances. Talking to the parking attendant, they waved me through to go on an park in the self parking area. If you have ever been to Fair Park, you know that it is 177-acres and from one end to the other. You could snake out about a mile and a half of distance; since there are three routes of museum buildings, you can triple that distance. Add midway and  Cotton Bowl stadium and the row of building from the old Women's Museum building to Music Hall and the former museum of Nature and Science to the Hall of State complex, to the aquarium and outdoor arena where they feed the manta rays in a Sea-World-like atmosphere, to the Discovery Gardens and the butterfly house and I know I have left out a few besides the exhibition halls in front of the musical dancing water shows. but that's just from the old train museum to the geographic center!

 Fair Park is one big place. I've long said that it could be Dallas' second jewel with White Rock Lake being the first jewel in the crown. Although, I have written before that in comparison, the old Elitch Gardens at 38th and Tennyson Street, in Denver, was 77 acres of mass, Fair Park is 100-acres more! It's Texas, folks!

The area where the trains once were displayed is now all landscaped with all the old fences and light poles gone. I had not realized until I saw what had been done, what an eye sore the "train museum" had been on Fair Park. Sometimes, the real beauty comes in other forms of new attractions and change. We are all creatures of habit and whether we like it or not, some times, change is a way to move us forward as a human being.

But, the surprise came from the other half of Fair Park. As I walked toward Pennsylvania Avenue and First Street, I discovered a historical marker in front of WRR-FM 101.1 studios. Yes, the city of Dallas also owns and  runs the classical radio station. Somehow, I had missed the marker over the years. It is in need of some up keep, too. But, it gives a history of the station (more than 102 years ago). WRR is not exactly like some of the other classical stations around the country but the format is much the same and in some ways, better. It's that Texas branding again, folks. Unique.

Another discovery appeared. While I have seen it in the past, I do not think I have actually seen it on the road before, but I think the WRR van is cool in a subtle way. A very subtle way. As, I crossed over to the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue, I walked toward the former Starplex complex, an outdoor lawn of grass and seating where concerts are held. A music venue. In early 2000, it was  renamed the Smirnoff, and now it's under the Gexa Energy Pavilion name. The west entrance also has the Belk box office. I walked through the parking lot from First to Second street and down  Second along side the Texas Discovery Gardens to where I had parked. It was a good walk. There was also an education in the historical marker at WRR and while I have passed it a few times chasing trains, I had never seen the actual venue of the old Starplex. Remembering when it was announced that it would be built, Mom would tell me about the progress as it was being built. Those were the days when I was trying to save the world single-handily. Before someone sat me down and said to me," it takes a lot of drops of water to fill up the bucket. You can't fill a bucket with one drop. Change."

So, the cardio-walk was good. The educational experience was good. The weather was good. I'm knocking off  pounds with diet and exercise. I feel good, too. I'll warn you ahead of time. There is a bit of classic(al) humor in a couple of shots.



Ludwig's van on the side and the highly classical,"Dude, Bach off" on the rear doors. You might also remember that Bach was a pedaler. He played pipe organs and the pedal keyboard is played with the feet. Get it? Pedaler. And don't forget to click on an image so it opens up in a viewer.

The Historial Market for WRR

Under a new Name, the old Coca-Cola Starplex is alive and well.

So, cool. Also, check out the sticker on the lower left bumber:  Strauss Relief

The Santa Fe Trail -- Bike Trail

A three-mile walk on a beautiful Spring day did my soul good as much as it aided my heart.  Although, by the end of the walk, I was sweating like a leaky garden hose and my hat rim was soaked. The liter bottle of water was all that kept me going. It was an increasing humidity as the afternoon warmed. The sky stayed that deep blue and the pictures popped!

New signs were up for the Santa Fe Bike Trail. I picked it up at the White Rock Lake Trail at the spillway parking lot. Last fall, I did it on my bike when it was still fairly new. Walking it was a new experience as a new opening in the trail opened up to a dog park and a restaurant and bar named, The Dog. I found that interesting that there was an opening to a private business, but it did give access to residents in the area. From the old fish hatchery it was pretty much chain linked along the walk way over two foot bridges that cross streets before it opens up again.

The old Katy Rail Road line that continues from the Katy Trail Extension and the White Rock Lake Trail north of the boat house winds its way around to the Santa Fe Trail south of Gaston where the trail tied into the Kansas City Southern tracks, which is actually, the continuation of the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe's original tracks in Dallas. Those tracks can be traced from Denton down through Plano crossing Greenville Avenue at  Arapaho near the Dart Red Line's Arapaho Center Station. It continues to  wind south west of Plano Road down to Northwest Highway and crosses Loop 12 (Buckner Blvd) going toward the trestle seen here at the north end of Tennyson Golf Courses.

The Santa Fe Trail from where I stopped to shoot the trestle and the old switch line, the trail bends south by southwest going into Fair Park and Deep Ellum. Total miles from White Rock Lake Trail Head to Deep Ellum is 4.5 miles. It has come a long way since last fall. There is a previous post about the new Trinity Sky View Trail that is just opened.  It can be an all day bike ride now, using 7-Eleven and other like stores to pick up lunch and snacks along the way.  No need to pack a picnic. I learned years ago to take long bike rides and eat as you go. Pick up something and the find a spot on the trail or near the trail to stop for meals and snacks. It works great. And, you have no gear to carry other than water.



New Santa Fe Tail Sign



American History and Beauty






This is hard to believe that something so beautiful can be found in the heart of a Urban center of 5 million people.

The Procession of Good-Bye For Big Boy (Part II)

A Railroader for real.

A second shift of a real railroader

Coming into Irving under cover of darkness.A more dangerous trek for this real railroader.

A continuance of The Procession of Good-Bye for Big Boy.

The Trains at Fair Park Are Thinning

The next consist to move at month's end

The brakes are being rebuilt.

The Big Boy on the left. Over 1 million pounds of steel!

     The old trains at the former Museum are just about gone. The next big consist is being readied to move across the Union Pacific tracks out of Fair Park to the BNSF yard in Irving before being moved those final miles to the new Museum at Frisco. Looking at what's left, shows the years of neglect while on display at Fair Park.
     Of course, the Big Boy move will be the last to go. It is the biggest locomotive under steam that I have ever seen. I must say that. This is the one that everyone has been waiting to see on live rail again. The enjoyment of seeing an old steam locomotive under it's own power moving on the tracks is still exciting. To see this locomotive under it's own power will be an experience of a life time.
     Meanwhile--here are a few pictures from Fair Park. There are a couple taken from the other side of a chain link fence and the slight grey blur is the camera's reaction to the object in the lens. The Facebook page for the museum is saying that the move will be March 31. That's a Sunday and the TRE will not be running. That means that the trip should have live rail free from traffic to move to Frisco. It would not be expected to have this piece of equipment sitting on a yard siding at Mockingbird or Irving yard. It would be assumed that it will move non-stop from Fair Park to Frisco in one move. That is, of course, just an assumption. There is a little bit of politics being played out by a few and that always spoils the broth some.

A Train of Trains

History moving up the road from Dallas to Frisco. This is the consist of the hospital move of two engines and two diesels on their own wheels. It had left Irving about 45 minutes prior from this spot and from the Gribble siding going north toward Carrollton.

Just north of Gribble siding. The train behind waited as this consist passed it on the right, then back on the main track .

The Santa Fe diesel familiar to every one at Fair Park

Spot No7 and another moved as a hospital move

Chained Down and 20'06" on the move

Fall Afternoon of Potpourri Images

Old No. 7 to sick to travel on it's own,hence the hospital move.

Good grief, how long has that been there?

When days are free of appointments  from my medical friends who poke and jab and twist and probe their areas of expertise, I celebrate byspending the entire afternoon just looking at fall colors and light patterns. Surprisingly enough, I find some interesting things to photograph. I call those afternoons Potpourri Images. Here are a few.

A soccer ball on a rebuilt dock in late afternoon sunlight.

 

Timing Is Everything and ..........

On Sunday's last trip to Fair Park before the State Fair, the Chinese Lantern Festival had created some very tall Lotus Blooms. The thought did cross my mind as to how they would be used. Today, a sky crane helicopter lifted them from the staging lot near Gate 5 to the Lagoon where they were placed. Now only did I miss the lift, I missed seeing them in the large lagoon where the big swan paddle boats can be rented. It's just one of those things......you cover what you can and sometimes it works out and some times it does not.
The train move has occupied some time. The Chihuly glass exhibit has been at the Arboretum for nearly five months and it leaves the first week of November and the pumpkin display opens this Saturday for it's annual run. On top of that---the Perot Museum of Science and Nature opens in it's new building in downtown much earlier than first announced. The new 5-acre deck park opens too! There is a lot of stuff happening! The old adage that it never rains but what it pours seems to be holding true.

Waiting to move to Frisco

Most likely, the big boy will be the last to leave Fair Park
 

With just the things mentioned here would  add another $100 just for parking and admissions. Gas and food would be extra, of course. The cost of an enjoyable hobby today is an expensive undertaking, though not complaining. So for now, since timing is everything and I came up short today.....here are a couple more shots from this past Sundays shoot.

 

Cirque du Soleil and Kooza

Well, although it was raining this afternoon, my third trip to Fair Park turned out to be a good trip. Because the Texas State Fair is about to start and navigating the grounds and roadways are filled with obstacles---mainly large tent structures and stages going up---this was the last trip until after the fair. The corny dog stand was complete this trip and the lights were on. It could have been open for business.Sure would have liked a corny dog since there was no one in line!!!!

The lanterns were still being constructed. However, across the street where the display will be home, the pieces of the last two weeks had been assembled as a whole and the displays were spectacular. The trains were also included on the trip and I noticed an old box car in the area with open side doors and two coke machines inside the old box car. It was unusual and a bit out-of-place for a departing railroad museum.

The route was a bit in reverse from last week  as I started out on the service road of Woodall Rogers and cut across to Dealey Plaza where I took Reunion and followed it down and around the hotel and tower coming out on Memorial Drive on the other side of the complex. The Houston Street Viaduct Bridge is between where Reunion Arena once stood and where my main photo op was located. It is where the massive tent and all the support equipment that goes with such an operation was located.It is where Cirque du Soleil's Kooza will happen. The size of the operation was very striking. After stopping at the security post and getting the parameters of what and where I could photograph, I was basically shooting under an umbrella as the rain was coming down at a pretty good clip. Still, as it always happens, something on your list to shoot in the future appears while you are shooting something else. This serendipity was a gondola car of scrap metal coming under the western end of the Convention Center.

Also, Wiki Commons has a national photo contest going until the end of September of historic architecture on the Department of the Interior's National Park Service's List of Historic Places.
I am thinking about entering. There are several images that I could weed out from my portfolio and submit. Something I saw last week also rang a bell that it might be a good candidate for submission so I retook the image from several angles today just for comparison purposes.

Opens Septermber 19-October 21,2012 in Dallas

The Show
 

 

Union Station Coming and Going Today

Old Amtrak Rail Cars Headed to a Museum

The TRE running regular commuter service from Downtown Ft. Worth to Downtown Dallas

Modern and not so modern. Even the modern is becoming outdated. The new "A" train in Denton that connects with Dart in Carrollton is fully modern and being imported from Europe. It will replace the old Budd cars that are in  "A" train operation and on loan from the TRE. It won't be long before they will be in regular service.The first car arrived nearly a year ago but have not been put into service.