Western Railroad Discussion > Blazing pumpkins on the KP

Even with today’s unlimited interchange of front line road power between modern Class 1 carriers, it’s still fairly rare to see Santa Fe descendent BNSF power rolling over its fiercely rival Union Pacific. At least it has been along the good ol’ KP Topeka ~ Denver main. So when we caught word of a pair of BNSF units coming east over the KP it was worth a look, even though the daylight was just about gone.

Our efforts resulted in some very enjoyable shooting, including a first-ever IOTD for my partner, Mr ‘mg8711’ ( http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4110991,4110991#4110991 ).

1. & 2. BNSF 3850 leads sibling 8008 at the point of a military shipment of empty flats & container cars. With this move originating in Fort Riley, KS it’s evident Uncle Sam is gearing for another military move of some sort. We caught the train just as the sun was nose-diving into the western horizon.

3. Looking east from the same Swamp Angel Rd crossing. Although just seconds away from setting, that huge ball of nuclear fusion still paints a blazing golden glow on the trailing unit’s nose.
(3 photos taken at ‘Swamp Angel Rd’, east of Manhattan, KS)

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4. Looking to soak up some Kansas sunset color we hustled 10 miles east to get ahead of the train at Wamego for another series of shots. Here’s my young partner inserting some youthfully agile innovation into his next few shots.

5. Our last look at that intrepid pair of invading BNSF units. With a train made up exclusively of empty flats they are looking a bit lost in a strange part of Kansas.
(2 photos taken at Airport Rd crossing east of Wamego, KS, ALL photos taken August 31, 2016)

Thanks for squinting!
Lance Garrels
santafe199

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