Western Railroad Discussion > Toto Tuesday: Rush hour on the GSR

I’ve never been one to just camp out in one location and wait for trains to come to me, unless it’s absolutely essential in getting a shot of some special event. For me the fun of railfan photography is being able to give chase in territory that I know like the often quoted ‘back of my hand’.

Here’s a little afternoon rush of trains on the former Rock Island GSR. I guess I don’t really mind that the colors are now yellow & grey instead of maroon or yellow & red or even blue & white. When a UP train goes by I can always close my eyes and listen to flanged wheels on steel rails singing the echoes of past Rock Island glory. Long live my Grandfather’s career railroad, the ROCK!

1. UP 3873 is eastbound at the elbow bend in “McFarland Blacktop Road” about a mile NE of Alma, KS. The old Rock Island main line runs in a pretty sharp NE ~ SW angle here in its chore of getting around the meandering path of Mill Creek.

2. UP 8735 is westbound crossing the same Mill Creek east of Snokomo Rd at Paxico, KS. There is evidence of the former Double Track ABS territory here. The bridge for the old south main can just be seen over the train about 20 hoppers back. It now serves as an access road bridge.

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3. UP 5118 is westbound with a manifest at the ghost town of Volland, KS. The train has just entered the east end of about 14 miles of 2 main track CTC, with Dwight, KS at the west end.

4. With the early evening sunlight in subsidence the 5118 in the image above is meeting UP 5311 on an eastbound autorack train. Images #3 & #4 taken from the Volland Rd crossing at its namesake location.

5. UP 5311 is providing this photographer with an opportunity for some mild sunset color at Springcreek Rd crossing west of Paxico, KS.
(5 photos taken between 5:22 & 7:20 PM on July 3, 2017)

Thanks for chasing along with me!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/17 07:56 by santafe199.

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Gee,
The corn is reflecting the locomotives color or
is it the other way around?
Good shots.

Uncle Joe
Seffner,Fl.

Very NICE series!

Larry

Great pics in a neat area.
I videotaped there in 1996 days before the UP takeover.
Dick Eisfeller
Big "E" Productions
Greenland, NH