Western Railroad Discussion > A Little BNSF Action at / near Bakersfield

Thought I'd go out and see what UP and BNSF might be up to this morning, so drove out to the old Bena Corrals. After sitting there for 15 or so minutes with nothing, started heading back towards Sandcut when I glanced in my mirror and saw an approaching headlight. (Isn't that always the case?) This was a westbound BNSF Grain Train, I stopped and shot this video. I then drove up to the Kern County Landfill turnoff and waited for s second westbound BNSF that apparently was right on the heels of the grain train. I took about a minute's worth of video and dropped the camera. Fortunately these little Nikon Coolpix cameras are tough and no damage was noted. Needless to say, that video did not make the cut. Next, I drove into the East Bakersfield area where I observed the BNSF (the one I dropped the camera on) stopped and I surmised he was waiting for clearance to enter the Bakersfield BNSF Yard. I drove on and turned onto Sumner Street where I saw the crossing gates down for a departing E/B BNSF Stack Train.I shot video of this train (might include it in another posting). Next, I drove by the UP Yard, but did not see anything unusual until I got to Baker and Sumner. A little bit further on and sitting on a siding was the UP EC-2 Track Inspection Vehicle, and I included one photo of five. Finally, I drove over to F Street and parked where the old Santa Fe Cafe had once stood. The WB Manifest creeped into the yard for a crew change, and after he departed, a large EB baretable with 10 units on the point (including two KCS) departed the BNSF Yard. All in all, quite a good way to spend a couple of hours.

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Does the SJVR run on satirdays?   Would love to see video of a train in Buttownwillow, if there's still any traffic there.    Branchline RRing at its finest...

The mainline has the alure of density, but I'm 2 miles from the Fullerton station right now, and cant bear to fo see yet another stack train and BNSF Big GE's.   You know you've seen too much of the same when a baretable train becomes interesting....

You are absolutely correct. The ever-increasing intermodal traffic on America's railroads and look-alike GE's have really taken the "magic" out of train watching. 60+ years ago, I can recall being taken to my baby sitter's place in Mojave less than 200 yards away from the SP mainline (with joint tennant ATSF). It was said that from the moment I would arrive at my sitter's house, that I would climb up onto the sofa and lie across the top of it staring out the window watching the trains roll on by - never coming down - not even for lunch. When I grew older, it was riding my bike down to the old SP depot and being mesmerized by the variety of freight cars and their far-off origins rolling by with names such as Pennsylvania, New York Central, Soo Line, etc. Now wer're down to just 7 Class One railroads, and with four out of five trains being intermodal, the magic and uniqueness of the freight train is disappearing fast.

pdt Wrote:

> Does the SJVR run on satirdays?   Would love to
> see video of a train in Buttownwillow, if there's
> still any traffic there.   

There were tank cars spotted on the main near the red flag the last time I was in Buttonwillow earlier this year.  Don't know when they go out there, though.

tronarail Wrote:

> Now wer're down to just 7 Class One railroads, and
> with four out of five trains being intermodal, the
> magic and uniqueness of the freight train is
> disappearing fast.

"Fast?"  Has it really changed that much in the last 10 years?

The SJVR has the 905 Job that is 7 days a week on duty at 0500. It typically switches the BNSF yard but, on Saturdays/Sundays it will sometimes make a transfer run to the UP Yard via the Landco Sub and then return to the BNSF Yard. 

There is also usually an extra job on weekends that runs around the various SJVR branches cleaning up any work that didn't get done during the week. Extra jobs also take care of any oil trains destined for Plaines at Levee (end of the Sunset Branch) or Kern Oil (Arvin Sub) or Unit Grain Trains destined for Conner (Sunset Branch).

Finally, Saturday/Sunday sees power swaps between the north/south end with power moved to/from Bakersfield/Goshen on the UP. Depending on crew availability the power could come from either end.

Finally, finally, The Buttonwillow branch is served all the way to Bowerbank M-F and to the end of the line at Buttonwillow on Thursdays (if needed).

Some of this information is dated but not much has changed as far as I am aware...

1. End of the Line at Buttonwillow.

2. Typical outbound train at Rogas (Buttonwillow Branch)

3. Typical outbound train at Conner (Sunset Branch)

pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does the SJVR run on satirdays?   Would love to
> see video of a train in Buttownwillow, if there's
> still any traffic there.    Branchline RRing at
> its finest...
>
> The mainline has the alure of density, but I'm 2
> miles from the Fullerton station right now, and
> cant bear to fo see yet another stack train and
> BNSF Big GE's.   You know you've seen too much
> of the same when a baretable train becomes
> interesting....

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