Western Railroad Discussion > Mojave Northern Pt 2 - Chasing Up and Down the Hill

Finishing up the Mojave Northern excursion I posted yesterday, all pictures taken Feb 15. After seeing the Knoxville SE32C building a coal train for the mine, we climbed down from the hill across from the plant and headed back out to the area behind the plant. We set up on the hill pas the wash and seconds later the Knoxville came through, running long-hood forward, with the loaded coal train. It sounds a lot like the Motive Power Inudstry Genset that Amtrak had (or has) in Los Angeles, a huge industrial vacuum. We didn't bother chasing on the dirt roads in the valley as it was going north so shots would be questionable, but decided to beat it up to the paved road closer to the mine. I wasn't 100% happy with my shots, but share some of the better here. With the sun ready to go down at this point and nothing else to do, we waited to see if the mine train came out, and sure enough it showed up shortly after behind the SD60. We chased that down Quarry Road and then beat it to Bell Mountain Wash Bridge for what was going to be a silhouette shot, but because the sun dropped to exactly the girder level of the bridge, turned out to be more of an eerie glow shot (that I do kind of like).

First three images are the Knoxvill with the loaded coal passing by the hill just a bit outside the plant.

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Next two images are of the Knoxville along Quarry Road. Made more mistakes than good decisions here. These are two images I ended up being okay with.

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Next two images are of the outbound mine train heading down Quarry Road.

Last image is the glowing underbridge view at Bell Mountain Wash.

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That 419 is really a neat looking unit! Also like the paint scheme.

I thought this line tended to run trains up to the mine in the morning and back down in the afternoon. Looks like trains are possible pretty much anytime though...

exhaustED Wrote:
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> I thought this line tended to run trains up to the
> mine in the morning and back down in the
> afternoon. Looks like trains are possible pretty
> much anytime though...

Last two times I've been there, I've seen a lot more trains than in the past. I also believe it used to have more of a schedule. Now seems to be more, "whenever we're ready to roll."

But this is just observation on two random days. Your experience may differ.

erielackawanna Wrote:
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> exhaustED Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I thought this line tended to run trains up to
> the
> > mine in the morning and back down in the
> > afternoon. Looks like trains are possible
> pretty
> > much anytime though...
>
> Last two times I've been there, I've seen a lot
> more trains than in the past. I also believe it
> used to have more of a schedule. Now seems to be
> more, "whenever we're ready to roll."
>
> But this is just observation on two random days.
> Your experience may differ.

Thanks very much for the info. I was there back in October so looks like things are getting busier there...

I really like your last shot.

Really nice bunch. An undustrial that is actually getting busier, excellent.
JB

Their traffic levels can vary a lot over the course of a week or two. It's almost aways a crap shoot when you go out to chase them.

Nice shots in both parts, Charles.  ISTR the last time I was up that way -- several months ago now -- that there was some new building construction taking place at the east side of the property near the main road entrance to the plant.  Perhaps the plant capacity is being expanded, which hopefully translates into more rail activity.
GK

oyw Wrote:
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> I really like your last shot.

Second, I think it turned out well.

Nathan

Posted from iPhone

I like Pic 6!!

sorry for chiming in so late but I had to comment on two of those photos (that you're "ok with".. hahaha)

The last one (sunlight under the bridge) is quite a gem.

But image #5 (train coming towards the camera along Quarry Road, valley laid out in the background) is visually stunning. I love the three parallel rows (wires, road, tracks) receding almost infinitely into the background where the enormous mountains loom.. and the train being in that little dip gives it a "tightrope walker" quality, visually (the train would appear to be 'weighing' the tracks down). The mountains' slope down to the right mirrors the apparent rise of the tracks, pulling the train visually to the right and down the tracks towards us.

If I'd taken this photo I'd be framing it and mounting it on my wall (or maybe entering it into a photo contest..)

Thanks for taking and sharing this whole series! I love the color of the locomotives against the stark muted beauty of the desert.

L.C.