Western Railroad Discussion > Sometimes Cloudy Days Work

I’d been wanting to chase UP’s Lincoln (NE) Local on its northbound return to Valley for quite a while.  That chase is better done on a cloudy day because of sun angles, especially during the late fall, winter, and early spring months.  Even though last Friday was a heavier overcast than desired, I decided to give it a try.

The train comes down to Lincoln from Valley on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  It is tied down near the airport and a crew takes it into the BNSF’s Hobson Yard the next day.  (UP no longer has a yard or facilities in Lincoln)  Power is ran around the train there and cars dropped off or picked up and the train returns to Valley. 

The first shots that morning are of the train going to Hobson and were taken just south of the airport here in Lincoln.  It was not just a heavy overcast but a little foggy!  Power was 6567 and 7529. It took them about an hour and a half in Hobson and they headed north late morning. 

My plan was to follow the train as far as Yutan.  I think the timetables for this branch set top speed at 25 mph but slow orders and grades make that impossible in many places.  10 mph might be more like it so it’s a leisurely chase. 

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/20 15:39 by twjurgens.

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The next two shots are a mile south of Raymond at a county road crossing.  As you can see in the telephoto shot, there is still a little fog. 

One of the main locations I wanted a shot at was Agnew where one of the older wooden elevators is still standing.  This one seems in pretty good shape as can be seen in the last shot.  For me, these old elevators are picturesque and make good additions to a photo. 

Lots of pixels and most of the day were burned in this effort so this will be broken into 3 posts.  The future of many of these branch lines on both BNSF and UP is uncertain so I take advantage of opportunities to get photos of trains on them whenever possible.  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/20 15:39 by twjurgens.

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I enjoy your photos of this branch.  It has an interesting history.

JB - Omaha












 

It does!  If I read the track profile correctly, construction by the Omaha and Republican Valley started in 1876, reached Valparaiso in 1878, and Lincoln in 1880.

Copy19 Wrote:
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> I enjoy your photos of this branch.  It has an
> interesting history.
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> JB - Omaha
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Things got better starting with photo no. 2, he turned on the ditch lights.
I really like the Agnew elevator scene.
Thanks
 

Love the elevator as well. Great to model.

Jim Bertone
Quincy, MA

Great bunch of photos Tom
Brian Stevens

Thanks for the post. I am always interested to see this UP Branch after visiting Lincoln 3 years ago. Is there any lineside businesses or just interchange to/from BNSF in BNSF's Hobsen Yard? Does UP serve any business in Lincoln?
Thanks again.
Go

The only lineside business I know of for this local is a oil and grease recycler east of Wahoo.  In addition to the local, there are occasional grain trains for Mead and LIncoln.  They don't switch any businesses in Lincoln, only go to Hobson fo pick up and drop off cars.



Gonut1 Wrote:
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> Thanks for the post. I am always interested to see
> this UP Branch after visiting Lincoln 3 years ago.
> Is there any lineside businesses or just
> interchange to/from BNSF in BNSF's Hobsen Yard?
> Does UP serve any business in Lincoln?
> Thanks again.
> Go

That does make the branch seem somewhat endangered. Cars can be interchanged any number of other places. Does UP switch the Kawasaki Rail Car plant?
Thanks for the info.
Go

Kawasaki doesn't ship by rail from this plant anymore.  I don't recall the details but there was an accident during shipment that caused them to seek "safer" means of shipment.  I only got shots of them shipping by rail once and am putting a post on the nostalgia board today.

Gonut1 Wrote:
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> That does make the branch seem somewhat
> endangered. Cars can be interchanged any number of
> other places. Does UP switch the Kawasaki Rail Car
> plant?
> Thanks for the info.
> Go