Western Railroad Discussion > Toto Tuesday: Chasing S&A Heritage

My first in-person experience with the NS 1065 Heritage unit turned into a worth-while chase, involving a speedy little hotshot of a train. To the captions>>v

1. & 2. The star of the show, NS 1065 in Savannah & Atlanta heritage paint is on the point of UP train IKCSI approaching & passing a crossing just west of the Delaware River west of Perry, KS. Those are the Newman Crossovers just ahead.

3. After the short little rocket of a train cleared the crossing my chase began. I hit US hwy 24 for the sprint into north Topeka where I was just able to park, jump out & shoot from a small access just off NE Grantville Rd. It was 20 seconds of “Wham-Bam-Shoot-Thanks-Uncle Pete”, and back into Willie IV, my rig.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/21 11:37 by santafe199.

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4. & 5. I knew even this short train would take time negotiating the 15 MPH approaches around the Kansas River Bridge so I thought over my options. For my next shot I picked the upper road at the Mac Vicar exit off I-70 in west Topeka. I wanted to get a nicely-lit broadside roster shot of the 1065, in addition to the regular train shots.

6. A couple of the usual suspect (foamers??) can be seen in the away shot… ;^)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/21 09:25 by santafe199.

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7. 8. & 9. I was pretty sure the train would waste NO time on its run down to Herington. It was a very nice change of pace to see Uncle Pete running an honest-to-God, REAL hotshot! And to build a chase around that fact was a pleasure that’s getting to be pretty rare ‘round UP territory. Here is the 1065 rolling underneath the I-70 double overpass, west of Paxico, KS. This sequence was taken from a crossing leading to a ranch whose residents are history buffs, sorta. There are late Rock Island employees in their ancestry…



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/21 20:01 by santafe199.

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Now I had a decision to make. In regular circumstances I would have chased, and probably caught up with the train out of Alma, KS along the relatively slow Old K-10 Highway-Mill Creek scenic Rd while the train climbed the long grade going up Alta Vista Hill. But I knew this train would have no trouble making track speed up that Hill. So I decided to try running I-70 about 20 miles straight west (@ 78-79 MPH) to KS hwy 177, the run south (@ 62-63 MPH) to Alta Vista to see what kind of time I could make.

But after the Paxico shots, no sooner did I get on I-70 when a big black, bad-ass pickem up truck went around me like I was going backward. “There’s my ticket”. I took up a position on this guy’s “6” about a quarter mile back, and kept up with him all the way to K-177. The 6 was more like a “5:28” because he stayed exclusively in the left lane, except when passing slower vehicles on the right. He ran radar blocking interference and escorted me to K-177 at 90-95 MPH. Whooooosh…… thank you very much! The 62 MPH jog down K-177 felt like a stroll through a Sunday School parking lot… ;^)

10. 11. & 12. Coming into Alta Vista I was tempted to make the mile-long dash over to Lil’ Wes’ overpass. But I had an idea that shot might be shadowed in. And, if I was actually ahead of the train I would be running a risk of zigging east while he was zagging west. Which meant I would never catch him again until the crew change at Herington. I sprinted west on KS hwy 4 to Dwight, KS where I saw that the westbound signals were dark. I waited about 5 minutes, then made a call to our original heads-up source. I learned the train had just passed Alta Vista about 6 miles behind me. COOL! I also learned that no trains would be coming east out of Herington. So I knew my shots here at Dwight would be my last of the chase. I might catch up and get to see the train rolling at restricted speed through the yard at Herington. That idea was perfect! All except for the train one track over that blocked any chance I would get a beautiful low, golden sunlit shot in the yard.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/21 20:02 by santafe199.

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Just one more! I waited for the train to pull up to a crew-change stop at the main line fuel rack, and managed to reach in with my tele-boomer for a last-gasp sunlight shot: ( https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,5169790 ).

13. Then I hauled assets down to Ramona, KS, first station down the GSR. There was an eastbound manifest just west of town, holding off the crossings with UP 2616 on the point. But I ran out of daylight before the meet could be consummated & pixelated.
(13 photos taken January 3, 2021)

Thanks for the heads up(s)!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/21 09:39 by santafe199.

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Nice! Worth the wait after the teaser.
I don't pick favorites, but the 11th photo, the one before the Glint Shot really has great light and color.
​Go

Very nice set, for your first, got a nice one plus a decent looking trailing unit.

You just had to throw in the last one!!!  I also like the next to last.


Bob

robj Wrote: > ... You just had to throw in the last one!!! ...

(chuckling) Yessir!!! I drive around the Kansas countryside and run into scene like that once in a while. And try as I might (NOT!), I just can't resist burning a few pixels...

;^)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/21 11:32 by santafe199.

Way back when, this unit was the first NS Heriatge Unit I shot. Coming out of the old RDG Rutherford Yard in the Harrisburg Pa area. Glad ya got it also.  Ben

I don't know what I like better, the pics or the story of how you met the rare challenge of chasing an Honest to God UP IM hotshot (despite the I not Z prefix),

I wonder if all these (majority ocean but I count 22 53s) boxes were ramped in KC or if there's a Dupo or NS block in there.

Great photos.  Thanks for sharing.
sd-45
 

Excellent chase and shots Lance. Many thanks.

Don Allender

Very enjoyable chase of the S&A unit!

Larry

A very enjoyable chase.
Enjoyed the images Lance.
Gary

Excellent shots, Lance!  I can't pick out a favorite, they are ll good.

RC Lundgren

Great series!

Great photos and a great matching series of narratives about your adventures!   Did the Cowsills' "We Can Fly" enter your mind when you got in behind the pick up?    

Rathole Wrote: > ... Did the Cowsills' "We Can Fly" enter your mind ...

Nahhhh..... It was more like that 1977 Jerry Reed classic:

"West bound and down, focused up and truckin'
I'm gonna do what they say can't be done
I got a long way to go, and a short time to get there
I'm west bound, just watch '199' run"   :^)

DJ Sir L

Nice stuff, and I especially like that shot at Ramona.  Good seeing you out there.

- Jeff

santafe199 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Rathole Wrote: > ... Did the Cowsills' "We Can
> Fly" enter your mind ...
>
> Nahhhh..... It was more like that 1977 Jerry Reed
> classic:
>
> "West bound and down, focused up and truckin'
> I'm gonna do what they say can't be done
> I got a long way to go, and a short time to get
> there
> I'm west bound, just watch '199' run"   :^)
>
> DJ Sir L

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Love it!  Glad it all worked out!