Western Railroad Discussion > Power outage, outta the house!

Sunday morning I started into my usual routine of firing up the coffee pot, putting in my breakfast order (I have dual responsibilities as head chef & bottle-washer) and getting a couple of pre-written threads posted. After which I had planned another long scanning session. But as soon as I turned the coffee pot on my electricity fritzed a couple of times, then went out completely. Now THAT’s a fine how-dya-do! I waited in vain for a few seconds. Nothing.

So I did the next-best thing. I finished dressing, grabbed a hat to cover my slept on, crumpled hair-don’t and grabbed my camera gear. Lucky thing there was blazing sunshine and mild temps out there. I pointed Willie V toward my prime go-to place, Abilene. Oh yeah... I also stopped for some fast, highly nutritious breakfast on the run. The B&G at the local Vista Drive-in is the best in town!

On my way west I learned from a trusted source that there was a loaded grain train due out of Salina that will be running down BNSF’s Strong City Sub. Alrighty then! It looks like the railfan stars are lining up nicely. Here’s what my power outage looked like:

1. I had to look around, and I found that unit grainer still at the Cargill complex NW of Salina, apparently not yet ready to leave. BNSF 8562 is on the point way back there at the complex. I’m looking WNW from the N Fairchild Rd crossing. Note: this train will have to come down into town and get on Uncle Pete’s main line to roll east to Abilene.

2. And here’s the reason that grainer isn’t leaving. Sneaking up on me from behind is UP 6627 leading a unit tank car train west out of town, right by the old passenger platform at the now-abandoned Salina Union Station. For a fantastic look back, check out this link: ( WAG Wednesday: Portland Rose in my heart! (trainorders.com) ).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/24 09:01 by santafe199.

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Now that the UP’s tanker was out of the way I resumed my wait for the BNSF-led outfit. Which had a K&O crew on board, by the way.

3. The minutes dragged on way too long. So I looked back to the east. Sure enough, there was another bright headlight showing. I drove back toward Salina Yard and caught UP 4617 just pulling with the main line local.

4. I resumed my vigil, only to watch the rear end on the local stop right where I was planning to shoot the BNSF grainer coming east. NOW WHAT? I waited a while. Then I made my way around to the State St crossing. The UP local was stopped way back of the crossing, looking like it wasn’t going anywhere for a while. Looking through the trees you will see that K&O/BNSF 8562 grainer from image #1...

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It turns out that the tank train UP sent out first developed power problems near Brookville(?) which forced the local to stop behind State St, which in turn blocked the K&O boys’ access to the UP main line for their jog east to Abilene...

5. My target BNSF 8562-unit grainer has pulled up short of the ‘Old US 40’ crossing to wait for Uncle Pete to get his $#!+ together. In the foreground is an imbibing establishment with the oxymoronic name “Shady Lady Gentleman’s Club”. Back in the disco 70s this place was called the “The Slipper Slide”. It was a venue for live bands which featured a coupled of real slipper slides that allowed patrons to access a sunken dance floor. It was arguable THE hottest spot in town! What? Oh yeah, sure! I had a beer or 2 (or 6) in the place back in ‘em days... ;^)

6. It was after lunch time before Uncle Pete got mobile again. The sun had moved far enough around that my original shot location choice was now back-lit. So I opted for posing the former Salina Union Station in front of the ‘intruder” BNSF-led train.

7. The K&O crew pulled through town, right down the UP main line. They paused near the east end of the yard for some unknown reason. So I took the opportunity to reach in with medium telephoto snoopery (200mm). There is something kinda righteous about shooting a descendant of arch-rival Santa Fe holding court smack in the middle of a Union Pacific terminal...
Photos 1-7 taken in Salina, KS.

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8. & 9. Still on Uncle Pete’s turf, here’s BNSF 8562 finally out & running.

10. DPs need love, too! BNSF 7796 is doing the honors...
Photos 8-10 taken at New Cambria, KS.

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While K&O was getting themselves lined onto BNSF trackage at West Abilene I ran for some late, south-of-the-border lunch at “The Original Grande”. This is the former Taco Grande right across from the old Santa Fe depot since the early 70s. (Old habits are hard to break)

11. & 12. The unit grainer is rolling along SW 3rd St with the old Santa Fe depot up ahead on the left. Trailing unit 612 caught my eye with its 3-digit number!
Photos 11-12 taken in Abilene, KS. ALL photos taken February 25, 2024.
Stay tuned, more power outage coming up tomorrow...

Thanks for looking!
Lance Garrels
santafe199

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Thanks for the play by play. So how much Santa Fe trackage is left from downtown Salina out to the old diamond at what used to be the UP crossing? Does the K&O get to switch any customers left on the Santa Fe side?
Dave in MT

I would say getting forced out of the house worked to your advantage!

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

That last photo, BNSF 612 is a DC to AC rebuild, first Ive seen. How many is BNSF having rebuilt?

Looks like the power outage gave you a break from the scanner just to gather more fodder for the scanner!
Nice look around Salina.
Go

monaddave Wrote: > ... Does the K&O get to switch any customers left on the Santa Fe side?

None that I know of. In fact, for quite a long time there have been no regular K&O crews based in Salina, if there ever was. There are a pair of 4-axle units there which can just sit there, not turning a wheel for many days at a time. Any work done in Salina, or on the old branch out to the current end-of-track (Tipton?) is done with crews transporting themselves up from McPherson. The old yard office was torn down several years ago and the small yard in Salina is mostly intact, and looks like it's storing misc cars. The track from the old yard office area eastward to the yard is looking pretty lonely. The days of Harold P Wells running his switch crew on hand signals only are long fading memory... :^(

LFG

Gonut1 Wrote: > ... a break from the scanner just to gather more fodder for the scanner!

Thanks! But... er.... ummm....... I have this fancy new technology called digital that allows me to get pics without shooting slides. So I can go straight from the camera to Photoshop...
(wink, wink... ;^)

Lance

santafe199 Wrote:
>>The days of Harold P Wells running his switch crew on hand signals only are long fading memory... >>

Oh, those were the days! I learned a lot from HP about hand signals. Thanks for the reply.
Dave

Picture one, not exactly high iron for BNSF



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/24 17:41 by tomstp.

tomstp Wrote: > ... not exactly hghi iron for BNSF ...

That's probably because it's not BNSF track. This is the K&O's former Santa Fe branch running from Salina to Osborne, truncated back to Tipton. The K&O crew (who I mentioned 5 times in the story/captions) are taking this train into town to get on the UP to run east to Abilene, also mentioned in the captions. I'll have another thread tomorrow where I'll chase the train from Abilene down the Strong City Sub to Lost Springs + one more UP station: Lincolnville before breaking off...

Lance/199

Great write-up and photo's! I'll have to try out that "Original Grande" restaurant, what with me living and working in Original Grande territory:}

DD40 Wrote:
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> That last photo, BNSF 612 is a DC to AC rebuild,
> first Ive seen. How many is BNSF having rebuilt?

It's not new -- looks like they did 20 of them back around 2016. These were some of the earliest Dash-9  -> AC rebuilds, I believe.

Nice chase downs after electron shortage at your abode. Don't tolerate electrical outages here as automatic transfer switched 14 KW Generator kicks in with UPS boxes keeping electronics happy.

Don Allender

FiestaFoamer Wrote:
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> DD40 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That last photo, BNSF 612 is a DC to AC
> rebuild,
> > first Ive seen. How many is BNSF having
> rebuilt?
>
> It's not new -- looks like they did 20 of them
> back around 2016. These were some of the earliest
> Dash-9  -> AC rebuilds, I believe.

It's worse than that, its a DC to C4 rebuild.